Pastor
Steve Geiger Easter
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Matthew 28:1-10
1
After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first
day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the
Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and
sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as
snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead
men.
5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for
I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he
has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 Then go
quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead
of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”
8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet
filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them.
“Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10
Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to
Galilee; there they will see me.”
Believe
It Before You See It Matthew
28:1-10
1.
Words call for trust
2.
Trust finally sees
When
little children begin to become big children, there are moments of great
accomplishment. Firsts. The first smile, first word, first step,
first shoe tied.
You
may remember some of those special times.
You may remember if you were the only one who witnessed a certain
special moment. You tell your husband,
you tell your wife, “She did it. She
tied her shoe all by herself.”
If
you are the one hearing for the first time this news, you may think, “I’d like
to see that.” You may go to your son,
your daughter, and say, “Show me.” The
words of a spouse reporting a great moment are one thing. Seeing it for yourself is something
completely different.
I
won’t believe it until I see it.
Isn’t
Easter morning a moment of seeing it?
We
think back to the disciples before Jesus died.
Lots of words—promises about suffering and dying and rising. Words.
How hard it must have been to trust, to be calm, to find comfort in
words of Jesus when events of crucifixion and sights of suffering said “doubt”
and shouted “fear.”
But
now it was Easter. Surely, one may have
thought, this was time for no more words.
No more need to trust things unseen.
Today they were going to see.
Show us Jesus. Show us that all
he said was right.
We
may look back at Easter and think things similar: that Easter was the moment of
sight, when all was visibly clear.
“Jesus is the winner, because look, I see him alive.”
We
may even imagine that sight was first on God’s agenda when Jesus rose on Easter
Day. “We’ve got to have people see
Jesus. He’s alive! Angels, get a crowd together to witness the
resurrected.”
The
angels weren’t there even to give the women a glimpse of Jesus.
The
women were looking for Jesus. The earth
began to shake. An angel down from
heaven. A stone to roll away. He sat on
it. His face like lightning, his
clothes white as snow. The women were
terrified.
“I
know who you’re looking for.
Jesus. He isn’t here. He’s risen, just as he said.”
The
angel didn’t say, “He’s risen. Look,
there he is.”
Yes,
the tomb was empty. Yes, that was
evidence. But the angel didn’t
say, “He’s risen. Look, there he is.” His message was, “He’s risen, just as he
said.” Not sight, but words. The angel directed the women’s attention to
words. Of the past.
And
then, “Ladies, go. Talk to his
disciples. Tell them, ‘He was raised,
and he’s going before you to Galilee.
You’ll see him there.”
The
women weren’t to say, “Disciples, today is the day for you to see.” Rather, the women were to remind the
disciples of a promise Jesus had made three days before, about a Galilee visit. Galilee was far away. More than a day’s walk. I thought Easter was the day . . . Easter is
the day to see Jesus.”
I
thought Easter was about seeing. The
days for eyes. The day when we don’t
need to trust, but can touch and can see.
That
isn’t what Easter was, was it.
Listen
to these Easter Day phrases:
The angels in Matthew: “risen, just
as he said”
Angels in Mark: “you will see him,
just as he told you”
Jesus, to the Emmaus disciples: “all
the prophets have spoken”
Jesus, with the Emmaus men: “opened
the Scriptures”
Jesus, in Luke: “This is what I told
you while I was still with you”
Jesus, in Luke: “he opened their
minds so they could understand the Scriptures”
The
point of Easter was not the visible appearances of Christ. The angel didn’t show Jesus to the
women. The point of Easter was not the
visible appearances of Christ. The
angel didn’t tell the ladies to tell the disciples that they would see Jesus
that night—but later, and in Galilee.
The
point of Easter was the words. Still
that day God was calling on his children to trust. To trust the words of a God who never breaks his promises.
Trust
that was shaky. Doubts, lack of
understanding, rampant of the day of resurrection.
Peter and John, finding an empty tomb. John, seeing and believing. Yet the Holy Spirit adds, “They still did
not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.”
Jesus, to the Emmaus disciples: “How foolish you are, and
how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!”
You? You wouldn’t be filled with doubts on the
day of resurrection, would you? You’d
get the “words” thing, right?
Comfortable if sight wasn’t offered on the day Jesus rose?
We
do have doubts, don’t we. We sometimes
think the words of God aren’t enough, don’t we.
Maybe
there is something big coming up that scares you. You don’t know how you are going to get through it. You don’t know how it’s going to turn
out. Your life, your future feels like
it’s swinging in the wind. You, no
control. Lots of uncertainty. You worry.
You worry a lot. You wonder why
God hasn’t helped you know what to do.
Sometimes you don’t feel like praying.
Sometimes you don’t make a lot of effort to discover encouragement in
God’s word. You remember something
about him working things for good, but right now you’re not so sure. Words.
God’s words of promise. For us,
not enough?
But
I’d never doubt the words of God.
Though I know he’s told me that I’m forgiven, but this one sin keeps
bothering me. It seems like the devil
won’t let go. I think I’m past it, and
then I get scared all over again. I
can’t believe I did it. I was so sure I
would be strong. But I wasn’t. Now I wonder. I wonder whether I’m really
forgiven. I want to feel forgiven. I want something to touch me or something
that I could see that would make me sure.
I know there are words. God’s
words of promise. But for me, I need
more.
I’d
never doubt the words of God? But do I
wonder sometimes if there really is something good after death? I know I say there is. I’ve believed it for years. But sometimes it doesn’t seem enough. When life is so hard, it’s difficult to
imagine that a God who could allow such pain has something nice coming. That’s really quite a stretch, if you think
about. Even the possibility of eternal
happiness. Too good to be true? Words.
God’s words of promise. For us,
sometimes not enough.
We
doubt the words of God. We consider the
possibility that God might lie. I
suppose we can think that, but let us not imagine that such a thought can pass
without consequence. Death is
coming. God is waiting. We know that. The fear. We know of
friends who were scared. We see the
homes, the stones, the funeral processions.
If I’ve doubted God, who’s left to help?
What
our eyes can or can’t see can terrifies.
What if it were only what could be seen that would comfort?
Imagine
if the lesson of Easter was, “Faith in Jesus depends on seeing the risen
Savior.” Imagine if the lesson of
Easter was, “Confidence in Jesus depends on having a life that is full of
resurrections and relief instead of suffering and uncertainty.” Imagine if the lesson of Easter was, “On
Easter Sunday you have the right to see Jesus immediately,” that his
faithfulness depends on his acting when humans might wish he intervened.
Imagine
that. Imagine how frightened we’d be
when we know we’ve doubted God. We’ve
questioned our creator and our judge.
We’ve called him a liar in our hearts.
But now, we realize what we’ve done.
We now want to see peace.
Imagine if the lesson of Easter was, “Sight is what matters.”
Imagine,
when in our whole life, not once did we see Jesus. Imagine how troubled we’d be as events in our life felt more
often like Good Friday than Easter Sunday.
Imagine how confused we’d be after asking Jesus to help in this way and
at this time, only to witness whatever challenge we were facing continue.
Thank
God that the lesson of Easter is not, “The only thing that matters is
sight.” The lesson of Easter is that
what matters first is words. The words
of the Scriptures. The words of God. The promises that God makes. “Just as he said . . . told you . . .
spoke.”
You
can live your life one hundred percent confident in every word that has ever
fallen from the lips of your Lord.
Including, “God so loved the world.”
Including, “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as
snow.” Including, “He was delivered
over to death because of our sins, and he was raised to life because we have
been declared innocent.” Including, “In
my Father’s house are many rooms. If it
were not so, I would have told you.”
Including, “He will not test you beyond what you’re able to bear, but
will provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” Including, “We know that in all things God
works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his
purpose.” Including, “He will keep you
strong until the end.”
I
know those are hard to believe. I know
that there’s a part of us that would want us to trust only after we’ve
seen. Thank God that’s not the lesson
of Easter, that sight is what matters.
The lesson of Easter is that you can trust in the words.
A
trust that does finally see.
All
the ladies received from the angel was a tour of emptiness and a promise of
resurrection. God worked a
miracle. They did trust. They left, even though they hadn’t seen what
they came for. They hurried away to
tell, just like the angel had said.
They knew they could count on the words of God.
Then
God did something so nice. So
undeserved. He let them see. They didn’t need to see then. They were running to the disciples with some
fear, but with great joy. They didn’t
need to see then. That is when Jesus
appeared. Trust finally does see.
It’s
not that God doesn’t want you to see.
It’s not that Easter had no spectacular appearances. God does want you to see. And you will. Someday. Perhaps, maybe
most likely, at a moment that catches you completely by surprise.
Look. Jesus met them. They came up to him and grabbed his feet. They worshipped him. He had risen, just as he said. Every word, even the impossible ones, had
come true. Words called for trust.
Trust finally saw.
As
they were holding his feet, Jesus begins that cycle once more. “Tell the disciples I’ll see them in
Galilee.” Words that called for
trust. Not promising a view of Jesus on
Easter Sunday. Though he kind of
surprised his disciples too, visiting them before he saw them later in
Galilee. In that locked room. An appearance. On Easter Day.
But
it wasn’t the sight that was the lesson to be learned. It was the words. Easter reminds you to trust God’s words when you can’t see,
knowing that one day you truly will see.
Our
daughter can tie her own shoe? I’ll
believe it when I see it. Let us
believe the Lord even before we see it.
Words
call for trust. Trust finally
sees. He is risen. Today believe it. Someday you will see it.
Amen.