Today’s Scripture
Psalm 118:15-29 Job 19:23-27 1 Corinthians 15:51-57 John
20:1-18
“Early on the first day of the week, while it
was still dark…” The account of
Easter begins with Mary Magdalene, and the other ladies and all of the
disciples in wonderment about what all had occurred over the previous few
days. Mary is anxious about rolling away
the stone. She does not realize she sees
the victory.
Francis
Scott Key was an exchange prisoner on a British warship during the attack on
Fort McHenry during the War of 1812.
Throughout the night he could only hear the barrage of gunfire on the
fort at Baltimore. It did not sound good
for the American fort. It wasn’t until
shortly after dawn when the sun and wind blew the haze and smoke away that he
saw the American flag still waving, indicating victory. Francis Scott Key then wrote the poem that
would become our national anthem. It was
a victory won in the darkness of night when outside observes could not see
which way the battle was going until after that sunrise.
Mary
Magdalene did not realize at first what all of this meant when she saw the
stone rolled away. As John records, she
hurried back thinking the worst, that Jesus’ body had been stolen. Mary thought that another win for Jesus’
opponents had just occurred. She did not
see, at first, the results of the victory fought in the darkness of night, the
darkness of sin, death and all evil. In
this, John’s account of the resurrection scene, we see the doubts, the
realizations, and the amazements that happened as the victory was unfolded
before their very eyes.
Peter and
John ran to the tomb as Mary Magdalene told them what she had seen. They entered the tomb and saw the evidence at
the scene. An important note here, John
saw and believed. What John believed at
that moment was that Jesus had rose from the dead. The Holy Spirit worked the miracle of faith
that moment as John recalled Jesus’ earlier words that he would suffer, die,
and rise on the third day. John’s note
here also tells us that he did not put this together with all of Scripture
until later.
Mary
Magdalene lingers at the tomb. She sees
the angels attending the place where Jesus had been placed. Then, Jesus appears to her. She then knew the victory.
As
opponents to the truth of the resurrection did then, they continue today. We hear the claims that bones found in burial
places today belong to Jesus. We hear
false accounts that Jesus continued to live on earth, married, had children,
and the like. We hear false accounts
that Jesus’ post death appearances were only visions and apparitions.
But what
happened is this:
Alleluia! Christ is Risen!.
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
In the dark
hour of death on the cross. In the
darkness of the tomb. In the darkness of
all evil, Jesus won the battle against sin, death and the devil for all time. He won the battle that saved all in this
world who had previously believed God’s promise of a Savior. He won the battle that saved all those who
followed, saw and believed then. He won
the battle for all who would hear this good news throughout the rest of earthly
time, that all who believe and are baptized in to this death and resurrection
are saved.
Today, the
battle continues. Earthly gain or
earthly loss is not the issue. Satan
tries to bury you in guilt and in shame, if not for what you do or have done,
but for what others have done too. He
shows you over and over that you cannot win.
He deceives you over and over that you can win by your own powers . He brings focus on death as an end, not the
beginning of eternal life with Christ.
But he has lost the battle.
Christ, this morning, has won the victory. We know it because:
Alleluia! Christ is Risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
The
resurrection proves to all that Jesus is the Son of God. “He was
declared with power to be the Son of God by His resurrection from the dead,” [Romans 1:4].
Alleluia! Christ is Risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
The
resurrection proves that Jesus’ doctrine is truth. “Destroy
this temple and I will raise it again in three days,” [John 2:19].
Alleluia! Christ is Risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
The
resurrection proves that God the Father accepted Christ’s sacrifice for the
reconciliation of the world. “Christ was delivered over to death for our
sins and was raised to life for our justification,” [Romans 4:25].
Alleluia! Christ is Risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
The
resurrection proves that all believers in Christ will rise to eternal life. “Because
I live, you also will live,” [John 14:19].
Alleluia! Christ is Risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
God has
given the promise of the resurrection throughout all time. We can say Job’s words together, “I know that my Redeemer lives.” He continues, “…and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.” Christ will come again. “And
after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will
see him with my own eyes – I, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me!”
We long for and pray for that same faith as Job’s, confident in the
resurrection of all flesh when believers are gathered with our Savior as he
promises.
Believers
knew the promise of the resurrection at Jesus’ time, even before his death and
resurrection as Martha answered him, “I
know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day,” [John
11:24]. John saw the evidence at the
tomb and John believed. Mary Magdalene
saw her risen Lord and believed. We too
know and believe.
Alleluia! Christ is Risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Apostles’ Creed