We certainly do have Good
News this morning! Christ is raised, Halleluiah!
The Gospel this morning tells
us SO much of what happened that morning, in 10 short verses. In my opinion,
there are a few things worth thinking about…
The gospel message starts out
with Mary and Mary headed to the tomb.
I’m going to pause us there. Have we thought about this? Two women are
headed to the tomb. Why? Well, why do
any of us go to the cemetery? To visit the resting place of the dead. The dead;
the deceased; those whom we love but see no more; those for whom we grieve, for
whom we mourn; those who are gone.
The two Marys are going to
the tomb, to pay their respects to the dead; to Jesus. After all, he has been
crucified; he has given up his Spirit; he has died. They believe him to be
dead, they expect him to be in the tomb, they trust the stone will remain in
front of the tomb.
In fairness, the Marys have
had a bad couple of days; they’ve likely not been eating or sleeping well,
they’ve been crying, they’re depressed and struggling with how to move on. This
is how the women went to see the tomb.
Well, what they saw when they
got there was certainly NOT what they were expecting, was it? No – they get an
earthquake, an angel descending from the heavens, the giant stone being rolled
back, and then the angel casually sitting on to of it with his face shining
like lightning, and his clothes white as snow – and we all know how bright snow
is when the sun is shining on it, imagine please these clothes reflecting the
brightness from the angel.
Wow. I don’t know about you,
but at this point I would likely have fainted, like the guards. It’s too much
to take in!
And then – the GOOD NEWS. The
news so beyond belief, so fantastic, so astonishing that it sounds too good to
be true. “I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is
not here; for he has been raised, as he said.”
Again: wow. Again, there’s a lot to think about in this message
that the angel has for the Marys – for the disciples – for us.
“I know you are looking for Jesus.” Well, obviously; that’s why
they went to his tomb. The Marys are looking to offer one last offering to
their friend, their Lord. They are looking to honour his memory and say the
prayers. But the angel is saying so much more here – he is letting them know
that their appearance was expected; that God knew they would come, and that God
has chosen them to receive this Good News and become messengers themselves. “I
know it” the angel says, because Mary and Mary are now called to a new, exciting,
inspiring ministry.
“Jesus, who was crucified.” No trick, no deception, no doubt.
The person of Jesus, in His fully human form, did undergo the suffering that
people watched, the passion that we journeyed through last week. Jesus – not an
imposter, not a stunt double; their beloved traveling carpenter’s son.
“He is not here.” Clearly,
he’s not there – the angel has invited the Marys to look for themselves. See
with your own eyes, wander into the tomb if you like. There can be no mistake;
Jesus – who was laid here to rest, whose earthly body was here, protected and
secured by the very stone which has just been rolled away – he’s gone. He is
not here…
“For he has been raised”.
Raised, from the dead. Raised, by a power greater than anything any human has
ever seen. Raised, by the will of the God who created us all. Raised. From the
dead. Not resuscitated, not re-animated, resurrected. Raised. Given new life
from God through the Spirit. He has been raised – it’s never happened before,
and it means that nothing – NOTHING – will ever be the same. He has been
raised!
And then the last little
snippet… “as he said.” As he said. Well, of course as he said! The Mary’s are
now being reminded that this is exactly what Jesus had been telling them – for
years! In all his teachings, in all his ministries, a lot in the last week. He
SAID this would happen, and behold, it has. This is significant, because now
Mary and Mary, and soon the disciples, will start thinking back to what else
Jesus said. What else seemed inconceivable at the time, that now might actually
come to pass because of God’s will? What else did they overlook, stuck in their
earthly way of thinking, that will be revealed in the days and weeks ahead?
What else did he say that they need to re-examine?
This is the Good News of the
Risen Christ. Good news indeed!
And it only gets better.
Because the two Marys heard – truly heard, and believed what the angel had to
say to them. Then, they did what was asked of them. Tell the disciples this
news! Ignore anyone who doesn’t believe your tale, ignore anyone who suggests
you’re too grief-stricken to make sense. Tell the disciples that the impossible
has happened. Move away from this place of death, of burial, move instead to
the place of new life and new ministry. New day, new joys, new possibilities.
He has been raised – God’s Holy angel confirmed it! Tell the good news to all
who will listen! Jesus is coming back, raised from the dead, and he will come
to see you!
What a powerful experience.
What a powerful message. What a powerful faith these women had. And it was
rewarded: by Jesus himself. His first appearance is to these faithful women,
who have responded to their call to ministry, who are fulfilling their role in
the story, who are about to share the good news. “Greetings” he says; and they
bow at his feet and worship him. They worship He who has been raised, they
worship He who raised him, they worship at his feet before continuing in their
specific ministry to Go and Tell the good news.
So there it is. The good
news. Revealed to two women: two women who started out with one task in mind,
their focus on the dead; two women who have the shock of their lives –
literally!; two women who become amazed and changed by new life.
And so the good news
continues, in us. The good news continues as we put ourselves into the shoes of
these two women; as we consider our own lives, our own journeys in faith. The
good news continues as we recognize how sometimes we too focus on the dead, on
tending a tomb; and that God will call us away from that. The good news
continues as we too become amazed at God’s message for us, the message of new
life, of new hope, of new joy; available for everyone who will receive it. The
good news continues as we are willing to be changed by the humanly impossible
things that are made possible by the
power of God. The good news continues when we fall at the feet of Jesus and
worship; and when we then get up and declare this good news to the world. The
good news continues when we focus on the new life that is in and around us;
when we recognise the power of being raised, when we celebrate the presence of
the Risen Christ making Himself known in our lives. The good news continues
when we choose to share it.
The Lord is Risen, he is
risen indeed! Alleluia!
