Luke 24:1-12
He is Risen! Jesus Christ is Risen Today!
I wonder what it must have been like for the soldiers who were there, at that very moment, the moment when the stone was removed, the very moment, Jesus walked out of the tomb; and I wonder what it must have been like that moment when the women saw the angels, when any of the followers of Jesus first set their eyes on the resurrected Jesus. Can you imagine? (And) It all began in a place and at a time much like this, early in the morning out on a hillside.
The guards were standing their watch and then there was a kind of earthquake (or something) that opened the tomb. This was not a good thing for these soldiers. But they knew their responsible; they needed to make sure that nothing happened to the body. Their first concern was to roll back the stone and reseal the tomb. But then, things became different again, Jesus (the dead man) was no longer in the tomb; what now; what could they possibly do; who would believe their report? Someone may believe an earthquake opened the tomb, but who would believe that Jesus was risen from the dead? They were hardened soldiers, but fear overtook them; not just the fear of failing to protect the grave site, not just the fear that they would be punished by their commanders when the tomb was found empty. The superstitions of idolatry were all they knew, and the dead, when they walked out of their tombs, were more than their courage could handle. We don’t know if the soldiers saw all that the women saw, but the woman were met at the tomb by men in dazzling clothes; angels by our understanding; the soldiers may have faced these angels as well. An enemy they could stand against, but none of them, none of us (for that matter) could stand against a couple angels.
As the soldiers were no match for the resurrected Jesus and God’s angels, it should come as no surprise to us that the women were also terrified. So, my wondering, as to what it would have been like to have been there at the time of Jesus’ resurrection, could be answered in a couple ways. Thinking of how the soldiers and women reacted to the resurrection, I don’t doubt that I too would have been afraid and that, in itself, I would not have liked. And yet, it would have been wonderful to have been there, it would not have been as easy as I once thought, but well worth it. But, only after seeing the resurrected Jesus, himself, and confirming that it was indeed him, and allowing the time for the pounding in my chest to slow down, only then would it have felt good, would the joy have lifted me beyond my grief and my fears.
But now it is all good! We can look out to the sunrise and we can feel some of the joy felt by the women. It was near sunrise or just after, that all this first took place. Thankfully we are not as burdened by the events of Jesus’ suffering; we are blessed with the knowledge that all that had happened was for our good; we’ve been given the knowledge that Jesus lived, suffered, died and was raised from the dead for us. We now know that “death” had no power over Jesus and because of this, we know that we do not need to worry about death ourselves. We know that Death has no real power over us; it can take this life away from us, but it cannot take us away from the life Jesus has prepared for us. Look at that view (even with the clouds it is beautiful.) The soldiers and women experienced the resurrection in such a place. As with all of us, this experience colored the way they saw life and the world. When the shock of the resurrection sunk in fully, when the women realized that there was no more reason to grieve, the day must have become for the women a wonderful day; the view from the hillside a wonder to behold.
Trying to move away from the theological significance of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection; trying to move away from the impact of all that Jesus had done, all that he had made possible for us, Easter has opened up, for all of us, an opportunity to experience God’s love, experience joy and the wonder of God’s creation. Today is a day to be happy, to celebrate. God has changed everything for us, by raising Jesus; the greens are greener, the blues are bluer, life itself is more enjoyable. The Law, while always important, is no longer the standard, by which we will be judged. Jesus’ life and sacrifice have become the standard by which we are to be judged. The resurrection has, in many ways, become God’s stamp of approval, for Jesus’ sacrifice, for our very own lives. Looking at the resurrected Jesus, we know that God has forgiven us, and that God will likewise raise us to new life in God’s kingdom. Life cannot do anything to us that can take away this new look at life and our joy. Over the past few weeks I’ve presided over and attended five funerals. In each instance it has been, the acceptance of the resurrection of our Lord, that has helped the mourners to turn their grief for a lost loved one, into an understanding that their grief is in effect their loss, that their loved one is at peace living the promise of the resurrection. Celebrate this Easter day, praise the Lord for his wonderful gifts of forgiveness and resurrection.
Knowing what I now know, I think being at the tomb as the angels opened it and released Jesus from death, raising him to new life, I would have loved to have been there. Knowing what I now know there would be no reason to be afraid. I could simply react with joy and praise the Lord. If I may borrow a line from a well-known hymn, “Christ the Lord has risen today, let us rejoice and be glad in it.”