Resurrection Lutheran Church, St Catharines

At the end of the Gospel reading last Sunday, the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ from the Gospel of Matthew, the last people mentioned were the soldiers who pulled guard duty on a sleepy Sabbath Day. It shouldn’t have been a difficult job to guard a dead body. The manner in which the Romans had executed this Man was not going to make anyone eager to cause more trouble. And the chief priests and Pharisees were so vehement in their condemnation of this Man that it was unlikely anyone would do anything to risk their further ire. The disciples of Jesus had, in fact, gone into hiding, after all. They were nowhere to be found.

 

It was a long day, the Sabbath prohibited people from going out and about too far. Even though the city was full of pilgrims for the great festival, and the place of the tomb was not far from the city, it was a quiet day. It was much different from the Sunday before when the large crowd had assembled to hail this Jesus as their new leader. That was a little concerning, but it didn’t really go anywhere. Throughout the week His sermons earned Him more enemies than followers. Although the populace seemed to be split in their acceptance of Him, it was the chief priests who won out, as they usually did.

 

They orchestrated the arrest, had Him quietly tried and then announced His condemnation. They used their political pressure to have the Governor issue a death sentence. It got a little dicey there but the Governor was determined not to let things get out of hand. And in addition to siding with the chief priests, he had this Man brutally flogged and made a gross public example of Him to all who might try to disturb the peace during the festival; and then the crucifixion, the Roman form of execution that was proven to be very effective at quelling any protests or uprisings.

 

So, it was more out capitulation to the paranoia of the chief priests and Pharisees that this guard duty had been issued. It was a formality to put the Governor’s seal across the entrance of the tomb and give a military presence to make it look all official. And if anyone did show up to break into the tomb, they would likely be easily scared off. All that really needed to be done was to watch and report as witnesses to any mischief. So, start a fire and share some stories and wait for morning to come.

 

But at the first appearance of morning light, even before the sun breached the horizon, the soldiers were rocked. The ground beneath their feet trembled and they staggered, grasping each other to steady themselves. But it didn’t remain a small tremor. The violence of it knocked the soldiers to the ground as the rocky outcrops around them split off. There was a bright flash of light in the semi-darkness and they saw a mighty angel roll the huge boulder away from the entrance to the tomb, giving no heed to the Governor’s seal. With ease he exposed the tomb and triumphantly sat upon the stone. The soldiers were paralyzed with fear and could not move.

 

At the end of the Gospel reading last Sunday, the Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ from the Gospel of Matthew, the last of Jesus’ followers mentioned were Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, who had gone with Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemas as they hastily wrapped the body of Jesus in cloth with spices and put it into a tomb as the sun was setting. They could not linger but went hastily home as the Sabbath Day was beginning at sunset.

 

They had seen their Lord suffer and die on the cross. They stayed at a distance so that they would not be abused by the soldiers at the cross or driven off by the chief priests and Pharisees. They had huddled together in grief and terror, hardly believing anyone could be treated so violently and be the victim of such hatred and cruelty.

 

And when the end had come, they gently received the body of Jesus as it was taken off of the cross. They wanted to wash off the blood and dirt. They wanted to brush His hair of the bloody tangles. They wanted to comb the spit out of His beard. They wanted to anoint His body with perfumed oils and carefully wrap Him layer by layer intermingling spices with the precisely folded cloth. But there was no time for all of that and they had to let the body of their beloved Jesus go into the hands of Joseph and Nicodemas, trusting that they would do a reverent and honourable job of laying Him to rest before the quickly setting sun.

 

And they themselves had to leave Him there in the Garden Tomb. They could not stay. They had to be home before the start of the Sabbath. And the following day, observing the Lord’s command to refrain from all work and to rest, they resisted the urge to go back to the tomb and give His body their own loving and devoted treatment. Instead they remained restless but silent in their homes, remembering their beloved Lord Jesus, and all of things they had yet wished to do for Him.

 

So on the next day, as early as possible, at the first hint of light, they quickly made their way to the tomb, where they had left Him. At first they thought their limbs were trembling out of control, and then they realized it was the ground that was trembling—more than trembling, it was quaking with great force. They could barely keep their feet. There was a bright flash of light in the semi-darkness and they saw a mighty angel roll the huge boulder away from the entrance to the tomb, giving no heed to the Governor’s seal or the band of soldiers. With ease he exposed the tomb and triumphantly sat upon the stone. The women were struck with fear and awe.

 

“Do not fear. You seek Jesus the crucified. He is not here, but is risen as He said.” The words of comfort and consolation caused them to consider all that they had heard and seen of their beloved Jesus. He is the crucified. The gruesome cruelty they had witnessed of Him upon the cross was not undone, but rather confirmed.

 

But He is risen. It is death that has been undone. And the triumphant way that the angel sat upon the stone was not because he had managed to move it all by himself. It was to show that the tomb was empty. The place where they had laid Jesus’ dead body was bare. “He is risen, indeed.” And you will see Him. That is the best part. At least for the women.

 

The soldiers laying paralyzed in fear on the ground heard these words differently. “You seek Jesus the crucified. He is not here but is risen as He said... You will see Him.” The great power of Rome’s military might and the political manipulations of the chief priests and Pharisees and this band of soldiers’ own prideful certitude, had all been shaken and made impotent with the angel’s announcement.

 

The crucified One is risen. He has power over death. He has conquered their best efforts to do away with Him. He has proven Himself superior over the most cunning and cruel and mighty and strong. They did their best to get rid of Him and they could do not. And now, they will see Him. No wonder the soldiers were lying on the ground unable to do anything about the victory of Jesus.

 

“You seek Jesus the crucified.” He is not in the grave. He is risen and you will see Him as He said. All that He had said about His suffering, death and resurrection has come true. The women saw Him and His disciples saw Him and many others. And He has said that He will come again.

 

Are you brazenly confident like the chief priests, Pharisees, the Governor and the soldiers were when they thought that this Man claiming to be the Son of God was beaten, bloody, and dead? Or are you mourning in grief and loss, feeling that everything in your world has been shaken and you wonder how you will make it through the next day—like the women and the disciples who experienced such grief and guilt and powerlessness when they could do nothing for their beloved Jesus?

 

“You will see Him as He said.” In times when you feel confident in your sins and full of pride over your power, that simple phrase should bring you down to the ground like the soldiers. No matter how strong and brazen you feel, Jesus the crucified and risen One, will bring you down in His coming judgment against your sin.

 

“You will see Him as He said.” In times when you feel hopeless like the women and the other disciples, who could do nothing for Jesus, and everything was out of their hands, that simple promise should strengthen your weak hands and steady your shaking knees. No matter how helpless you feel to undo the events of the past or to move forward to the next day, Jesus the crucified and risen One, will come to lift you up with forgiveness and mercy.

 

He is the crucified, who paid the full price in His suffering and death for all of your sins. He is risen. His death and resurrection has conquered sin and death for you. You will see Him as He said. He is coming to declare that final judgment, even as He comes now in His body and blood to declare to you, to show you, to bestow upon you the forgiveness, peace, and mercy that your repentant and hurting heart desperately need.

 

The women fell down before Him, but not in fear and trembling like the soldiers. They fell at His feet in joyful relief and thankful praise. Their grief and pain was taken from them and they simply collapsed, placing all of it before Him. And then they had good news to share with everyone else who was feeling like they felt, so that they also might experience the joy and peace of knowing that the One they seek, Jesus the crucified, is risen and they will see Him.