In View of God's Mercy: Easter Day

The Open Tomb

In a cemetery in Hanover, Germany, there is a tomb which is known as the Geoffnetes Grab, or “opened grave.” It is the tomb of a noblewoman, Henriette von Ruling, who died in 1782. Her sepulcher is immense and constructed of heavy stone with a large and imposing tombstone resting on it. The stone bears an inscription written in German but translated as follows: “This tomb, bought for eternity, may never be opened.” Let me quote that inscription one more time. “This tomb, bought for eternity, may never be opened.”

In spite of this inscription, Frau Henriette’s strongly fortified tomb has, in fact, been opened. For shortly after her burial a birch tree germinated at the base slab of the monument and over the years grew larger and wider. Slowly but steadily the tree’s roots and trunk forced its way and raised the tombstone and opened the grave. So despite the claim of the inscription to never be opened, the tomb is now known as the “opened grave.” Its inscription forbidding entrance into the tomb speaks in vain above a yawning crypt. (See photos and information at: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_Grave,_Hanover).

I. The Surprising Victory at the Empty Tomb

Almost two millennia ago another tomb was made as secure as possible just outside of the city of Jerusalem. Every precaution was taken to prevent entrance into it. The sepulcher had been hewn within solid stone, and a heavy boulder was placed over its opening. A detachment of soldiers was placed at the gravesite in order to protect against any tampering. Finally, a seal bearing the authority of the government was stretched across the entrance to prevent any movement of the boulder. Undoubtedly it was as secure a tomb as was possible.

Yet only 36 hours after that Palestinian tomb had been secured, it was discovered open. The boulder was rolled away from the crypt’s entrance. The guards were gone. The seal lay broken on the ground. Most significant of all, the lifeless body once entombed was missing. All the security precautions had been in vain. The sepulcher was now empty.

The fact that the tomb of Jesus of Nazareth was empty took everyone by surprise. It surprised the women who arrived at the tomb early on Sunday morning, expecting to anoint Jesus’ dead body. It surprised the soldiers, who earlier had considered it foolish to guard a dead man’s tomb. But now, as Matthew’s gospel tells us, they “trembled and became like dead men” (Matthew 28:4). It surprised the priests, who thereafter fabricated a story to explain the missing body. It even surprised Jesus’ disciples, who stubbornly refused to believe the startling news of resurrection. Everyone was surprised at this dramatic turn of events in which Jesus rose from the dead!

In this surprising turn of events—the empty tomb of Jesus Christ—God snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. His great mercy to his beloved people was demonstrated in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.

II. The Surprising Victory at the Red Sea

But this wasn’t the first time that God had waged a startling last-minute victory. The Old Testament reading from Exodus 15 depicts another battle scene. The Israelites are fleeing the oppressive Egyptians but become trapped. Pharaoh’s chariots and warriors have surrounded God’s people on one side. The turbulent Red Sea restricts their retreat on the other side. Before Pharaoh gives the command for his army to swoop in for the slaughter, he gloats over his impending victory. Exodus records: “The enemy said, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil, my desire shall have its fill of them. I will draw my sword; my hand shall destroy them.’” (Exodus 15:9).

Yet in what seemed like inevitable success for the enemy, God works a surprise. In the face of utter defeat for God’s people, the Lord pulls off a victory. He makes the sea into dry land, as Exodus puts it, “the waters piled up; the floods stood up in a heap” (Exodus 15:8). And in God’s great surprise he delivered his people to safety by enabling them to escape to the other side of the sea on dry land. Moreover, God destroyed his opponents. As the Egyptian forces pursued God’s people through the causeway, Jehovah’s restraining hand was removed. The walls of water collapsed on the Egyptians, drowning them.

In this surprising turn of events at the Red Sea, God snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. His great mercy to his beloved people was demonstrated by delivering them through the sea.

III. The Surprising Victory in the Spiritual Realm

Centuries after God’s deliverance through the Red Sea, the enemy once again boasted of victory. Like Pharaoh of old, Satan gloated over his conquest at the cross. When Jesus died and his body was laid in the tomb, Satan and his demons celebrated their apparent triumph. The prince of darkness thought he had delivered the final victorious blow against Jesus when his body was laid in the grave. He who had the power of death, the devil, seemed to have successfully wielded that power against the Messiah.

But then the God of surprises turned the tables on Satan. While in the very clutches of death and hell, Jesus overcame death and hell. The apparent victim became the true victor! He who was dead, now was alive again.

The Apostle Peter declared to those who had witnessed Jesus’ crucifixion: “God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it” (Acts 2:24). Satan did his utmost to shackle Jesus in death, to keep him permanently in its grip. But when Christ had completely disarmed the devil, he burst forth triumphantly from death’s ancient prison. Jesus emerged victorious, proclaiming: “I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades” (Revelation 1:18).

In this surprising turn of events in the spiritual realm, God snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. His great mercy to his beloved people was demonstrated in the conquest over sin, Satan and death itself.

IV. The Victory Is Ours

But the most wondrous surprise of all is the fact that God’s victory is ours as well. Christ shares his Easter victory over death with us.

God’s victory over Pharaoh at the Red Sea meant deliverance for his people Israel. Today God’s ultimate victory over Satan means deliverance for us. God’s surprise came when he used the waters of the Red Sea to deliver his people and destroy his enemies. That surprise continues today when he uses the water of baptism to deliver us from the grasp of Satan and sin. The Apostle Paul describes how this happens in the Epistle reading from the sixth chapter of Romans: “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his” (vv. 4-5).

Christ’s resurrection is not only history, or his story, but it is our story as well. As a baptized believer in Christ you share identity with Christ in his death and resurrection. Just as death no longer has dominion over Jesus, so it no longer terrorizes you who are in Christ by faith. You no longer are condemned by sin, since its penalty, death, has been paid for by the risen Lord.

Therefore we who are members of Christ’s body, the church, share in his conquest over death. We do so by the mercy of God. We are the beneficiaries of his victory over the forces of darkness. When Jesus emerged alive from the abyss of death and laid claim to the keys of Hades, he did so for our salvation and future resurrection. By his mercy we share in his everlasting triumph.

In the surprising turn of events of Easter, God shares his eternal victory with us. His great mercy to his beloved people is demonstrated in the fact that he makes us coheirs with Christ of the resurrection life.

Conclusion

On Easter morning a class of seven-year-olds gathered for Sunday school. The teacher narrated the story of Jesus’ resurrection. In order to engage the students, the teacher asked them this question: “What do you think was Jesus’ first word when he came out of the tomb alive?” A girl raised her hand and the teacher called on her. The girl jumped to her feet, stretched out her hands, and shouted: “Surprise! Jesus’ first word was ‘Surprise’!”

This child understood the essence of Easter. It is God’s greatest surprise! It is his victory surprise. And because Christ rose on Easter, Jesus will one day raise us from the dead in that final jubilant surprise of resurrection.

Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Amen.