Second Sunday of Easter

Richard Davenport April 16, 2023 - Second Sunday of Easter Acts 5:29-42 Christ's death and resurrection have come and gone. Now we are into the season of Easter, where we reflect on exactly what that means. Though the Acts reading comes well after Christ's resurrection and ascension, we see the world still grappling with this event. Did it actually happen? If it did, what does that mean? Does that affect me in some way? How should I respond to this? The Gospel reading comes that very morning after Jesus had risen. The disciples had heard about all of this directly from Jesus. He told them very plainly he would be put to death and then rise again. This shouldn't have been a surprise. But, in their sin-darkened mind, they didn't accept his words at face value and now they are left trying to make sense of the loss of their Teacher. Except, now their Teacher, their master, their Lord, is standing right there. He shouldn't be here. There's no way he can be here, but there he is. I mean, the doors were locked and it's not real likely Jesus just snuck in when everyone was rushing into the room or that he was hiding in here to begin with. Of course, that isn't even the biggest problem. "Jesus, you're supposed to be dead. Why are you here? How are you here?" Thomas has to get a follow up visit, because even after he hears the news he still doesn't know how to process it. It doesn't make sense. It shouldn't be possible. It isn't possible. If even the disciples are struggling to make sense of this, the guys who followed Jesus around for the last 3 or so years, learning from him, watching him in action as he cares for people in miraculous ways, and generally living the life of the messiah, it's no surprise the Jewish establishment is struggling with this too, and that says nothing of the regular Joe Jewish guy or gal. The Pharisees are debating this issue in the Acts reading this morning. What do we make of the reports? The post-resurrection accounts in the Gospels tell us that the Jews discovered the tomb had been opened and the body was missing. They opted to cover it up and say the disciples had stolen the body. They thought this "Jesus sect" might have gotten a second wind and would go around telling people he had been brought back to life somehow. A group that's fanatical wouldn't be stopped by something so trivial as a dead body. They'd find a way to keep things moving. It's a plausible story, except that we know the disciples better than that. The disciples aren't fanatics. No, they're cowards. We have Peter's brief flash of heroism as Jesus is arrested, but that's about it. After that he can't even admit he's associated with Jesus at all. None of the other disciples do anything to defend Jesus. John is the only one we know of who even goes near Jesus while he hangs on the cross. When Jesus is before Pilate, he explains that, were he an earthly king with and earthly kingdom, his followers would be tearing the place apart to rescue him, but he's not. No, his closest followers abandon him and leave him to die in misery. They aren't going to start any kind of fanatical movement. Here they are on a Sunday morning, hiding in the dark. Now, the Acts reading comes a while after the resurrection. The book of Acts begins with Jesus' ascension, which is a couple of weeks after the resurrection. Some time has passed. The Pharisees haven't seen Jesus out and about, teaching, performing miracles, and generally making them all look like fools. That means, from their perspective, the story they're telling everyone is still the most likely. The disciples must have some how conned or bribed the Roman soldiers, gotten the tomb open, and made off with the body, all so there would be no evidence he was still dead. It's a stretch, but it's either that or accept that Jesus really has risen from the dead. Since they think Jesus is a heretic and blasphemer, that isn't an option. God wouldn't bring a blasphemer back from the dead. The Pharisees get together to discuss the situation. Normally, when a movement's leader dies, things tend to fizzle and the movement fades away. People gather around a leader and are willing to be led by him. If the leader goes, there often isn't enough left to hold things together. Sometimes a capable subordinate can step up and take over, though that doesn't appear to be what's going on here. No one claims to be leading this Jesus movement. The disciples are authority figures in this group, but they aren't militants by any stretch. In fact, they're basically doing the same stuff Jesus did. How should the Jewish leaders address this situation? They can't just sit there and do nothing. These disciple guys are claiming God is directing them to do what they're doing, just like Jesus did before them. As the religious leaders and teachers, they really need to formulate some kind of response to this. Either it's true or it isn't. Either God really sent them, or he didn't. They marked Jesus as a heretic and had him executed. That should have been the end of it, but it wasn't and now they have to figure out how to proceed. One of the group, a well-respected Pharisee named Gamaliel, has a suggestion. Basically just leave it alone. There have been a number of so-called messiahs, so-called saviors in recent years. They've all proven to be frauds and their movements died away. If God doesn't support them, they can't stand. While that statement is true in the long run, it's still short sighted. False religions can do terrible damage to God's people in the meantime. Religions like Mormonism and Islam that arose in connection with Christianity are still around and eagerly leading people astray. In the recent history of the time, the religious zealots and revolutionaries we know about from historical records had all died out pretty quickly. Still, in terms of practicality, it makes some sense. If this really is a God thing, you don't want to be on the wrong side of it. If it isn't a God thing, God will sort it out. A practical approach to religion. A practical approach to God. It's all very reasonable. The idea is well thought out. But, is that what we want? Is that what we need here? "Just let God sort it out?" It's how many of us approach our life in Christ. God does promise to care for us and provide for us. He does tell us not to worry. He does promise to always be with us. So, letting God sort it out seems like the right thing to do. It also means I don't need to do a whole lot around here. I can generally just get on with life and not worry about all of this God stuff, because he'll sort it out. I can just sit back and watch what happens. There's nothing around that I need to deal with. It's all fine, everything will be fine. It says something about your life in Christ when your response is to do nothing. Practical? Perhaps. Well considered? Maybe. And yet it's a response that doesn't make any sense at all. According to the reports, even if you discount Jesus as God, a man died, I mean really died, died in one of the most painful and gruesome ways possible and was most assuredly dead. He was wrapped up and put in a tomb with a stone in front that was then sealed and guarded by the might and authority of Rome. And somehow, this very, very dead man, got up, walked over to the sealed stone, rolled it away from the inside, and then knocked out a couple of sturdy Roman soldiers. Could the disciples have done all of that? In theory, perhaps. But, the Pharisees aren't really debating that at this point. Is this all from God? If so, then the disciples are correct. A man really did rise from the dead and now, as they say, he reigns on high and grants forgiveness to his people. Is this not worth investigating? Is this not worth discussing? If it turns out to be true, then is this not something worth delving into? Is it not worth exploring? Is it not worth taking the time to learn and understand everything there is to know about it, to immerse yourself in it as much as possible? If this is true, then it must be from God and if it's from God, then he did it for you. We may not be hiding our faith like the disciples do in the upper room, but that doesn't mean we're all that excited about it either. That "wait and see" attitude often gets the better of us and we're content to just sit back and watch, to just let it happen. But the more you think about what took place that Easter morning, the more "just sit back and let it happen" stops making sense. It just isn't an appropriate response. Jesus died, but now he lives. More than that, because he lives, your sins are wiped away and your eternal life is assured. His work goes on. He works for you. Not to be safe and comfy, whiling away the hours. Not to be lazy or apathetic. He works so that you will be free, free from the sin that binds you and drives you until you die, where it will consume you forever, free from the worries and concerns that fill the lives of everyone else around you, free from the frantic business of trying to find some way, any way out of this mortal life. He does all of this on your behalf. Luther sees how important the work of Christ is in our lives. That's why he explains it in the Apostles' Creed: I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is my Lord, who has redeemed me, a lost and condemned person, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil; not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death, that I may be His own and live under Him in his kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, just as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity. This is most certainly true. There are many who are sitting on the sidelines, many taking the "wait and see" approach. Those who do, like Gamaliel, will find they have lost their opportunity. He has sent you to spread the word of what he has done. The world had been waiting for thousands of years for the savior to come. He's here now. He is working now. Now is the time to listen to him. Now is the time to repent and receive his full and complete forgiveness. Now is the time to see him conquer death, both for himself and for you. The Holy Spirit has given you this task, not because you have something to earn, but because you have already received it. The grace of God is yours. His life is yours. You don't have to tell people about some practical plan for achieving all of these things. You can tell them about the free gift given by a loving Father to his children. A free gift offered through Christ's death and joyful resurrection.