Gazing at the Son

Intro: Where We Naturally Look

As of 2022, there were roughly 6.65 billion smartphone users across the world. That’s 86% of the global population. On average, Americans check their phones at least 96 times per day, or once every ten minutes. In fact, even when my phone is not in my pocket, I still find myself reaching down thinking I am feeling a notification. I guess it is actually a thing. A research scientist out of the University of Michigan did a study and found out that it is not uncommon for people to have phantom cell phone experiences. And then there are the times when our family gets away to the mountains and there is no cell reception, but I still feel the need to bring my phone with me. After all, how will I get pictures of all the things we are experiencing! Instead of looking at the people who bring me joy, I’m huddling them up so I can stare into my phone while we coax our one-year-old to look my way and smile.

Trouble in the World: The World Focuses our Attention on Death

My friend George didn’t have a smart phone, but his TV was ALWAYS on…and he always had it tuned in to the news. Local, national and world news, it didn’t matter. “I need to know what’s going on so I can be an informed citizen” he would tell me. By day it helped him pass the time and at night it provided him with enough background noise, so he didn’t feel alone and isolated. Locked into the screen, he would take in report after report and so much of it seemed to focus on death in some way. Which war was happening overseas? What mass shooting just took place? I often wondered how his life would be different if he had spent more time gazing at things that brought him more hope and fulfilment.

Just recalling this situation convicts me of my own. You can probably relate with how easy it is for our eyes to become distracted by our own mortality. It’s hard for me to ignore the scar from my knee surgery and the pain that comes with high impact activity. And like George, I often become glued to my device, being sucked into the trouble going on in the world every single day. Wars, shootings and destruction all remind me that death was caused by sin. The tomb is a chamber of sin. It is a visual reminder of our mortality and is nothing for us to behold. This tomb of sin… is not meant for us to gaze upon.

Trouble in the Text: The women face death as they go to see the tomb

In our text, Matthew tells us that Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were up at dawn “to see the tomb.” They got up early on the first day of the week to be back at the tomb where they last saw Jesus’ lifeless body. They were going to stare death in the face once again. Matthew tells us earlier in his narrative what they had already seen. They watched from a distance… as their innocent friend hung dying on a cross. They were also watching “opposite the tomb”… as he was sealed inside with a large stone. The tomb they approached was guarded by soldiers in the Roman legion. These were men feared for their rigorous training, discipline and stamina. If they were given a mission, these guards were sure to carry it out as if their lives depended on it. They were to make sure that Jesus’ dead body was secure and not tampered with. Having witnessed the crucifixion and all their hope being sealed up in a tomb, you can almost imagine what Mary Magdalene and the other Mary might have talked about as they walked along the path towards this chamber of death.

(Dialogue between the Mary’s)

“Are you sure this is a good idea? You saw what those Roman soldiers did to Jesus.” “His death was so cruel. Who’s to say they won’t do the same thing to us?” ”Are you afraid of dying too?” “I am. And not just dying, but what he went through was horrific.” ”I want to honor him, but I can’t help this fear that is gripping me the closer we get to his tomb.” “I’m not sure I can handle seeing his dead body.”

But then Matthew gives us something else to look at in his gospel. We see the aftermath of a great earthquake that shook the ground as an angel of the Lord descended from heaven to roll the stone away from the tomb. Earthquakes bring destruction and disaster. If we look back in the gospel of Matthew we see two other occurrences where the earth and its surroundings trembled. Just one week earlier as Jesus rode into Jerusalem, the crowd was stirred up in such a way that the earth trembled. When Jesus gave up his spirit on the cross the earth shook, causing the temple curtain to split in two. When the guards who had been protecting the tomb of Jesus felt the power of another earthquake, they became powerless. As the angel of the Lord descended to the earth, it says the guards became like dead men. The mighty Roman guards had no armor to defend themselves from this preacher in bright clothing. His presence struck fear into their hearts, and they reacted the same way even the fiercest warrior in all the Roman world would have.

Grace in the Text: Jesus’ resurrection changes what the women now focus on

But notice what happens when the women approach the angel, we see a different reaction. Instead of striking fear into their hearts, he tells them to not be afraid. He comforts them. He reveals to the women that Jesus has risen, just as he had told them he would. As they were invited to see the place where he lay, they were given an invitation to look past the stone that had separated them from the one who all their hope was in. They came to see the tomb, but it no longer was a capsule of sin and death, now it was a testament to a promise fulfilled. The tomb is empty, Jesus is risen. Death no longer has a hold on him. They have the message, they’ve seen the empty tomb, and now Mary Magdalene and the other Mary go to tell the disciples where to meet Jesus. A mixture of emotions flood their hearts and they quickly leave their encounter with the angel to share a message of hope. Matthew tells us that these ladies felt both fear and great joy as they left the tomb. For those who encountered Jesus, a mixture of fear and joy were all too familiar. All the way back before his birth in Bethlehem, Joseph and a different Mary from the two in our text experienced something similar. They had both received a message from an angel, too. They were overjoyed with news that they would raise the Messiah. And yet they must have been terrified of the task they had been given. For the women in our text, the fear and joy that accompanied their encounter with an angel launched them in a new direction. It gave them a message of hope to share with the disciples.

But the Son of God is always present in times of need. Just when these ladies thought they had been given the full story to share, Jesus appears to them. His casual hello communicates that everything is just as it should be. In one simple hello, Jesus had reversed everything they knew about death and life. By faith, the ladies took hold of his nail scarred feet and worshiped him. Worship was the only natural response to seeing him in the flesh. This was not simply a vision of Jesus, it was the real thing with actual feet to grab hold of. They didn’t question how this could be, they simply worshiped. This communicated their complete dependance and submission to him. But Jesus doesn’t leave them on the ground at his feet. He senses the fear that still lingers in their hearts and provides another word of comfort for these ladies to grab hold of. The words that Jesus spoke to them literally mean “you, stop being afraid.” Fear was a natural response for the guards, and they were overwhelmed by it. But Jesus came with a comforting promise that they might believe and tell his brothers what they had seen. What a sight to behold! The resurrected Messiah now stood in front of them… in the flesh.

Grace in the World: Jesus draws our attention towards the resurrection so we might experience abundant life

The ability to look upon something or someone is probably taken for granted by most of us here without glasses. But for those who need corrective lenses, you think about it every time you take your glasses off or put your contacts in. I just learned that 1 in 12 men are colorblind. This means that there very well could be some of you here today that suffer from some form of this condition. Taking in a sunset, gazing at a field of wildflowers or appreciating the true beauty of a painting might be difficult without the ability to process colors. Thankfully, there are corrective lenses which provide people the opportunity to see things more clearly or experience the beauty of color. The tomb was black and white, distorted and gruesome…but Jesus Christ…is a vibrant living compassionate human being who stands before us just as he did for Mary Magdalene and the other Mary.

As we gaze upon the living Christ, he draws our attention away from the tomb to find hope in the resurrection. Paul reminds us in our epistle today that “you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” In the moments where we are searching aimlessly for something to fill the void in our hearts, he calls us to “set our minds on things above, not on things that are on earth.” Jesus draws our attention away from the tomb to find hope in the resurrection and calls us to turn our attention and live in his promises. As God’s children who cling to this promise, we are “hidden with Christ” and remain united to him by faith in the Word of Promise that is spoken to us. Jesus embraces death and buries it deep inside the tomb. He hears our desire for earthly happiness but instead provides us with an everlasting joy that is real and present and alive.

Even as you reach into your pocket for your phone looking for someone to connect with, Jesus is there reminding you that he is with you always to the end of the age. When you turn on the news looking for information about who to trust, Jesus reminds you that he is completely trustworthy and keeps all his promises. When you desperately seek to appear relevant on social media, Jesus comes along and offers his own life for you in a sacrificial and authentic way. He promises an abundant life, the way we were meant to experience things. When it seems like the destructive forces in this world are all there is to look at, he reminds us to take heart because he has overcome the world.

Jesus draws our attention away from the tomb to find hope in the resurrection. This new way of looking at things is the way we were intended to view the world. And now we wait with our eyes on Christ, living as people of the promise here on earth and confident the Lord will return to make all things new. Amen