What is THE Truth?

Today is Easter Sunday. It’s the greatest day on our calendar. It’s the day we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. I love sharing the news that Jesus is alive. He is not dead. He is risen.

And I want you to know that is NOT fake news.

That’s a buzzword in our pop culture and, ironically, in our media. We have to beware of what news we read and believe. We even have to be careful what news headlines we click on. We must be especially diligent about the news headlines we share.

In fact, a recent Gallop poll says that Americans’ confidence in the mass media has hit a new low, with only 28% expressing a “great deal” of trust in newspapers, television and radio to report the news fully, accurately and fairly. That means 7 out of 10 Americans don’t trust the news.

We live in era where people literally write up fake news stories so that you can click on them and they can make money. Some of them do it to persuade and change minds. Others just do it for laughs. But you have to be aware of fake news.

I happened to find a few fake news stories to share with you this morning.

This first one is a good one: Syrian man renounces Islam after eating bacon. I know that would probably covert me. I love bacon. Trust Jesus as your savior. He forgives sin. Oh, and he allows you to eat bacon. I’m sold. However, this story is simply false. It’s fake news. It’s not true.

I saw this one repeated a bunch over the week of Facebook. Drone catching speeders. It was an April Fool’s Joke. But I saw so many people commenting about it and upset as if it were real.

Here’s another one: Bad Bunny plans to wear a dress at the Super Bowl Halftime Show. This story made the rounds. I had some folks talk to me about it before the Super Bowl and listed that as a reason they weren’t watching. And it wasn’t true.

Not let me be clear. I don’t care if you watched the Super Bowl halftime show or an alternative halftime show. I think that got very political very quick. BUT if you chose not to watch based on this story, it was blatantly false. Bad Bunny did not wear a dress at the Super Bowl halftime party.

And then I want to share one that is a danger of fake news. This story made the rounds in November 2016.

Early November: Spike in Transgender Suicide Rates.

This one happened the day after Donald Trump was elected president. Rumors circulated that on November 8, there was an increase in suicides of transgender students because of Trump’s election.

The story went to detail how transgender students, fearful of the Trump administration, had committed suicide in high numbers. The problem is the story wasn’t true. No one could find any data to back up this claim. No studies. No death certificates. Not even a viral video or social media outcry.

But it didn’t keep it from being retweeted 100,000 times and shared by some prominent writers. The original poster then posted a retraction. It was shared 7 times.

And I thought I’d end on a funny one. This is from a satire site called the Babylon Bee. Roman soldiers looking forward to uneventful weekend. As we know, that one didn’t quite work out.

And that’s who we are going to focus on this morning. The soldiers at the tomb will witness some incredible things, but will be fed some fake news to cover it up.

The Jewish leaders knew they could use some fake news that would mislead a lot of people. So, on the morning of Jesus’s resurrection, they concocted a story to make people distrust the story of the resurrection.

Now, we’re going to read the whole passage of Jesus’s resurrection, but I want to focus most on the soldiers and the story that circulated. I want you to see how fake it is, and how you can have confidence in the resurrection.

READ Matthew 28:1-15

Matthew 28:1–15 ESV

Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” While they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers and said, “Tell people, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story has been spread among the Jews to this day.

First, I want to point out the details in this resurrection story. We have details about the angel, the stone being rolled away, the presence of Mary Magdalene and the other Mary and the witnessing of this by the guards posted at the tomb.

That’s all very important. It helps validate the story. And I want to point out some of the miraculous things that take place.

First, there was an earthquake. The ground literally shook as the women approached the tomb.

Next, we see an angel, in white clothing and looking like lightning, descend from heaven. This angel rolls away the heavy stone in front of the tomb. Now, I want you to know this is not Jesus’s resurrection. He’s already gone by this point.

It would so cool to see this image of Jesus walking out like a boss. Cue the movie music. Bom-bom-bom. As just strolls out in slow motion, just strutting and showing off. That would be awesome. But that IS NOT what is happening.

The angel is not moving the stone so Jesus can get out. He’s moving it so people can come in and see the evidence of resurrection. Jesus is already risen.

The other thing I want you to see is the guards. And these are the folks we’re going to focus on this morning.

These guards are Roman guards. They are appointed by Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor in charge of the region. They would be battle-hardened. These are not weaklings or people easily rattled.

Yet, look at verse four. Upon seeing this angel—not Jesus mind you, but an angel, they are petrified. They became like dead men.

The Roman guards are so scared they couldn’t move. That says a lot right there.

That’s what makes the next part of their story so puzzling. These guys were scared over the angel. Yet, after the women left, after the angel gives the message that Jesus has risen, after the empty tomb is revealed – things they all witnessed as they stood there unable to move – they immediately become snitches.

Verse 11 says that while Mary and Mary are off to tell the disciples what they had just witnessed, some of the soldiers run to the city to tell the Jewish religious authorities.

They saw some supernatural stuff and rather than believe and be saved, they run to the people who wanted Jesus dead.

And as they hear the miraculous story of the resurrection, the Jewish leaders concoct their own story to fit the facts. They create a story that the disciples came in the middle of the night and took the body of Jesus themselves.

A lie told long enough and loud enough can deceive many people. Mark Twain once wrote that a lie can go around the world while truth is still lacing up her boots. The last line of scripture there says it was still a story circulated until today.

Now today, for Matthew, was probably about 30 years after the resurrection. Unfortunately, it is an accurate statement for modern times. A quick Google search will bring up any number of people who still subscribe to this theory.

But I want you to know it is a lie. Like all fake news, if you know where to look, you can tear holes in the story.

I want you to have confidence in the truth of the resurrection. So let me share with you all the evidence of the resurrection just from this passage of scripture.

Let’s start with the physical evidence.

The stone is evidence of the resurrection.

The stone would have weighed close to two tons in order to cover the entrance to Jesus’s tomb. That’s based on the size of the opening and the size of the stone that would be needed to cover that opening.

To put it bluntly, that stone would not be easily moved. It would require multiple people to move. That’s why the women were so amazed that the stone had been moved. It was no easy feat.

Yet, according to the story created by the religious leaders, the disciples came, moved the stone, and did it all without the soldiers noticing at all. But please note, the religious leaders and the soldiers do not dispute that the stone was moved.

That’s evidence you can’t hide. If you went to the tomb, you would find a stone rolled away from the opening of Jesus’s tomb. That gives us strong evidence of the truth of the resurrection.

The seal is evidence of the resurrection.

We see from earlier in Matthew, that not only was a stone put in place, but the stone and the grave was sealed.

READ Matthew 27:66

Matthew 27:66 ESV

So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard.

After the stone was put in place, the soldiers would secure a chord over the rock and seal it on both ends with wax. That seal would be stamped by the signet of the Roman official, in this case Pilate. It was sealed to prevent anyone from tampering with the grave.

To move the stone and to get inside, Jesus’s disciples would have to break the seal of hard wax holding the stone in place. That too was no easy task. Remember, it was secured by Roman soldiers.

But again, nowhere in the story does the religious leaders deny the seal was broken. The stone being moved would be evidence of the broken seal. You can’t hide that either.

The soldiers are evidence of the resurrection.

You see, the Roman guards were assigned to guard the tomb AGAINST THAT VERY THING FROM HAPPENING. Literally, they are there to prevent Peter, James, John, and the rest of the gang from coming in and taking Jesus’s body and making a claim of resurrection.

Look at Matthew 27 where Pilate appoints the guards.

READ Matthew 27:62-65

Matthew 27:62–65 ESV

The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’ Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last fraud will be worse than the first.” Pilate said to them, “You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.”

So, literally, these guards are there to protect against the possibility of Jesus’s

followers stealing the body and claiming he had risen. And now, the Jewish leaders want these guards to lie and say that the disciples had come in and taken the body of Jesus. They tell them to claim it happened while they slept.

Here’s the problem: If the guards are asleep when Jesus’s body goes missing, how do they know it was the disciples who took his body? By definition, as being asleep, their eyes were closed and they didn’t see it. By their story, they were unaware of what was happening. So they can’t know who took Jesus’s body.

They didn’t see it. They didn’t stop it. So they can’t know how it happened.

In order to do what the Jewish leaders described, the disciples would have to sneak in at night. They would have to avoid the guards.

IF all the guards were asleep, they would then have to break the seal, move the stone, get Jesus’s body and leave the scene, all while making no noise, and get Jesus’s body out undetected while not alerting the guards.

That’s some pretty deep sleep. And pretty unbelievable at that.

That’s what makes the story so dangerous for the soldiers. To say this lie, they would have to admit their own incompetence. If word gets back to Pilate – and it would because you can’t hide something like the resurrection – they would face death for being derelict in their duty.

One, because they were warned it might happen and did not stop it. Two, because they were sleeping on the job.

So to make it worth their while, the Jewish religious leaders bribe them with a great sum of money. They pay them off to tell a lie. And they give them assurances that when Pilate finds out, he would be paid off too. They would make it worth his while to look the other way to perpetuate the lie they had created.

They wanted to stay in power so much, and they despised Jesus so much, they spent a lot of money to create fake news to profit themselves. And they crafted a story with so many holes it seems almost as unbelievable as resurrection itself.

But I’ve saved the best for the last. Because through it all, there is one last piece of evidence no one in this story denies.

The empty tomb is evidence of the resurrection.

That is perhaps the strongest evidence of resurrection. Jesus’s body was gone. Even the religious leaders don’t deny that. Mary Magadelen and the other women saw it. Peter saw it. John saw it. The tomb was empty.

They Jewish religious leaders have to make up a story to explain why the tomb is empty and why Jesus’s body is missing.Because his body is not there.

This fact was verified by four separate Gospel writers. It was verified by several other witnesses. It was verified by the guards at the tomb. It was even verified by the Jewish leaders who tried to cover it up.

Later, as Paul writes, it was verified by numerous people whom the risen Lord Jesus appeared to.

READ 1 Corinthians 15:3–7 (ESV)

1 Corinthians 15:3–7 ESV

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.

Those are facts. That’s real news.

All of this points to one simple fact. Jesus resurrection was real. He really died. That is one of the most verifiable events in human history. He really was buried. He really rose again.

Jesus is not dead. He is alive. The grave could not hold him. Death could not take him. The tomb is empty. Jesus Christ has risen.

Those are facts. But what does that mean?

You can’t ignore the truth

The resurrection isn’t a story. It’s not a teaching. It’s an event. Jesus rode from the dead.

Everything we do here at Bethany Baptist is predicated upon the resurrection. Everything we believe as Christian’s starts with the resurrection.

It’s so fundamental that early non-believers struggled with the worship of one who raised from the dead.

If he died and did not raise, he’s a liar and not God. He predicted and prepared his disciples for that very thing. He promised the Jewish religious leaders he would rise.

If he didn’t raise, then they were right and he isn’t God. He’s no different than Mohammad or Buddha. He’s just a man, with a grave, and a holy book of sayings. He’s no different that the statues and temples my daughter has seen in South Korea and Japan this week.

But he did raise. And that changes things. It changes EVERYTHING. That’s the reality of resurrection. It proves that Jesus is God.

We worship the alive Jesus Christ, who rose from the grave, declaring with a loud voice that he is the son of God, affirming that he conquered sin, and proclaiming that death no longer is the end. We too will resurrect with Jesus.

READ 1 Corinthians 15:20–22 (ESV)

1 Corinthians 15:20–22 ESV

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.

That means death is not the end for me. Not because I’m a good person, but because Jesus saves me from death and hell. I don’t deserve his grace and he offers it anyway.

Folks, Christianity is not a faith based on making the world better. It’s not a set of morals to make you a better person. It’s not about earning favor with God.

Resurrection is the foundation for Christianity. Jesus rose. Jesus is God. He died for your sins to restore you to a relationship with God. That’s the whole point of Easter. My salvation and resurrection is secure only in Jesus.

READ 1 Timothy 2:3-4

1 Timothy 2:3–4 ESV

This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Jesus welcomes all to have faith in him. But please be aware, his offer of salvation is an exclusive offer. Jesus was inclusive is inviting all sinners to meet with him. But he is also very clear the he is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one can come to the Father EXCEPT through him. He was pretty clear that broad is the road to destruction and narrow is the gate to salvation and few find it.

Jesus died for my sins and yours. He rose again to show he is God. And now we are faced with a choice: will we accept his offer of salvation or will we, like the Jewish religious leaders and the soldiers guarding the tomb, reject it?

My prayer for you today is that you will not walk past the cross and past the empty tomb and treat this as just a special day to go to church. It’s not. It’s resurrection Sunday. When we recognize that Jesus IS GOD. No one else can claim that. No one else has risen from the dead.

Only one. King Jesus.

Let’s Pray