Easter Morning

A New Day Dawning

Isaiah 53 .10 Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.

Luke 24:1–12 “On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” Then they remembered his words. When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.”

When we celebrate Easter, we think of the Joy that we understand from our perspective. We know how everything turns out. My aunt Helen would often pick up a book that she might want to read and turn to the last page to see how it ended and if she wanted to put forth the effort to see what the author had written. I see that as how we look at the Easter story sometimes. We think of joy, but on that first Easter morning the women who went to the tomb to anoint Jesus’ body were in a sorrowful mood. The Jesus that they knew had been crucified, he died and was buried. They had seen every horrible moment of it and were devastated by the loss of their Lord and master. Sorrowful because their hopes for a new kingdom here on earth were dashed. Their plan was to wrap more spices around Jesus’ body. A sign of devotion and at the same time limit the oder of the decaying body.

I find it interesting how some unbelievers have concocted theories to explain away the resurrection. Their ideas would have eliminated the need for the great sorrow that Jesus’ disciples felt and their fear that they might be the next to be killed.

One theory is that at some point another person was substituted for Jesus and he was whisked away and hidden until he appeared again. That does not explain the sorrow or fear if they knew that Jesus was not really the one on the cross.

Another theory is that Jesus did not really die, that he was just in a swoon. Again if that were the case there would have been no need for the sorrow and fear. If a Roman soldier would have allowed for a condemned prisoner to escape, he would have been killed instead. The soldiers had reported to Pilate that Jesus was dead. The apostle John and the women were there the whole time. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus who were both on the council took Jesus body and buried it. They faced consequences from both the Romans and the other members of the Jewish council by publically showing favor to Jesus by this act of burial. Why would they have done this if Jesus was not dead.

Another theory is that when the women went to the tomb on Easter morning, they became confused and went to the wrong tomb. the women might have been in sorrow, but they had been present during the crucifixion and the burial, so going to the wrong tomb is unlikely. After all it was a new tomb of a rich man. It would have stood out among the other tombs.

Sorrow turned into surprise when they women arrived at the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away and the tomb was empty. We know from scripture that the tomb had been sealed so it would be known if someone opened it. We know that it closed with a huge stone covering the entrance. It was the practice to carve a groove in the stone doorway and have it on an incline so that it would be difficult to roll the stone up from the groove in order to open the tomb. In addition to that there were Roman soldiers standing guard. To prevent someone stealing the body. The women were met by two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning. Angels who asked the women, Why seek the living among the dead. They told the women that Jesus had risen just like he said that he would. The angels told the women to go and tell the disciples that Jesus had risen from the grave. In their surprise and great joy, the women went and told the disciple what they had seen. The disciple were still stuck in the sorrow mode. and mocked the women. Peter and John both ran to the tomb and saw for themselves what the women had said. The women were surprised by what had taken place. As the disciples began to understand what had happened we wonder why they were slow to accept the message that Jesus was alive, he had risen from the dead, just as he had said that he would. When we read the Gospel accounts we see that Jesus had been telling the disciples what had to take place. They should have known, they should not have been surprised.

I printed an insert to the bulletins this morning that lists 20 different prophecies found in the Old Testament, the scripture reference for each one and then the fulfillment scripture in the New Testament. This would be a good study for time leading up to Easter. The Jewish leaders and Rabbi’s should have known these references and not surprised when they were fulfilled before their eyes. I think this refutes the argument that the Old Testament is not relevant for today. Look at all the prophecies that have been fulfilled. Jesus quoted the Old Testament numerous times. If it was good enough for him, then it must be good for us.

After the sorrow and the surprise comes the JOY. The joy of knowing that Jesus is alive. The grave could not hold him. He conquered death and sin for all time for those who believe in him. Jesus appeared to his disciples, even Thomas believed and responded “My Lord and my God. They could touch him and eat with him. The disciples testified that Jesus was alive, that they had seen him. They took this message all over the known world at that time. Facing persecution, hardship and death. they recorded the Gospels so that we might believe what took place before Easter morning, Easter morning itself, and what took place after Jesus’ resurrection.

Perhaps you have heard the song; “Then Came The Morning.”

Then came the morning, Night turned into day

The stone was rolled away, hope rose with the dawn

Then came the morning, shadows vanished before the sun.

Death had lost and life had won, For morning had come.

Conrad Adenauer former Secretary General of the United Nations wrote; “Outside of the resurrection of Jesus, I do not know of any other hope for this world.

Sorrow, surprise, joy, the emotions that Jesus’ followers felt that first Easter morning. We can experience those same emotions especially joy, here, now, each and every day. Matthew 7:7 ““Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Folks it is no secret. The Good news of Easter is right here it is not hidden, and it is free for all who believe.