Easter Sunrise Sermon 2026

Scripture (Matt 28:1-10)

Introduction

Look at verse 9… they “took hold of his feet.”

I’ve always thought this was an interesting and quirky detail. Why did Matthew tell us this?

Feet

In the OT, falling at someone’s feet or taking hold of them is often an act of deep humility or urgent appeal.

1 Samuel 25:24 “24 She [Abigail] fell at his [David’s] feet and said, “On me alone, my lord, be the guilt. Please let your servant speak in your ears, and hear the words of your servant.”

2 Kings 4:27 “27 And when she came to the mountain to the man of God, she caught hold of his feet. And Gehazi came to push her away. But the man of God said, “Leave her alone, for she is in bitter distress, and the Lord has hidden it from me and has not told me.””

Ruth 3:7–8 “7 And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of grain. Then she came softly and uncovered his feet and lay down. 8 At midnight the man was startled and turned over, and behold, a woman lay at his feet!”

Being at someone’s feet is the place of a servant, a disciple, or a worshiper.

Luke 10:39 “39 And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching.”

John 13:5 “5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.”

Revelation 1:17 “17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last,”

In Matthew 28:9, we see the reality of the resurrection. The women didn’t hallucinate or see a vision or encounter a spirit. Jesus was physically alive and present.

In Exodus, the Elders of Israel see God’s feet

Exodus 24:9–11 “9 Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up, 10 and they saw the God of Israel. There was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness. 11 And he did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; they beheld God, and ate and drank.”

They could only see what was under God’s fee, and that from a distance in fear of death.

In Matthew, the women take hold of Jesus’s feet, up close, clinging to him, with no fear of death, because sin has been paid for in Christ.

How this comes together at the feet of Jesus

At the feet of Jesus, we take the posture of humble submission.

At the feet of Jesus, we cling to him as our only hope in moments of desperation.

At the feet of Jesus, we worship him as our great God and Savior.

At the feet of Jesus, we see the reality of the resurrection.

What once could only be glimpsed from a distance, we can now embrace in the risen Christ.