Jesus is Risen: A New Normal

ME

Today is Easter and normally two things would be happening. One, I would probably not be preaching because Two, I would be preparing our baptism candidates to line up in the front to be called up one by one to take a picture. Then we would head back to the curtain behind the sanctuary, get changed and come back up to the baptistery at the back of the church under the big cross windows. We would pray to calm our nerves, and then we would wait for the cue after the last worship song and prayer, I would head up the short steps into the baptistery.

Of course, right now there’s not baptistery behind me. (turns around) I am in my condo with my wife, and there’s no baptism. There would not have been a baptism because we no longer put them on the same day as Easter anymore. But then these days, normal is not what we would expect.

WE

Normal is spending more time at home than anywhere else, except the occasional grocery run maybe once, if not twice a week. I don’t know if any of you were out there on Thursday, there were literally physical distance line-ups everywhere, and you see armies of grocery cart at No Frills, lining all the way up until the end of the plaza at Don Mills and Finch. We just needed almond milk, and since the takeout places were closed, we hopped over to a Chinese plaza at Leslie and Finch and try for the Chinese supermarket. Success! No line-ups, some physical distancing and an employee with a temperature gun on one hand and sanitizer on the other.

What is normal? Normal is supervising your children at ‘school’ while you are working in one room and your wife is in another. Normal is setting up zoom calls with your parents to catch up on how they are doing. Normal is being glued to the daily updates at 11:15 by our Prime Minister, 1:30 by our Premier, 3:15 by our Ontario Chief Medical Health Officer, and 3:45 PM by the Toronto counterpart. Normal is taking an afternoon nap when you are 42.

GOD

Speaking of normal, Jesus was anything but normal. Well, at least he started out that way. He came out of nowhere, or well somewhere which may as well be called nowhere. Galilee which means ‘district’ is not exactly Bay and Bloor, or Rosedale or, Post Road. Many wars have been fought there, from the initial campaign by Joshua which allotted the tribes Naphtali, Zebulun and Issachar once they took out all the Canaanites, specifically the Amorites and Hitites, except they didn’t drive them out completely. Big mistake. Galilee suffered the Syrian wars (1 Kgs 15:20) and in general was valued less by the monarchy, in fact twenty cities was given to Phoenicia for supplies to construct temples by Solomon (9:11-13). It became part of of Judea, then the tetrarchy of Herod Antipas.

But all that change when this Rabbi named Jesus appeared. He performed his first miracle in a family wedding in Cana, turning water into wine. He called his first disciples in Galilee, Peter and Andrew, John and James. He delivered his famous sermon on the mount, and fed five thousand men (not including woman and children) near sea of Galilee. Not only did he teach greatly, and performed signs and wonders, but he healed the sick, give sight to the blind, called out the religious authority. And that was his mistake, he was doing so well as a rabbi, even a prophet, but why did he have to call out the religious authority? Because God is not represented in the establishment, not just not represented, his name and reputation as a loving and benevolent God is maligned and tarnished by them with their excessive legalism and exploitations of the poor and vulnerable! And now he was arrested, tried, and crucified. And he’s dead. The revolution was over. Another Messiah come, and gone. The hope of Israel’s redemption shattered.

They buried him out of love and respect but there wasn’t the custom wailing and mourning as a sign of laments, afterall Jesus is a criminal to the state for insurrection and blasphemer for claiming to be God, undeserving in the religious leaders’ eyes so much as a mention, but denying him a burial would bring great shame so one of his secret follower within the religious establishment, Joseph of Arimathea asked for Jesus’ body (Matt 27:57-60) as it is brought down lifeless from the blood-soaked cross, because the deceased need to buried on the day of death (Deut 21:23 cf. Matt 14:12, Acts 5:5-6, 5:10). So he quickly wrapped his body in linen cloth, his head with a separate face cloth because Passover was near, in which all pious Jews need to head back home to perform the sacred meal with their family, and placed him in his own rock-cut tomb.

Mary Magdalene and the other Mary (who are followers of Jesus) watched from a distance as all this took place, and kept watch for as long as they could before they too headed back for Passover. But unlike other tombs, soldiers of Joseph Caiaphas, the High Priest from the establishment came and rolled the stone in place to block the doorway and stood guard, thwarting any chance to wash the body, anoint in with spices to purify it, as was normally carried out by women relatives and friend of the deceased. There are other intriguing details which you can go back to read in the Gospels, particularly in Matthew, but this is where we pick up for today’s lesson in the last chapter of the Gospel of Matthew.

A bit about the Gospel of Matthew. Most people believe it was written by the tax collector turned apostle in Matthew 9 of the same name whom Jesus met and called to be his disciple at the tax collector booth, written around 60 A.D. focusing on the theme of inspiring a deeper faith in Jesus the Messiah, his person, work and unique place in the unfolding history of redemption, to encourage believers in their witness before a hostile world, particularly to a Jewish, and downtrodden audience. As we open Matthew 28:1-10, we are going to notice three things which are not normal, and may they today be an encouragement for us this morning!

I. Earthquakes and Angels were Not Normal (1-4)

Matthew 28:1–4 ESV

1 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. 2 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. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men.

Matthew begins by precisely dating when everything happened, but even the idea of ‘after the Sabbath,’ or ‘the dawn of the first day of the week’ seems to carry with it spring freshness and blooming flowers. Something new, like after a whole week of overcast skies, the sun finally came out. Or after a weekend of rest, you wake up Monday refreshed and ready to work! We see Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. See, they probably had no idea all the commotion that happened in the night where the tombstone was rolled shut to block the doorway, sealed, and guards stood there. Caiaphas’ excuse was in case the disciples of Jesus would go into the middle of the night to steal the body they can claim Jesus has risen! Such are the minds of petty people who don’t even realize the disciples are so scared out of their wit and discouraged by Jesus’ death the last thing they would do is to go and rob a grave.

Then what happens next was anticipated as readers of the gospel, but still something to behold! (no pun intended)

Earthquakes and angels.

The earthquake geologically could be the aftershock of the one which happened after Jesus took his last breath on the cross (and the fact the curtain into the holy of holies was torn into two). As for angels, they came at the announcement of Jesus’ birth back in Matthew 1 to Mary, then to Joseph so he wouldn’t divorce her for bearing the Christ child, and Joseph again to warn him of Herod the Great’s infanticide to flee to Egypt! Still, their appearance was astounding! But what the angel does next is even more incredible! The stone which block the doorway that Caiaphas and his henchman devised so carefully to make sure is closed shut with just a flick of a finger from God, it rolled open and as if to just rub it in further, the angel sat on it! Mic drop moment! As for those henchman soldier, Matthew describes them as trembled and shaken in fear like the earthquake, and more dead than the body which was supposed to be buried inside. One can’t help see the irony of it all! Evil man can scheme all they want to make sure their plans succeed, but God always has the last word! May this be our first encouragement, our God always has the final word in all things of life. Career. Relationship. Family. Tragedy. Heartbreaks. Covid-19.

II. Rising from the Dead was not Normal (5-8)

Matthew 28:5–8 ESV

5 But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. 7 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.” 8 So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.

The angel begins with the words of assurance heard so many times throughout the Bible when the ‘not normal’ encounters the ordinary, “do not be afraid!” Do not be afraid! The angel then summarizes the events which transpired, beginning with the reason the Marys were seeking Jesus. If he is crucified, then he’s dead. If he’s dead, then it’s the first day now and we really should get going and anoint his body and watch in his wake as our last sign of respect. But there will be no anointing of a body, no watching at a wake today, because Jesus has risen! Just as he said. (There’s always a mystery surrounding the number of times Jesus foretold his suffering and death and how the disciples never get it). Anyways, what the angel next says is very telling!

“Come, see the place where he lay.” Now a body would normally be lying rested on a rock bench. But there’s no body! Which is an important point sometimes in our excitement in these passages we may overlook. Nowhere in any of the canonical gospels are we shown or told the moment Jesus rose from the dead, or more precisely the moment God raised him up from the dead. We are only given an empty tomb. That’s the first sign and evidence of his resurrection. In other words, our primary account for Jesus’ resurrection is the body of Jesus placed inside the tomb which Mary Magdalene, the other Mary, and other female followers, including Jesus’ own mother who also happens to be called Mary, Joseph of Arimathea, even Jesus’ worst enemies Caiaphas, his whole council, and his guards. But now it’s an empty tomb!

First the proof, now the charge. The angels charge the women to go on a mission to Galilee where Jesus’ disciples have been hiding to tell them what they saw, just as he said before. In Matthew 26:32, when Jesus was very much alive, he said:

Matthew 26:32 ESV

32 But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.”

So the women became the first witness to Jesus’ resurrection. Didn’t we hear somewhere that woman are considered unreliable witnesses? Yes, but it didn’t come from the Bible, one of the source is actually the Jewish historian Josephus, in the antiquities of the Jews, Book IV, chapter 8, verse 15:

The Works of Josephus: New Updated Edition Chapter 8: The Polity Settled by Moses; and How He Disappeared from among Mankind

15. (219) But let not a single witness be credited; but three, or two at the least, and those such whose testimony is confirmed by their good lives. But let not the testimony of women be admitted, on account of the levity and boldness of their sex,h nor let servants be admitted to give testimony on account of the ignobility of their soul; since it is probable that they may not speak truth, either out of hope of gain, or fear of punishment. But if anyone be believed to have borne false witness, let him, when he is convicted, suffer all the very same punishments which he against whom he bore witness was to have suffered.

The other source was Babylonian Talmud which were the oral tradition and commentaries on the law of Moses which would be common belief at the time, in the second division under ‘seasons,’

Rosh Hashannah 1:8

[A] These are the ones who are invalid [to testify about the appearance of the new moon]:

[B] (1) he who plays with dice, (2) they who lend on interest, (3) they who race pigeons, (4) they who trade in produce of the Seventh Year, (5) and slaves.

[C] This is the governing principle: Any evidence that a woman is not valid [to offer], also they are not valid [to offer].

So it is widely held woman’s testimony and witness is invalid. But see, that was the old normal. The new normal is Jesus will precisely usher in the new kingdom by toppling the oral traditions of the law of Moses as the New Moses for Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to be the primary witness to the empty tomb! What is the encouragement here? We are to be champions for this not normal message, just as the woman are. Let’s bring out the commands in these four verses:

v.5b Do not be afraid (command)

May we always be in awe of the one who can raise His son from death to life, and have the boldness and courage to rely on God for the good news .

v.6d,e Come, see (command)

May we invite those who do not have a relationship with Jesus to come to online church and experience our gathering as a community of sinners save by grace through faith.

v. 7 go quickly and tell (command)

May we remember the urgency of this message that the tomb is empty and Jesus has risen from the dead and share this reality with all we know.

v.7f See, I have told you (pronouncement)

That’s like thus says the Lord in the prophets, punctuating the three previous commands with the promise of God whose words can’t be revoked.

III. Speaking to and Being Charged by a Risen Jesus was definitely not Normal(9-10)

Matthew 28:9–10 ESV

9 And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”

Lastly, the woman not only were witness to the empty tomb and the visitation of the angels, they would, before they arrive in Galilee, encounter the resurrected Jesus. The encounter is almost casual, Jesus kind of said “hi!” No fear is mentioned, (perhaps because as they continue to run, fear was swallowed up by the great joy they are experiencing), what can possibly top that except to encounter the living Jesus!? Naturally, the woman worshiped him because He is now revealed to be unmistakably God himself! As Andy Stanley famously said, “anyone who says he is going to be raised from the dead and does it, is someone I am going trust!” It is interesting though Jesus offered a similar encouragement as the angels did, because a bodily resurrected Jesus, the first bodily resurrected person in history, is NOT NORMAL. Once again, the command is to go and tell “my brothers” to go to Galilee, where he will appear before them and charge them with what we now know as the Great Commission!

Matthew 28:19–20 ESV

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

The resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ not only vindicates him in who he says he is, but also restores the authority the Father has now given to him to make disciples of all nations. Not only will women who were cast aside as not credible witness has been reversed, but all nations, not just the Jews would be come the beneficiary of this commission, all of us, can be his disciples!

WE

Remember earlier on I talked about Galilee being a place of ill-repute until Jesus came on the scene. Just as the power of our resurrected God can change a place called district into the Galilee known for the resurrection appearance of the risen Saviour Jesus Christ, the place of the Great Commission, so also, each and everyone of our lives, when we encounter the risen Saviour Jesus Christ, we will be transformed into vessels of faith and hope, courage and action, and love and joy. We need to, by the power of the Spirit, live into that transformed reality until one day we too, would be raised from death to be with Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ forever!

And that’s the new normal!