EASTER

This Sabbath was Different

We have all heard it said, and perhaps even said it ourselves: ‘If God doesn’t act soon, He will owe Sodom and Gomorrah an apology.’

The world does get stranger day by day. What passes for normal now to our parents and grandparents would have been unmentionable.

And yet...

There is recorded a time prior to the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah when God “saw that man’s wickedness was widespread on the earth and that every scheme his mind thought of was nothing but evil all the time, the Lord regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.” (Genesis 6:5–6, HCSB).

One writer sheds some light on this passage by noting:

One could hardly express the depravity of the people in stronger terms, or in terms that contrast more with the design of creation. God had formed (yatsar “form by design”; 2:7) man from the ground and given him the spiritual and intellectual capacity to serve God on earth, but mankind used that intelligence (yetser) to devise evil continually.

Allen Ross and John N. Oswalt, Cornerstone Biblical Commentary: Genesis, Exodus, vol. 1 (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 2008), 69.

And the Biblical record indicates that God did destroy all but 8 people and pairs of animals by a massive flood that completely changed the landscape of the earth and the atmosphere that surrounds the earth.

Before the flood enveloped the earth, God set an upper limit on all who would be born after the flood of 120 years (see Gen 6:3).

As Noah and his family began again - with the same mandate God had given to Adam and Eve - God instituted a sign that never again would He destroy the world by a flood - Gen 9:12-17

Genesis 9:12–17 (HCSB)

And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between Me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all future generations: I have placed My bow in the clouds, and it will be a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth.

Whenever I form clouds over the earth and the bow appears in the clouds, I will remember My covenant between Me and you and all the living creatures: water will never again become a flood to destroy every creature.

The bow will be in the clouds, and I will look at it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all the living creatures on earth.” God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have confirmed between Me and every creature on earth.”

God also covenanted with Himself:

Genesis 8:21–22 (HCSB)

... “I will never again curse the ground because of man, even though man’s inclination is evil from his youth. And I will never again strike down every living thing as I have done. As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night will not cease.”

It wasn’t that many generations later when again humans had wandered far from the original purpose of God.

Genesis 11:1–9 HCSB

At one time the whole earth had the same language and vocabulary. As people migrated from the east, they found a valley in the land of Shinar and settled there. They said to each other, “Come, let us make oven-fired bricks.” They used brick for stone and asphalt for mortar. And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the sky. Let us make a name for ourselves; otherwise, we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.” Then the Lord came down to look over the city and the tower that the men were building. The Lord said, “If they have begun to do this as one people all having the same language, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let Us go down there and confuse their language so that they will not understand one another’s speech.” So from there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth, and they stopped building the city. Therefore its name is called Babylon, for there the Lord confused the language of the whole earth, and from there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.

None of the gospel writers (Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John) were the first to write about this event. Paul, a Pharisee by training and education, was the first to write about the resurrection. You can read his account in his letter, First Corinthians, the 15th chapter.

Of those who wrote only one - John - was actually nearby when the events unfolded.

All we have to rely on is the testimony of several women. In the first century, women across the Roman Empire were regarded as unreliable, often hysterical witnesses and were almost always disallowed in any kind of legal matters.

Yet, all of those who wrote about the resurrection include testimony of women as evidence of Christ’s victory over death.

Today is Easter - the day our entire Western culture sets aside as a celebration of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead by the power of God.

Does it matter if Jesus was really raised from the dead?

Or maybe you would rather ask, so what difference does Jesus really make in anyone’s life?

Many of us in the sound of my voice have prayed, faithfully and persistently only to have our requests ignored or at times even denied.

We have watched as family and friends die. Those we love and care about often suffer - in ways we can barely describe.

Does the resurrection really change anything?

As we have noted, it wasn’t many generations between Adam and Eve and God’s grief at having created humans at all.

Even after a massive, world-changing flood, just a few generations removed from Noah’s sons and their wives found themselves scattered by divine action.

It has now been many generations since God has acted in such a massive demonstration of His purpose. Or has it?

The Jews observe Sabbath still - which we call Saturday - by an almost total cessation of activity. Attending Sabbath services, eating a meal as a family and using the day to rest and relax are the priorities - even 2,000 years ago.

THIS SABBATH WAS UNUSUAL

But this Sabbath had been different. Friday, the day before the Sabbath, Jesus had died. No, let’s be honest: Jesus was executed by the Romans because the Jewish religious leaders had prodded them to do so.

The male disciples had scattered and gone into hiding (with the exception of John). Judas Iscariot, the one who had arranged for Jesus’ arrest by the Temple authorities had taken his own life.

The women who had been following Jesus had done what they could to prepare Jesus’ body for burial. Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the Sanhedrin which had prodded Pilate to put Jesus to death, took charge of Jesus’ body, and laid the body in his own family tomb.

The Sabbath began at sundown. All work was to cease.

THIS SABBATH WAS DIFFERENT

But this Sabbath was different. As the women - and perhaps a few of the followers of Jesus - spent the Sabbath as they had been raised they must have wondered:

WHAT’S NEXT?

Now that Jesus was dead, what were they to do? Should hey go back to their homes, their old patterns and habits of life?

Had these past several years of following Jesus - watching Him heal, raise the dead, set free many who were oppressed and overwhelmed by Satan - was it simply over.

All that Jesus had said, His verbal skirmishes in which He bested the teachers of the Law over and over, All that Jesus had taught about the ‘kingdom of God,’ well, so what?

AT DAWN ON MONDAY

As Monday dawned several of the women went to the tomb. Perhaps they wanted to try to finish preparing Jesus’ body, perhaps just to sit and grieve....

Walking in the silence that only those who have lost loved ones can experience, these women neared the tomb.

Matthew describes the next few moments:

Matthew 28:2–4 HCSB

Suddenly there was a violent earthquake, because an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and approached the tomb. He rolled back the stone and was sitting on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his robe was as white as snow. The guards were so shaken from fear of him that they became like dead men.

An Earthquake

Again! As Jesus died the earth had quaked and tombs had opened and the curtain separating the Holy Place in the Temple from the outer courtyard had torn from top to bottom.

Was this merely an aftershock - which are quite common after earth changing events?

An Angel

Matthew clearly ties the earthquake to the arrival of an angel. At this, the Roman guards - seasoned, trained, military men are incapacitated by fear - they lose all ability to move - “they became like dead men.”

This angel rolls away the stone! Breaking the seal the Jewish priests had asked for and the Romans had applied, the stone - which may have taken two or more men to move - was rolled away by this angel!

The appearance of the angel played a part in the fear that paralyzed those guards -

Matthew 28:3 HCSB

His appearance was like lightning, and his robe was as white as snow.

Certainly, this was no mere mortal!

An Empty Tomb

We might expect Matthew to record how Jesus came out of the tomb.

Weeks prior these events these women had watched as Jesus approached the tomb of his friend, Lazarus.

They heard Jesus call Lazarus out of the tomb. They had watched as Lazarus - still wrapped in burial garments - stumbled out of the place his dead body had been laid four days previously.

But no one comes out of the tomb.

Come and see the place where He lay...

Jesus was already gone! The grave cloths were folded and placed

RIGHT WHERE HIS BODY HAD BEEN LAID!

The stone wasn’t moved to let Jesus out. No, the stone was moved by the angel

SO THAT OTHERS COULD SEE HE WAS NO LONGER THERE!

The angel wasn’t done. He had specific instructions for the women:

Matthew 28:7 (HCSB)

Then go quickly and tell His disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead. In fact, He is going ahead of you to Galilee; you will see Him there.’ Listen, I have told you.”

Does it really matter?

Most of us are very familiar with the account of Jesus’ resurrection. Perhaps you’ve heard bits a pieces this morning you had not noticed before. Good.

But what I want to explore before we leave

Because Jesus is risen from the dead:

We can experience His presence

Matthew 28:8–10 HCSB

So, departing quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, they ran to tell His disciples the news. Just then Jesus met them and said, “Good morning!” They came up, took hold of His feet, and worshiped Him. Then Jesus told them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brothers to leave for Galilee, and they will see Me there.”

This was no ghost, no apparition. They didn’t grab ‘air’ when they held on to Jesus’ feet.

He was physically present in a way that still is beyond our physical, scientific explanations.

Paul, perhaps the brightest Jewish scholar of the first century AD reminded his readers in Corinth that because Jesus is raised from the dead over 500 people experienced His physical presence -

1 Corinthians 15:6–8 HCSB

Then He appeared to over 500 brothers at one time; most of them are still alive, but some have fallen asleep. Then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one abnormally born, He also appeared to me.

These words, written maybe 20 years after the resurrection, remind us that it wasn’t just the women and the disciples (all eleven) of them that experienced Jesus’ presence.

Some of you are thinking: I’ve never experienced the presence of Jesus!

Very likely true! What is necessary to experience the presence of Jesus - 2,000 years or even months later as did Paul?

a). Things as they are aren’t right as they should be

These women - and those men in hiding - who had followed Jesus had one thing in common with us.

We certainly have technological advantages over that century, but all humans - regardless of the age in which they live - have an innate sense that something is wrong with the world.

The Jews had a powerful understanding of their history. They knew that God had set them apart and that for brief periods of time in their history, God had blessed their leaders and land with abundance.

Jews also knew that their history was marred. For more centuries than they wanted to admit, they knew that God allowed others to rule over them - in fulfillment of blessings and curses pronounced through Moses many centuries before Christ.

Roman rule was not the destiny God had intended for His people. They knew it.

Just as we know that the way our world is operating is quite right.

War is raging in Eastern Europe. Poverty is devastating families, drugs and alcohol continue to fracture families, joblessness continues to destabilize communities.

Things aren’t quite right.

When looking at our world - and even our own lives - from this point of view gives God opportunities to make Himself known.

Those women had heard Jesus Himself promise He was to die and be raised from the dead. They didn’t understand all Jesus said, but they knew His death wasn’t quite right.

So, God - through His Son - literally interrupts their lives!

b). Because Jesus is risen, there is real hope for the future

We can only imagine the doubt and despair of those followers of Jesus on Friday evening and Saturday. He was dead. Yes, they had heard Him say it was to happen, but it was so real, so painful, so....final.

There is no record of their conversations on that Saturday. We can glean from other accounts that uncertainty was real.

What next? What to do? Stay? Go home? Go back to an old way of life - one no longer punctuated by healings, resuscitations, dramatic encounters overcoming the adversary?

Meeting Jesus on the way to tell the disciples is remarkable. As one scholar writes:

While other people often meet with Jesus, this is the only text in the NT in which Jesus is the one who meets with somebody else: the women are being distinctly privileged.

The Gospel of Matthew:A Commentary on the Greek Text

John Nolland

WILLIAM B. EERDMANS PUBLISHING COMPANYGRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN / CAMBRIDGE, U.K.THE PATERNOSTER PRESSBLETCHLEY© 2005 Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

The angel had given words of hope:

Matthew 28:7 HCSB

Then go quickly and tell His disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead. In fact, He is going ahead of you to Galilee; you will see Him there.’ Listen, I have told you.”

Jesus affirms this hope when He tells the women:

Matthew 28:10 HCSB

Then Jesus told them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brothers to leave for Galilee, and they will see Me there.”

What God has begun in the life and work of Jesus is not done. There is more to come. There is another chapter to be written.

The world is not as it should be…but there is hope!

c). Because Jesus is raised from the dead we can choose to live knowing that all God has promised (and Jesus has taught) is TRUE!

Throughout the three years Jesus had been with these followers He had spoken often about the kingdom of God.

Jews, for centuries, had been holding on to hope that maybe someday all that their Scriptures (the OT to su) promised would come true,.

Generation after generation passed and little if anything changed.

Promises seemed unfulfilled and even unfulfillable.

Here comes Jesus!

Just as He said...

He is alive…He is not dead!

All that He promised is true.

Maybe we don’t see it - not because it isn’t true, but maybe we are looking in the wrong place.

Luke, relying on the testimony of Peter and perhaps even Jesus’ mother, Mary, records the angel’s words like this:

Luke 24:5–6 (HCSB)

So the women were terrified and bowed down to the ground. “Why are you looking for the living among the dead?” asked the men. “He is not here, but He has been resurrected! ...

DECISION TIME

I am not going to ask you to commit to regular church attendance this morning.

I won’t ask you to begin reading your Bible every day.

I am not going to ask you to purchase a huge Bible and place it in a visible spot in your home.

I won’t ask you to give up TV, movies, and any other habits/practices you often think Christians are against.

I do want to ask you this:

Do you know Jesus?

I’m not asking if you know about Jesus or if you know any Bible stories about Jesus.

Do you ‘know’ Jesus?

Folks, whether you have a clue about doctrine, whether you have a sense of theology, whether you have any concept of biblical history there is only one question:

Do you know that Jesus and Jesus alone is your entry into heaven?

Only what Jesus has done by dying in our place, by being raised by God from the dead, is sufficient.

Today, this Easter, 2022, how do you answer?