He's Alive!

Last Sunday we walked together through Matthew's account of what happened leading up to the cross.

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We followed the unfolding plot against Jesus as the chief priests and the chief priests and the chief priests.

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We saw Judas quietly slip away to strike a deal, agreeing to betray his friend.

We sat at the table with Jesus and his disciples where he broke bread and spoke of what his death would accomplish.

We entered the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus prayed in deep anguish, surrendering to his Father's will.

There we witnessed the disciples' bold promises of loyalty, promises that would soon falter.

And under the cover of darkness, Judas returned with an armed crowd and Jesus was taken captive.

We heard last Sunday about how through the night Jesus was dragged from place to place as religious leaders sought false testimony to condemn him.

And when asked directly, Jesus made the good confession that he was the Messiah.

Words they called blasphemy.

At daybreak, they led him before Pilate.

And even though Pilate declared Jesus innocent, he bowed to the pressure of the crowd and handed Jesus over to be executed.

We read of the flogging and the mocking, the procession out to Golgotha, the crucifixion, the taunts and the jeers of the bystanders.

And we heard Jesus' loud cry, my God, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

And with another loud cry, Jesus breathed his last and gave up his spirit.

We heard about Joseph of Arimathea and how he got permission to bury Jesus' body in his own tomb.

And a large stone was rolled into place over the entrance and a guard set by the rulers to keep watch.

It was a horrible and tragic day.

But as we just heard sung, all was not lost.

There was a great and mighty purpose of God in the death of Jesus.

Forgiveness for humanity was bought with Jesus' blood.

And this forgiveness was offered freely to all, to you and to me.

And it's all because of the great mercy and love of God toward us.

Just as it says in Ephesians chapter 1,

Ephesians 1 · chapter mention

In him, in Jesus Christ, we have redemption.

Through his blood, the forgiveness of sins in accordance with the riches of God's grace,

which he lavished on us.

And I hope we don't miss that word grace.

It means that this forgiveness is a gift that's given by God because of his kindness and goodness, his generosity.

It's not something that we need to earn from God.

But each of us can have a restored relationship with him,

despite what we have done,

because of what Jesus did at the cross.

And all we need to do to receive this gift is to repent,

to turn to God, to acknowledge the wrongs we've done and believe.

It was a horrible and tragic day,

but all was not lost.

It was a day of costly sacrifice that became for us the day of our deliverance and salvation.

And what I love about this true story is that it didn't end with death and tragedy.

Reading from Matthew chapter 28 verse 1.

Matthew 28:1

So Matthew tells us that some time passed while Jesus' body lay lifeless in the tomb.

There was the Sabbath day, which was the seventh day of the week on which no one worked.

And then following that was the first day of the week.

Matthew tells us that two of the Marys who had been close followers of Jesus went to look at the tomb.

There was a violent earthquake for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and going to the tomb,

rolled back the stone and sat on it.

Can you imagine this?

You're on your way to the tomb and the ground begins to tremble violently.

Matthew tells us that the cause of the quake was the angel.

He says there was a violent earthquake for or because an angel of the Lord came down from heaven.

Imagine him streaking down like a bolt of lightning.

By how it's described, it would seem that almost the impact of his arrival just sent a shockwave through the ground.

And what did this angel look like?

Matthew says that his appearance was like lightning and his clothes were white as snow.

Think back to the last time you saw a flash of lightning.

It's amazing just how bright it is.

And so we imagine this angelic being so bright that you can barely stand to look at him.

Matthew says he went to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.

The whole point of the large stone was to seal the opening to the tomb and to keep people out.

And so there's little doubt that this would have been a very large and heavy stone.

We don't know exactly what it looked like or how big it was or how heavy.

But likely it couldn't be budged by just one person or a few people.

And so the strength of this angel of God is seen in his ability to single-handedly push it back from the entrance to the tomb.

The appearance of this angel and the demonstration of his power was enough to make grown men shrivel in the fetal position on the ground.

Verse 4.

These are soldiers.

These are men picked for the job because of their ability to intimidate.

Their ability to subdue others.

And yet their knees were knocking in terror till they fell limp on the ground.

The angel said to the women,

Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified.

He is not here.

He has risen, just as he said.

Come, see the place where he lay.

So the angel speaks to the women and he knows why they are there.

He knows they're looking for the body of Jesus.

Another gospel account tells us that they had come to put spices on his body.

And they had been even wondering,

How are we going to get the stone rolled away?

The angel says,

You won't find him here.

He's risen.

Just as he said.

I imagine the thoughts of the women were racing in these moments as their hearts pounded within them.

What do you mean he's risen?

What do you mean just as he said?

When did Jesus said that he would rise?

Well, the chief priests and the Pharisees hadn't forgotten about what Jesus had said.

That's the whole reason that they asked Pilate for the detachment of guards.

To watch over the entrance to the tomb.

Look back to chapter 27, verse 62 for a moment.

This was them talking to Pilate.

They went to Pilate and said,

Sir, we remember that while he was still alive, that deceiver said,

After three days, I will rise again.

So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day.

Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he's been raised from the dead.

This last deception will be worse than the first.

So the Pharisees and the religious leaders, the chief priests,

they remembered what Jesus had said about rising from the dead.

When had Jesus said that?

That he would rise from the dead?

Well, if we flip back a little longer, a little further,

Matthew chapter 16, verse 21, already back then, it says,

Matthew 16:21

From that time on, Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem

and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the law,

and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

The sense we get from this is that Jesus has already been saying it,

and not just once, but many times to his disciples, preparing them for this moment.

He is not here.

He has risen, just as he said.

The angel points them to the place where Jesus' body had been laid inside the tomb.

Like, see for yourself.

He's not here.

Go quickly and tell his disciples,

He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee.

There you will see him.

Now, I have told you.

I love this.

The angel tells the women to go tell Jesus' disciples

and gives them the exact words to say to them.

Go and tell them that Jesus has risen from the dead

and is going ahead of you into Galilee.

So if there's any doubt in their minds as to what he has risen meant,

this should clear it up for sure.

Yes, he has risen from the dead.

As in resurrection.

As in alive again.

And he's going ahead of you into Galilee.

This is the language of travel

that describes a living person intentionally going from one place to another.

Like, yes, he's alive.

And there's a promise to go with it.

There you will see him.

There you will see him.

You will lay your own eyes on him alive when you get there.

Well, how did the women respond?

Verse 8.

So the women hurried away from the tomb,

afraid, yet filled with joy,

and ran to tell his disciples.

Have you ever felt so deeply excited about something

that it's like you almost have the jitters?

And that adrenaline's just coursing through your veins

and you can't sit down.

And everything that you do,

you kind of do it with a bit of a hip,

a hip, a hop, a skip, and a jump.

Maybe it's the news that a loved one's baby has just been born.

Or of a long-awaited appointment.

Or a job offer.

Or news of a dear friend who's going to stop in and see you.

That you weren't expecting.

And we get totally pumped.

I imagine that that's just a little of what these women felt.

Scared silly by this angelic encounter.

The adrenaline coursing through their veins.

And yet utterly ecstatic at the words of the angel

that Jesus, the one they saw killed,

was alive again.

They hurried away from the tomb and ran

to tell his disciples.

Afraid, yet filled with joy.

And then all of a sudden, something stopped them in their tracks.

Or rather, someone.

Verse 9.

Suddenly, Jesus met them.

Greetings, he said.

They came to him.

Clasped his feet.

And worshipped him.

This is wonderful.

It doesn't say exactly where this was

or how this happened.

Just that suddenly, Jesus met them.

I don't know.

Did he see and hear them running up behind him

on the path and then just turn around?

Or did he miraculously appear right in front of them?

Causing them to just kind of screech to a halt?

It doesn't say, but there he was,

somewhere between the tomb and Jerusalem

where they were headed.

And the women recognized him.

They knew it was him.

Matthew says they clasped his feet.

It's a very forceful word.

Meaning they grabbed a hold of his feet tightly.

And they worshipped him.

Says Matthew.

They were bowed down on the ground before him.

As before a great king.

Can you imagine what they would have been feeling

in that moment at the feet of Jesus?

They'd watched this man suffer unimaginably.

They watched him die horrifically.

And now three days later,

here he is in front of them, alive.

It's true.

You are the Messiah.

You are the son of the living God.

Jesus then tells them to go into the city

and tell the men, Jesus' disciples,

the plan is to have them all head back

to the northern region of Galilee

where Jesus will meet with them again.

This is Matthew's account of what happened

that morning when God brought Jesus back to life.

And it's a precious story.

One of the things that caught my attention this week

as I was meditating on this

is how different Matthew's account is from Luke's.

Luke tells us about a whole bunch more

that happened that day.

Luke tells us about how Jesus appeared to Peter after this

and then to two men walking on the road to Emmaus

and then about how Jesus later that evening

appeared to the disciples themselves

in Jerusalem behind closed doors.

And then only after that

would they all make their way out to Galilee.

But I got thinking about this.

Why did Matthew leave all that out?

What's Matthew's focus here?

What does Matthew want to emphasize

in the way that he tells it?

Well, Matthew has more to say

about what happened that day.

But it's not about the other appearances of Jesus to people.

Rather, it's about the soldiers

who were at the tomb.

Let's read in verse 11.

While the women were on their way,

some of the guards went into the city

and reported to the chief priests

everything that had happened.

When the chief priests had met with the elders

and devised a plan,

they gave the soldiers a large sum of money,

telling them,

you are to say,

his disciples came during the night

and stole him away

while we were asleep.

If this report gets to the governor,

we will satisfy him

and keep you out of trouble.

So the soldiers took the money

and did as they were instructed.

And this story has been widely circulated

among the Jews

to this very day.

So what's Matthew's emphasis?

Matthew seems eager to highlight

this side thing

that proves the credibility

of this whole account.

And it makes sense.

I mean, after all,

what has Matthew just told us?

He just finished telling us

about an angelic encounter.

He just finished telling us

about the resurrection

of a person from the dead,

somebody that everybody had seen

publicly killed.

He just told us

about how these women

had an encounter

with this resurrected man.

And ordinarily,

this is the stuff

of fantasy and fairy tales.

This is the sort of nonsense

that maybe we might expect

from those who are rocked

with grief

or who are emotionally shattered.

It's almost like Matthew

anticipates the criticism

of the skeptic

who asks,

can we really trust

the word of the women?

Like an angel?

Risen from the dead?

And so what does Matthew tell us?

If you can't take

the women's word for it,

take the soldiers' word for it.

They went into the city

and reported to the chief priests

everything that had happened.

The sense we get

is that they didn't leave out

the surprising details.

The stuff about the angel

and what the angel had said

about how Jesus

had risen from the dead.

That report

triggered a meeting

of the elders

with the chief priests.

And notice

Matthew's description

of what they did

at that meeting.

They devised a plan.

They consulted together.

And the result

of that meeting

was a large sum

of money

being given

to the soldiers.

They agreed

to pay the soldiers

not to tell anyone

what had really happened

at the tomb.

Instead,

to tell people

that his disciples

came during the night

and stole him away

while we were asleep.

not only that,

but the leaders

of the Jews

realized that

at some point

Pilate's going to hear

about this.

And in these days,

what happened

to soldiers

who had been posted guard

but failed

their assignment?

They were routinely

executed.

And so what

did the leaders

of the Jews

promise to do?

They promised

to persuade

Pilate

to turn a blind eye

and refrain

from punishing them.

What we may not realize

is that this is

amazing evidence

that Jesus' resurrection

did in fact

take place

just as the women

described.

First,

there's the obvious

ongoing problem

of the empty tomb

and the missing body

of Jesus.

The easiest way

for the Jewish leaders

to disprove it all

would have been

to simply produce

Jesus' body

and show it

to the people.

Obviously,

they couldn't do that.

In fact,

they'd taken

extra precautions.

They'd even

anticipated,

at least according

to what they thought,

that some of

Jesus' disciples

might try to steal

Jesus' body

in order to proclaim

him risen from the dead.

That's why they'd

ask Pilate

for the soldiers.

So where is

the body of Jesus?

How can it be missing

if it was so well-guarded

by Roman soldiers?

We fell asleep.

You fell asleep?

While you were

on duty?

All of you?

At the same time?

And then there was

the problem

of the large stone.

Would have been

too big

for just one or two guys

to move it

by themselves.

Not to mention

the noise

that it would have made.

So you're telling me

that a group

of four to six

guys managed

to sneak past

a small company

of Roman soldiers

while they were sleeping

and roll this large stone

away from the door

in silence,

grabbed Jesus' body

and then tiptoe

out the door

past all of you

and you didn't

even hear a sound?

We could even add

to this the other

strange evidence

given by one

of the other

gospel accounts

that the cloth

that Jesus' body

was wrapped in

was left behind

and the face cloth,

the head cloth

that covered his head

was folded.

Like,

if you were

stealing the body

and the Roman guards

were sleeping outside,

why would you

take the time?

Why would you

take the risk

to unwrap

the body

and leave the cloth

there?

To fold up

the head cloth

in the middle

of this supposed

heist?

And then if you

did fall asleep

on the job

as a guarding soldier,

how come you're

still alive?

Was there no

consequence

for you failing

to do your job?

Pilate should have

had your head

in the morning?

You weren't

disciplined

in any way?

There's some

major things

that simply

don't add up

and it's evidence

that the women

were telling

the truth.

The soldiers

were witnesses

too.

They knew

that there had

been no theft

of the body.

They knew

that something

spectacular

had taken place.

They saw

the angel

and they

cowered

before him

and then

they reported

everything

that had

happened

to the

chief

priests.

We might

wonder

how did

Matthew

come to

have this

seemingly

inside

information?

He doesn't

cite a source

here.

How did he

know about

this report

of the soldiers

to the high

priest

and the

bribe money

that was

given to them?

How did

he discover

the plan

to smooth

things over

with Pilate

for the

soldiers

who had

seemingly

failed to

do their

job?

Well,

there was

at least

one member

of the

Jewish

ruling

council

if not

two

to whom

Matthew

could go

for that

inside

information

like this.

In fact,

it was

the very

man who

had buried

Jesus

in his

own

tomb,

Joseph

of

Arimathea.

Who was

Joseph?

Luke tells

us some

very helpful

information.

He was

a member

of the

council,

a good

and upright

man who

had not

consented to

their decision

and action.

He came

from the

town of

Judea

and he

himself was

waiting for

the kingdom

of God,

the Judean

town of

Arimathea.

Then we

compare that

to John's

account,

the apostle

John's

account,

and we

read something

interesting there

as well.

John 19,

John 19:38

verse 38.

Now Joseph

was a

disciple of

Jesus,

but secretly

because he

feared the

Jewish leaders.

With Pilate's

permission,

he came and

took the

body away.

He was

accompanied by

Nicodemus,

the man who

earlier had

visited Jesus

at night.

We read in

John 3 that

Nicodemus was

also a member

of the

council.

So very

likely,

Joseph or

Nicodemus,

or both,

would have

been at

this meeting

since they

were members

of the

council.

Maybe the

council didn't

fully know

whether they

were followers

of Jesus

or not

at this

point.

When we

compare

Matthew's

account with

Luke's

and John's,

there's even

more credibility

to be found

in the

testimony of

these women.

It clearly

wasn't a

plot of

the disciples

because the

disciples were

surprised.

They were as

skeptical as

anyone at

first.

They didn't

even believe

the women.

That's why

they ran to

the tomb.

We've got to

see this.

It says in

Luke, I

believe, that

they didn't

believe the

women because

their words

seemed to

them like

nonsense.

It wasn't

until later

that afternoon

and evening

when Jesus

began to

appear first

to Peter

and then

the rest

of them

that they

believed Jesus

had come

back to

life from

the dead.

So the

truth is that

even though it

sounds too

good to be

true, it's

true.

It is what

happened.

Jesus really

did rise from

the dead just

as he said.

Everything was

pointing to

this.

Consider the

many miracles

of Jesus,

the healings,

the casting

out of demons,

the walking

on water,

the feeding

of the

5,000,

the supernatural

knowledge that

Jesus had of

people, and the

list could go

on.

Is it any

surprise that

God decided to

do the ultimate

sign, the

ultimate miracle

at the end of

it all, to

prove once and

for all that

Jesus is the

one by raising

him from the

dead?

God is the

one by

God.

That's exactly

what happened

almost 2,000

years ago on

the first day

of the week.

And as we

look back on

that, it's

hard even to

capture the

full significance

of this

reality.

It factors

into so much.

We could

celebrate just

the ultimate

power of

God, which

he displayed by

raising Jesus

from the dead.

We could

reflect on what

it means that

God is the

author of

life itself

and even

the restorer

of life to

those who

have died.

We could

think about how

this resurrection

is like the

ultimate vindication

of Jesus, the

ultimate triumph

over all his

enemies, and

not just the

human ones, but

even the devil

who tempted

him in the

wilderness.

happiness.

We could

celebrate that

Jesus'

resurrection is

the ultimate

proof that

he is the

king, he is

the Messiah that

God has chosen

for us.

All of these

things are true,

all of these

things are

wonderful.

They're all good

things to meditate

on and rejoice

in today,

reasons to

worship Jesus.

But one thing

that I'm drawn to

again and again,

year after year,

is this very

simple connection.

What did

Jesus promise

to those who

believe in

him?

Eternal

life.

He promised

to raise

them from

the dead.

He promised

them life

forever in

the coming

kingdom of

God.

The gospel

accounts of

Matthew, Mark,

Luke, and

John are

full of

these many

promises.

Can Jesus

make good on

these promises?

Can he give

us eternal

life?

Can he really

raise us from

the dead

after we die?

Will he

really be the

king of

that great

kingdom of

God of

which he

spoke?

Will he

be on

the throne?

Well, the

resurrection of

Jesus from

the dead is

proof that

God can

give these

things to

us.

He does

indeed have

the power

to give

life,

to restore

life where

it was lost.

The

resurrection of

Jesus is the

guarantee that

all the good

promises of

God to

us will

be kept

for those

who believe

in his

name.

And that

is something

that makes

me rejoice

year after

year.

Listen to

these precious

words of

Jesus to

Martha just

four days

after the

death of

her brother

and not

long before

Jesus himself

died on the

cross.

from John

John 11 · chapter mention

chapter 11.

Lord,

Martha said

to Jesus,

if you

had been

here,

my brother

would not

have died.

But I

know that

even now

God will

give you

whatever you

ask.

Jesus said

to her,

your brother

will rise

again.

Martha

answered,

I know

he will

rise again

in the

resurrection

at the

last day.

Jesus said

to her,

I am

the

resurrection

and the

life.

The one

who believes

in me

will live

even though

they die.

And whoever

lives believing

in me

will never

die.

do you

believe

that?

After

what we

heard from

Matthew

this

morning

about

what

happened

at the

tomb,

do you

believe

this?

Do you

believe

that Jesus

is the

resurrection

and the

life?

Do you

believe that

he can

and will

raise you

from the

dead

someday?

when he

returns?

This is

the good

news that

Christ's

resurrection

declares.

Along with

the redemption

that we

talked about

earlier,

the forgiveness

of sins,

it declares

the gracious

gift of

eternal life

for all of

us who

believe in

him.

Life

forever

with God,

with Jesus,

in his

kingdom.

And there's

nothing better

than that.

I want to

invite you

to stand.

We're going

to continue

to celebrate

and rejoice

together with

a couple more

songs here.

voy voy

voy

!

voy

!

voy

!