Jesus Has Risen | Matthew 28

The Resurrection of Jesus

28 After the Sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning and his clothing white as snow. 4 For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. 5 But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here, for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ This is my message for you.” 8 So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers and sisters to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

The Report of the Guard

11 While they were going, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests everything that had happened. 12 After the priests had assembled with the elders, they devised a plan to give a large sum of money to the soldiers, 13 telling them, “You must say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ 14 If this comes to the governor’s ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” 15 So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story is still told among the Judeans to this day.

The Commissioning of the Disciples

16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him, but they doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

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The Angel of the Lord sits atop the rolled away stone and bellows out  “Do Not Be Afraid” but I don’t think that’s the way fear works. After-all, the women who attended to Jesus’ tomb to do the customary burial rituals of the dead have just witnessed the unimaginable. Their friend and teacher had been publicly executed at the hands of the state and everyone stood around and watched as he breathed his last. All of the light in the sky plunged into darkness, the ground shook and the curtain of the temple had been torn in two from top to bottom; sounds like some pretty scary stuff to me. All the angel has to offer them is a birds eye view into the now empty tomb and some news that has turned their world upside now – the one they seek – their beloved – not here – but alive – he has vanquished death. Despite the warning to suspend their fear, the women return to their fellow followers with cautious joy to share this good news.

The world as we know it today seems to also be filled with unimaginable horrors. Perhaps you find yourself this Easter sitting at the foot of the proverbial cross surrounded by the empire’s harsh rhetoric and taunts of “crucify them” “deport them” “round them up”. As we return back to our lives we wonder if this is the new reality. Is this the end? Where has our hope gone? Will it ever return?

The women at the tomb received the first proclamation of God’s ultimate sacrifice and ensured that we continue to tell this story today, because who doesn’t need a reminder that death does not have the final word? We are reminded today that the powers and principalities of this world are no match for the powers of grace, love, hope, and joy found in Christ Jesus. Each day we are invited to seek life anew in him and each evening we rest in the promise that there is nothing on earth or under the earth that can separate us from Christ Jesus, not even death. 

Prayer: 

Lord of life, We come to you with cautious joy - afraid yet daring to hope. Like our ancient siblings, the women at the tomb, we have witnessed unimaginable things. The empires of this world feel heavy, their words sharp and their reach long. We have stood in the darkness and wondered if the light would ever return and still the stone has been rolled away. Death does not have the final word. FULL STOP. Remind us, O God, of those faithful women who ran—trembling—to tell the story anyway. Christ is risen. Let that be enough. Amen.

Rev. Kelsey Green

Asst. Director of Pinecrest LLM

Director of “The Table” Campus Ministry in Baltimore

2007-2016 (?) – 11 Years as a Camper