They did everything they could. They left nothing up to chance, making sure to take every precaution they could. Yes, they had killed the man. Yes, they had heard when he cried that he gave up his spirit; they had seen the water and the blood flow out of his side. For anyone else, that would’ve been enough. But, they had to continue to oppose him in death. So, they went to Pilate. They recounted how Jesus told them that he would rise again after three days. So, to make sure that his disciples couldn’t come and steal his body and falsify a resurrection, Pilate allowed them to make his tomb as secure as they knew how. Three things they used to secure him in death. 1. Guards; 2. The stone; 3. And the seal.
You all are too familiar with your own symbols of death like this: the ground, the casket, the graveyard, the tombstone. I’m sure that as you look at this picture of a cemetery, many emotions and memories play in your mind. You remember the fear and sadness of receiving that flower from the casket. Or of how sad Grandma looked as she left Grandpa there, but had to move on herself. You remember how badly you miss those people, even though it’s been years since you saw them last. Death is always a somber occasion.
I looked online and even found lists that detailed the rules of etiquette while in a cemetery. You are to keep children in check; make effort to not walk over the graves; be respectful by not speaking too loudly; don’t be too overly talkative with others you may meet there. Most of us know these rules and we try our best to follow them. Because of what death has done to us as a race, we must be respectful of its power.
That is why it is all too interesting to see the angel here throwing caution to the wind. 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. None of us would ever dream of letting our children play on and around a tombstone at the cemetery, let alone using it to take a breather. What in the world then is this angel doing? He’s an angel for goodness sake, as a spiritual being he doesn’t get tired. So why pull out the stone and take a seat? Has he no respect for what has happened?
The angel knew exactly what had happened. That Jesus had died three days earlier. But, because of what Jesus had done just now, he knew that it had all changed. Jesus was no longer in that tomb, he had left already. And all three of those things that were meant to keep him locked in had failed. So, the angel came down and moved the stone out of its place, breaking the seal in the process. After doing so, he took a seat on the stone, because it no longer was a marker of death. It was just a regular old stone. A big stone, but nothing else was special about it anymore. And those guards? The ones meant to keep people from stealing Jesus’ body? They cowered in fear and fainted at the sight of the angel.
Death had been defeated by Christ. And God’s angel came to display the lack of fear that God had of it. He came to show us all that death is no longer some great, undefeated adversary, that robs and crushes without regard for others. Instead, death had simply become another foe that was vanquished by the Savior. The disregard that death had for so long shown to his people, God now showed to death with the actions of the angel. All the fear, the shame, the humility that the tyrant of death required of his slaves now is passed.
To assure the women who came to the tomb that morning, and us as well, that this was not some dream, but was actually reality, God had the angel explain what had happened with his words on top of his actions: 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; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.
Have you ever been in one of those situations that is so surreal, that you’re not sure exactly what is happening? I’m sure that this would have been something the women would have been experiencing when they got to the grave. They, for sure, had been on a roller coaster of emotions. First, they saw their Lord beaten and bloodied. Then they saw him killed on the cross. Now, as they were going to the tomb to finish preparation of the body, they experienced an earthquake, just like they had on the day Jesus died. And finally, when they get to the tomb, what do they see but two guards who have passed out, two angels, and the stone removed.
You, to a point, can understand quite well what this is like. You’ve been in that position after the death of a loved one where life becomes a blur and you can’t make heads or tails of the situation. Thus, you can appreciate that even though Jesus had told these women how he would rise, and even though they saw this situation that took place, that God offered up this additional comfort. He assured them through the angel that they had nothing to fear. That which had caused them so much misery and sadness here with Jesus’ death, and with all the other deaths they had faced before, had been defeated. Death had lost. They and Jesus had won.
After they had left the tomb then, they were filled with joy, but they were also filled with fear. Sound familiar? What happened to that childlike faith that we used to have? Where, as long as mom or dad told you something was true, you believed them? If you prayed, “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep,” nothing in the world would be able to harm you. Not the monsters, or the bullies, or the fear of the next day. Part of the reason that as adults we don’t trust quite so easily anymore is because we’ve learned how often things aren’t quite as certain as others make them out to be. And to a certain extent, we’ve let this creep into our trust of God. On one hand, we know with certainty that we will rise from the dead just as Jesus did, but why is there always that hint of doubt attached? Or why is that we get angry with God after a loved one dies? Why can’t we ever quiet these awful thoughts? That, friends, is called sin. And we’re all guilty of it.
That’s why it’s such a good thing that God understands us so well. He knew exactly what the women were feeling. That mixture of joy and fear. And that’s why he did this: “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid.” He knows how much help we need, and he’s not afraid to give it. Jesus knows that it’s never going to be enough to tell us something once. That we need to hear his voice coming back to us again and again letting us know that everything is going to be ok. That we don’t have to be afraid.
And why not? Not because life is going to be so spectacular. Jesus told the disciples that same truth, and if you look at what church tradition holds, many of their lives ended up being pretty awful at spots. So what gives Jesus the ability to say, “Don’t be afraid?” It’s his resurrection; it’s this, the events that transpired on Easter. Because what the resurrection of Jesus does is it becomes your ace in the hole. It’s that constant comfort and protection that lets you know that as bad as things get, you’re still going to heaven.
How, though, do we make this a bigger priority in life, so that we can drive out fear more easily? It’s nothing like digging in, or hunkering down, or getting tough when the tough gets going, or any of those clichés. The only way for you to be better at handling fear is by listening to this. The only way to combat the fear of death is by killing it off with Jesus’ life. His resurrection is the key.
Death is an awful tyrant. But, death is a tyrant that has been defeated. Jesus’ resurrection of proof of its loss. And, it is proof of your victory over it. Amen.
