Easter 2023
Text: Mathew 28:1-20
Theme: God cares for you
Greetings: The Lord is good and his endures forever. Happy Easter! Happy resurrection day!!
Introduction:
From Matthew 28:1-20, I would like to share with you three lessons on this day of the resurrection of Christ under the theme of GOD CARES FOR YOU. His care is expressed as the one He reaches you, as the one who reveals to you, and the one who remembers you.
GOD CARES FOR YOU
The death of Jesus was a celebration for his enemies and the religious leaders. The imperial rulers and their colluding religious hierarchy ganged up successfully and safeguarded their power by eradicating Jesus through cross. Now, Pharisees, Sadducees, Scribes, and Essenes sat to eat the Passover with joyful mood. The entire Sanhedrin could have celebrated the death as victory except for a few righteous men like Joseph of Arimathea, and Nicodemus (John 20:38-39). The leaders thought that their enemy is no more who challenged their authority, their spirituality, and their reality. But for his loved ones, for his beloved mother Mary, for his faithful followers, and disciples it was a great loss, a non-replaceable, incomparable loss, and a loss forever.
Though, His promises are real to us but most of the time our feelings, and our pains are more real. Is it not true that our feelings and emotions overpower the promises of God and His Word? They are stronger than the promises of God. We feel at times God is dead in our lives (Luke 24:17-27). After so much we enjoyed with him, suddenly we feel the pain of loneliness and fear of the future due to the unrepairable conditions and situations we go through on some of our occasions. It may be due to personal or family or community situations.
But there is an Easter. This word is expansion of east. East refers and points to the sunrise, points to the dawn of a new day, new beginnings of life. Praise God for the Word of God, which says “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.” ‘Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.’ (I Peter 5:7). “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God” (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).
1. God reaches you (Matthew 28:1-8)
God reaches those who reach Him but more than that he reaches those who do not seek Him. Because he is God. A woman came and received healing a man was bound at cemetery he reached him and released him. Geresene demonic person (Mark 5:15). I saw you when you were sitting at the fig tree (John 1:48).
Mathew 28:1 says that Mary Magdalene, and other Mary (who is called Mary the mother of James as per Mark 16:1), and Salome went to the tomb. But John says only Mary Magdalene was there (John 20:1). Then we read the angel saying to them “Do not be afraid, come and see, then go quickly and tell. This is the message for you.”
Resurrection narratives explain the reaching of God. God reaches those who seek Him earnestly and love Him wholeheartedly. “I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me.” (Proverbs 8:17). “And without faith, it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6).
But also, he reaches us even before we could reach him.(John 20:19-21, Mark 16:14, and Luke 24:36 - Jesus stood before them and greeted them with peace). God loves us and seeks us out even before we start trying to find him. Also, he reaches the ones who are lost, who are deprived, rejected and only they could cry and sigh for the touch of the Lord. He reaches them too! In Luke 19:10 Jesus said, "For the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost." Jesus told his closest followers, "You did not choose me, but I chose you…" (John 15:16).
“For thus says the Lord God: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out.” (Ezekiel 34:11). “O Lord, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar.” (Psalm 139:1-2). I was ready to be sought by those who did not ask for me; I was ready to be found by those who did not seek me. I said, “Here I am, here I am,” to a nation that was not called by my name. (Isaiah 65:1).
We need to take steps for the visible action like Jesus reaching the seekers and the perplexing in life struggle and try to find out the meaning of their life struggles. The current crisis of life spiritual vacuum, existential need to to be tackled with the scriptural references and with the presence of Christ as Jesus did with Mary, Disciples of Emmaus, and the eleven.
2. God reveals to you (Mathew 28:9-11)
God reveals his plans, his purposes, and his future course of action. He revealed his glories, his awesomeness, and his victorious state of life. For those who seek Him and those who are in need of spiritual food, God reveals His plans. Revelation is given to all who are worthy and seek it. Revelation may come through the Holy Ghost by way of inspiration, visions, dreams, or visits by angels.
Jesus met the women and said “Greetings!” His greetings compromised of peace, blessings, abounding grace, and long life. God reveals himself individually to everyone. We are bounded by time, space, and limitations. He would reveal accordingly.
Bible has the general revelation of God in toto and God communicates about himself to particular people in special revelation. General revelation is the revelation of God given to all. It tells us that God exists and his moral standards (Romans 1:18ff). Special revelation is the revelation God gives to selected messengers. Those messengers may be angels, prophets, or apostles.
John 3:16 is a general Revelation but Exodus 3:14 is a special revelation. God’s personal name is ‘I AM that I AM’ (Ex. 3:14–15). His lordship connotes his control, authority, and presence in relation to the world he has made (John Frame). The Lord reveals His work to His prophets and confirms to believers (Amos 3:7). Through revelation, the Lord provides individual guidance for every person who seeks it and who has faith.
The arrival of new life through resurrection and revelation of Christ transform the mundane and routine lifestyle into an energetic runner for good cause as Mary and the disciples of Emmaus ran to the hideout disciples and people of fear. Jesus was kept moving from one person to the other who were in direly need of him. He spent quality time to heal them and make them to be ready to fight the life.
3. God remembers you (Matthew 28:20).
Jesus told his disciples to remember that he will be always with them. Also vice versa he remembers the disciples and their mission on earth. God remembers his promises to his disciples. God confirmed and affirmed his promises to the disciples through his presence and wonders, miracles (Mark 16:20). He told them to be engaged in the mission of God and promised to be with them, and commanded them to remember his promises and presence.
God remembered Noah, Abraham, and Rachel (Genesis 8:1; 19:29; 30:22). God is omniscient then, and how he forgets. Does God forget? Certainly not! We know the Bible teaches that God knows everything, even before it happens (Job 34:21, Proverbs 15:3, Isaiah 40:26, Hebrews 4:13). ‘God remembers’ mean an anthropomorphic expression relating God to human characteristics so we can understand him better. The Hebrew word for “remembered” doesn’t mean something has been forgotten; rather, it means that something has been brought to mind (Rev. Dr. Tom Lovorn).
Exodus 2:24 says, “God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” Psalm 103:14 teaches us that we are in the center of God’s attention. Because “He knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.”
It is he who remembered us in our low estate (Psalm 136:23). In Psalm 9:12, we read that ‘God remembers those who suffer; he does not forget their cry, and he punishes those who wrong them.’ ‘For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints.’ (Hebrews 6:10). He remembers our work, each individual act and will reward accordingly.
The resurrection of Jesus gave them close relationship with Jesus. They ate with him, chat with him, they touched him and felt his glory (1 John 1:1). He told Mary, disciples and others to come nearer to him and worship him. The ultimate purpose of resurrection of Christ is to understand that he is the Almighty God and to worship him alone, proclaim him to the World that he is alive forever.
Conclusions
God cares for you today, he is sympathetic with you, he knows your pains. He reaches you when you reach him or even if you forgot him. He reveals his plans for you. He remembers you to bless you.“Where, o death is your victory? Where, o death is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:55).
