April 9, 2023
Pastor John Hering
Matthew 28:1-10
Matthew 28:1-10
Jesus Has Risen
After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
2 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. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
5 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. 7 Then 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.”
8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
You can all remember what it looked like around here a month ago. The trees were bare, the grass was brown, and there were no flowers to be seen on this campus! After a season of winter we all welcome the season of spring. Trees and grass are green, the flowers are growing in the sun, and even the lilies around our church will soon burst open with beautiful flowers. Doesn’t it make you wonder what it was like when God first created the Garden of Eden? You must have a favorite picture of Adam and Eve in the beautiful garden created just for them! It makes one wonder how glorious the world must have been when it was first created for Adam and Eve and their future children.
Sadly, that first garden and the rest of creation was ruined by sin. But if we can still get a sense of its original glory by the beauty around us, even though stained with sin. It makes we wonder how beautiful the garden was where Jesus was buried and rose again. I’m not just talking about the flowers, but a much greater glory coming from the garden where Christ was buried and rose again—a glory that can never fade or be ruined by sin. Today let’s be filled with joy by this second garden, the garden where Christ rose from the grave. It’s a Garden of Glory. May the Holy Spirit guide our thoughts this Easter morning in order to
Soak In The Glorious Garden of Jesus
A Glory of Power
The Bible tells us that near the place where Jesus was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden there was a new tomb. Jesus’ body had been placed there. This is where the women were headed on that first Easter day. They were anxious to finish giving Jesus a proper burial. But that would prove unnecessary. Matthew chapter 28 tells us about this Glorious Garden of Power!
“After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. 2 Suddenly, there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, and going to the tomb, he rolled away the stone and was sitting on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. 4 The guards were so terrified of him that they shook and became like dead men.”
Matthew 28:1-4
What an amazing display of power in this garden! It seems the violent earthquake was simultaneous to the angel’s entrance into our world. He was one of the mighty princes of heaven—so powerful as to toss the stone away from the tomb like a toy, so fearsome that battle-hardened soldiers dropped in sheer fright.
But even with such power, the angel was only a servant of someone much more powerful and awesome—someone who did what the angel could not do, someone who had defeated death. We are told:
“5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid! I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here. He has risen, just as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 7 Go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has risen from the dead! And look, he is going ahead of you to Galilee. There you will see him.’ See, I have told you!”
Matthew 28:5-7
Jesus didn’t just cheat death. He engaged it head on. He had truly died. His lifeless body had lain in the tomb until the third day. But then his soul returned to his body and came alive once again. The Bible is right! When it come to God and death, it is nothing more than a sleep! His eyes fluttered open. His lungs filled with air. He came back to life. Jesus proved he conquered death!
Jesus victory over death was not just for himself. Jesus came back to life for the entire human race. Jesus defeated death for you! The angel with his power only made an impression in a certain garden and only on a handful of people. But Christ Jesus encompassed and swallowed up death for everyone throughout the world and through all generations that came before him or will come after him. Jesus fulfilled what he said! “He who believes in me will live, even though he dies” (Jn 11:25). Soak in this Glorious Garden of Jesus filled with Power!
(State of humiliation) Jesus always had this power, but while living on earth he didn’t make full use of it. On the cross, Jesus had set aside the full use of his rights and privileges, and even the full use of his power as true God, to suffer and die. But when Jesus rose from the dead, he once again made full use of his power as God. This is called his state of exaltation. In his state of exaltation, he came alive, passed through the walls of the tomb with his body—invisibly, wondrously, gloriously. He descended into hell powerfully in order to proclaim his victory over Satan and death. In his state of exaltation he is no longer confined to the laws of physics. The Bible says that God “appointed him to be head over everything” and that he “fills everything in every way” (Eph 1:22,23). The angel did not remove the stone from the tomb to let Jesus out. He opened the tomb so that the women and others could see for themselves that Christ had once again fully used his Divine Power to rise from the dead.
This year when Grandma sent the Easter Cards to her grandkids, she also sent them some seeds to plant some flowers. From the dead looking seeds will spring forth plants and flowers (maybe). When we plant gardens, we always expect something good to spring up. Those who planted the garden where Jesus’ tomb was never expected their garden to turn into the Glorious Garden of Jesus with such power! But now since Jesus has risen in such a glory of power, where does that leave us? We’re still here on earth while he’s exalted in heaven. Jesus did not leave us here to fend for ourselves in life and make it through death on our own! The glory that radiates from that garden is not just a glory of power, it is also
A glory of grace
We all know that the day will come when we will die (unless Jesus returns before that day). Death is still frightening. We fear the pain we may experience before death, we fear what will happen to our children after we die, and the medical costs to our families. We often fear that moment of crossing into death itself. We tend to look back and consider our lives. Did we do well? Did we do everything we could have? Did we leave behind us a rose garden or a path of destruction? Death becomes truly dreadful because the Divine Judge can easily uncover piles and piles of guilty sin left in our wakes. We don’t want to face death panicked with guilt.
But the glory from the garden of the empty tomb is a glory of grace. Consider what pains the angel took to alleviate the women’s fears. “4 The guards were so terrified of him that they shook and became like dead men. 5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid! I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here. He has risen, just as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.” The angel says nothing to the quaking soldiers. But he reached out to the women in the gentlest, friendliest way and told them, “Do not be afraid.” He showed them Grace at the Glorious Tomb of Jesus. He reminded them of Jesus’ words. He showed them the empty tomb. He underlined the news by asking them to take it to the disciples. Remember, these were people who had a life of sin, doubt, and fear! To people like this God sends his messenger with a beautiful glory of grace!
The glory of grace doesn’t end there. As the women are on their way, from out of nowhere Jesus meets them. “8 They hurried away from the tomb, with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” They approached, took hold of his feet, and worshipped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go, tell my brothers that they should go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” Does he appear threatening to them? Just the opposite. He comes to them in a familiar, friendly way. They can even run up and embrace him. Jesus calls his disciples “my brothers.” Even after he has entered into his state of exaltation, he hasn’t forgotten why he became one of us. He came to take the punishment for our guilt away by his death on the cross. His resurrection is proof that he succeeded. Now, to all who put their confidence in Jesus, there is only friendliness, love, goodness, grace, kindness, and generosity from God. Past sins are no longer dredged up or thrown in our faces. They are gone, forgiven. Death itself is no longer punishment for sin but the gate through which God’s people passed through, leaving this sinful life behind, and entering into the Glorious Garden of Jesus in the Presence of our Gracious Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! Jesus is living proof that we too will rise from death. Jesus is proof of God’s grace.
When those days come that the garden of your life is feeling a little dry, remember the angelic messenger who brought the news of God’s Glorious Grace to the women and the disciples, Jesus still comes to us through the voice of God’s Word, through the gentle splash of simple water and a promise in Baptism, through the tangible evidence of his body and blood under a mask of simple bread and wine in his Supper. Through these means we cling to him in faith as the women did that first Easter morning. Be assured that he is with us, that we are forgiven, and that we won’t have to die alone. Rather through faith, live in the Glorious Garden of Jesus Christ that shows his power and is filled with his Grace!
We will experience the same victory over death as he did, and he will share with us all the glory of heaven that belongs to him. Unlike the beauty of the Garden of Eden that faded, the glory of Jesus’ garden can never fade or be ruined because Christ is its power and glory, and you, Dear Christian Friends, will live in that glory with Jesus forever! Amen!
