Matthew 28:1-10
28 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.”
As I grow older, I stay in touch with the fact that I must face some tough decisions. Challenging because I understand that regardless of my emotional state, I must see the situation through. That means I have made big choices in my life, even though I was scared out of my mind doing them. Deciding to go to college in Texas, purchase a house, start a business, get married, and have children are all scary things on the surface, but I went forward with them, and my life is better for me taking that leap of faith.
We all will have to face significant life decisions if we have not already. Friends and colleagues have moved across state lines to take new jobs. I know people who decided to go back to school, to get married, to get married a second time, people who were faced with major medical decisions, to have surgery, or to take a loved one off life support. Some have decided to go to therapy or go back to therapy.
Some people got the courage to speak up to their boss or apartment complex manager about unfair treatment; there are people I know who walked away from well-paying jobs to pursue a passion or calling, people who are learning to live without their spouse or parent because of an untimely death. Some people chose to run for public office or take a dangerous job in public safety, like a police officer or firefighter. No matter the circumstances, life is full of making tough decisions and making some decisions when we are scared.
We come across some people facing tough choices while they are scared in scripture today. We join the text on the morning of Christ's resurrection, looking at the two Marys.
Obligatory PSA
-Mary Magdalene was not a prostitute
-The women preached the first Easter Sermon
Neither Mark nor Luke, nor John mentions the earthquake; in their narratives, already the stone has been rolled away before anyone arrives at the tomb (cf. Mark 16:4; Luke 24:2; John 20:1)
The two Mary's went to the tomb after the Sabbath.
- Their routine has been interrupted by an event that changed the world
Do not be afraid is a common command in scripture, but it is easier said than done.
Fear is replaced by a promise.
In Matthew, the women are not only the first witnesses of the empty tomb, but they also receive the first appearance of the risen Christ.
When you step out, Jesus will meet you where you are. The two Marys followed a challenging commandment and got to see Jesus before they finished; they were willing to take the first few steps and saw a risen savior before they had even finished following the command. Miracles come with instructions, and the instructions are not for God; they are for us to understand and appreciate what is going on.
The stone is rolled away so that the people can look in. Seeing the empty tomb is a step that helps the disciples understand what has happened. Seeing a risen savior without an empty tomb leaves room for alternative explanations, such as they imagined it. The empty tomb gives a way for a concrete understanding.
We have trouble with "Fear Not" because we are afraid of so much. We fear the deaths of loved ones, serious illnesses, not having enough money for retirement, business failures, climate change, mass shootings, terrorism, and criminal activity. We see so many threats to our well-being that we can hardly believe it when we hear, "Fear not!"
But the words that the angel spoke to the women on Easter morning are also meant for us. "Do not be afraid," he said. "I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said" (Matthew 28:5-6). The very worst thing that could happen — the death of God's Son on the cross — has now been overcome by the resurrection. Darkness has been replaced by light, and death has been replaced by new life.
"Then go quickly and tell his disciples," said the angel. "'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him'" (v. 7). The angel's promise is that Jesus is going ahead of us, always ahead of us. We do not need to fear the future because Jesus is in it. He calls us forward and promises to meet us in what lies ahead.
"Fear not!" because we have a risen Lord who has overcome anything that can hurt or destroy us. Because Jesus has been raised, we do not have to be afraid.
I serve a risen Savior; He's in the world today
I know that He is living, whatever men may say
I see His hand of mercy, I hear His voice of cheer
And just the time I need Him He's always near
He lives! He lives! Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me and talks with me
Along life's narrow way
He lives! He lives! Salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know He lives?
He lives within my heart
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