Easter People

Easter People

Matthew 28:1-10

            “Easter says you can put truth in a grave, but it won’t stay there.”

            So says Clarence W. Hall—and he’s right.  Easter is about letting light shine so that nothing is left in darkness.  Truth, especially, shines through at Easter—the ultimate truth.  God is God.  God decides what will happen in this universe.  God is in charge and is bringing to pass the future that God has envisioned for this world.  We may think we’re in charge, or it may seem that Satan is in charge, but ultimately God is in charge.

            Easter people are never defeated, not by culture, not by physical or spiritual opponents, not by the grave.  Nothing can beat us as long as God is with us.  Too many Christians act as if they are already beaten, as if they’re going under for the third time with no rescue in sight.  The schools are against them.  The courts are against them.  The government is against them.  They’re being swept under by the cultural tide.

            On the first Easter morning, early in the day, the women went to the tomb.  They knew where they were going, even in the semi-darkness of pre-dawn.  They had followed the funeral procession the previous afternoon as it made its way from Golgotha to the waiting grave.  They had seen Joseph of Arimathea and the others place Jesus in the tomb hewn out of solid rock.  They had watched as a huge stone was rolled into place and sealed.  Now, after an undoubtedly sleepless night, they wanted to be where their slain Lord was—to be near him—and to mourn in the stillness and silence of the early morning. 

They were as far from being Easter people as it is possible to be.  They were defeated, with no hope.  Nothing they could do could bring their Lord back.  The future was as bleak as it could possibly be.  There was nothing left for them but weeping.

Then, suddenly, everything changed.  The stone was rolled away.  The guards were as still as dead men.  An angel assured them that the tomb was empty, that Jesus wasn’t there.  They should return to Jerusalem and tell the disciples what they had seen and heard.  Jesus was going on ahead of them to Galilee.

Matthew says, “So they departed from the tomb with fear and great joy.”  Fear?  Of course!  Who wouldn’t be afraid?  Angels always say, “Fear not!” trying to be as reassuring as possible—but how would you react if you saw an angel? 

They also ran with “great joy.”  I find it interesting that, while they felt fear, they felt greater joy.  I think this is also an expected reaction.  Their Lord was alive!  The future was no longer bleak.  They were not defeated and hope was not lost.  Who knew what might happen from this point forward?

Then Jesus was there, standing before them.  They fell at his feet (the perfect place to be in front of Jesus).  He also reassured them and told them to deliver the same message, this time not to his disciples, but to his brothers.

In just a few moments these women had become Easter people.  Instead of mourners they were now messengers.  Instead of hopeless, they were now hope-filled.  Instead of being at the end of their future, their future was now endless.  Fear?  A little, but just enough to be human.  Joy?  Great joy.  Boundless joy.  Unfettered and unimaginable joy.  Whatever happened to them from this time forward could not harm them, for they were now Easter people.

Isn’t this how we should live?  Perhaps a small element of fear because we are human and we can’t help it; but overarching and overwhelming any fears we have joy—joy unspeakable and full of glory.  Our Lord is risen, and our lives will never be the same.