04092023a – Matthew 28. 1-10
I think it helps to be a dog lover to appreciate this story:
A woman looked out of her window and saw her ever-faithful German shepherd shaking the life out of her neighbor’s rabbit. The horror of horrors…
Her family did not get along well with these neighbors, so this was shaping up to be a major neighborhood disaster.
She grabbed a broom and swatted her dog repeatedly until it dropped the now extremely dead rabbit out of its mouth.
She panicked. She did. She did not know what else to do. She was sweating profusely. So, she ran the rabbit inside, holding it close to her body, she gave it a bath, blow-dried it to its original fluffiness, combed it until that rabbit was looking good, and then, snuck the bunny back into her neighbor’s yard, and propped the rabbit back up in its cage.
An hour later she heard loud screams coming from next door.
She went outside and nonchalantly asked her neighbor, “Hey, what’s going on?”
“Our rabbit! Our rabbit!” her neighbor cried. “He died two weeks ago.
We buried him in the backyard, and now he’s back!”
Finding the rabbit sitting up in its cage was definitely UNEXPECTED!
People in the ancient world knew that dead rabbits don’t come back again.
They stay dead. That was to be expected!
In the decades prior to Jesus, there were many claiming to be God’s Messiah. In every case, the would-be Messiah got crucified or killed in some other way by the Romans, just as Jesus eventually did.
Nowhere do we ever read of the slightest mention by his disappointed followers claiming that their hero had been raised from the dead. They knew better! They knew that dead people stay dead.
However, that changed with Jesus.
The UNEXPECTED was about to happen.
Three days after Jesus’ death by crucifixion, he was raised back to life again.
God had done the unthinkable! The unbelievable! The unanticipated! The unexpected!
Matthew’s version of the resurrection story sounds a lot like the other gospel writers, but there are a few details he adds that are worthy of our attention.
First: the earthquakes. Not only does the earth shake at the crucifixion, but it also shakes at the resurrection when the angel rolls back the stone that has sealed this tomb since Friday night. But that’s not all.
The guards shake, and Matthew uses the “same exact word” to describe their quaking with fear. It’s also the same word Matthew used to describe the tumult of the crowds last week, at the triumphal entry into Jerusalem. God has been busy “shaking things up here.”
When God shows up, the unexpected happens. For example, there is nothing “ordinary” about this angel. He looks like lightning…he looks like snow. It isn’t at all clear if the angel uses the earthquake to move the stone.
But one thing is clear, as the angel sits nonchalantly on top of the stone that has been removed from the entrance to the tomb: this tomb is “already empty.”
The women who came here to “see the tomb” were not expecting this.
They were expecting to find “a dead body here.” They were expecting to find “trouble” when they encountered the guards.
But when God shows up, the unexpected happens.
The soldiers who were stationed to guard “a dead man’s grave” passed out from fear. They look dead, and the one who was dead “is now alive!”
Talk about your great reversals!
When God shows up and the unexpected happens, it can be a frightening experience.
The women are obviously afraid, and these are some pretty strong individuals.
They followed Jesus to the cross and witnessed his horrific crucifixion, even when the other disciples ran away.
Throughout the Bible, when God shows up, the first thing we hear is this: “Stop being afraid.” Again, expect the unexpected.
Fear and joy go hand in hand, as the women run to go tell the others what the angel has told them.
And no sooner do they take off running, than they “run right smack dab into Jesus himself.” Again, unexpected!
He greets them with a word that can be best translated as “Hail!” or “Greetings!” but it means much more than that. It also means “Rejoice!” And they bow at his feet to worship him.
Remember the last thing the angel said to the women before they took off running?
“This is my message for you.” It is such an important message that Jesus tells them exactly the same thing:
Stop being afraid!
Their joy is still mingled with fear. The guards were visibly shaking with fear, and I’m sure the women, filled with fear AND joy, were shaking, too. But Jesus rose from the dead to dispel all fear.
Go and tell … Go tell my brothers, and my sisters.
Whatever is wrong in your life, whatever is broken in you, he can take it and make it new. He can give you life because he himself has defeated death.
Things can be different. Things can be better. Expect the unexpected…
So, as is my custom…
What college did the Easter Bunny have at the top of his list? John HOPkins University, their track team is great at the long jump!
Happy Easter, everyone!