The First Commandment
The Resurrection of our Lord
27 March 2016 – Redeemer
Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. (Luke 24:10-11)
These words seemed to them an idle tale. And why wouldn’t they seem like idle tale? Jesus risen from the dead. Right. That would be a first, wouldn’t it? The only way any grave is ever empty is if there are grave robbers and they usually take the valuables and leave the body. And the only guys who would have robbed the grave are the guys the women are talking to. It wasn’t them, so the grave is empty, so Jesus rose – right, that makes about as much sense as a rabbit leaving behind chocolate eggs.
Jesus … crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised Him up, loosing the pangs of death. That is what Peter preached in the first real sermon after Easter, on Pentecost day. Do you remember what the crowds thought of Peter and the other Apostles on Pentecost? They must be drunk. If someone told you that three days after the funeral service they went to the cemetery, found an empty hole in the ground, and their loved one was standing upright, alive, talking and breathing, what would you say? Did you start on the Mimosas a little early today?
Does it seem like an idle tale to you? Do you regard the news that Christ is risen as just another tale from the good book? Did you spend more time picking out Easter candy and Easter clothes than you did contemplating the Easter truth that Christ is risen?
We ought not be surprised at our reluctance to believe “Christ is risen.” For whether we want to admit it or not, resurrections simply do not happen – nothing lives. Everything and everyone dies. Our course through this world leaves a trail of wreckage and death – cars rust, houses get run down, marriages end with death or divorce, investments plummet, one major illness and there goes your life savings. The worst of it all, friends, family, the most loved, and most loving people in our lives die and there is no third day resurrection – the casket stays closed, the hole in our life remains deep, dark, and open. The members of Redeemer know this well – we have journeyed to the cemetery four times in the last two and half weeks.
Throughout this Lenten season and Holy Week our services and sermons at Redeemer have focused on the Ten Commandments. We started on Ash Wednesday with the 9th and 10th commandments and today we come to the end (really the beginning) and the first commandment. You shall have no other gods. What does this mean? Dr. Luther answers in his Small Catechism, “We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.” God gave us the commandments for our good and that first commandment is not first by accident. God wants us to fear, love, and trust in Him above all else because He and He alone is the living God and the proof of that is found throughout His Holy Word, but chiefly and most clearly is it found in the words of the angel at the tomb, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? Jesus is not here, but has risen.”
Now, let’s be clear that the Holy Spirit soon overcome the unbelief of the men who considered the words of the women “idle tales.” Peter himself, running to the grave, and seeing it empty, believed. That very night he would see Jesus alive and in the flesh with his own eyes. Exactly 50 days later he would be preaching that “Christ is risen” to crowds of thousands in Jerusalem and in that single day 3000 souls would fear, love, and trust in God alone – the God whose raised Christ from the dead, and they would be baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
About 20 years later, Paul would write his first letter to the Corinthian church. We heard part of it this morning, from chapter 15. If in this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. Paul preaches that if you’re just looking at Jesus for a little help now, in this world, you are to be pitied. This world is passing away – that should be obvious to you, but Christ Jesus was raised from the dead. Jesus of Nazareth clearly claimed that He was God Himself in the flesh. He preached that He was heading to the cross to take away the sin of the world because sin is the cause of every human death. He told His disciples exactly what would happen, “The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and on the third day rise.” Before He died on the cross He declared, “It is finished.” By the shedding of God’s blood, by the death of God in the flesh, Jesus Himself finished the work of saving you. Your sin is forgiven, your debt is paid, God’s wrath and anger over your rebellion are satisfied. Do you know what happens when sin is taken away? Death loses its grip. Christ Jesus rose from the dead as the sure and certain testimony that Good Friday worked. His death, the death of God Himself, accomplished its purpose – you are forgiven.
Easter is the opportune time to give you the facts about life and death, by giving you the facts about Christ’s death and resurrection. Not only was Christ’s grave empty, but no body was ever found. If the disciples had taken the body (which meant they would have to overpower a Roman guard and the disciples weren’t exactly known for their bravery under fire), they surely would not have stuck to their story and preached Christ’s resurrection at the cost of their own lives. In the same 15th chapter of 1 Corinthians Paul lays out a list of over 500 witnesses who saw Jesus alive, most of whom were still living, who could verify the fact that Jesus who was clearly dead and buried, three days later appeared very much alive, with nail and spear wounds as evidence of his death. Four separate Gospel writers record the same event without any contradiction in their account and we have more copies of the New Testament Biblical text than we do of any other book or writing of that time. Saint Paul’s own life is evidence of a man who went from death – He killed believers in Jesus, to life – He wrote 2/3 of the New Testament and he himself died for preaching “Jesus Christ is risen from the dead.”
In the end though it won’t be the evidence that brings you from death to life. It won’t be persuasive arguments, although they do chip away at all reasonable objections, finally what you are left with today is the same thing as the women at that empty tomb. When they ran to tell the men they had seen nothing, except an empty tomb. All they had was a word from God’s messenger – an angel of the Lord told them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen.”
God calls you today, to fear, love, and trust in Him above all things. Why?
Because (in case you haven’t been paying attention) you are dying and He is the only living God.
Because hoping in this life is no hope at all and He wants to give you a sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life with Him.
Because Christ Jesus died for your sins and rose again on the third day.
Because God doesn’t want you to remain in your sins. He doesn’t want you to die apart from faith, He wants you to share in the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting which Christ alone won for you.
That is why He sent His Son into this world, why He spilled His Son’s blood and crucified His flesh, and let it be buried in the grave, and why He raised up Jesus on the third day. There is no other god or prophet in any other religion that offers you any evidence that he or she or it really lives and moves and breaths. Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary in the little town of Bethlehem in the days of Caesar Augustus when Herod the Great was King. He was crucified under Pontius Pilate, the governor of Judea, when Caiaphas was High Priest and He was buried in a garden tomb outside Jerusalem. Three days later He rose. Mary Magdalene hugged him. Thomas poked him. Peter and the boys had shore lunch with him. And every one of His original 12 (save Judas and John) died for preaching the real truth – Jesus Christ rose from the dead. It is no idle tale. It is real and it is life and it is the life God proclaims, offers and delivers to you this day in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Pr. Bruce Timm
26 March 2016 anno Domini