TODAY (SUNDAY) IS THE DAY OF CELEBRATION
Matt 28:6
Morning Meditation 3/10/16
The angel said: “He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.”
We celebrate the resurrection of Jesus every week. It is a day when the church assembles for worship. We do not worship a memory. We worship a Person who will be with us, accept our worship and communicate his love to us through the singing of praises and the preaching of the word. Eph 3:21 says, “Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.”
Jesus prepared his disciples for his resurrection and ascension by explaining that it was to their advantage. John 16:7 says, “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.” The word “expedient” (sumphero) means “to profit.” In other words “it is for your profit that I go away,” i.e., the going away speaking of the cross, resurrection and ascension. How could it be that his going away would be for their profit? The Lord gave as the reason: “For if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.” The fulfillment of this promise took place on Pentecost. Luke tells us in Acts 2:33: “Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.” This is Peter’s explanation of Pentecost. He tells us that Jesus received the Holy Spirit when he went back to heaven and he “shed for this” to fulfil his promise in John 14 and John 16. The coming of the Comforter makes it possible for Jesus to meet with every Church and go home with every believer after church!!!!
But the resurrection would be bad news for some. Matthew 27:62-66 says, “Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again. Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first. Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can. So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.” These wicked men said, “While he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again.” They said, “We’ve got to find a way to keep him in that tomb and prevent a situation from developing where the disciples could make a false claim of his resurrection.” So they use two things: a seal and a watch. This will fix him and his disciples. “He won’t be able to get out and his disciples won’t be able to get in.” Now to us that’s funny. But it was not funny to them. Thank the Lord this is not the end of this story. We continue.
What happened next is the best news believers could ever hear. Matthew 28:1 tells us two Marys came to visit the sepulcher. The next verse tells of a great earthquake. The word “great” (megas) is used “of things which overstep the province of a created being, proud (presumptuous) things, full of arrogance, derogatory to the majesty of God.” God manifests his majesty as he visits his Son on the third day and night after his death. It reminds us of Sinai when the mountain shook and trembled at the presence of God. When God gave the law it was a declaration of his holiness and justice and made just demands of the people whom he had chosen to bear his name. On this occasion holiness and justice is manifested again as the Father comes to declare that death can no longer hold his Son. Justice has been satisfied, it’s demands have been met, and death has lost it’s grip on Jesus. God said to death, “turn him loose.” And death said, “Yes sir.” And out of the tomb he came.
Now I’m seeing this from the distance of two thousand years. And I must tell you that I am having a good time. It says, “for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.” Is that triumphant or not? The guys who set this seal are in trouble. They didn’t do a good job. They should have been told to fix it “angel proof.” This all happened suddenly. The verb “rolled back the stone” is an aorist active indicative verb which means it was done suddenly. It happened so fast that it was sealed “human proof” one moment and was opened with an angel sitting on top of the “rolled back stone the next moment.” And the next moment it says of the keepers: “And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.” Now that means they shook before they fainted. They stayed awake long enough before they fainted that they could remember after they woke up what they saw before they fainted. God fixed it so that when they told their superiors what had happened they would have to tell the truth. You see God’s miracles cannot be successfully denied by unbelievers because when God does something it really happens and the whole world can be witness to it. It is like when Jesus healed a leper. He didn’t mind him going to the doctor for confirmation. In other words, it is ok to take a xray to verify that what was there before God healed is not there any more (see Luke 17:14). I have seen that happen. The superiors said to the “keepers,” “vat happened?” They answered, “Ve forgot to made it angel proof!” The superiors said, “Someone go get some money. We can’t afford for these “keepers who couldn’t keep” to be honest about what they saw.” So the Scripture says: “And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers, Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept,” (Matt 28:12-13). Now this was not going to be easy. Some of us know what happens to a soldier who goes to sleep on his guard post. The superiors are willing for them to go to sleep to cover a lie. The words “secure you” in verse 14 means that everyone knew what it would mean for a soldier to admit that he went to sleep when he was on guard duty. But it was kinda like Abraham saying that Sarah was his sister. It was not a complete lie. The soldiers could always say “we were asleep all right. We just got mixed up on the timing. If you had seen that guy sitting on top of that stone, you would have gone to sleep to!”
Now before I run out of space this morning lets hear the message of the angel: “He is not here: for he is risen, as he said...” It is just like he said is what the angel said. The angel invited them to see where he wasn’t and then told them, “...go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead...” And that is the message of Sunday worship. It is not Saturday. That is the end. There is a new beginning. It is the first day of a new day. Hallelujah! Jesus meets with us as our living Lord today as we worship. He will be with us in the Person of the Holy Spirit. Today we celebrate his resurrection. Amen and amen.
