This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it (Ps 118:24). Amen.
Fear and Easter. Does that combination sound strange? Do we have the right holiday? You may have bought some new clothes for today, but not a scary costume. That is October. This is April. It is spring, not fall. Do they go together? Fear and Easter.
• I am not thinking about the fear of not finding a basket immediately, hidden secretly somewhere in the house. If you have young ones, they probably already took care of that tradition already. This may be one of those mornings that you don’t have to convince them to get out of bed—and even early. No alarm necessary. Finally, what better breakfast can there be than a row (or two) of those multicolored peeps jammed in that fake grass?
• I am not referring to the fear of not cooking a ham thoroughly, taking it out of the oven too quickly. No sense in giving any guest stomach issues. (That might be enough about that.)
But there was fear on the first Easter. The condition was there. And so was the command. Don’t be afraid. Jesus rose. Jesus lives. Don’t be afraid at Easter. Go ahead and worship. And go forward and witness. We read the account of Jesus’ exit from the sepulcher from …
Matthew 28:1-10
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Jesus, the once crucified Christ and now the living Lord,
I want you to consider this for a minute. Can you summarize Easter in three words?
If you suggest, “He has risen,” that is good. You are in excellent company. That was the exact announcement of the angel (Mt 28:6).
But you get some extra credit if you say, “Don’t be afraid.” That is what I am going to submit this morning.
Don’t Be Afraid at Easter
1. Go ahead and worship (1-10)
2. Go forward and witness (6,7,10)
1. Go ahead and worship (1-10)
Perhaps a child asks for permission to eat his 92nd jelly bean of the day before lunch. Mom is either feeling extra generous or just being incredibly foolish, but she states, “Go ahead and wolf it down.” The little one will be excited—at least for a time, not so much later. Easter is bigger than that. Don’t be afraid at Easter. Go ahead and worship.
Their worst fear had been realized as Jesus’ enemies successfully engineered his execution. That is why Mary and Mary were traipsing to the tomb (Mt 28:1). Jesus was dead. We know what cemeteries are for. We have been to one or two before.
It was Sunday morning. And it was early. The first streaks of the sun were visible on the horizon. There was a bit of brightness. But there was a slew of sadness.
They were both there on Friday when Jesus hung on the cross (Mt 27:56). They had watched him die. They had witnessed when Joseph of Arimathea had put him in his new tomb. And they only had a few minutes to prepare Jesus’ body for burial because the Sabbath day was about to begin. That seventh day of the week was to be one of no work—only rest. (We might wonder how much or how well they did that.) And now it was the first day. And they would finish the task—one final one for these devoted followers for their dear friend. He deserved that dignity at least.
Matthew mentions the earth moving (Mt 28:2). It would have measured fairly high on the Richter scale. People comment that is a scary event in of itself. This was the second tremor in a few days. The first one happened on Friday when Jesus gave up his spirit (Mt 28:50,51). And now this one. It was as if God was tying the crucifixion and the resurrection together in one seismic knot. Ultimately those two occurrences go hand in hand. These were great and glorious works of the Lord. Jesus did die. Jesus did rise.
As Matthew draws our attention to the ground shifting, he adds the detail of the angel coming down. “And going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it” (Mt 28:2). That was to let people in, not let Jesus out. It is like opening a gift. We want to know what is inside. But this time we are not disappointed that there is nothing there.
And there was no mistaking this messenger (just like the white stuff that fell from the sky this past week). “His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow” (Mt 28:3).
It is no wonder that the Romans soldiers did their best impression of an earthquake—moving back and forth, trembling with fear (Mt 28:4). These battle-tested men were no match for the angel. They were filled with fright—like corpses.
Notice that there was not even a word to them. But there was to the women when they arrived. “Do not be afraid” (Mt 28:5). He is quite emphatic. “You. Yes, you. Stop it. Don’t be fearful anymore.” He acknowledges their reason for wondering: “I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified” (Mt 28:5). They were anticipating finding one who was dead. It was true. He had been nailed to an instrument of torture. But now, no. “He is not here; he has risen” (Mt 28:6). The dead One is the living One. There was no reason for fear.
Jesus defeated death. It could not hold him. He did not remain in death (Ps 118:17,18). He removed the cause of fear which went all the way back to another Garden—in Eden. Adam and Eve hid after they believed the lie of the crafty serpent and ate of the forbidden fruit. And sin brought death (Ro 5:12). And that was our lot in this life and hell our future in the next. But Jesus died. And Jesus rose. The one who believes in him lives, even though or even when he dies. And the one who believes never really dies (Jn 11:25,26). Jesus is the resurrection and the life. And because he lives, we live (Jn 14:19). We can set our hearts on things above (Col 3:1). Don’t be afraid at Easter. Life is ours.
And it was not to embarrass them like when one classmate is right about some information and relays to another with a bit of superiority, “I told you so!” But this is to educate. There was the mild reminder from the angel: “He is not here; he has risen, just as he said” (Mt 28:6). Had they innocently missed it? Or simply dismissed it? Jesus had been clear. And on numerous occasions (Mt 16:21; 17:23; 20:19). Suffering, death, and resurrection. And resurrection. There is no reason for fear. Jesus is not where they left him three days earlier.
As the Son of God, Jesus spoke the word of God. And it is all truth. It is finished (Jn 19:30)—everything to rescue us.
Guilt is gone. Completely.
Salvation is sure. Absolutely.
Heaven is home. Eternally.
It is all in the Word. That is why we turn to it often—right here and at home, in public meditation and private devotion. Like we do as the apostle Paul encourages us in his letter: “When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory” (Col 3:4). Jonah stated it beautifully in the belly of the great fish: “Salvation comes from the LORD” (Jo 2:9). Don’t be afraid at Easter. We have the Word.
After he shares that, the angel wants to show them: “Come and see the place where he lay” (Mt 28:6). They looked but didn’t loiter. They had a divine mission from the divine messenger: “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’” (Mt 28:7).
And so they did—with a mixture of fear and faith. We can’t blame them. We have been there too. They had expected one thing and experienced another. They were still pulling it together. We have had time to put it together. Jesus is not in that grave.
And then, there he was. Jesus. He didn’t make himself known to Pilate or the Sanhedrin. But to these women. “Greetings” (Mt 28:9). Jesus didn’t come to taunt or terrify them. “What are you going to do with the spices now?” But to comfort and console. “It is really me.”
They didn’t run from him, but to him—falling down on their knees. “They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him” (Mt 28:10). As they bowed before him, they might have seen the wounds of the nail marks. It really was Jesus. They took hold of flesh and blood. There was no reason for fear.
Some refute it. Others refuse it. But Jesus has been raised from the dead (1 Co 15:20). Don’t be afraid at Easter. Jesus lives to silence fears (CW 152:5).
And again there is that directive, really two—this time from Jesus: “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me” (Mt 28:10). Did you catch it? “Brothers.” Wait a minute.
Didn’t one of them deny him in the courtyard, cursing and then swearing? Brother. Yes.
Didn’t the others disappoint him in the olive grove, snoring then sprinting? Brothers. Yes.
Weren’t they holed up in the locked room at that moment, hiding and shuddering? Brothers. Yes.
And how about us? We are strangely similar to those men. But Jesus calls us, he considers us brothers and sisters. Yes. We are part of Jesus’ family—just like Olivia as Jesus adopted her as his very own through water and Word. He is not ashamed of us (He 2:11). We are forgiven. Don’t be afraid at Easter. Go ahead and worship the risen Savior.
2. Go forward and witness (6,7,10)
Possibly that same child is bold enough to assume that that jelly bean approval extends to a 25th candy bar. (He has made quite a haul.) Mom would surely agree to that, he thinks. After all, they are labeled “fun size.” You can’t have too much fun.” Easter is better than that. Don’t be afraid at Easter. Go forward and witness.
The ladies were not to keep the news to themselves. Both the angel and the Lord made that plain:
Angel: “Do not be afraid. … Go quickly and tell his disciples” (Mt 28:6,7).
Jesus: “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers” (Mt 28:10).
We don’t hide it either, but herald it. We preach Christ crucified and Christ raised (1 Co 1:23). This day. And every day. God accepted his sacrifice for us. And so we report it to all whose conscience condemns and repeat it to all whose hearts are confused. Don’t be afraid at Easter. Go forward and witness to the risen Savior.
Is that right? Fear and Easter. No. Not at all. Maybe we will just have to settle with six words instead of three to sum up Easter. That is not too much. He has risen. Don’t be afraid. Don’t be afraid on Easter. Go ahead and worship. Christ is risen. Go forward and witness. Christ is risen indeed. Alleluia. Happy Easter. Amen.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever (Ps 118:29). Amen.
April 16, 2017
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