He is Risen: An Easter Meditation on Matthew 28

In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn

toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene

and the other Mary to see the sepulcher.

And, behold, there was a great earthquake:

for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven,

and came and rolled back the

stone from the door, and sat upon it.

 His countenance was like lightning,

and his raiment white as snow:

And for fear of him the keepers did shake,

and became as dead men.

 

And the angel answered and said unto the women,

Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.

 He is not here: for he is risen, as he said.

Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is

risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into

Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.

 

That Jesus Christ was crucified and rose from the dead is the most well attested event of ancient history, with more corroborating historical evidence than Julius Caesar or Alexander the Great.  The authors who recorded the events leading up to and proceeding after Jesus death and resurrection were themselves witnesses, together with innumerable crowds of their peers and countrymen.  The primary record of Jesus is found in the Gospels, but there were certainly other sources that record the realities of ancient Palestine nearly 2000 years ago in perfect concert with the eye-witness testimony of the Apostolic writers, many of which were hostile or ambivalent toward Jesus.  And, since the Apostles wrote their witness in their own community, they set themselves up for examination and critique so that everyone could be confident in their testimony.  The undeniable reality was and is, that Jesus lived, died, and rose again as He said He would, and as the Prophets of the Old Testament foresaw He would centuries earlier.  He is the only Person in the history of the world to do that, and even in the remote antiquity of Judea, it was the most witnessed, public, and well recorded event ever to be written down.

 

The reality of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection changed the world.  It toppled the corrupt bureaucracy of the Pharisees and Sadducees which oppressed, blinded, and fleeced the Jewish people of their time.  It defied the Roman emperor by denying worship to false gods, and to sinful men who vainly claimed deity.  It devastated the sophistries and empty philosophies of the Greek thinkers, who pursued truth apart from the One who is Himself Truth.  It destroyed the hold which demons had taken over the lives of ignorant people through pagan religions and witchcraft.  It showed everyone that there was more to life in this world than temporarily satisfying personal desires and lusts.  It revealed that death had been conquered, and no one need fear it again.  It proved Jesus was and is who He said He was and is:  the very Son of God incarnate, to whom all authority on heaven and earth has been given by His Father, and in whose pierced hands are the Keys of the Kingdom of God which forgive sins and grant life everlasting by His grace.  It showed the world that Jesus really is the Eternal Word of the Father, and that everyone who lives and abides in Him and His Word, will live and abide forever.

 

This is the significance of Easter.  It is not found in the pageantry and pomp of churches old or new, nor is it found in the pontifications or machinations of religious bureaucrats high or low.  It is not found in the stones which form our buildings, be they hallowed halls of worship or academia.  It is not found in the ever glaring light of internet websites, the constant inane hum of the blogosphere, or the vapidity of the 24-hour news cycle.  It is not found in the proclamations of politicians, be they kings or presidents or representatives.  It is not found in the great civilizations of the world, be they built better or worse upon the pragmatic truths of Natural Law.  But rather, the significance of Easter is found only and always in the Person of Jesus Christ, crucified and risen again for the sins of world, that everyone who repents and believes in Him might have forgiveness of sins, life, and salvation in His Name.

 

As you enter this most holy time of the year, may the truth of Jesus pierce through all the fog and confusion of your modern life, through all the pain and suffering which corrupted men and demons bring upon a sin-sick world, and show you once again the eternal truth of His Word:  that the infinite love of God the Father has sought and saved you through the life, death, and resurrection of His Only Begotten Son, His Holy Spirit ever calling to you through His Word and nourishing you through His Sacraments, that you might one day rise from the dead as Jesus did, and with your own resurrected eyes, see the God of your salvation forevermore.  Let the shadows and anxieties of a broken world which plague your mind and vex your soul be dispersed, that your eyes might gaze clearly once more upon the pure light of Christ, crucified and risen for the love of you.  Amen.