April 20, 2025 Easter Sunday, The Best Last Word | Matthew 28:1-7; Revelation 1:9-18

Today we are celebrating Easter and the resurrection of Jesus! We will reflect on Matthew 28:1-7 and Revelation 1:9-18, The Best Last Word. From the darkness of Good Friday, we come together to celebrate the resurrection of the Light of the World coming in all his glory to banish sin and death. Jesus is the Alpha and Omega, the Living One who defeated sin and destroyed the curse of death, the one who holds the keys of death, and Hades, the one who has been given all authority in heaven and earth to reign forever!

Transcript

Matthew 28:1-7; Revelation 1:9-18   The Best Last Word

It’s been a long couple of days for the women. It’s dawn, the sun is peeking its head over the horizon as they walk up the road to the garden where Jesus’ body is. They were the last ones at the cross and had seen Jesus put in a tomb there. They had watched Joseph take Jesus’ body, wash and cover the body gently with burial spices, wrap it in a burial cloth, and lovingly place the body on a ledge inside the tomb. Mixed in the spices were Joseph’s tears as Mary and the women watched this all happen late Friday afternoon. This has not been a Passover to celebrate. It seems wrong somehow to celebrate God’s saving of Israel from slavery and injustice right after watching the injustice of an innocent man crucified, a man they had never seen sin. Now they’re walking up to Jesus’ tomb, wondering if they’ll be allowed to see Jesus’ body and hoping they might see Jesus’ body one last time, to say ‘Good bye’. 

I imagine the stone in front of the grave was on their minds as they approached. How are they going to be able to roll it away when it took strong men to place it there in the first place? Suddenly the earth moves under their feet as a violent earthquake rocks Jerusalem and the surrounding area. The women stumble a bit and fear creeps into their hearts as they continue moving forward. They remember how the earth shook the same way when Jesus died. The result was the temple curtain tearing in two and then there were reports of people rising from their graves! The women turn to each other, could there be a connection with what just happened? On Friday it seemed that even the earth was shaking in horror over what had occurred and yet God seemed to be doing something extra-ordinary at the same time. 

The women come close to the tomb where Jesus’ body is laid and their hearts start beating in fear and awe. The stone’s no longer in front of the entrance to the grave, maybe it was moved by the person sitting on top of it. Its appearance is like lightening, it’s so bright, and they’ve never seen clothes that white. They’re as white as the pure driven snow found in the mountains and they’re as bright as the creature itself. There’s only one being that would look like this, the women know that this must be an angel from God.

Then they notice the guards lying off to the side. The looks on their faces show that they’re terrified of the angel. They had been prepared to fight off Jesus’ disciples or maybe even grave robbers. They never thought they would face a creature as magnificent or as frightening as this angel. If God is getting involved here, the guards want nothing to do with it any more, so they lie there like dead men, like the man they were supposed to be guarding, hoping they won’t be noticed. 

Then the angel speaks, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.” Right away, the angel tries to ease the fear that’s in the women’s hearts at seeing an angel of God. The angel isn’t here to frighten them, it’s here to give them important news. After all, that was the angels’ main job, to be God’s messengers. So, the angel sets their hearts at ease so they can hear God’s words. Then the angel tells them news they never expected to hear, it says, “He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.” In their wonder, the women move forward to look into the tomb, to reassure for themselves that the angel’s words are true, that it can be trusted. They need to see for themselves that Jesus who had died on Friday, is really and truly alive, or at least that his body’s no longer there. 

Then comes a message just for them. The angel commissions the women to carry an important message to the disciples, they become the first ones to tell the Gospel message, “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.’” This is earth shattering news, no wonder the ground shook when the angel appeared. Creation itself is moved by the wonder and power of God. As the heavens testified to Jesus’ birth with the star in the East, so the earth itself testifies to Jesus’ resurrection by its movement. It’s almost as if the ties of death that bound Jesus to the earth are cast off and the earth returns his living body back into the world again. The angel commands them, “Go quickly, don’t keep this news to yourself, go tell the others, and do so quickly, as fast as your feet will take you.” 

The women hurry away from the tomb. They’re afraid, after all an angel has just talked with them, but filled more with joy. The grief and horror of Friday, the aching loss of Saturday are quickly being replaced by the incredible joy of knowing that their Lord’s alive, that even death could not keep him away from them. The women pick up their skirts and run off to tell the disciples just as they’ve been commissioned to. They now understand in a brand-new way what is meant by, “blessed are the feet of those who bring good news.” Now Matthew, right after telling us about the angel’s commission to the women to give the good news to the disciples, also gives us the story of how the chief priests make up a false story of Jesus’ empty tomb and commission the guards to share this story among the people. Still today we encounter many false stories of who Jesus is, what he did, and what happened to him. This is why we have been commissioned to tell the gospel news of Jesus’ resurrection to the world!

John also receives a message to write down and share with the followers of Jesus in the seven churches. “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.” What does John see, he sees “seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.” 

John sees what Daniel saw hundreds of years earlier while in Babylon, Daniel 7:9–10, 13-14, “As I looked, “thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze.  A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were opened.  “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.” The light of the world that was hidden by darkness on Good Friday is now shining in all his glory and has come to claim his throne over all creation. John and Daniel’s vision show Jesus as the King of kings holding all authority in heaven and earth in his person. His clothing is priestlike, symbolizing purity and holiness, reminding us of his relationship with the Ancient of Days, the heavenly father on the throne of heaven. 

Good Friday was a day to fear and tears, Easter is the great day of hope and joy: Jesus is alive and resurrected from the dead, having defeated death, the curse from sin, and Satan! As Jesus tells us, we don’t have to be afraid any longer; he is the Alpha and Omega; he’s been around since before creation and he is returning to restore all creation and lead us into eternity with him. Jesus is the defeater of death and the giver of life, holding the keys of death and Hades in his hands so that they are no longer a threat or something to fear. Jesus fills our hearts with his Spirit and heals the hurt and the pain sin has created in our lives. He reassures us that he is alive and because he lives, we can let go of our guilt and leave it at the foot of the cross and embrace the new life found in him.