An Easter Sermon- Just a Stone's Throw...
Matthew 28:1-10
After the Sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning and his clothing white as snow. For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ This is my message for you.” So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.” NRSV
Mary Magdalene sat on the stoop outside her house biting one nail. “I still can’t believe he is dead. What will I do now? I can’t imagine life without him.” Tears started to well up in her eyes but she blinked them back. “Not today… I’m not crying my way through this… How will I make it through this day?” She swallowed hard and gave a weak smile to her friend (other Mary) coming down the path- arms full of spices and oil to purify the body of Jesus. She picked up the bag of linens at her feet and without a word; they made their way toward the tomb…
Lord knows how they expected to get near the body. They had heard the tomb was heavily guarded by Roman soldiers and when they arrived all of their expectations were met. Two huge armed men in full combat gear flanked the stone that sealed the entrance. Could they have gotten more intimidating guards? The two women stopped a few feet away from the grave; a stone’s throw... The soldiers didn’t flinch- not even acknowledging them with eye contact.
Mary clenched her jaw in resolve and began to take a step forward- but before her foot could touch the groundthere was a large clap of thunder, and everything started to shake! Earthquake! The two women grabbed hold of each other- and then a blinding light flooded down from the sky causing them to shield their eyes… and in a flash of lightning, an angel of the Lord came down from heaven. Mary’s jaw dropped open as she watched him walk calmly toward the stone! He turned his head only once toward the guards, and gave a little wink… and then he touched the stone rolled it back like it was made of paper, and the he climbed up on top of the stone and sat on it.
The women couldn’t believe their eyes… time stood still for a second as the women took in what they were seeing. He was surreal… his clothes were white as snow but he had a face like the ghost of Christmas present- big- round- happy- eyes sparkling with delight…. And he had this big grin on his face- the kind you get when you have just told a great joke, but the people you’ve told it to have yet to get the punch line… timing… timing…
And the angel looks down at the burly Roman guards literally shaking in their boots; the look of fear on their big tough faces… and the mammoth cherub can hold back no longer… and he lets out a giant belly-laugh … and that's it; the guards fall down like dead men.…
But then the angel looks at the women- Mary frozen- other Mary crying… and the angel remembers that he is still the only one in the room who gets the joke, and says to them… “no, no, no ladies …don’t be afraid; it’s ok… I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. But, he’s not here…” (and despite himself, he starts to laugh again out of sheer delight) “”He is risen, just as he said.”
But the women aren’t biting… “Come on over here if you don’t believe me…" he bellows. "Take a look for yourselves! And slowly the women grow close enough and dare to peek inside the tomb… the empty tomb…
And the angel jumps down from the stone right in front of them- slaps his hands on his knees and says “Now go tell the others- Jesus said he’ll meet you in Galilee…and ladies… this message is for you!”
And the angel begins to laugh again… and laugh… and laugh… and the women, half in fear and half in joy, not really knowing what the heck just happened, run from the tomb… tripping over themselves as they go… and as they run, Mary shouts …“Do you believe this?” – But before Other Mary can answer, they both stop in their tracks. There ahead of them on the path is Jesus!
There he was- bigger than life- with his arms spread wide open and a great big smile on his face “HI!”
And with fear and amazement they ran to him and fell at his feet and began to worship him… and he knelt down with them and comforted his friends… “Don’t be afraid.” And I expect there were some questions and some crying… but mostly there was hugging and lots of joy- He was alive… risen… just as he said.
Now, there are some interesting things about this story. For one, did you notice that the women got to the tomb before the stone was rolled away? Did you also notice that although the angel came and rolled the stone away, Jesus never came out of the tomb? That’s pretty amazing.
When He raised his friend Lazarus from the dead, Jesus had to have to stone rolled away on order for Lazarus to come out. But here, when the stone is rolled away, the tomb is already empty. Jesus is long gone…
And when we think about it, of course a simple stone couldn’t have sealed in the Lord… he created the stones… but most of the time, we read this story in a way that we can understand- that makes sense... that makes us feel secure. We like that the stone is rolled away and then Jesus can come out. Because that means that the power of God is something that we can somehow control.
We do it in our own lives. We have these “stones”- things that we have rolled in front of the parts of ourselves we don’t want to acknowledge, much less look at… hurts, fears, sins, failures… and we think that by sealing up those things, we somehow control what we allow God to see, or touch, or heal, or work through.
Let me be a little clearer… You have stuff… we all have stuff… the things we don’t tell people about… stuff we can’t tell anybody about, the stuff that only you and God know about. The stuff down deep… the hurts that won’t go away… the trust that won’t come back… the relationship that won’t heal… the habits you can’t break… the things you think about others that you could never say out loud, not even to your best friend, because sometimes you think them about her too!
The stuff you think about yourself- stuff that’s underneath all of the Suzie sunshine super Christian stuff you put on Sundays…. Or the corporate stuff you that you put on Monday at work…. Or the carefree you stuff that you put on Saturday night at the party… the stuff that, if people knew about… if God knew about… well…
(God it’s dark in here…)
And by keeping it sealed away in a tomb, we don’t have to deal with it… because dealing with it would mean work on our part… and there would be purification involved, and God would have to be asked in… and there would have to be confession and weeping and gnashing of teeth. So we isolate those things, seal them up; but in turn imprison ourselves in that tomb… and even though freedom is just a stones throw away- for the most part we prefer to leave things as they are... locked up…
But here’s what I’m sure of- that the stone in the story wasn’t rolled back for any other reason than to let us see that Jesus was already out- that he was already on the move! The stone was rolled away for our benefit; to reveal for us that the power of God can’t be held by any barrier we can put up. Long before the women even arrived at the tomb, Jesus was already transcending the grave. He didn’t need the stone to be moved in order for him to rise… he was out and working in the world while Mary was still biting her nail wondering how she was going to make it through the day!
When we apply it to the stones we have rolled in front of our stuff- what does that say? That, like it or not, willing or not, God has already transcended all the barriers we have put up around our stuff- in fact God has disarmed the scary guards we’ve posted around the seal to frighten us from getting too close. And I know how terrifying it is to think about looking inside those tombs of death. I know the risk; I know the fear, and the earthquake you feel inside when you finally get the nerve to step forward…
It can feel like your whole world is shaken- and it can be so blinding that you have to shield your eyes cause you can’t see straight… But take even one step forward- dare to just lift a toe, and I tell you the truth- everything will change. Because at that moment you realize that you are not going to enter that tomb alone. God has sent angels ahead of you- to meet you where you are- to urge you forward- to entreat you to look inside… You know them… they are the ones smiling at you, waiting for you to get the punch line…
And here’s that punch line explained for you… that the stone you have put up around your “stuff” has not just been transcended by God. But the things you put inside thought were so awful, the stuff that keeps you from feeling like you’re “good enough”- God has touched long ago and already purified. So when you look inside, you realize the tomb is empty. And that God has already been in there, has cleaned it out, has made it whole, and done all of it while you were still biting your nail wondering how you were going to get through the day. The only prison that exists is the one you have set up yourself!
And I know about now some of you are thinking- well that’s fine for everyone else… but not for me… you don’t know MY stuff. And you’re right. I don’t. But God does- and has already accepted and purified every part of you- even the stuff behind the stones… and loves you completely and eternally- no matter what! It’s why Jesus came to earth. It’s why he rose from the dead. It’s why the angel said to the women- the lowest of low in society- “this message is for you”!
And I don’t care if you have been in the church for five minutes or fifty years, or if you come once a week or once a year, or if this is your first time here… the message is for you too! It’s what Easter is all about. The possibility that all things are now made new… Dare to take one step toward the tomb... Don’t be afraid! He is risen, just as He said! That’s the power of resurrection! And it’s just a stone’s throw from here!
After the Sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning and his clothing white as snow. For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ This is my message for you.” So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.” NRSV
Mary Magdalene sat on the stoop outside her house biting one nail. “I still can’t believe he is dead. What will I do now? I can’t imagine life without him.” Tears started to well up in her eyes but she blinked them back. “Not today… I’m not crying my way through this… How will I make it through this day?” She swallowed hard and gave a weak smile to her friend (other Mary) coming down the path- arms full of spices and oil to purify the body of Jesus. She picked up the bag of linens at her feet and without a word; they made their way toward the tomb…
Lord knows how they expected to get near the body. They had heard the tomb was heavily guarded by Roman soldiers and when they arrived all of their expectations were met. Two huge armed men in full combat gear flanked the stone that sealed the entrance. Could they have gotten more intimidating guards? The two women stopped a few feet away from the grave; a stone’s throw... The soldiers didn’t flinch- not even acknowledging them with eye contact.
Mary clenched her jaw in resolve and began to take a step forward- but before her foot could touch the groundthere was a large clap of thunder, and everything started to shake! Earthquake! The two women grabbed hold of each other- and then a blinding light flooded down from the sky causing them to shield their eyes… and in a flash of lightning, an angel of the Lord came down from heaven. Mary’s jaw dropped open as she watched him walk calmly toward the stone! He turned his head only once toward the guards, and gave a little wink… and then he touched the stone rolled it back like it was made of paper, and the he climbed up on top of the stone and sat on it.
The women couldn’t believe their eyes… time stood still for a second as the women took in what they were seeing. He was surreal… his clothes were white as snow but he had a face like the ghost of Christmas present- big- round- happy- eyes sparkling with delight…. And he had this big grin on his face- the kind you get when you have just told a great joke, but the people you’ve told it to have yet to get the punch line… timing… timing…
And the angel looks down at the burly Roman guards literally shaking in their boots; the look of fear on their big tough faces… and the mammoth cherub can hold back no longer… and he lets out a giant belly-laugh … and that's it; the guards fall down like dead men.…
But then the angel looks at the women- Mary frozen- other Mary crying… and the angel remembers that he is still the only one in the room who gets the joke, and says to them… “no, no, no ladies …don’t be afraid; it’s ok… I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. But, he’s not here…” (and despite himself, he starts to laugh again out of sheer delight) “”He is risen, just as he said.”
But the women aren’t biting… “Come on over here if you don’t believe me…" he bellows. "Take a look for yourselves! And slowly the women grow close enough and dare to peek inside the tomb… the empty tomb…
And the angel jumps down from the stone right in front of them- slaps his hands on his knees and says “Now go tell the others- Jesus said he’ll meet you in Galilee…and ladies… this message is for you!”
And the angel begins to laugh again… and laugh… and laugh… and the women, half in fear and half in joy, not really knowing what the heck just happened, run from the tomb… tripping over themselves as they go… and as they run, Mary shouts …“Do you believe this?” – But before Other Mary can answer, they both stop in their tracks. There ahead of them on the path is Jesus!
There he was- bigger than life- with his arms spread wide open and a great big smile on his face “HI!”
And with fear and amazement they ran to him and fell at his feet and began to worship him… and he knelt down with them and comforted his friends… “Don’t be afraid.” And I expect there were some questions and some crying… but mostly there was hugging and lots of joy- He was alive… risen… just as he said.
Now, there are some interesting things about this story. For one, did you notice that the women got to the tomb before the stone was rolled away? Did you also notice that although the angel came and rolled the stone away, Jesus never came out of the tomb? That’s pretty amazing.
When He raised his friend Lazarus from the dead, Jesus had to have to stone rolled away on order for Lazarus to come out. But here, when the stone is rolled away, the tomb is already empty. Jesus is long gone…
And when we think about it, of course a simple stone couldn’t have sealed in the Lord… he created the stones… but most of the time, we read this story in a way that we can understand- that makes sense... that makes us feel secure. We like that the stone is rolled away and then Jesus can come out. Because that means that the power of God is something that we can somehow control.
We do it in our own lives. We have these “stones”- things that we have rolled in front of the parts of ourselves we don’t want to acknowledge, much less look at… hurts, fears, sins, failures… and we think that by sealing up those things, we somehow control what we allow God to see, or touch, or heal, or work through.
Let me be a little clearer… You have stuff… we all have stuff… the things we don’t tell people about… stuff we can’t tell anybody about, the stuff that only you and God know about. The stuff down deep… the hurts that won’t go away… the trust that won’t come back… the relationship that won’t heal… the habits you can’t break… the things you think about others that you could never say out loud, not even to your best friend, because sometimes you think them about her too!
The stuff you think about yourself- stuff that’s underneath all of the Suzie sunshine super Christian stuff you put on Sundays…. Or the corporate stuff you that you put on Monday at work…. Or the carefree you stuff that you put on Saturday night at the party… the stuff that, if people knew about… if God knew about… well…
(God it’s dark in here…)
And by keeping it sealed away in a tomb, we don’t have to deal with it… because dealing with it would mean work on our part… and there would be purification involved, and God would have to be asked in… and there would have to be confession and weeping and gnashing of teeth. So we isolate those things, seal them up; but in turn imprison ourselves in that tomb… and even though freedom is just a stones throw away- for the most part we prefer to leave things as they are... locked up…
But here’s what I’m sure of- that the stone in the story wasn’t rolled back for any other reason than to let us see that Jesus was already out- that he was already on the move! The stone was rolled away for our benefit; to reveal for us that the power of God can’t be held by any barrier we can put up. Long before the women even arrived at the tomb, Jesus was already transcending the grave. He didn’t need the stone to be moved in order for him to rise… he was out and working in the world while Mary was still biting her nail wondering how she was going to make it through the day!
When we apply it to the stones we have rolled in front of our stuff- what does that say? That, like it or not, willing or not, God has already transcended all the barriers we have put up around our stuff- in fact God has disarmed the scary guards we’ve posted around the seal to frighten us from getting too close. And I know how terrifying it is to think about looking inside those tombs of death. I know the risk; I know the fear, and the earthquake you feel inside when you finally get the nerve to step forward…
It can feel like your whole world is shaken- and it can be so blinding that you have to shield your eyes cause you can’t see straight… But take even one step forward- dare to just lift a toe, and I tell you the truth- everything will change. Because at that moment you realize that you are not going to enter that tomb alone. God has sent angels ahead of you- to meet you where you are- to urge you forward- to entreat you to look inside… You know them… they are the ones smiling at you, waiting for you to get the punch line…
And here’s that punch line explained for you… that the stone you have put up around your “stuff” has not just been transcended by God. But the things you put inside thought were so awful, the stuff that keeps you from feeling like you’re “good enough”- God has touched long ago and already purified. So when you look inside, you realize the tomb is empty. And that God has already been in there, has cleaned it out, has made it whole, and done all of it while you were still biting your nail wondering how you were going to get through the day. The only prison that exists is the one you have set up yourself!
And I know about now some of you are thinking- well that’s fine for everyone else… but not for me… you don’t know MY stuff. And you’re right. I don’t. But God does- and has already accepted and purified every part of you- even the stuff behind the stones… and loves you completely and eternally- no matter what! It’s why Jesus came to earth. It’s why he rose from the dead. It’s why the angel said to the women- the lowest of low in society- “this message is for you”!
And I don’t care if you have been in the church for five minutes or fifty years, or if you come once a week or once a year, or if this is your first time here… the message is for you too! It’s what Easter is all about. The possibility that all things are now made new… Dare to take one step toward the tomb... Don’t be afraid! He is risen, just as He said! That’s the power of resurrection! And it’s just a stone’s throw from here!
