Reflection on Matthew 28:1-10

Happy Easter everyone!  Jesus Christ is risen! 

I am not sure how that sounds to all of you this year.  Most years when we shout those words we are surrounded with scores of other believers and join together in shouts of joy and exuberance.  We normally shout those words out with the same sort of joy that the women had as they ran from the tomb; the world’s first apostles who set out to share the good news of Jesus’ resurrection.

But, this year is different.  This year we celebrate Easter, closed up in our homes.  We celebrate the same way Jesus’ disciples did, hidden away in small groups, behind closed doors, afraid to go out because the possibility of death lingers near.

And death does linger.  I do not know about you, but it is now a morning ritual to wake up, check the state’s health website, and see how many people have died from COVID-19.  I also check to see how many people have been affected recently in our own county.  I then scroll social media, checking up on friends and family who have been affected directly, to see how they are faring.  Are they making it, or has death lurked near their doors?  There is plenty about which to be afraid!

And, I do not know about you, but when I go out to run essential errands, I have been more than obsessive with cleaning the shopping card and avoiding other people around. 

I do not want to bring this thing home to my wife and the kids under my care, two of whom have respiratory issues.  I wash my hands multiple, multiple times a day, and when I cannot, I squirt that strong smelling sanitizer into my hands.  I really, truly desire that I had the foresight to invest in the leading hand sanitizer company.  Riches have once again eluded me.  Darn you world economics!  This is typical for a guy like me.   

I do find comfort in the fact that the first disciples were riddled with fear.  Not that I want anyone to be riddled with fear, but it is nice to know that I am not alone in my anxiety. 

Not only do I find comfort in the fact that I am not alone, I also find comfort in the words of that angel who descended from the heavens, accompanied by an earthquake, and a huge, rolling stone that moves out of the way as if by magic to reveal the empty interior of Jesus’ tomb. 

“Do not be afraid,” the angel shouts.  The guards have already been immobilized by fear, but the women are encouraged by God’s messenger to allow their heart rates to fall.

But, I have to admit that instructions to simply “not be afraid” rarely do the trick.  How many times have the words “Don’t be afraid” calmed the fears of a child as they entered the haunted house at Knoebel’s for the first time?  Never!  How many times has the same injunction relieved your deepest anxiety?  Not a chance. 

I am pretty sure that what does the trick for the women on that Easter morning are the words that the angel says following the injunction.  They are the words that disperse the fog of fear which lingers.  They are the words that fill these first apostles’ hearts with joy.  And, they are the words that we still need to hear today whenever we feel trapped by our fears.  “I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified.  He is not here; for he has been raised.”

Death does not get the last word in all of this.  Jesus, the savior of the world, cannot be snuffed out that easily.  A grave cannot hold him down.  Sin and death cannot push him into the ground and keep him there.  Life wins.  The Spirit of the Lord wins.  Love wins.  Fear does not get to dictate the movements of the Spirit within. 

I know that in this time of uncertainty you are looking for Jesus to guide the way.  Do not be afraid.  The one who was crucified has been raised!  And, just as the angel told the women I say to you, “he is going ahead of you…there you will see him.” 

So, where is the savoir of the world in all of this mess?  The angel says that he is ahead of us! 

He is where we are going. 

He is up ahead, creating life along the way. 

He is there, giving comfort and care to the grieving, giving new life to the dead, bringing forgiveness to the strained, and bringing healing to the broken.  He is ahead you as you try to figure out the next move in life. 

You do not journey out alone.  He is there, both at the end of the path and along the way.  He is ahead of you, preparing a place for you where you can have life, and have it abundantly. 

That promise is what causes the women to move from frozen fear to exuberant joy.  That promise is what became glued to the hearts of those first apostles.  And that promise is the gift that Jesus has for you during this time of anxiety and daily fear. 

Look ahead, beyond the fear, Jesus is there. 

Alleluia!  Jesus Christ is risen!  Christ is risen indeed, Alleluia!