Alleluia, Christ is risen…
The stone which was very large had been rolled rack. The women entered the tomb and see a young man, an angel, sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe and he says,
“You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that He is going before you to Galilee. There you will see Him, just as He told you.”
Just as He told you.
It always goes just as He tells us.
We don’t always believe Him, even though we should know it always goes just as He told us.
Jesus had told them He would suffer and die and rise again.
No one thought it was a particularly good idea.
A dying Savior? Not a good idea.
His own disciples heard but did not understand what He told them.
Peter was bold enough to rebuke Jesus for even having thought about it, let alone having told them about it.
A thief on the cross tried to shame Jesus out of it, “Are you not the Christ?…that’s what you’ve told everyone….so save yourself and us!”
They all thought they had better ideas than Jesus
But now Easter morning is here, and who turned out to right – just as He told them?
Jesus’ idea was a good idea.
Their ideas were bad ideas.
Jesus’ idea was right – just as He told them.
Jesus lives. They will see Jesus again – just as He told them.
Their reaction?
And the women went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
They were afraid – either because they still did not believe Jesus was right – just as He told them
or because they feared that Jesus is right and Jesus is back and Jesus is mad.
Jesus is right, and Jesus is here, so should you be afraid this Jesus, your judge?
You don’t always believe just as He tells you
You aren’t always saying, thinking and doing just as He tells you
We too often live lives of telling Jesus that His ideas are bad ideas:
[in telling us how and what we should think, say, and do.
In how He allows us to suffer.
And in who He allows to die.]
And so now that we hear again that Jesus was right, and Jesus is right, and Jesus will be right, and Jesus lives and is here,
what is Jesus’ idea to do with us who often thought and think that we have much better ideas how to run our lives and run this world and rule His Church?
Should we fear Him? Should we fear that He is mad at us?
His idea is not to tell you how right He is and how wrong you are, but to in fact, make you, declare you, change you, transform you, to be right with Him.
And you are.
You are right with God.
It is finished. That battle is over. It is finished. They’ll be no more war.
Adam and Eve said to God, “You’re ideas are not as good as ours.” But God did not abandon them so He alone could be right. Instead, God said to them, a battle has begun.
It was a battle between God being right and our being wrong with Him.
A battle between that which is true, good, and beautiful and that which is rebellious, and selfish, and prideful and ugly.
It had begun in the Garden of Eden.
The battle waged on through Cain and Abel, Noah, Abraham, and Moses and the judges, and the kings, and the prophets.
The battle waged on through the Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, through the Jesus’ Baptism and temptation and through three and a half years of Jesus’ public preaching and healing.
The battle waged on through the Garden of Gethsemane,
and through twenty hours of torture,
six hours of hanging and gasping and suffering,
three hours of utter darkness,
of being beaten by heaven and hell and everyone in between.
It had begun, indeed. And now, “It is finished.”
There on the cross a suffering Jesus breathes His last breath. There on the cross, bloody and gasping, God declares to you and I today “It is finished.”
God declares you right with Him, at peace with Him, righteous in His sight.
It is finished. And the only thing left is for you to receive His gifts
It is finished. Jesus bought you back. You belong to Him. I know that my Redeemer lives.
It is finished.
Jesus’ idea for His death and resurrection was a good idea.
“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
55“O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”
Jesus’ idea is to be here with you with His forgiveness and mercy and love.
Jesus’ idea is to continually wash you of your bad ideas.
And you being here today, but also you being here often to hear His Word and to receive His body and blood, that’s not my idea, it’s God’s idea.
And it’s a good idea. Here, today, for you,
Your darkness is overcome with His light.
The wrath you deserve is overcome with His peace.
Your fear is overcome with His hope.
And the death you have in you is overcome with His life.
[In some countries today, Christian mothers wake their children up by washing out their eyes.
It’s their way of saying that Easter should change the way we see things.
Let’s see how Jesus works.
Let’s see how Jesus sees.
Let’s continually wash out what we so often think is our good ideas, because they never really fulfill us, or provide for us, or give the ultimate peace we so often yearn for.]
Our good ideas fail us.
Jesus and His ideas will not.
Jesus is alive. And you are alive in Him.
What a beautiful idea.
Keep saying and believing what He has told you until the day you are changed to be immortal and imperishable for it will be that day that all our ideas will finally match up with His good ideas.