Loving God, you gave those first followers of Jesus all that they needed in order to be able to believe.  Grant us also the gift of faith, and strengthen that faith day by day by the power of your Spirit; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

            These days, we hear lots about security – secure borders, secure airports, and even security for the white-out parties. Everywhere, it seems, security is needed.  Yet, is anything on this earth ever actually secure?...

         In the gospel of Matthew, an attempt is made to secure the tomb where Jesus has been laid.  They put a stone over the entrance, put a seal around the stone, and put some soldiers there to guard it.  They are trying very hard to keep death in its place.  However, absolutely nothing they can do is going to keep the life-giving power and love of God at bay.

         God sends an earthquake to break the seal and an angel to roll back the stone, all of which is to reveal an empty tomb.  Mary Magdalene and the other Mary (who is the mother of James and Joseph) are there when all of this happens – just as they were there when Jesus’ body was placed in the tomb and the great stone was rolled across the entrance (Mt. 27:60-61). They know that Jesus was dead and buried, just as they know now that the tomb is empty.

         For most people, it would take more than an empty tomb to convince them that somebody has been raised from the dead.  As it happens, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary are given a number of experiences that help them to believe.  They experience the earthquake and see the angel come down and roll away the stone. They also see the empty tomb and hear the angel’s message.

         As with all the angels, it seems, the message begins with “Do not be afraid” (Mt. 28:5).  The angel announces that Jesus has been raised from the dead, just as Jesus told them before he was crucified.  They are given a chance to remember this and to see the empty tomb before they are sent off with a job to do.  They are to go to the rest of the disciples to tell them that Jesus has been raised from the dead.  The disciples are also given instructions to go to Galilee, for they will see Jesus when they get there.

         The two Mary’s are already on their way to deliver the message when they meet the risen Jesus on the way.  They take hold of his feet and worship him, and Jesus repeats part of the angel’s message. Once again: “Do not be afraid… go and tell” (Mt. 28:10).  They are sent off as the apostles to the apostles – the first to proclaim the good news of Jesus’ resurrection.

         Mary Magdalene and the other Mary are given enough experiences that they believe beyond the shadow of a doubt that Jesus has been raised from the dead.  What about us, though?  What experiences convince us about God and about Jesus?  What is it that we need in order to believe?

         For some people, there is nothing that they need.  They have simply always believed, and nothing has ever shaken that faith for them.  For others, they have tried to believe and maybe even want to believe, but they haven’t been able to take that leap of faith. Some people get caught up in trying to make sense of everything before they believe.  Whether it is details in the Bible that don’t quite seem to line up or things going on in the world that make it hard to believe, for some people, these are stumbling blocks.

         St. Anselm comes to mind in this respect.  He wrote about faith seeking understanding, which was his motto.  While I can’t remember the exact quote, he said that if he tried to understand everything before he believed, faith would never happen. He also said that if he did not believe, he would not understand.  Faith had to come first, and then his faith continued to grow in understanding.  I have heard this described as “becoming comfortable with ambiguity” – in other words, not having all of the answers and being okay with that.

         Another thing is that there is room for doubt within faith. While Matthew doesn’t record whether the other disciples believed the women or not, they do go to Galilee and meet Jesus there.  Matthew writes, “When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted” (Mt. 28:17).  Isn’t that wonderful?...  These are the same people who spent several years of their lives with Jesus and heard his predictions of crucifixion and being raised on the third day (cf. Mt. 20:19). And here they are, actually seeing and talking to the risen Jesus, and they still have doubts.  There is definitely room for doubt in the midst of our faith.

         Still, for those who doubt, and for those who seek to believe, God does provide experiences and signs just like in today’s gospel – possibly not quite as dramatic, but still enough to strengthen us in our faith.  Experiences vary between people – everything from obvious answers to prayer to signs of God’s presence and power.  It has also occurred to me recently that the mere fact that the church continues to exist is a testament to the presence and power of the risen Christ.  With all of the scandals that have come to light, and the abuse that has happened, and the destruction of great cathedrals, and the actions throughout history that are distinctly un-Christ-like, it is amazing that people continue to discover the love of Christ in and through the church. It seems highly unlikely that this would be the case without the risen Jesus continuing to be among us and to be the head of the church.

         It also seems that Jesus’ message for us is still the same: “Do not be afraid… go and tell,” for Christ is risen!  He is risen indeed!  Alleluia!  Amen.

The Resurrection of Our Lord (NL 1)                   Matthew 28:1-10

April 21, 2019

St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church

Pastor Lynne Hutchison