Resurrection Day is Here

Puzzled, frightened, rejected, amazed.

The first people to encounter the empty tomb were all of these, and probably more than these.

These are natural reactions to what happened.

The women went to the tomb of their loved one, to pay their last respects, to complete the burial rites, for which there had been no time before the Sabbath started.

When they got there, the tomb had been opened, the body had gone, and the grave-clothes were left lying, as if the body had slipped out without disturbing them. It was indeed puzzling. What could have happened? Who could have done this? And why would anyone do such a thing? It was amazing. If it happened to you, you would be amazed.

As they stood there, puzzled and bemused, two angels appeared. Yet another amazing thing. Quite rightly, the women were terrified. Whatever next! It’s not natural. Anything could happen in the next half-hour. No wonder they pressed themselves to the ground. Talk about keeping a low profile!

The angels told them that Jesus wasn’t there anymore, that he wasn’t dead but he had been raised to life, just as he said he would.

The women remembered. And hope stirred into life in their hearts. Could it be true, that Jesus was alive? They rushed off to tell the other disciples. But John’s Gospel tells us that Mary Magdalene stayed behind, crying. She just couldn’t believe it.

And John tells us that Jesus came to her. Through her tears she thought he was the gardener. But he wasn’t. It really was Jesus. And soon she went running after the other ladies.

The other ladies got there first, and blurted out their amazing story of an empty tomb and two angels. They told the disciples what the angels had said.

But the disciples couldn’t believe the women either. It was all nonsense. Most of those male disciples didn’t even believe the women enough to go and check it out for themselves. It was too incredible. Too amazing.

The women must have felt even more distraught, even rejected. Their beloved Jesus had died, and when they went to honour his body, it was gone. And even worse, these ignorant men wouldn’t believe them. It was all too much.

But Peter and John looked at each other across the room. They had been with Jesus on the mountain top. They had seen the glory of God upon him. They had seen him meet with two heavenly beings, perhaps Elijah and Moses. That was an amazing experience, and they hadn’t told anyone. After all, who would have believed them.

And now this. Was it really unbelievable, after all they had seen Jesus do? So Peter and John slipped out, before Mary had arrived with her news of having seen and spoken to Jesus, of having touched him.

Peter and John had set off running to the tomb. John got there first, but it was too puzzling and frightening to go in by himself. Then bold Peter arrived, that rash fisherman, and he went straight in. No-one was going to pull the wool over his eyes.

Someone had been messing about with Jesus’ grave, rolling the stone away, disturbing the body. Not on his watch, they weren’t.

But when Peter looked in he was amazed. Not that the stone was rolled away, the women had already told him that. Not that the body was gone, because the women had told him that too.

No, he was amazed because the linen grave wrappings were still lying there, undisturbed. It was bizarre, unheard of, truly amazing.

After all, when Jesus raised Lazarus to life, Lazarus had walked out of the tomb himself, still wrapped in the grave clothes.

If someone had taken Jesus’ body, to stop it becoming an object of worship and veneration, they wouldn’t have unwrapped it and left the clothes lying neatly wrapped up as if the body was still there.

This was no trick, trying to pretend to a parent that the child was still in bed, when the child was downstairs playing with his toys.

It was mysterious, puzzling, frightening, worrying, upsetting, amazing.

Something had definitely happened. But what? By whom? And how?

Imagine if you had been there - that first Easter Sunday. You would have been able to sort out that mess. You could have told them.

You dunderheids! (as my Dad might have said).
Jesus said he was going to come back after three days.
He’s probably waiting for you back at the Upper Room.
You were wasting your time coming here.
You should have known that.

And I don’t know why you’ve been moping around all weekend.
You should have been having a party.
Jesus’ death wasn’t a disaster. It was a victory! Jesus has won!

If you came back with me to my church in Scotland you would see that for yourself. Every Sunday we have a big celebration, like a party, celebrating Jesus’ death, his new life, his victory.

Everybody’s there. It’s such a great party no-one would want to miss it. And if anyone doesn’t know about it, well we tell them, no messing.

It’s the greatest news of all time. The Creator of the Universe, lived as a Man, died as a Man, and was raised to life to prove it.

Everyone’s invited to the party. Our weekly parties are just a foretaste of the great banquet in heaven.

You think you’ve been to good parties. Well you’ve never been to one hosted by the God himself, the one who spoke the world into existence.

Oh. I forgot. Of course you have been to his parties. You were with him those past three years. Silly me. He used to invite himself, didn’t he? That must have been so great.

You were just sitting there in your house, minding your own business, getting on with the dusting and cleaning, you know. When all of a sudden, Ding Dong! The doorbell rings.

You go to answer it, and it’s Jesus, come to tea. Wow! Imagine that! What would you say, apart from “Please come in.”

You’d have to apologise for the state of the place, not enough seats, not enough cushions, not enough space at the table, not enough food, too much dust, too much dirt, and on and on.

Woah, woah, woah. There’s no need for any fuss. I used to be a builder. Just a cup of tea and a jeely piece, and I’ll be fine. No need for any ceremony with me. Just invite me in, and I’ll stay as long as you like.

You’ve probably got some questions. What would you like to know?

Who rolled the stone away? How did you get out of the grave-clothes without messing them up? And how come, if you can walk through locked doors, you had to ring the doorbell today?

Ah, yes, tricky questions, some of those. But as for the last one, that’s answered in the Bible already. Good old John wrote it down for me, in his book of Revelation, in chapter 3, [verses 20 & 21]:


“Listen! I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into his house and eat with him, and he will eat with me. To those who win the victory I will give the right to sit beside me on my throne, just as I have been victorious and now sit by my Father on his throne.”

And Luke has already given you my invitation,
“Come, everything is ready.” [Luke 14:17]