He Has Risen!!
April 20, 2025
Scripture: Matthew 28:1-10
As a family watched the Easter story on television, the youngest child was deeply moved. As Jesus was tortured, hung on a cross and ultimately died, tears rolled down her cheeks. She was silent until after Jesus had been taken down from the cross and put into the tomb. Then she suddenly grinned and shouted, “Now comes the good part!”
When my son, Aaron watched the movie, Jesus, years ago, he fast forwarded through the crucifixion to get to the good part. Today, we know the story of what happened after Jesus died.
However, Jesus followers had no clue about the good part. They were in for a big surprise. Sadly, many today do not grasp, believe, or understand the significance of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. My hope is that you will believe, take to heart, the importance of the statement, HE HAS RISEN! Let’s look at our text.
Verse 1, After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
Mary Magdalene is mentioned several times in the Gospels as a devoted follower of Jesus who was present at his crucifixion and burial. She is also believed to have been the first witness to the resurrection of Jesus. Mary was a woman of strong faith who had been healed of seven demons by Jesus. She was one of the few female disciples of Jesus and played an important role in the early Christian church.
The other Mary was the mother of James, the Less. Matthew 27:61 and Mark 15:47 note that these two women watched Joseph of Arimathea wrap him in linen, place him into a tomb, and a stone rolled against the front of the tomb.
Now, the Gospel of Mark and Luke adds several other women to the early morning adventure to the tomb. Mark’s gospel records the women were going to anoint Jesus body with spices.
Verses 2, 3, There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.
The reason for the earthquake was because an angel of the Lord descended from heaven. It is not unusual for an earthquake to occur when the Lord is revealing Himself. For instance, in Acts 16:25,26, Paul and Silas were in prison praying and singing praises to the Lord when suddenly there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s chains were unfastened.
After the earthquake and the stone rolled back, the angel of the Lord sat upon it. The angel’s appearance both reflects God’s glory and His brilliant Light!
Verse 4 notes, The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. The guards were fearful, scared, paralyzed. Now I am unsure if the guards were still at the tomb when the women arrived or if they had already run away. My thought is that they ran after the earthquake and the overwhelming bright light.
When the women arrive at the tomb, the angel said to the women, verse 5, 6a, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen!
The angel’s appearance must have frightened the women also, but the angel says to the women, “Do not be afraid.” God’s messenger acknowledges the women’s natural fear and helps them past it. The angel indicates knowing why they came and announces Jesus has risen from the dead!
The first command of the resurrection is “Do not be afraid,” “Fear not.” Jesus repeated this command, “Do not be afraid” in verse 10.
Here is the first principle. Do not be afraid. Jesus has risen!!!! Jesus has overcome the world!
Jesus often instructed his disciples not to be afraid. For instance, when the disciples were in a boat and Jesus came to them walking on the water, the disciples were scared, but Jesus said to them, “It is I; don’t be afraid” (John 6:21).
Jesus said in Luke 12:4-7, I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. 5 But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. 7 Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
In John 14:27, Jesus said, Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
We all struggle with fear! It comes in various forms such as panic, worry, anxiety, or stress. For instance, we worry about financial hardship. We are anxious about the possibility of war, cancer, heart disease and death. We might have the fear of being alone, fear of failure, the fear of rejection, fear of the future. We worry about the next test. Who will I marry? Can I be a good parent and provider? Do I have enough for retirement? What if I must go to a nursing home? Will my children be okay?
I have experienced and seen that as one has a reverence, a love for Jesus, wholeheartedly believes in the resurrection of Jesus, one does not have to fear. Two verses that come to my mind when I am dealing with fear, stress, or worry is I John 4:18b, Perfect love casts out fear and Romans 8:28, And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God.
Max Lucado tells the story of a missionary in Brazil who discovered a tribe of Indians in a remote part of the jungle. They lived near a large river. The tribe needed medical attention. A contagious disease was ravaging the population. People were dying daily. A hospital was not too terribly far away — across the river, but the Indians would not cross it because they believed the river was inhabited by evil spirits. And to enter its water would mean certain death. The missionary explained how he had crossed the river and was unharmed. But they were not impressed. He then took them to the bank & placed his hand in the water. They still would not go in. He walked into the water up to his waist & splashed water on his face. It didn’t matter. They were still afraid to enter the river. Finally, he dove into the river, swam beneath the surface until he emerged on the other side. He raised a triumphant fist into the air. He had entered the water & escaped. It was then that the Indians broke into a cheer and followed him across.
Isn’t that what Jesus did? He entered the river of death and came out on the other side so that we might no longer fear, but find courage, peace, love, joy, and life in Him.
Then the angel tells why these women should believe Jesus rose from the dead.
The end of verse 6 states, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.
The angels remind the women that Jesus had predicted he would rise from the dead. Mark 8:31, Jesus said that he would be killed, but after three days rise from the dead. Again, in Mark 9:31, Jesus states he would be killed, but rise from the dead. Jesus also indicated this after the Lord’s Supper (Matthew 26:31, 32).
The angel gives another imperative. Come and see the place where he lay. Come and look for yourself. The angel of the Lord wanted the women to investigate, to grasp, to look at the evidence, to understand, to have a secure faith that Jesus had risen from the dead.
Here is the second principle. Come and see so you will know with certainty that Jesus has risen from the dead!
If you have doubts or need to deepen your faith, then come and see. May you realize the resurrection of Jesus is not some made up fairy tale. It is history and reality. Let me highlight several pieces of evidence.
1. The Scriptures speak of Jesus’ death and resurrection—prophecy. I already mentioned Jesus predicted his death and resurrection. The Old Testament, Isaiah 52:13-53:12, written hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus, speaks of Jehovah’s Servant suffering, dying, and then being raised and exalted.
2. The empty tomb—It was empty for these women and is empty today. The most powerful evidence concerning the empty tomb is that nobody ever claimed it was anything but empty. If the Jews or Romans had produced the body of Jesus, Christianity would have been immediately disproved. However, even Jesus' opponents admitted it was vacant on Easter.
3. Eyewitness testimony. On multiple occasions and under various circumstances, different individuals and groups of people experienced appearances of Jesus alive from the dead. Paul mentioned in I Corinthians 15:5-8 that the resurrected Jesus appeared to Peter, the twelve and then to more than 500 people at one time. He stated that many of them were still alive. In effect, he was saying, "Hey, this happened so recently that these witnesses are still around. Ask them yourself if you do not believe me!
4. The existence of the Church, transformed lives, give evidence of Jesus’ resurrection.
5. The common message, the Gospel, points to the resurrection.
6. The transformation of the disciples is another piece of evidence. They went from fear to changing the world. Every one of them, except John, was persecuted to death because of their testimony of the resurrection. John died in exile, prison, because of his belief in the resurrection. Would you die for a lie?
7. James, the skeptical half-brother of Jesus, converted and becomes the pastor in the Jerusalem Church.
8. Sunday becomes the primary day of worship.
9. The conversion of Saul becoming the Apostle Paul….
10. Extra biblical writings such as Thallus, Pliny, Josephus, and the Jewish Talmud point to Jesus and/or his resurrection.
I do not base my faith on this, but I consider the Shroud of Turin the burial cloth of Jesus and a modern-day piece of evidence. The Shroud of Turin, a linen cloth revered by many as the burial shroud of Jesus Christ, has mystified scholars and believers for centuries. According to the Bible, Joseph of Arimathea wrapped Jesus’ body in a linen shroud and placed it in a tomb. The linen cloth, believed by some to be the burial shroud of Jesus, contains a faint yet anatomically detailed image of a crucified man. Forensic analysis aligns closely with descriptions of Roman crucifixion techniques. The image does not penetrate the fabric and behaves unlike any known ink, dye, or pigment. Nobody knows how the image appeared on the cloth. I have been reviewing information about the shroud for over 20 years. More recently, a new scientific method analyzing the decay rate of cellulose fibers has dated the Shroud of Turin to around 2,000 years old—far earlier than the disputed carbon dating from the 1980s. Plus, the carbon dating had been refuted as pieces of the cloth were from a patch. Also, artificial intelligence has produced a picture from the shroud. So much more could be said about this topic. (Various sources including New Findings Reinforce the Authenticity Debate of the Turin Shroud—The Archeologists Civilizations of the World, August 22, 2024.)
If you are doubting, if you are not convinced or want to increase your faith in Jesus, then I encourage you to come and see, investigate. Be a truth-seeker!!! The evidence for the resurrection of Jesus is overwhelming today.
The angel then goes on, verse 7, Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.” The resurrected Jesus also tells them in verse 10, to go and tell my disciples.
The women were instructed, commanded, to go and tell. They were to tell the disciples Jesus has risen from the dead and to go to Galilee.
Here is the third principle this morning. Go and tell others Jesus rose from the dead!!!
This is what resurrected Jesus told his disciples as recorded in Matthew 28:19, 20, Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
We are to go and tell others about Jesus. There's nothing more fulfilling than as a believer in Christ to tell others about Jesus, to make a difference in the lives of others.
Let me share this story about telling others about Jesus. The tale was told by Bible teacher, Russell Kelfer. I assume the story was based on some truth.
Edith Burns, who lived in San Antonio, Texas, had a habit of introducing herself in this way: "Hello, my name is Edith Burns. Do you believe in Easter?" Then she would explain the meaning of Easter, and many times people’s lives would be transformed.
One morning, Edith had an appointment with a long-time doctor, Will Phillips. She looked at the doctor and said, "Dr. Will, why are you so sad? Are you reading your Bible? Are you praying?" Dr. Phillips said gently, "Edith, I'm the doctor and you're the patient." With a heavy heart he said, "Your lab report came back, and it says you have cancer, and Edith, you're not going to live very long." Edith said, "Why Will Phillips, shame on you. Why are you so sad? Do you think God makes mistakes? You have just told me I am going to see my precious Lord Jesus, my husband, and my friends. You have just told me that I am going to celebrate Easter forever, and here you are having difficulty giving me my ticket!" Dr. Phillips thought to himself, "Wow, what a magnificent attitude, what faith, this woman has.”
Weeks later, Edith was moved to the hospital. With each of her hospital roommates she would strike up a conversation about the Resurrection. Everybody on that floor from staff to patients started calling her Edith Easter; that is everyone except Phyllis Cross, the head nurse. Phyllis made it plain that she wanted nothing to do with Edith because she was a "religious nut".
One morning Phyllis had to go in and give her a shot. When she walked in, Edith had a big smile on her face and said, "Phyllis, God loves you and I love you, and I have been praying for you." Phyllis responded, "Well, you can quit praying for me, it won't work. I'm not interested." Every day Phyllis would walk into the room and Edith would say, "God loves you Phyllis and I love you, and I'm praying for you." One day Phyllis was drawn to Edith's room. She said, "Edith, you have asked everybody here the question, 'Do you believe in Easter?' but you have never asked me." Edith said, "Phyllis, I wanted so many times, but God told me to wait until you asked, and now that you have asked..."
Edith took her Bible and shared with Phyllis the Easter Story of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Then Edith said, "Phyllis, do you believe in Easter? Do you believe that Jesus is alive and that He wants to live in your heart?" Phyllis responded, "Oh I want to believe that with all of my heart, and I do want Jesus in my life." Right there, Phyllis Cross prayed and invited Jesus into her heart.
On Easter Sunday, Phyllis walked into Edith's room, Edith was in bed. That big black Bible was on her lap. Her hands were in that Bible. There was a sweet smile on her face. When Phyllis went to pick up Edith's hand, she realized Edith had passed away. Her left hand was on John 14: In my Father's house are many mansions. I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also." Her right hand was on Revelation 21:4, " And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes, there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying; and there shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."
Phyllis lifted her face toward heaven, and with tears streaming down her cheeks, said, "Happy Easter, Edith - Happy Easter!" Phyllis left Edith's room, walked out of the room, and over to a table where two student nurses were sitting. She said, "My name is Phyllis Cross. Do you believe in Easter?"
In verse 8, the women ran to tell the disciples. They were afraid because of the unusual events, but they also had a joy because the angel promised that Jesus was alive.
Verse 9, Suddenly Jesus met them. “Rejoice,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet, and worshiped him.
Jesus’ first word to the women was another imperative. Rejoice, Be joyful. Some translations use the word Greetings or Good morning. However, the Greek word is used 11 times in the New Testament and is predominately translated, Rejoice. For instance. Paul uses this same Greek word in Philippians 4 as he writes, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say, Rejoice.”
The women then went to him and clasped his feet and worship him. They were thrilled, overjoyed, to see their resurrected Lord.
Here is the last principle this morning. Rejoice! Draw Near to Him and Worship Him! The presence of resurrected Jesus will cause great joy and prompt you to worship Him!
In John 20:19, 20, it is noted that the disciples were locked up in a house out of fear of the religious leaders. Then the resurrected Jesus appeared to them and said, Peace be with you! And having said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples rejoiced, having seen the Lord.
The word gospel means good news. It has also been referred to as joyful news. J.R. Tolkien states, The gospel story is the only story that will pluck that string so the whole heart never stops reverberating and vibrating with joy. The reason it will reverberate is … this is the reality to which all of the other stories point. It happened. There really is a hero who defeats the villain. There really is Jesus. The word gospel means the joy news. Joy. It’s real. You have to have it.
Personally knowing, believing, in the resurrected Jesus gives me great joy! As a result, I desire to draw near to Him and worship Him! My hope is that you also will rejoice in knowing the resurrected Jesus!
Now, I am not sure what Easter instruction you needed to hear this morning. Maybe you needed to hear, “Do not be afraid because you are burdened with worry or anxiousness.
Maybe you needed to hear, “Come and see” as you are having doubts. You are not sure about who Jesus is and even less about committing your life to Him. I invite you to investigate the truths of the resurrection.
Maybe it was important to hear the command to go and tell. Maybe you have gotten a little comfortable sitting in the pews that you do not go out and tell others about the resurrected Jesus.
Maybe it necessary to hear the command, “Rejoice” in the resurrection of Jesus to turn your grief to joy, to prompt you to draw near to Him and worship.
Jesus has risen from the dead! He has overcome sin and death. He wants to work in your life in a powerful way. The question is, Will you seek Him with all of your heart?”
