Matthew 28:1-15
THE FIRST RESURRECTION SUNDAY
Intro: This is the morning when the Christian church celebrates
what we have come to know as Easter. It is the day when we
commemorate and celebrate the resurrection of the Lord Jesus
Christ from the dead. However, instead of Easter, I prefer the
name "Resurrection Sunday." Of course, like so many
traditions held by the church, it would be difficult, if not
impossible to get the name changed.
You see, the word "Easter" is believed to from the word
"Eastre", which is the Anglo-Saxon name for the Teutonic (pre-Germanic) goddess of spring and fertility. Her festival was
celebrated on the day of the spring equinox. Many of the
traditions used in her worship survive to this day. The Easter
Bunny, a symbol of fertility, the Easter egg, painted with bright
colors to represent the sunlight of spring, and the giving of
baskets filled with treats are just a few of the traditions that
survive.
May I remind you that Resurrection Sunday is not about
Easter bunnies, Easter eggs or the giving of gifts. It is about
celebrating the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ arose from the
dead on the first Resurrection Sunday.
With that in our minds this morning, let's journey back to
that first Resurrection Sunday morning. Let's look in on the
events at the tomb of Jesus that day and see what happened
and what it means for you and me!
I. V. 1 THE APPROACH OF THE WOMEN
(Matthew records the fact that two women came that
morning. The other Gospel writers reveal the fact that
others came also. There is no contradiction, they probably
arrived as part of different groups. However they came,
they were sad, defeated and discouraged. Some had
witnessed and others had heard of the death of Jesus on
the cross and they were coming to pay their last respects
to the body of the Lord. As we consider their motives for
coming, we can see what they were doing early that
Sunday morning.)
A. Some Came To Look - Matt. 28:1 - Maybe they were
coming to pray or to meditate near the place where His
body had been buried. Maybe they were coming to
make sure that everything was in order at the tomb.
Whatever the reason, we are told that they "came to
see the sepulchre".
B. Some Came To Labor - Mk. 16:1; Lk. 24:1 - These
verses teach is that some of the women came to
perform one last labor of love for the Lord Jesus. They
came to finished anointing His body for burial. They
wanted to serve Him one last time.
C. Some Came To Linger - John 20:11-18 - These
verses tell us that Mary Magdalene lingered at the tomb
after the others had already gone away. Here was a
woman that owed much to Jesus. There had been a
time in her life when she had been possessed by seven
demons, Mark 16:9. Her life had been radically
changed by Jesus and she loved Him more than life
itself. If you will remember, she was one of the last at
the cross, Matt. 27:61, and she was the first to see Him
after He had risen from the dead, Mark. 16:9. She
loved Him so much for what He had done for her.
Surely her hear was broken that morning, but still she
came to love Him and worship Him!
(Note: Can you identify with these women? Thank God for
those people who just want to be near Him. Thank God for
those who just want to love Him and worship Him and
serve Him faithfully. It is those people to whom Jesus
reveals Himself. It is those people whose hearts burn with
the flame of love for the risen Savior!)
(Note: Isn't it odd that it was just the women that came to
the tomb that morning? Of course, if it weren't for the
faithful, godly ladies in the church, most would have to shut
their doors! Thank God for redeemed women who love
Jesus with all their hearts!)
II. V. 2-8 THE ACTIVITY OF THE ANGEL
(Ill. Humanity was the only one that sent ambassadors to
the tomb early that morning. Heaven also sent an
emissary to proclaim the good news that Jesus was not
dead but alive. Let's look in on the activities of the angel
that first Resurrection Sunday.)
A. V. 2 He Rolled The Stone - (Obstacle One Removed)
- Mark 16:1 tells that while the women made their way
to the tomb to finished preparing the body for burial,
one of their concerns was how to remove the stone.
That stone represented the finality of death. For them,
that stone was an exclamation point at the end of the
sentence of death. That stone said, "He is gone
forever!" Thank God, the Lord took care of that stone!
Not to let Jesus out, He was long gone before that
angel ever arrived on the scene. That stone was rolled
away so that men could look into the tomb and see that
it was forever empty! One of the obstacle to faith, the
stone, was rolled away!
B. V. 3-4 He Removed The Soldiers - (Obstacle Two
Removed) - Matt. 27:62-67 tells us that the chief
priests and the Pharisees were concerned that the
prophecies of Jesus might actually come true, and they
wanted a guard to be posted at the tomb. (Ill. It is sad
when rank infidels know more about the Bible and
believe it more than people who claim to know Jesus!)
So they sealed it with Pilate's seal and they posted a
company of guards at the door. That detachment of
soldiers stood as an obstacle between the saints and
their entrance into the tomb of Jesus. However, when
this angel appeared, he made short work of the
soldiers. These battle hardened men fainted at his feet
like a bunch of silly teenagers at Elvis Presley concert!
Another obstacle to faith, the guard at the tomb, has
been rolled away!
C. V. 5-7 He Reminded The Saints - (Obstacle Three
Removed) - As this angel began to speak to the
women that morning, the greatest obstacle of all was
removed - unbelief! His message inspired them to
belief in the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ from
the dead! Notice what he reminded them of.
1. V. 5 Of The Past - They were reminded of the
crucifixion. Of course, these ladies needed no such
reminder. They had both been there, John 19:25.
Still, the fact of His death is emphasized. This
reminds us of the importance of the death of Jesus
on the cross. His death provided the sacrifice that
was needed to cleanse sinners from their sins and
to make them right with God, Isa. 53:4-6; Heb. 9:22;
1 John 1:7.
2. V. 6 Of The Present - The angel tells them, "You
are here at this tomb, but Jesus isn't! He is
risen!" My friends, this was the greatest
proclamation ever to fall upon human ears! His
death was the perfect, eternal payment for sin,
but His resurrection was God's receipt for the
full amount! You see, a dead Savior can save no
one! But a living Savior can offer salvation to all
who come to Him by faith, Heb. 7:25. When Jesus
died on the cross, He said, "It is finished!", John
19:30. When He rose from the dead, God the
Father said, "I am satisfied!"
Now, Jesus had proven that He was Who He
had claimed to be all along, John 11:25-26. Now,
He can declare His victory over death, Rev. 1:18.
Now, we can look to Him by faith and be confident
of His power to save, Acts 16:31. That is the
present state of affairs!
3. V. 6 Of The Promise - They are reminded that His
resurrection should not have taken them by
surprise! After all, it was what He said that He
would do all along, Matt. 12:40; 16:21; 17:7; 17:23;
20:19; 26:31; John 2:19; 10:17. The resurrection
should not have caught them off guard. The
crucifixion should not have taken them by surprise.
They should have been holding worship services
outside the tomb early that morning! They should
have been there ready to meet Him when He came
out of the tomb. Again, I will remind you that it
seems like the Jewish leaders had more faith in the
promises of Jesus than did His Own disciples!
4. V. 6 Of The Proof - The angel's invitation is for them
to look into the tomb and see for themselves that
Jesus is gone! Later, when the Peter and John
arrive there, John records the fact that the linen
cloths that had been wrapped around Christ's body
were lying there like and empty cocoon, while the
napkin that had been about His face was folded in
a place by itself. This sight caused John to believe
in the resurrection, John 20:2-7.
There are two reasons why the appearance and
arrangement of the grave clothes are of such
importance. First, there was no sign of human
intervention. If someone had taken the body, they
could not have removed it through the graveclothes,
and it is likely that they wouldn't have removed them
anyway. They would have taken the body with them
still wrapped in the cloths that bound it. Neither
would they have taken the time to fold the napkin,
but it too would have been taken with the body, or at
least it would have been discarded in a haphazard
manner. In short, the empty tomb was a scene of
perfect order. This suggested a resurrection had
taken place.
Second, was the ancient oriental custom of the
napkin. When a man with servants was eating a
meal, he would often use his napkin to signal them
during the course of the meal. If he left the table and
wadded his napkin up, it meant that he was finished
and would not be back. If, however, he neatly folded
the napkin, it told his servants that he was stepping
away for a moment, but he would be back! Jesus
was telling His disciples, "I may be out of your
sight right now, but I'll be right back!" When
Peter and John arrived at the tomb, they feared the
worst. Perhaps they thought robbers had come, or
that the Jews had taken His body away. Even Mary
missed the napkin and supposed the gardener had
moved the body of the Lord, John 20:15. Yet,
John, who had been raised with servants, Mark
1:20, probably knew this custom and quickly
grasped the meaning, v. 8.)
5. V. 7-8 Of The Plan - They were to go and share the
good news that Jesus was risen from the dead.
Those disciples who were cowering in fear that the
next cross might be their own were to receive the
glorious news that Jesus had conquered death and
was alive forevermore!
(Ill. What a glorious message those women were
given that day! It was a message of hope. A
message of life. A message of victory. It was a
message that every one needed to hear. It still is!
May we never forget that the message of that tomb
is as fresh today as it was then! Jesus is still alive
and men trapped in the bondage of fear and sin still
need to hear about it. May we do as they did and
carry the message with swift feet and joyful hearts to
a world that needs desperately to hear about a risen
Lord!)
III. V. 9-10 THE APPEARANCE OF THE SAVIOR
A. V. 9a The Appearance Of The Lord - As they were
going to tell the others, Jesus Himself met them in the
way. He came to give them a personal word of
encouragement and hope, (Ill. "All hail!" = "O joy!".)
He came to them personally so that they might know
first hand that He had indeed risen from the dead.
(Note: It is a wonderful thing to hear from others what
Jesus can do. But, there is nothing like meeting Him for
yourself! Oh glorious day when Jesus Himself comes
to that one trapped in sin and reveals Himself as the
living Lord! There is nothing meeting the living Christ
for oneself! Do you remember that day?)
B. V. 9b The Adoration Of The Lord - When they meet
Him, they are so overcome with love and joy that they
fall at His feet in worship! That is the natural reaction of
those who love Him! They cannot help but come into
His presence with worship and praise. It is a fact, those
who know the risen Savior have a desire to worship
Him!
May I just remind you that He is worthy to be
worshiped? He is worthy of all the praise we can heap
upon Him! There is no need to hold back in your love
and expressions of love for Jesus. After all, He is the
theme of Heaven's worship, Rev. 4:11; 5:9-10. He
should be the theme of worship on the earth as well,
Heb. 13:15.
C. V. 10 The Assurance Of The Lord - When the Lord
speaks to these ladies, it is to comfort their hearts and
confirm their mission. He assures them that all is well
and that the time to be afraid had forever passed. He
is alive and will take care of all that arises in life! That
is glorious news! Only a living Lord can give peace and
assurance to the hearts of His people, John 14:27!
Only a living Lord can be present with them in the way,
Heb. 13:5! Only a living Lord can speak words of
comfort, peace and hope! Thank God for our living
Lord this morning!
IV. V. 11-15 THE ALLEGATIONS OF THE ENEMY
(Ill. Not everyone who heard about the events at the tomb
we overjoyed, however! We see in these closing verses of
our text that the enemies of the cross and of the
resurrection were already gathering to try and find a way
around what had happened that day.)
A. V. 11 The Problem - If Jesus was really alive from the
dead, then the Jews had a real problem! It meant that
He was right and they were wrong! It meant that their
system of worship was dead and that Jesus, alone, was
the path to salvation! They had to find a way to silence
the disciples and to counteract what had happened at
the garden tomb early that morning. They were
terrified!
By the way, all religious systems in the world are
bothered by the empty tomb! You see, you can travel
to China, find the tomb of Buddha, and it will say
"Occupied" over the door. You can travel to the middle
east and find the tomb of Mohammed, and it will say,
"Occupied" over the door. Travel to Russia and look at
the body of Lenin in his glass coffin and the sign should
say, "Occupied." But, travel with me to Palestine. Let's
go to an old tomb hewn out of a rock. The tomb where
they tell us the body of Jesus once lay. What does the
sign over the door say, "Vacant!" That empty tomb
sounds the death knell for every other religious system
on the face of the earth! There is one risen Savior and
His name is Jesus! There is one Way to Heaven and
His name is Jesus. There is only One who descended
into the depths of death and came to life again the
eternal Victor over death for all who believe in Him, and
His name is Jesus!
B. V. 12-13 The Plan - His resurrection is a problem for all
who do not believe, so they try to find a way to discount
it. This is what the leaders of the Jews are doing in
these verses. (Ill. The context.) They made up a lie to
cover the truth. They devised a scheme to avoid having
to face the facts. They willingly chose darkness over
the light!
That's what people do every day! They hear the
claims of the Gospel and they turn a deaf ear to it.
They try and justify their rejection, but it is still just that!
They are saying no to the only One Who can give them
life. They are refusing Jesus, the Truth, and believing
the lie of Satan and going off into damnation! It is a
foolish plan!
C. V. 14-15 The Perjury - They agreed with the soldiers
that if Pilate heard about this thing, they would lie for
them and get them off the hook. After all, for a Roman
soldier to sleep at his post carried a sentence of death.
But, notice what they told them to say: "His disciples
came by night and stole Him away." What? Those
eleven men were off somewhere cowering in fear, John
20:19. They were so scared that when He was
arrested, they fled in fear. They were so afraid that only
one of their number was brave enough to go to the
crucifixion. They were so afraid that they allowed the
women to go to the tomb to finish preparing the body.
These men would never have stolen that body. They
were just too afraid! Besides that, all of them but John,
and he was boiled in oil, died for their faith. They were
persecuted to death because they preached the
resurrection from the dead! If it were not true would
they have died for it? If don't think so!
(Note: Of course other theories have been presented to
account for the empty tomb. Among them are: The
Swoon Theory. This theory says that Jesus wasn't
dead, He just fainted on the cross and everyone
thought He was dead. Then He was embalmed, and
survived that. Then He spent three days and nights in
a cold tomb, without medical treatment, and survived
that. Then He, in His weakened state, managed to roll
away that heavy boulder at the entrance to the tomb.
Then he convinced the disciples that He had a glorified
body and finally He went away to die in solitude.
Another is The Wrong Tomb Theory. This theory
states that every one, the disciples, the soldiers, the
women, even the angels all went to the wrong tomb. Of
course, the Jews would have eventually found the right
tomb and produced the body if this were true. There
are many other theories that have been proposed over
the years, but these are enough to see how absurd they
all are. How much better it is just to take the Lord at His
word and believe that Jesus did just what He said He
would do. He died on the cross and He arose from the
dead! Why fight it? It takes far more faith to believe the
lie than it does to accept the truth!)
Conc: This passage begins with a tale of life and it ends with
the telling of a lie. Which has influenced your life the most?
The life or the lie? I praise the Lord for the life! It has changed
my life forever. The events of that day will forever reverberate
throughout eternity. Those who come to Jesus by faith will be
saved, and become partakers of the life of God in Christ.
Those who believe the lie are damned!
As I close, let me just remind you that this was the first
Resurrection Day, it won't be the last! Because He lives, those
who place their faith in Him will live too! Those in the graves
will come forth one day, 1 Thes. 4:13-17, and those who are
alive when He comes will never taste of death. Because when
He died He tasted death for us, Heb. 2:9! Thank God for that
day when death lost the battle with Life forever! Thank God for
the day the battle was forever won for you and me! Thank
God for that first resurrection day!
