A sermon on Matthew 28:1-10 for the Great Paschal Vigil
by the Revd David Devine
Head of the Baptist Union of Victoria’s Church Health Department

After a dramatic and traumatic few days, it seemed like it was over and done with. But then, early in the morning, a message was discovered that cast a new light on things – changing what people thought about him and his words and actions. It was a short message that sent shock waves through the corridors of power – upsetting the status quo and ushering in a new order. It was a simple message, but it raised many questions. I could be talking about Barry O’Farrell’s thank you note – his message for a bottle. But I’m talking about the great Easter message – spoken outside the tomb of Jesus who was crucified – “He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.”

This was not a message Jesus’ followers expected to hear that morning. Matthew tells us that the women came, not to witness Jesus’ resurrection, but to look at his tomb. They came to mourn the loss of their beloved leader and teacher – to honour him in his death. Jesus had spoken of dying and rising again, but it had puzzled his followers. They expected the Messiah to be victorious over the oppressor, not to be a victim. How could one who raised the dead, die himself? And if they did get to thinking about resurrection, it was only in terms of the common Jewish belief that all the righteous would be raised on the Last Day. Resurrection was at best a distant hope as the women came to the tomb that morning. They came to see a dead man’s tomb. They were grieving not just their personal loss – but the loss of hope that things could and would change – that a new life – a better world – was possible.

At the end of Matt 27 it looked like the Status Quo was firmly in control. Pilate told the Powers to “Take a guard and go make the tomb as secure as you know how.” They had put their seal on the stone and posted a guard. Jesus and any prospect of change was buried and sealed with their authority. Things could not and must not change. Perhaps you know the limitations and power of the status quo – you wish change was possible in yourself and in your world – but you feel helpless and hopeless in the face of how has been and how it is – stuck with the powerful status quo.

The women came to look at the tomb sealed with the power and authority of the Empire – and they saw it overthrown by a greater power. The Status Quo was shaken. The stone that shut awayhope was rolled away. The seal that declared things must stay as they are was broken. The agents of the Status Quo who had been part of the system that had done its worst to Jesus – killing him – became like dead men. Jesus – the alternative King – was alive. The physical phenomena demonstrated Heaven’s intervention. As Paul puts it in Rom 1:4 “Through the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ our Lord was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead.” The Resurrection isn’t just a proof of life after death or a guarantee of going to Heaven when you die. It is the declaration that Jesus is King. It is about the outcome of a cosmic clash of authorities. Does the status quo stand or is change possible? Does God or something else have the final say on us and our world?

I think NT Wright puts it well:

“To put it at its most basic: the resurrection of Jesus offers itself…not as a very odd event within the world as it is, but as the utterly characteristic, prototypical and foundational event within the world as it has begun to be. It is not an absurd event within the old world, but the symbol and starting point of the new world. The claim of Christianity is that with Jesus…there is not simply a new religious possibility, not simply a new ethic or a new way of salvation, but a new creation.”

That’s why the earth shook, the sealed tomb opened and the agents of the status quo were afraid and left for dead. The old “how it has been and must be” was gone – the new had come – how it could be and will be with Jesus, the Risen Lord who loves us. To quote Paul again, the Resurrection of Jesus assures us that “neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, not anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

So the women should no longer be afraid, but rather be filled with joy. So, when they met Jesus, they not only welcomed him as a survivor – they worshipped him as Lord. And that’s where we might end our Easter celebrations – rejoicing in Resurrection life and hope – worshipping the Risen Lord. But listen to the Easter message – having seen that Jesus is risen “Then go quickly and tell his disciples: `He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee.” Here’s Jesus on the move – blazing the trail for us to follow – leading the way to Galilee – which in Matthew is the place of mission. We see this clearly in Matt 4 – the start of Jesus public ministry – fulfilling the ancient prophecy of Isaiah – “Galilee of the Gentiles – the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned.” He called them to repent because the Kingdom of Heaven is near. He met the disciples, fishing, and called them to “come follow me”, in order that they might fish for people.

The message of Easter was that the disciples would find Jesus – not at the empty tomb – but going ahead of them into Galilee – on the mission field. That is where Easter ends. Not just seeing the light or even rejoicing in the light – but taking the light into the darkness – sharing the news that the Kingdom of Heaven is near – the King has risen above the Status Quo – change can happen – new life can begin. We are to invite people to leave their old worlds and old ways and follow the Living One into new life – the life of God offered to us all in Jesus crucified yet risen.