On January 21, 2018, I remember not being able to sleep. My mind was racing, flooded with thoughts, and my body was full of mixed emotions and tensions. At 11:00 a.m. the next morning, I was going to be a Dad. That is when our planned C-section was for Mia. I remember laying in bed and thinking, “I’m going to be a Dad in 10 hours and I have to get up in five!” On the one hand, it was exciting, and something I have been looking forward to my entire life. On the other hand, I found it a bit terrifying. I thought, “Would I be a good Dad? What is the future going to be like? Someone else is going to depend on me now.” That whole weekend and evening, I remember floating between the two extreme emotions: fear and joy. I was excited and terrified. I was joyful and fearful. When she was born later that morning, joy came to dominate that fear once I saw her and heard her cry. That first Easter was a mix of emotions for everyone involved; it was a mix of fear and joy. And what should have been the best and most joyful day ever, starts with a whole lot of fear.
Fear dominates a good portion of our text. Verse four says, “And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men.” In verse five, the angel says, “Do not be afraid….” In verse eight, we hear, “They departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy…” (notice which one comes first). In verse 10, Jesus has to say, “Do not be afraid….” Fear is the word of the day.
And we know fear, don’t we? We know both types of it, too, for there are two. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt once famously said, “We have nothing to fear but fear itself.” While he said that to reduce fear, anxiety, and panic, I disagree with him. There can be things to fear. We fear not the fear, but that which causes it, and it is real to us. There is real fear.
We can fear for our health, or because of the sickness of a loved one. Cancer, Alzheimer’s, Congestive heart failure, and Diabetes are never words we want to hear. We can fear a recession, and fear for our investments, 401ks, savings accounts, and financial livelihoods. We can fear that a precious and strained relationship will never get better. If you have children, or grandchildren, in your lives, you can fear for their livelihood, future, marriages, or faith. If you watch politics, you might fear for our country, or for the possibility of World War III. These things are scary. They are real. They are hard to solve; sometimes these fears might have no solutions! Fear can be real.
It can also be unreal, too. Sometimes, we can create fear with these two little words. These two little words start off seemingly innocent and honest, but can quickly spiral into words of pain, and worry. They can quickly develop teeth, and their presence can twist us into emotional pretzels, make our eyes twitch, elevate our blood pressure, and make our heads hurt. What are they? “What if?” “What if things don’t get better, what if I don’t get that job, what if I can’t make that end meet, what if they don’t get better, what if the market crashes? What if. What if. What if.” It never ends. The words “What-if” quickly become an emotional adventure and appear real. Experts say that 8% of what we worry and fear about will come true. That means the other 92% won’t! Like that first Easter morning, we know fear: fear that is real, and fear that is unreal.
And so, what dispels fear and let’s joy dominate? That would be the presence and voice of Jesus, just like that first Easter morning. In verse nine, we hear the Resurrected Lord speak for the first time, and what does He say? “Rejoice!” “Rejoice!” Isn’t that precious? Why does He say that? It is because Christ Is Risen! And what does it mean that He is risen?
As a Pastor, I have had the privilege to do many funerals (35, to be exact). What always fascinates me are the photo boards and objects that people display. (I love seeing the cringeworthy fashions of the last decade, and the period that every male goes through where he grows a moustache.) Usually, the objects are things like an American flag for service men, a fishing pole, a model they created, or another object that captures them and was important to them. A fellow pastor once told me that he saw a pair of golden dancing slippers at one. They belonged to his member, Aggie, who sadly grew up with polio. Later in life, she became wheelchair bound because of it, and was not able to walk. At her funeral, her family placed her golden dance shoes in her wheelchair, which was next to her casket.
What does the resurrection mean? It means those shoes will one day be worn, and Aggie will dance. The resurrection of Jesus means the end of death. It means a future reunion with those who are not with us today, and who leave an empty space at our Easter tables, and in our hearts. Jesus’ resurrection means freedom from my past, hope for my future, and God’s grace lavished on me, today. This gives joy in our sadness and grief; joy in our heartbreak and loss; joy in our disappointment and suffering; joy in our pain and longing; joy in our waiting for our Lord to act, and come back. Jesus says, “Rejoice!” Why? Christ is Risen!
Jesus continues speaking. He says, “Don’t be afraid.” Do you know what the most frequent command in the Bible turns out to be? What instruction, or what command, do you think is repeatedly given by prophets, angels, Jesus, the apostles, and Scripture? Is it, “Be good”? “Be holy”? “Pray”? “Believe” “Don’t sleep during the sermon”? No. The most frequent command in the Bible is, “Don’t fear! Don’t be afraid!” It occurs 365 times, which is one reminder for each day of the year.
And what does that mean? It means that we aren’t insulated from life’s tragedies, but neither are we intimidated by them. It means we have someone to walk with us through life’s long, dark, winding hallways. It means we have someone to encourage us, lift us up, love us, care for us, and to give us an open ear. That someone is Jesus. Jesus creates life from death; joy from sadness; and beauty from ashes.
Do you have small children? Don’t fear! Do you have teenagers? Don’t fear! Has everything gone terribly wrong? Don’t fear! Are you sick, or is a loved one? Don’t fear! Is your heart absolutely broken? Don’t fear! Let these six words go down into your deepest recesses and pierce your heart: “I know that my Redeemer lives!” Jesus says, “Don’t be afraid.” Why? Christ Is Risen!
Jesus speaks on. He says, “Go and tell my brothers….” Words mean something. Word choice is significant. We see the most beautiful shift in our text. The angel tells the women, “Go quickly and tell His disciples….” Jesus says, “Go and tell my brothers….” Could you choose a more precious word? Brothers! They are His brothers! Previously, they left Jesus for dead. They abandoned Him, disappointed Him, denied Him, and broke their word-they fell away. Jesus would have a right to be mad and unforgiving; He is not. He is loving and forgiving.
He calls them “brothers.” They are restored to fellowship and reconciled. The past no longer has a bearing on their relationship with Him. God is their Father through Him, and they are co-heirs with Christ.
We, too, experience such a wonderful word shift. Instead of lost, condemned, wretch, and orphan, we hear something else. Baptized into Christ Jesus, we are children of the Heavenly Father, and receive the same precious title: brother, sister. We are forgiven and restored. Our past is washed away, and we are children of paradise. And as a child of the Heavenly Father, I have a home and a place. I am loved, cared for, valuable, priceless, and wanted. Sister, brother – that is the Marys and disciples; that is you and me. Why? Christ Is Risen!
The story and news isn’t yet done. Jesus says, “Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” About a year ago, I was working at Panera and forgot my Bible. I hate screen reading, and I would rather work with a book in hand. Anyone else like that? I saw a man I know, David, and he is a Gideon. I figured I could ask him for a Bible. He said, “You know, I don’t have one.” And then, a few seconds later, he said, “No, wait, I actually have one. Let me go get it.” David walked out to his car, searched for it, and came back with it in his hand. He said, “This one is special. We just did an event at a college, and I found this one in the garbage. I couldn’t let it stay there, and I had to grab it for someone else to use. I figured you would be a good person for it.”
Galilee. They disciples would still be used! They would be pulled out of the garbage, and not be cast aside. For the disciples, Gethsemane was a place of failure, disappointment, and shame. For the disciples, Golgotha was the place of death and greatest loss. Because of their sin, they found themselves in the garbage. But, Golgotha and Gethsemane isn’t where the story ends, but the Garden Tomb and Galilee is. Failure doesn’t have the last word. Guilt doesn’t have the last word. Shame doesn’t have the last word. Sin doesn’t. Death doesn’t. Satan doesn’t. Fear doesn’t. Jesus does!
Christ is Risen! Jesus has defeated and conquered those things for us. We don’t remain in Gethsemane or Golgotha, but we live in Galilee because of the Garden Tomb. We live with and in the Lord Who has authority over all things. We live with and in the Lord of Whom we are baptized into, living in service to God and our neighbor. We live with and in the Lord Who says, “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” We aren’t cast aside; we are taken out of the trash heap. We have a purpose. Our Lord isn’t done with us yet, not at all. “Go to Galilee.” Why? Christ is Risen!
And so, what banishes fear, and let’s joy dominate? It is the Risen Lord Who says, “Rejoice…Don’t be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” And what is our confidence for this? Isn’t it obvious? Christ Is Risen!