Weak to be Strong
Finding God at the End of Your Rope - Part 7
Easter Sunday, April 12, 2020
Matthew 27:62-28:15, 2 Corinthians 1:3-11
The next day, which was the day after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate. They said, “Sir, we remember that while that deceiver was still alive he said, ‘After three days I will arise.’ Therefore, order the grave to be sealed until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people, ‘He’s been raised from the dead.’ This last deception will be worse than the first.”
Matthew 27:62-64
If the authorities were terrified of a dead savior, who they were convinced could not truly have risen from the grave, how is it that a living savior who we believe is alive in us be so easily ignored by the world? Could it be that a dead Savior held more power over them than a living savior holds over us?
In Matthew 28, we find the soldiers spreading the lie that they had fallen asleep and that the disciples indeed did steal the body. What could possibly drive a Roman Soldier to "admit" that he fell asleep on duty, let alone an entire guard unit? Such failure carried serious consequences, perhaps even death, which is why they depended on bribes from the Sanhedrin to save their own necks.
Even though Jesus’ enemies did not believe in the resurrection itself, they absolutely believed in the power of the idea of a resurrection, and it brought them to their knees and left them scrambling to cover up the evidence at any cost. We believe in the resurrection, or at least we say we do, but somehow, we don’t live as if we believe it has any power or meaning.
For the disciples, this truth had the power to turn their very lives upside down… it gave them the boldness to risk everything and defy the very world which held over them the same power of life and death they had held over Jesus. Almost every one of them was so absolutely confident in the power of the resurrection, that they preached it even in the face of their own executions. Like Jesus, the disciples were loved by many who believed, but were very much despised, rejected and hated by the world as a whole. They suffered imprisonment, abuse of every kind, and even death at the hands of both the religious leaders and Rome itself. But no matter how badly they were treated, they absolutely could not be ignored, because the power of the Risen Christ lived within them?
The power of the resurrection is easily stripped away by familiarity, as if it were just another good story. But this year, will we allow ourselves to look deeper into our weakness, deeper into the graves in our lives, and tremble with fear and joy that God has overcome the grave. If Christ is still dead… then we are still dead in our sins… but if Christ is alive, then the Resurrected King is resurrecting us… unraveling the grave-clothes of sin that have held us in the tomb for so long and sending us forth to declare His victory!
The final question for us…
Does the reality of a Risen Savior affect our lives as much as the mere idea of a Risen Savior affected the authorities of Jesus’ day?
When someone looks at you and the way you live out your faith, would they conclude that Christ is alive or dead? And would they have any reason to believe that it matters? We may be loved or we may be hated, but if Christ truly lives within us… we cannot be ignored!
We cannot simply walk away as if it’s just another good story. In any age… a “dead man walking” demands a response from everyone who hears.
How do you respond to the Good News that Christ the Lord is Risen Today? Perhaps with joy, perhaps with fear… but indifference is simply not an option. As you walk away from the empty tomb this week, what will you do with the Risen Christ?
** Note: This Sermon was recorded at New Hope United Methodist Church on April 16, 2017. In light of the current COVID-19 pandemic, I interrupted this series to address the present fears and concerns in our nation and world. I invite you to continue following our orignal Lent series: “Finding God at the End of Your Rope” with this pre-recorded sermon.
Videos of our current online worship services are available at https://www.craigsefa.org/worship.