He Is Not Here

[The following is the manuscript of my meditation delivered for our Easter Sunrise service held outside at our Angel Court on the 5th of April, 2015.]

1 Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. 3 His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. 4 And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men.

5 But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 7 And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.”

8 So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word.

9 And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him.

--Matthew 28:1-9 (NKJV)

I know of very few people over the age of 30 who have not experienced the passing of someone close to them; who do not understand the terrible grief of losing someone they loved so much - a grief that hurts down to the core of their being and leaves them wondering how in the world they’re going to carry on.  Matthew opens his resurrection account with an expression of this grief.

Mary Magdalene and “the other Mary”, the mother of James the Less and Joses, come to the tomb where their Lord had been buried two days before.  They’ve come to anoint the body, to show their respects, to grieve.  So they walk up to the tomb and …

What happened here?!?  There must have been an earthquake!  For that huge stone they sealed the grave with has been rolled off to the side, and seated on it is an angel!  He’s as bright as lightning, his clothing as white as snow.  The guards are over there to the side trembling in fear, afraid to even move.  The tomb is open, but where is the body of our Master, Jesus?

The angel calms the Mary’s with the simple command, “Do not be afraid”.  He knew why they were there, of course, but he also had an important mission to complete.  “The One you seek is not here.  He is risen.  Come, look in the tomb and see for yourself.”  Then the angel sent the women on their way, instructing them to tell the others the Good News.  But before they could make it back to the disciples, Jesus appears to them and says “Rejoice!”  And they immediately rush to Him and worship Him.


The angel said of Jesus, “He is not here”, meaning in the tomb.  Our Lord conquered death.  His Father, our Father, God resurrected Him from the grave.  He was no longer there, confined to a hole in the ground, bound by death, constrained by earthly ties.

But because of that, He is certainly here!  He is here all around us.  He is here within us.  Our Lord lives even to this day!  And for that, we rejoice!  For that, we worship Him!

Christ the Lord is risen today!

Alleluia!

Amen.


Let us pray…  Lord Jesus Christ, Savior, Redeemer, Master…  We stand before Your empty grave, we see the stone rolled away, we hear the angel’s words, and we are in awe, too amazed to believe what our senses tell us.  And then You speak: “Rejoice!”  And all we can think to do is to sings Alleluias and worship you.  You sacrificed all for us, You died for us, You were buried for us.  You bore no sin of Your own so You carried all the sins of the world to the grave and left them there, just so we might be washed clean when we stand before God at our last.  We praise You, Lord Jesus, and we thank You!  Words alone could never convey just how thankful we are, so we give You our hearts in gratitude.  We give You our lives – take and use them as You will.  In Your glorious name, Lord Jesus, we pray.  Amen.