Mark 16:1-8 *
In the name of our Savior Jesus Christ, who is the Resurrection and the Life, dear friends:
The theme for our midweek Lenten devotions this year was “Seven Times He Spoke: Jesus’ Words from the Cross.” And for six and a half weeks we devoted ourselves to a study of the statements our Savior made before he died. Let’s review them briefly…
The first word came out of Jesus’ mouth almost as soon as he
had been lifted up on the cross. And
when he said “Father, forgive them, for
they do not know what they are doing” (Luke
Jesus’ second word was directed at one of the criminals who was crucified next to him. At first this man joined the
others who were mocking Jesus, but then he had a change of heart. He asked Jesus to remember him. And when Jesus told him “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke
Our Savior spoke the third word to his mother Mary and his
disciple John. And when he said to them “‘Dear woman, here is your son,’ and to the
disciple, ‘Here is your mother’” (John
The fourth word of Jesus is the most difficult word for us
to comprehend. Jesus had taken on
himself the sins of the world. Jesus had
been abandoned by his own Father. And
when he cried out “My God, my God, why
have you forsaken me” (Mark
Jesus’ fifth word reminds us of Jesus’ humanity. He experienced real emotions. He felt real pain. And when he said “I am thirsty” (John
The sixth word of Jesus was short, but powerful. Knowing that his saving work was now
complete, he said “It is finished” (John
Jesus’ seventh and final word came just moments before he
died. It was the third word he addressed
to God. It was the second time Jesus
addressed God as his Father. And when
our Savior lifted his eyes heavenward and said “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke
Now that Lent is over, now that we have considered all seven words you might be wondering what comes next. What does Jesus have in store for an encore? What does Jesus have to say to us on the highest and holiest day of the church year? Would you believe nothing? There are no words of Jesus in our sermon text for today. But that’s okay. In fact, we wouldn’t have it any other way. On this Easter morning Jesus makes a victorious statement without saying so much as a single word. And on this glorious day we rejoice because when it comes to our salvation…
ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER THAN WORDS
The gospel accounts tell us that the first thing to move on Easter morning was the sun (that’s sun, S-U-N). Dawn marked the beginning of a new day, a day that would be much more eventful than the day before.
The rising sun shed some light on a group of women who had started out on their way to the tomb while it was still dark. They were moving quickly because they wanted to be the first ones there, but they were slowed by the spices they carried. They were anxious to reach the grave so that they could give Jesus a proper burial, but at the same time they were reluctant to anoint his body because it would force them to relive what had happened only two days before.
As the women passed through the shadows in those early morning hours they wondered who would move the massive stone that blocked the entrance to the tomb. Little did they know that an earthquake had already done their work for them.
The earth wasn’t the only thing that was quaking that day. So were the soldiers who had been stationed at the entrance of Jesus’ tomb. What could possibly make these tough, battled-tested veterans literally shake in their boots? They thought they had seen everything, that is, until they came face-to-face with God’s heavenly messengers.
Angel means “messenger,” and when the Easter angel appeared to the women he had an important message to proclaim. His presence raised their hopes. His promise calmed their fears. And his words, “He has risen (Mark 16:6)!” continue to amaze followers of Jesus today.
We don’t know if the angels arranged the strips of linen in the tomb. We don’t know if they neatly folded the burial cloth that had covered Jesus’ head. What we do know is that this detail rules out the false reports that someone had stolen the body.
As a disciple Peter had earned a reputation for acting
quickly, and he did not disappoint on Easter morning. When he heard what the women were saying, he
raced to the tomb. And he found the
scene just as it had been described. He
saw the open grave. He saw the strips of
linen. He didn’t see any body. And Luke tells us that he went away “wondering to himself what had happened”
(24:12).
We are not like Peter. We know what happened. We know why all these things happened. We know that the Lord orchestrated the natural and supernatural events of Easter morning to draw attention to the most important thing that happened that day, the single most important act in the history of the world.
Jesus rose. The heart that had stopped beating was beating once again. The body that had hung lifeless was living once again. On Easter morning the man who was known for his miracles performed the greatest miracle of all. “He lives, he lives, who once was dead.” That is the glorious truth. That is an undeniable fact. And for you and me, the resurrection of Jesus Christ has a life-changing effect.
There is a phrase that is occasionally used in our household. It goes like this: “Actions have consequences.” And there are certain people in our house who don’t like to hear those words because they are used in a punitive sense. If you do something wrong, if you do something that you know is wrong, your actions will have consequences.
The same words can be applied to the events of Easter morning, as long as we understand them in a positive, not a punitive sense. There are a number of Bible passages that talk about the “blessed consequences” of Jesus’ resurrection.
The first consequence of the resurrection is that it removes any doubt about who Jesus is. “(Jesus) was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead” (Romans 1:4). Jesus is not just a miracle worker. Jesus was more than a martyr. No mere man could do what he did. Only God can bring life from death. That is what Jesus did, so that is what Jesus is, the almighty Son of God.
The second consequence of the resurrection has to do with
our redemption. Jesus didn’t rise from
the dead simply to flex his divine muscles.
He conquered death to dispense divine mercy. “He
was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our
justification” (Romans
The third and final blessed consequence of the resurrection
gives us hope for our own resurrection.
The good news of Easter states that because of Jesus’
resurrection our bodies will experience an equal and identical
resurrection. Because he lives, we too
will live. The one who holds power over
death “will transform our lowly bodies
so that they will be like his glorious body” (Philippians
Because Jesus has risen from the dead we can stand with Job
and say: “I know that my Redeemer lives,
and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in
my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not
another” (Job
Because Jesus has defeated sin and the devil and even death
itself, we don’t have to ever be afraid.
Jesus’ resurrection proves that our ally is more powerful than our enemies. And we have our Savior’s post-Easter promise:
“Surely I am with you always, to the
very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).
Because our risen Lord has promised to come back and carry
us to the places he has prepared for us in heaven, we look forward to that day
when we will be reunited with him and all the saints who have died in faith and
now rest from their labors. And in
heaven we will all sing our Savior’s praises with one united voice: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to
receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and
praise” (Revelation
As much as this sermon has been about the saving acts of Jesus, as much as I have tried to emphasize our Savior’s actions over his words, it is somewhat ironic that today we place so much emphasis on a word.
It is a word that has been intentionally omitted throughout the Lenten season. It is a word that we welcome back into our worship this morning. This single word is the joyful response of a thankful believer: Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!
Because that word so clearly describes how we feel today, I would like to close this morning by using it as an acrostic poem. And I encourage you to do the same. Sometime this afternoon or this evening take a piece of paper and write the word, “hallelujah” vertically on the page. And then use those ten letters to express what this day means to you.
This is what Easter means to me…
H – He is risen.
A – Angels were the first to share the good news.
L – Love beyond all measure.
L – Love prophesied and fulfilled.
E – Eternal life.
L – Life eternal.
U – Unending joy.
J – Jesus lives.
A – All is accomplished.
H – Heaven is ours.
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Hallelujah! Amen.