April 9 , 2007
Easter Sunday

 Matthew 28:1-11 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week,
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.   There was a
violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and,
going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.   His appearance
was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.   The guards were
so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.   The angel
said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for
Jesus, who was crucified.   He is not here; he has risen, just as he
said. Come and see the place where he lay.   Then go quickly and tell his
disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into
Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you."   So the women
hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell
his disciples.   Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came
to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him.  Then Jesus said to them, "Do
not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will
see me."

 What an absolutely wonderful day!  No, I am not telling you that I like
the cold weather and the snow that we have I'm telling you that there is
no day like the day of Resurrection.  This day is what we are all about.
This day is the heart and core of our Christian faith.  This day brings
purpose and meaning to the world and the world to come.  What an
absolutely wonderful day!
 But I have a question for you, a simple question to make you think about
your faith and to see how well you grasp and understand all that the
Bible says.  It is a question pertaining to the guards, the women and the
angel of the Lord.  Here goes my question, "Why is it that the guards
fall as if dead at the appearance of the angel but the woman, while
afraid, don't collapse?"
 Isn't that a good question?  It's just one of those questions that
Pastors will wrestle with as they study of the Word of God and what it
says.  And it does make you think.  After all, here are these tough,
battle hardened Roman soldiers used to facing the fear of hand to hand
combat and yet this angel causes them to faint away.  The women on the
other hand also see this angel and while afraid, they still approach and
even talk with this heavenly creature.  How come?  What is it that we
need to know?
 The answer takes a bit of research and theological thinking.  Here are a
few passages to consider in the matter.  1 Peter 3:12 "For the eyes of
the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer,
but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil."  Romans 11:22
says, "Consider the kindness and sternness of God; sternness to those who
fell, but kindness to you."  Or another found in 2 Corinthians 2:15-16
"For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved
and those who are perishing.  To the one we are the smell of death; to
the other, the fragrance of life."  We can also consider the Lord's
pronouncement in Exodus 33:20 "For no one may see me and live."  If we
take all of this into account, as well as a few other historical facts we
can begin to form an answer.  The historical facts are that many of God's
Old Testament prophets were allowed into the presence of God, they saw
God face to face and lived.  This happened because God protected them.
 Here is our answer then.  It seems that God's presence (we thus assume
this includes the heavenly beings) has two distinct impacts.  For the
unbeliever the impact is to be filled with terror and fear but for the
believer, because of the protection of God, there is what we call "awe
and wonderment."  So it was for the people at the tomb when the angel of
the Lord appeared.  The unbelieving soldiers were filled with terror, and
overwhelming terror at the sight and thus collapsed.  The women,
believers in the Lord, felt a sense of awe (please note that in the
Greek, awe and fear are the same word!) And encouraged by the Angel's "Do
not be afraid." were able to endure the holiness that was there.  It is
an interesting fact of God's world.
 But enough of that.  Let's turn our attention to grasping some other
marvels of this day.  But let's not focus on the women, the soldiers or
even the angel.  Let's focus on Jesus and see what hidden glory can be
found.  Our theme will be THE HIDDEN GLORY OF THE SAVIOR'S TRIUMPH.
 You might wonder why such a theme would even be appropriate for this
day, after all, this day is the day of the Savior's triumph.  Everything
that Jesus promised, everything that Jesus is, everything connected to
God and our Bible hinges on this one event and this one very awesome day.
 But still so much connected to Jesus is plain and simple.
 For instance, you heard in our text that Jesus appeared to the women who
had gone to the tomb.  Yet please note that Jesus does not appear as the
angel does.  The angel comes manifesting the glory, power and majesty of
God.  Not Jesus, he appears to the women the same as before.  He appears
as the man they had known, the man they had watched die and helped bury.
He appears the plain and ordinary Jesus, but such is far from the truth.
 The Jesus that is before these women, is in fact different, he really
does have a hidden side.  To help you grasp just how different we can
consider some events that took place in the last few days.  Events of
great importance and magnitude.  Go back to that moment on Good Friday
when Jesus declared, "It is finished."  At that very moment Jesus was
declaring that he had paid for sins and atoned for the souls of mankind.
The power of Satan was broken.  But who saw anything?  Who saw exactly
what Jesus endured from his Father in order to declare that fact?  For
that matter, I would submit to you that many people of this world don't
grasp the importance, the hidden glory of that moment and what it means
for all the world.  Yet what Jesus said and accomplished at that moment
is a pinnacle point of our faith.  It is the whole reason that we can
declare Jesus the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
 Or think of what Peter reports to us in his Epistle.  He reports that
Jesus descended into hell.  Exactly when Jesus did this we aren't really
sure.  Some suggest this happened during Holy Saturday or so and some
suggest that it didn't happen until after the events of this morning of
resurrection.  I don't think it matter when Jesus went, just that he
went.  And why?
 Please note Jesus did not go there to suffer, that was done on the
cross.  Jesus went there to declare and prove that Satan was done.  It is
described as a "victory march," a triumphant march right through the
domain of the Devil.  Did you see that terror on the faces of the demons?
 Did you hear the victory proclamation of Jesus to Satan, hear the
shrieks of rage or the impotent howlings of the devils as they realized
their defeat?  Yet that is what Jesus did.  He went and preached the good
news of his victory to those in hell not to give them another chance but
to remind them all the more that they had blown the chance God had given
them to believe in Jesus and the promises that God had given of a Savior
to come.  It was the pure act of a righteous Judge, of Him who has
totally defeated his enemy and who has caused his enemy to bow and pay
homage to his Conqueror.  A hidden moment of glory.
 Did you see the moment when Jesus' body and soul were once again
reunited to life in that tomb.  Did you see how or when Jesus was brought
back to life, restored and holy, perfect in form and physical appearance.
 Was there a blaze of power and light that filled that tomb during that
moment or... or....anything here would be but a guess.   I can't tell you
how it happened I can only tell you that it did happen.  A hidden moment
of glory and triumph.  Jesus alive.  Alive forever.
 And how about how that body left the tomb even before the angel rolled
away the stone?  That's one of those things most people don't think
about.  The angel rolled away the stone so the women and disciples could
see that it was empty not to let Jesus out.  Jesus walked out of that
tomb just as nonchalantly as he would appear in the locked room with the
disciples later this evening.  A hidden moment that bespeaks a power we
are totally awed by.
 There is so much that is behind Jesus' appearing to these women.  He is
now the victorious one.  He is now the exalted one.  He is no longer the
Jesus in a state of humiliation but rather is Jesus in a state of
exaltation.  The living one, the Son of God, the victor over sin, death
and the devil, yes, Jesus the ruler of the Universe.
 Yet here is Jesus appearing so plain.  That just amazes us.  It amazes
us because we understand what the resurrection proclaims of Jesus.  The
resurrection is the proof that he is God.  He is the one who created the
world and laid the foundations of the universe.  He is the one who holds
in his hand complete and total power over everything that is.  He is the
one who will stand forth on the Day of Judgement and grant life or death
for eternity on the basis of faith.  Yes, Jesus is the one.  This plain
ole Jesus whose feet the women are holding and crying over, this Jesus is
the eternal and almighty God.
 This plain old Jesus is also our Savior and Redeemer.  Just the fact
that he is standing there is awesome enough but there is also the fact
that He said he would be there!  There it is for you and me.  We
understand, as the people who actually saw Jesus understood, that since
Jesus said he would suffer, die and rise from the dead and then did just
that, we understand that all his Words and promises are true.  If Jesus
spoke truthfully about coming back to life, then he also spoke truthfully
about paying for our sins and granting us the gift of eternal life.  Yes,
this plain looking Jesus is our Savior, our redeemer from sin.  Those
faults, foibles, and dark secrets of our lives are forgiven in Jesus.
Our disobedience of the law, our desire for worldly things, our penchant
for anger and selfishness...all forgiven in Jesus.
 But in this same light, please note what this says of God's Word.  Since
the word of Jesus can be trusted and since the Word of God is the word of
Jesus what an absolute comfort that is for us.  It tells us that in our
plain old Bibles, books that look like other books is more than just a
plain book.  It is the Word of God.  It is a word that can be trusted.
It is a word that reveals all things necessary for life, this life and
the life to come.  It is Gods' Word backed by the very power of Jesus
himself.  And do note that even in our text for today, an appeal is made
to trust in Jesus.  The angel said to the women, "He has risen, just as
he said."  The word is true.
 Should I tell you more?  Shall I tell you of how you will be with Jesus
in heaven!  Shall I tell you that in heaven you will see the awesome and
majestic glory of Jesus?  Shall I tell you of the promises of his new
heaven and earth?  How we will live and dwell with him in total
perfection, cleansed and purified by him?  Yes, all of these things are
true in Jesus.  True because Jesus has risen and lives eternally!
 Dear people, what a wonderful and marvelous day this is.  A day that
seems just like every other day, but a day that is different because of
the hidden glory of Jesus.  That glory of Jesus, even though hidden, is a
glory that has worked for us.  Jesus came, lived, suffered and died just
for us.  He caused His glory to be hidden so that instead of learning to
rely on the awesome and miraculous we might keep before us the simple and
true.  The simple and true facts of Jesus and His Word.
 Trust in Jesus.  Put your confidence and hope in his Word.  Know the
hidden glory and wonder of this day because Jesus lives.  Jesus lives and
in Him is our hope, our confidence, our joy and our all.  Amen.

St. Paul Lutheran Church
6115 First Street
Mayville, MI 48744
(989) 843-5851

Pastor Terry G. Balogh

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