As we gather on Easter morning we come with great joy, but what was it like on that first Easter morning?  What was the mood of the disciples?  Put yourself in the sandals of the disciples on the first Easter morning.  Their dreams had been shattered!  The week before the crowd was singing “Hosanna” and then it suddenly turned to “Crucify Him.”   The One they had followed the past three years had been brutally crucified on Friday.  And now all of their hopes and dreams had been dashed.  It seems even more painful when we have great expectations and then they are not realized.  Have you had expectations which have not been realized?  What does Easter say to us?

The apostle Matthew, writing with the precision of an accountant, gives us specific details of the resurrection.  As we consider this event that occurred 2,000 years ago, what would Jesus say to us?  What will give us hope in an uncertain world?  How can you gain a new perspective?  You can gain a new perspective by realizing that Jesus is alive!

In the Gospel of Matthew we read that the earth which trembled with sorrow at the death of Jesus, then leaped for joy with an earthquake at His resurrection.  The stone was rolled away, not to let Christ out, but to let the disciples in and witness the empty tomb.

The women who witnessed the empty tomb were filled with a mixture of fear and great joy and then they met Jesus – they realized the He was alive!

Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and take word to My brethren to leave for Galilee, and there they will see Me.”  (Matthew 28:10)

What can we learn from their encounter with Jesus?

Do not be afraid – Fear is an emotion based upon our perception of an event.  It can be thought of False Evidence Appearing Real.  There are 366 times in the Bible that commands us not to be afraid.  What are some fears you face?  Sometimes the Lord calms the storm and sometimes he lets the storm rage and He calms his child.  If you’re facing a challenging situation may the words of Isaiah bring you comfort,

Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.  (Isaiah 41:10)

Plato said it well, “We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light.”  It is only the fear of God that can deliver you from the fear of man.  Jesus then commands us to go and tell others,

Go and tell others – The word “tell” is used almost fifty times in the Greek New Testament and it is a compound word that literally means to “announce from”.  It was used of a messenger who brings news or reports of information.  The basic meaning is to report or proclaim.  Who are you telling about the good news of Jesus?  Next, we see a promise,

You will see Jesus – Have you realized the reality of the resurrected Jesus in your life?  Consider the disciples, they had spent three years with Jesus.  But after His death they had scattered and were forlorn.  Knowing about Jesus and seeing Jesus as God are not the same.  It seems there are many people who know about Jesus but have never seen Him for who He really is.  But once you have had an encounter with the resurrected Christ and seen Him for who He is, you will never be the same.

How can I see Jesus as He really is?

1. Matthew 5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” The first step to seeing Jesus is to ensure you have a pure heart.

2. John 14:21 “He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.”  You must ask yourself, “Am I keeping His commandments?”

The degree to which I come to God in humility and obedience is the degree to which I can see Him.  The Gospels do not explain the resurrection; the resurrection explains the Gospels.  Jesus has conquered sin, satan, and death.

A man in Africa was asked by some of his friends, “Why have you become a Christian?”  He answered, “Well, it’s like this. Suppose you were going down the road and suddenly the road forked in two directions, and you didn’t know which way to go, and there at the fork in the road were two men, one dead and one alive—which one would you ask which way to go?“   Jesus rose from the dead, we’d better listen to Him.  An encounter with Jesus will radically change your life!

Associate Pastor – Discipleship.  The Church at LifePark

Professor of Discipleship, Columbia International University

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