“The Journey to Salvation” (Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24; Matthew 28:1-10)
April 24, 2011 (Resurrection/Easter Sunday)
Rev. John B. Erthein, Euchee Valley Presbyterian Church
I am not normally an early riser, but on this sacred occasion, I am glad to be one. Here we are, experiencing in some sense what Mary Magdalene and the other Mary experienced on that Easter morning two thousand years ago. The sun is peeking over the horizon. Night is over; the day has begun. We are at a place of death, and yet this is also a place to celebrate life.
I need to tell you that my message has been inspired by the sermon given on Easter morning by Charles Spurgeon over 100 years ago. It is not a word for word imitation, but I think the direction he went in reflects what is meaningful about this time.
Since we begin this morning in the cemetery, I want to extend an invitation to you to visit the tomb of Jesus. Do you know that people will travel hundreds, maybe even thousands of miles to visit the grave of a famous writer, or actor, or statesman. Some people do that because of their unique accomplishments or fine character. If you have ever done that, consider who lay in the tomb, 2,000 years ago. He was the greatest man who ever lived, the man with the most genius, the most holiness, the most love who walked on this planet. Come and visit the tomb of Jesus, of the most amazing man who ever lived.
Come to the tomb of Jesus because it is the tomb of your best friend. Remmber what the Jews said of Mary: “she goes to his grave to weep there.” Many of you, most of you, have visited the final resting place of a dear friend, someone known from childhood, and you have placed flowers on the grave. Most of you have come to the cemetery at some point and paid homage to a mother or father, to grandparents, to a sibling. You have watered the ground with your tears. So come to the tomb of Jesus, where your best friend lay. Come to the tomb of your brother. Come to the tomb of your dearest relative, for Jesus is your husband. If we belong to the church, we are part of the very bride of Christ. Do does not the sentiment of love draw you to Jesus’ tomb, for here slept one who was loved above all others. Come to the tomb of Jesus, where your best friend lay.
Come to the tomb of Jesus for the angels invite you. “Come, see the place where the Lord lay.” As you stand before the tomb, are you perhaps held back by fear? Does the darkness of the tomb cause you anxiety? Are you afraid of being swallowed up by the gloom? Certainly, we are not naturally inclined to enter tombs, or vaults, or catacombs. These are not normally places for joyous people. There is often the foul stench of corruption. Diseases can breed in dead flesh.
But the angels also tell us to fear not. The angels themselves had entered the tomb. They saw what was there, and they beckon to us to enter. For in this tomb there is no smell of corruption. The air is fresh and dry. Jesus’ body was not left in death; he did not see corruption: bacteria and worms did not begin to break down his body before he rose from the dead and left his burial place. He arose, as perfect as when he was laid there. So come, and see where the Lord’s body lay.
You are also encouraged to come to the tomb because it is a quiet place. How often do you take some quiet time for yourself to be with God? There is always so much to do, places to go, people to see, tasks to accomplish. And there is so much noise from the various machines that surround us and the various entertainments we seek out. Game boys, I PODs, smart phones, stereos, computer games, dvd players … the list goes on and on. But we can come to the tomb of Jesus, where all is quiet and still, and where holiness resides. In this sweet resting spot, you will find refreshment for your soul.
So let us imagine that we have entered the tomb. What do we notice about as we examine our surroundings? First, notice that this is a costly tomb. It is not a common grave; it is not a shallow hole dug by a spade for a poor man; it is not the mass grave of paupers. No, it is a solid structure, excavated from a hillside. It is the sort of tomb that would belong to a prominent man. So how would it happen that Jesus would lie there? Jesus was born in humble circumstances, and in his life he accumulated no possessions. He wore no fine clothes. Gold jewelry did not adorn him. He was not a property owner. His body was abused by the Roman soldiers and broken on the cross. Truly, he was “despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief.” But at the moment he finished his greatest undertaking, it is as God said (as Spurgeon writes), “No more shall this body be disgraced; if it is to sleep, let it slumber in an honorable grave; if it is to rest, let nobles bury it; let Joseph, the councilor, and Nicodemus, the man of the Sanhedrin, be present at the funeral. Let the body be embalmed by with precious spices, let it have honor; it has had enough of contumely, and shame, and reproach, and buffeting; let it now be treated with respect.” Jesus would be treated with honor and respect by his Father, now that his earthly work was done.
But, though it is a costly grave, it is also a borrowed one. At the top of the tomb’s entrance is the inscription “Sacred to the memory of Joseph of Arimathea.” Joseph thought he had to give up his specially prepared burial place forever. But it was but temporarily occupied by Jesus, so Joseph had the amazing privilege of owning a tomb once occupied by his Lord.
And in a general sense, it was fitting for Jesus to have a borrowed tomb. It showed that, as his sins were borrowed sins, so his grave was a borrowed grave. Christ had committed no offenses of his own, so he took on our offenses. He had never transgressed against God’s Law, so he accepted our transgressions as his own. He never did anything wrong, but he took my sins and your sins upon him, if you are believers. Just as the sins of others were imputed to him, so too the grave of another was imputed to him.
But let us also note that while this was a borrowed tomb, it was not a used tomb. It had been newly constructed for Joseph of Arimathea, and never used before. Christopher Ness says “when Christ was born, he lay in a virgin’s womb, and when he died, he was placed in a virgin tomb; he slept where no one had slept before. The reason was that no one could say that another person rose, for there had been no other body. Nor could one say that Jesus arose because he touched the bones of an old prophet buried there (which is what happened to Elisha). Christ touched no prophet’s bones. He took his rest in a new chamber.
Now I ask you to consider the proper feelings you would have on this occasion, meaning being in the tomb of Christ. Certainly, the sight of the tomb should fill one with sorrow. Jesus had lay in the tomb because he had suffered and died in the most agonizing way. He suffered and died in the most agonizing way because of our sin. It was our sin that drove Jesus to the cross and drove the nails into his hands and feet. It was our crimes that plunged the spear into his heart. When we consider the body that was laid in the tomb, when we behold its bloody wounds and scars and bruises and broken bones, how can we not feel sorrow for this man who suffered so, and suffered not on his own account, but on ours. “Ah, you my sins, my cruel sins, his chief tormentors were, each of my crimes became a nail, and unbelief a spear. Alas, and did my Savior bleed, and did my Sovereign die?” It is an occasion to weep when we think that our Lord gave his life for our own. Spurgeon tells of a friend of his who saw a small boy break through the surface of an icy pond and fall into the freezing water, about to drown. His friend jumped onto the ice, pulled the boy from the water, and cried out “I have him, he is safe.” But when he threw the boy to the safe shore, the man himself broke through the ice, and was lost. And so it was with Jesus. My soul was drowning. From heaven Jesus could see my soul sinking into the depths of hell; and so he plunged in: “He sank beneath his heavy woes, to raise me to a crown; there’s n’er a gift his hand bestows, but cost his heart a groan.” So we may indeed regret our sin, since it slay Jesus.
But sadness must not be our only emotion. When we approach the tomb, we can react with great joy, because the tomb is empty! Death could not contain Jesus. Your sin slay him, but his righteousness restored him. He burst its bonds and trampled it underfoot. That is wonderful news, for it gives hope to us all. Come, and visit the empty tomb, and learn about the faith we have in Jesus Christ.
What may we learn from the tomb? There are three things. First, the empty tomb shows Christ’s divinity. While the faithful dead shall rise at the general resurrection, the leader of the faithful rose in a different way. They will rise by imparted power. Jesus rose by his own power. Death could not contain Jesus for he was God incarnate. The best proof of Christ’s divinity is his incredible resurrection when he rose from the grave by the glory of his Father. Our Jesus is God. Our friend and brother has God’s infinite power.
Second, the empty tomb shows our acquittal. If Jesus had not paid our debt, he would not have risen from the grave. He would lie lifeless in the tomb to this very moment had he had not canceled our entire debt, and satisfied divine vengeance. Is that not an overwhelming thought? In his going free I see my own release. As a justified man, I know I have no more sins against me in God’s book. If I could see God’s balance sheet, I would see every debt of mine has been receipted and canceled. And so can you, if you have but faith in Christ.
Finally, most importantly, the empty tomb shows the power of the resurrection. Death is no longer something to be feared. Some of the most powerful and wealthiest people who have ever lived have feared death when they saw it approaching. Queen Elizabeth I said she would trade an empire for just one more hour. When the liner “Baltic” sank in the 19th century, a wealthy man implored a life boat to come for him, offering his entire fortune. But because of the resurrection, we need not have that fear. We can know that our bodies will die, and decay, and possibly be scattered all over the world in their atomic components. But when the trumpet of the Lord sounds, all will come back together and live as a perfected body. We will be whole, and real, more than we ever have been in the past. And the faithful will spend a glorious eternity with the One who was resurrected before us. So come to the empty tomb this morning, because that is the journey to salvation.
To God be the glory, great things he has done. Amen.
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