The sermon text for this morning is verses five and six of the Holy Gospel: “The angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, as He said. Come, see the place where He lay.’”

“My soul longs for your salvation; I hope in your Word.” So declares the author of the 119th Psalm. But the women going to the tomb had lost hope in the Word of the Lord. It appears that all of Jesus’ followers had lost hope in the Word of the Lord. The ladies, who loved the Lord Jesus, early in the morning, travel to the tomb to perform a last service for Him. They carry the spices they had bought specifically for this purpose—to finish the burial of a dead Jesus. This is their plan…

Until they encounter the angel that had rolled back the stone and petrified the soldiers guarding the tomb. The angel tells the women, “You—do not be afraid!” That’s when we learn that they are afraid. Unlike the soldiers, though, they are not so much afraid of the angel. The angel knows why they have come to the tomb. The angel knows who they are looking for at the tomb. But. Jesus. Is. Not. There. Why?

CHRIST JESUS—THE CRUCIFIED—HAS RISEN, AS HE PROMISED

The women are afraid—not really of the angel himself. They are afraid of Jesus’ death. The world as they know it is shattered. They have come to the tomb to tend to the lifeless body of the man they thought was the Messiah. What will they do after this? How will they cope? To them, it turns out that Jesus is just another prophet (not to denigrate the prophets in any way, but they thought He is so much more!). And do you know what, brothers and sisters in Christ? Jesus is more than a prophet! Jesus is the Messiah! The women need not fear!

Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! He who is crucified has risen as He promised. Listen to these 15 promises from Matthew’s Gospel relating to Jesus as the crucified and risen Savior.

1. “The days will come when the bridegroom (Jesus) is taken away from them.”

2. “Just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”

3. “Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”

4. “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

5. Of His transfiguration, “Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.”

6. “The Son of Man will surely suffer at their hands.”

7. “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill Him, and He will be raised on the third day.”

8. “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”

9. “See we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death and deliver Him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and He will be raised on the third day.”

10. “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”

11. “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes.”

12. “In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial.”

13. “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

14. “You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, ‘I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.”

15. “You will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

That last verse is what Jesus told the high priest during His trial before being crucified. Over and over and over again, Jesus spoke not as one who would die and stay dead, but as the Son of God who would be crucified and raised. Christ Jesus repeatedly prophesied—promised—His death and resurrection. Then, He accomplished it.

What does the resurrection of the crucified Jesus mean?

First of all, it means Jesus is who He said He is. Ultimately, Jesus was put to death for His claim that He is the Son of God. Many of those who saw His death on the cross took it as a sign that He was not actually the Son of God—even among His own followers. But the resurrection of the crucified Jesus Christ reveals to the world that He is very much the Son of God. Through His resurrection Jesus has done what no one else in the history of all creation has accomplished—He has raised Himself from the dead.

Think about it this way, other resurrections recorded in Scripture involved a cause: praying for the deceased, speaking to the deceased, touching the deceased. None of that happened with Jesus. He was dead, and then suddenly He was revealed as having risen from death—because He is God’s crucified and risen Son, our Savior and Redeemer.

Since Christ Jesus is raised from the dead (the only one to raise Himself from the dead), secondly, His resurrection means that the Bible is true. The New Testament is the testimony of the witnesses who saw the risen Lord and were sent by the risen Lord. Matthew—an apostle of Jesus. Mark—not an apostle of Jesus but an associate of the apostle Peter. Luke—not an apostle of Jesus but an associate of the apostle Paul. John—an apostle of Jesus. And so it goes for the rest of the New Testament. The witness of the New Testament testifies to the truth of the Old Testament prophecies. Because Jesus is raised from the dead, we have confidence in all of Scripture—for Scripture testifies to Jesus and His blood-bought redemption.

Since Christ Jesus is raised from the dead (the only one to raise Himself from the dead), thirdly, His resurrection means that we had better receive, believe, and live-by His Word. He has been raised in glory. He has been raised in power. “Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again.” He is the Son of God—the King of kings and Lord of lords. Jesus says, “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” His Word of judgment and condemnation, His Word of forgiveness and salvation ever remains true. Don’t scorn His Word. Don’t ignore His Word. Don’t even have a lukewarm attitude toward His Word. Love it! Hope in it! Long for the salvation that Jesus gives through His Word!

Cherish Jesus’ Word as the Word that gives blessing, that gives healing, that gives forgiveness, that gives salvation. For our Lord Jesus is the resurrection and the life. Scripture declares that you have been bought with the blood of Christ—and you who have been baptized into Christ have been raised with Christ.

All of this is to say, that since Christ Jesus is raised from the dead (the only one to raise Himself from the dead), you have life in His name—for our Lord promises, “Everyone who looks on the Son and believes in Him should have eternal life, and I will raise Him up on the last day.” You have eternal life now in Christ Jesus. When Jesus appears in glory, the full reality of your eternal existence will also appear. The One who was crucified and raised, just as He said, has promised it. Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Allelulia! Amen.