A Promise Made - A Promise Kept Easter Sunday 2011

Click Here to Listen to the Sermon for Easter Sunday, April 24, 2011 by Pastor Chip Moody




Scripture Reference:  Mark 16:1-8

When Mary Magdalene and the other women went to prepare Jesus’ body for permanent burial on Sunday, they were met with an empty tomb and an angel’s promise: 

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome

bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body.  Very early on the first day of

the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each

other, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?" But when they looked

up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away.  As they entered

 the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were

 alarmed. "Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was

crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.  But go, tell his

 disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him,

 just as he told you.'"  Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from

 the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.   [Mk. 16.1-8 NIV]

The promise is more like a prediction. Did you see it in v. 7? But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.'"

What do you mean “just as he told you?” You mean Jesus supposedly told them all this cross-death-rising stuff was going to happen?  He sure did. More than once, I might add.

At first he tried to ease them into the horrific reality of what was to come by giving them only as much information as they could handle. "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth" (Matthew 12:40).

But he eventually began to be pretty explicit about his coming demise. “They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, "The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise."  But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it.”  Mark 9:30-32 NIV   

And then even more explicit still. Just after Peter made his great confession of the deity of Christ, the Bible says in Mark 8:31-32:  “He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.”

Seems he was getting explicit enough that they were beginning to put their fingers in their ears and go “la la la la la la!”

But he finally in Mt. 20 he makes things CRYSTAL clear:

"And Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples aside along the way, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn Him to death, and shall deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify Him. And the third day He shall rise again."

There it was. Crucifixion. The most notoriously cruel and humiliating form of capital punishment ever invented. Used to both execute wrongdoers by Rome, it was also a very useful tool to keep occupied people intimidated and docile. People didn’t even like to say the word “cross” (staurion). It was spoken of in hushed tones as though speaking it would bring its terror into one’s life.

And probably this is what the disciples heard most loudly. The part about rising on the third day seemed to get lost in the shock of hearing that the heroic figure they had dedicated their lives to was going to be killed. And they knew they could be next.

But looked at another way, Jesus was not making predictions. He was making a promise.  He was assuring his disciples that he was going to get killed, but they should hang on to their hope because he would be back just a mere three days later—in full bloom.

Prophecies about is crucifixion and resurrection are promises from Jesus.

    --Promises to fulfill his mission to die for the sins of the world

    --Promises to rise from death in order to verify his claim to be Messiah.

   -- Promises to those who believe in him, that following him on the

Jesus Road would mean they too, would experience resurrection unto eternal life with Jesus one day.

Jesus kept his promises, didn’t he? 

In fact the resurrection of Jesus is our best evidence that all God's promises are trustworthy.

Promises in scripture that we are loved and worth saving..

Promises in scripture that we will live forever.

Promises in scripture that peace and reconciliation with God are ours

So what do we do with this knowledge?  Believe! Follow! Worship!

What Jesus promises, he delivers. He is risen!

God gets all the glory!

Jesus  made appearances after his resurrection to a lot of people over a period of over a month. At one event, over 500 people saw him. One resurrection appearance early on has always been dramatic to me.

The disciple Thomas refused to believe the other disciples when they told him, "We have seen the Lord!" Thomas said, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it!"

When Jesus showed up when Thomas was present (and I’m pretty sure Jesus made the appearance especially for Thomas), Jesus said, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."

Thomas simply said the only appropriate words for such an occasion, “My Lord and my God.”

They are the only appropriate words for us, too.