Matthew 28:1-10
A. INTRODUCTION
One of the features of life, it seems to me, is the constant need to make decisions.
At one end, there are the big decisions: like deciding where we are going to live, how are we going to eat, and even, who we are going to share our life with. And at the other end, there are the little, almost trivial, decisions like what brand of cereal should we buy, or whether this week we should get raspberries or strawberries. In between, of course, are a whole host of decisions like: shall we rent or buy? What sort of furniture do we need? What sort of transport would be appropriate? What sort of clothes? And decisions regarding health and dietary concerns, to name just a few.
Decisions! Every day, we are faced with decisions—some big, some small. And how we cope with decisions seems to vary too.
Indeed, there are some who are very good at making decisions, and who, no matter what, weigh up the pros and cons, and then make a decisive decision. And then there are those who hum and hah, even at the smallest, most trivial matter, to the point that even when they’ve been shopping, and find something they really like, they still leave the shop empty-handed.
Decisions! Like it or not, in life we all have decisions to make.
B. THREE DECISIONS
And two people who seemed to have had no trouble in making decisions, were the two Marys in this passage from Matthew’s gospel. Because in the short story, the story of the resurrection of Jesus, they ended up having to make a number of decisions.
1. Decision 1: To Go To The Tomb (28:1)
And their first decision was whether to go to visit Jesus’s tomb that first Easter morning. Now both of the Marys had witnessed the crucifixion of Jesus (Matthew 27:55-56). Indeed we’re told that they had watched the event from a distance. But this time it was different.
Now we don’t know whether they went to the tomb at dawn because they were afraid, whether they just wanted to distance themselves from the mockers, or whether it was just a feminine thing to do in a very male-orientated culture. But whatever it was, they resolved themselves to go to the tomb early that Sunday morning.
And that may be surprising thing for them to do in the circumstances. After all, the disciples had fled (a living) Jesus, only days before, in fear for their lives (Jn 20:19). Then then refused to acknowledge any connection with Jesus. And even when they gathered on the first Easter day, they locked themselves in a room.
The decision that the two Marys made then, probably meant that they took quite a risk in going to the tomb. And as they approached it, they saw that it was guarded. And you can imagine them having sinking feelings in their hearts. ‘Do we go on, or do we go back?’
But they pressed on. They had come to anoint a dead body. And presumably, as this was the usual custom, they thought that this might be acceptable, even to the authorities. Indeed, there was even a remote chance that the guards might help them roll back the stone, so they could carry out the task.
But in any event, they were determined to at least to try to give Jesus a decent burial and the honour he deserved, regardless of the cost. So trusting their lives to God’s care, they continued on until they arrived at the tomb.
2. Decision 2: To Believe the Angel (28:2-8)
The second decision that the two Marys made, involved what they found when they got there. Because what they found surprised them.
What they found was not a sealed tomb, with guards, but an open tomb, with an angel sitting on the rolled back stone. And the angel made certain claims about Jesus.
The second decision that the two Marys had to make then was whether to believe the angel or not. And the decision may not have been as clear-cut as it appears.
For instance, the fact that there were guards on the tomb in the first place was because the authorities feared that the disciples would steal Jesus’s dead body, in order to create a false myth that Jesus had indeed risen from the dead. So, as far as the Marys were concerned, had the body been stolen, and was this part of an elaborate hoax? Or had Jesus really risen from the dead?
Well, the fact that on their way to the tomb, the Marys had witnessed a violent earthquake, may have made their second decision a bit easier. After all, they were now seeing the stone rolled back, an angel sitting on the stone, and an empty tomb. And, on top of that, the guards were obviously afraid of the angel. So the two Marys came to their decision.
The angel told them that Jesus, who they knew had died, was now risen. And that they were to go and tell the disciples to go to Galilee, and that Jesus would present himself to them all there.
But difficult decision or not, and with mixed feelings of joy and fear, the two Marys made the decision to believe the angel. And the very next thing, we’re told, is that they went off on their way to tell the disciples everything they had seen and heard.
3. Decision 3: To Believe in Jesus (28:9-10)
And then came the third decision, whether to believe their eyes or not. Because, as the two Marys went on their way to the disciples to Galilee. Jesus suddenly appeared before them.
Now, remember the beginning of the story: they weren’t not expecting to see him alive. There intentions had been to embalm a dead body. And their general experience was that when someone had died they stayed dead. For sure, Jesus had brought Lazarus back to life and Jairus’s daughter too, but that’s what Jesus did for others not for himself. Indeed, they had never known Jesus to use his powers for his own gain. But more than that, being the first to see Jesus risen from the dead, they had not had the advantage of other eyewitness reports—a benefit the other disciples subsequently received.
However, as soon as they were confronted with Jesus, they knew instantly who he was, and they knew for sure that what the angel had said was true. So, immediately, they clasped at Jesus’s feet and worshipped him. This was real acceptance of the fact that, yes, they could believe their own eyes—Jesus was not an hallucination. Jesus had indeed been resurrected from the dead.
4. Summary
The two Mary’s then, in very short time, had to make decisions regarding three things: Firstly, to put their lives on the line to visit the tomb and to anoint a dead body. Secondly, to accept the word of an angel and go in faith believing that Jesus had indeed risen from the dead. And thirdly, to wholeheartedly acknowledge just who Jesus was—the Son of God—as he appeared to them on the road.
Three big life-changing decisions, and ones they could only have made for themselves.
C. COMMENT
And they were life changing decisions. Jesus had claimed to be the good shepherd. He had claimed to be the living water. He had claimed to be the way, the truth, and the life, He had claimed to be the king, the Messiah, and the Son of God. He had claimed that only people who believed in him would receive eternal life with God. And he had claimed that he would be killed and, three days later, he would rise from the grave.
And, with their third decision—when they dropped down and clasped Jesus’s feet and worshipped him—the two Marys had finally understood the implications of their decision to accept that Jesus had risen from the dead. They had accepted that not only were they face to face with a resurrected Jesus, but that all the other things that Jesus had claimed must also be true. These were two remarkable women.
D. IMPLICATIONS
But where does that leave us today? Because if the women in quick succession could go from belief that Jesus was dead and that his body needed anointing, to the fact that he was risen, to the realisation that he was all he said he was, and was someone to be worshipped and adored, then the challenge is for us to decide too just who we do think that Jesus was and is.
Now, the fact that we are looking at this story says something about our beliefs. But what does it say?
Is the Easter story one of those stories that we like to hear from time to time—a story that brings us comfort, but doesn’t really mean much more than that?
Is it a story that apart from retelling it at Easter-time makes very little difference to our lives? Because if that’s the case, then the whole point of what happened on that first Easter morning has really become quite meaningless. The death and resurrection of Jesus is simply a nice story and makes very little difference to our lives.
Is the Easter story, one we can acknowledge as being true, at least on an intellectual level? Because, yes, we believe that Jesus died, and three days came he came back to life. But then that’s it, and really hasn’t made a difference in our lives? Well, if that’s the case, in the words of James ‘even demons believe and shudder’ (James 2:19).
Or is the Easter story, a reminder of the day that Jesus conquered death, and that all his claims are true? That he is the king. That he is the good shepherd. And that he is the saviour of the world. And that the only way for salvation is not by trust in our own abilities—because we’re just not good enough—but to put our total trust in him, and that he has provided the means for our salvation.
Because it is only if you have accepted God’s solution for yourself—if you’ve made that decision to trust in Jesus—that you have truly understand the point of the Easter story, and have accepted it for yourself.
The two Marys made three decisions in what would probably have been an hour (or two at the most). And it involved making a leap of faith: from expecting a dead body, to worshipping the risen Jesus as the Son of God. But that’s them. What about us? Who do we believe that Jesus was and is?
E. CONCLUSION
In life, we face many decisions, some big, some small, and some in between. Some of us are good at making decisions and others not so good. However, of all the decisions we have to make, none would be any bigger or more important than the response we need to make regarding the day that Jesus rose from the dead.
So, today, is it a nice story? Is it something we accept to be true, but only on an intellectual level? Or is Jesus who he says that he was? And as a consequence our faith in him makes a real difference to our lives.
Posted: 10th June 2023
© 2023, Brian A Curtis
www.brianacurtis.com.au
