M: Alleluia. Christ is risen!
C: He is risen indeed! Alleluia.
In the name + of Jesus.
There are many moments in life when the phrase, “I told you so,” is trotted out. Usually, it is not kind, and it isn’t meant to be. On the one hand, a warning was issued with concern for someone. “Don’t forget to wear a coat. It’s going to be cold.” “Make sure you study; that test will be hard.” “Don’t speed down Meadowbrook Road; you will get pulled over.” (Seriously, don’t do that. You will get pulled over.) But when your well-intentioned advice gets ignored and someone pays the price, you feel the need to tell them, “I told you so. It might feel good, but it doesn’t really help. The one who goofed up knows he goofed up. To tell him, “I told you so,” is to rub his face in it.
The resurrection of our Lord is one instance where “I told you so,” is
not to belittle those who did not listen, but to bring the greatest comfort to
them. The resurrection of our Lord was
never supposed to be a surprise. The Old
Testament has numerous promises of it.
Jesus himself prophesied it. So,
when it happened, it should have not surprised anyone. Still, it did. None of Jesus’ followers were prepared for
it. The disciples were huddled away in
fear. The women had come to the tomb planning
to prep a corpse for an honorable burial.
Instead, the women encountered an angel who proclaimed the most glorious,
“I told you so,” in history. Actually,
it was a “HE told you so.” The angel “said to
them, ‘Do not be alarmed. You seek
Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He
has risen; he is not here. See the place
where they laid him. But go, tell his
disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told
you’” (Mark 16:6-7). He is risen—just
as he told you.
The Bible does not really have that many surprises in it because God speaks
plainly about who he is, what he does, and what he desires of us. The miracles are surprising, but not the mercy
and grace that provided them. For
example, when the Israelites were at the shore of the Red Sea with the Egyptian
army bearing down on them, God commanded Moses to part the Red Sea so that
Israel could escape by walking on dry ground through the sea. Now, the escape should not have been a
surprise. God had promised Israel that
he would deliver them from the Egyptians and to the land promised to Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob. How God delivered
them was surprising, but that God would deliver them should not have
been. Why? Because God had told them so.
What is surprising is that we are surprised that God’s word is
true, good, and reliable. We challenge
God and doubt God’s word. We always
believe we know better. In his word, God
tells us what is good and what is evil. We
insist differently. God tells us that it
is good to seek the well-being of others—loved ones, acquaintances, strangers,
and even enemies. We reply, “That is stupid. I take care of myself. Your problems are called yours for a
reason. And there’s no way I will show
kindness to my enemy. He deserves nothing
good from me.” We are convinced that our
way is right because this allows us to take no risks and suffer no losses. So we believe that serving and loving ourselves
above us is the highest good. What God calls
good we call stupid. What God calls evil—such
as idolizing our opinions, our desires, our agendas, and ourselves—this we call
smart, good for us, and easier.
God has told us what is good, and we are surprised at what God calls
good. We are also surprised when God does
not bless us for ditching his word to go our own way. The man who cheats others is surprised that
he is not content no matter what he gains.
The woman who lies is surprised that no one trusts her. The couple that rushes to bed which results
in a pregnancy is surprised that life would have been easier if they had
followed God’s design and waited until marriage. Sin makes us all stupid. We do what is wicked and we are surprised
that the reward is regret and hard consequences. God showed us what was good—perhaps not what is
easy, but certainly what is right—but we did not believe him. But if you have had to learn the hard way
that God had told you so, then hear God’s word which calls you to repent so
that you will not perish under his curse.
Where does one find hope to overcome all past regrets? How does one escape the guilt that torments
our consciences? Listen carefully, because
God has told you that, too. As soon as
sin entered the world, God revealed that he would provide deliverance from sin,
its guilt, and all the punishment that we deserve as a result of it—even rescuing
us from death and the grave. And perhaps
this does surprise you—God does not stay in heaven to preserve himself and to
seek his own good. He comes to do what
is good—to seek the well-being of those who have called his ways stupid and to
save them.
When Adam and Eve brought sin into the world, they had tried to cover themselves
with fig leaves to hide their shame. The
Lord, however, provided them with something better. “The Lord God
made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them” (Genesis
3:21). In order to make garments of skins, the Lord
had to put to death an animal or two.
These animals shed their blood for the people—the innocent slain for the
guilty—to hide their shame. This
foreshadows the true sacrifice which was made for you. Jesus Christ, the innocent one, was slain for
you. Jesus, the Son of God, became a man
so that he could shed his holy blood to be the sacrifice which pays for the sins
of the world. For, sin demands a price
to be paid. God’s Law demands punishment
for the guilty. Bearing your guilt, Jesus
was slain under God’s curse for you.
Jesus’ disciples expected something different from Jesus. They confessed that he is the Christ, the Son
of God. That also meant they expected
him to usher in a glorious kingdom. But
when Jesus died on the cross, they concluded that that was the end. Death had claimed Jesus, cancelling his
claims and crushing their dreams. No
more Jesus. No more kingdom. No more hope.
Death had the last word. Or so
they thought.
When the women went to the tomb on Easter morning, they were caught by
surprise. They were surprised that the
stone had been rolled away. Justifiable. They were surprised at the angel who sat
where Jesus’ body had lay. Understandable. Then the angel told them that Jesus was
risen. And they were surprised. But why?
Jesus had told them so! Moses had
told them so. The prophets had told them
so. We heard Isaiah tell us so in our
Old Testament lesson: “He will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is
cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever; and the
Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces,
and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for
the Lord has spoken” (Isaiah 25:7-8). Death has not consumed Jesus Christ. He has consumed death for us! He is risen—just as he told you!
The women came to the tomb saddened, but duty-bound to honor Jesus’ body
for burial. They did not expect to see
anything alive in that tomb. But an angel
greeted them. What to make of this angel? Were they in the right place? Did they have the wrong tomb? The angel assured them that there is no mistake
about the place. And there should have
been no surprise about the resurrection of Jesus. The angel almost plays with the women in his
announcement. He says, “Do not be
alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who
was crucified” (Mark 16:6)—as if the angel is saying, Oh, I know what
you want. You want Jesus. Not just any Jesus, you want Jesus of
Nazareth. Is that not specific enough? Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified. You are looking for that Jesus. “He
has risen; he is not here” (Mark 16:6). Tombs are for dead people. But death could not keep Jesus. He has conquered death. This grave is nothing. “See the place where they laid him” (Mark
16:6). Yes, he was here—emphasis
on was. But not anymore. This should not surprise you at all. He is risen, just as he told you. “But go, tell his disciples and Peter
that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told
you” (Mark 16:7).
The angel instructed the women to tell the apostles
that Jesus would meet them in Galilee.
That had been a private conversation between Jesus and his disciples in the
upper room at the Last Supper. There is
no way the women would have learned this information. So, when the women came to tell the disciples,
“Oh, and Jesus said he would meet you in Galilee,” that should have
tipped them off that their report was no joke.
How else could the women have known what Jesus had told the apostles
unless God revealed it to them? Yes, it is
true: Jesus is risen, just as he told you.
Jesus Christ is risen from the dead. We can marvel. We can rejoice. We can give thanks to God—and we do. But we need not be surprised. God has told you so. And God has told you so that you can be confident
of your salvation. For, death has not
had the last word, and the kingdom of Christ has not come crashing down. Jesus has paid for all your sins and his blood
has atoned for all your guilt—just as he told you. Jesus is risen—just as he said. He has left his grave empty. And because of that, your grave will be left
empty too.
Jesus has told you that he will come again, and everyone in their graves
will be raised up on the Last Day. The
resurrection will be for all the dead.
The grave gets to keep no one; for Jesus reigns over death and the
grave. When we bury our fellow Christians,
we do so with the confidence that we will get them back. Jesus has told us so, and he has demonstrated
it by his own resurrection from the dead.
Those who continue to do evil and call it good, who believe that God’s
word is stupid, God will reward them according to their confession. Their sins will remain on them and they will
be cast into the second death, which is hell.
But for you who believe and are baptized into Christ, you remain connected
to Christ. You will be raised from the dead
to live forever. Jesus lives, and
therefore you shall too—forever free from death and sin and evil.
This should be no surprise, because Jesus is risen—just as he told you. This “I told you so” does not belittle you. It exalts you. It comforts you. It promises you everlasting life. It sustains and encourages you through this life. For every word of God is good and is good for you. You should not be surprised by that. For the Lord is good, and his mercy and his word and his kingdom endure forever.
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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