Resurrection Courage
by Rev. Paul Howden
March 23, 2008
Easter Day
Mark 16:1-8

Tom Sawyer was quite the prankster. Some readers of Mark Twain will remember how Tom persuaded his friends to help him paint the fence. He made it sound so fun, they paid him to do it. He got out of a lot of work that day, and turned a profit. On another occasion, fed up with the strictness of his mother, Tom convinced Huck Finn and Joe Harper to run away. In the dead of night the three left their homes and sneaked down to the river. Along the way they picked up a frying pan, a tarp, and a side of ham. Then they got on a raft and floated downstream several miles and landed on an island. There they fished and swam and played Indians and Pirates for several days. Would they stay forever? Huck and Joe were getting homesick. Tom had a plan, though. He slipped away from the island at night and returned to town. Sneaking through the window, hiding under a bed, he eavesdropped on conversations, finding out that everybody had concluded the boys had drowned in the river. A funeral was scheduled for Sunday, he learned. Clandestinely, Tom returned to the island.

On Sunday most of the inhabitants of the town gathered at the Church. The clergyman eulogized the poor departed boys. Mark Twain tells us that “the congregation became more and more moved till the whole company broke down and joined the weeping mourners in a chorus of anguished sobs.” Then there was a rustle in the balcony. A few moments later, the latch clicked. The boys had come down stairs and entered the nave of the church. The minister stared at them transfixed, and every one else turned to look. The three dead boys came marching up the aisle, Tom in the lead, Joe next, and Huck in the rear. They had hidden in the unused balcony listening to their own funeral sermon. The boys were smothered with kisses as the gloomy atmosphere turned to ecstasy.

On Easter morning the women were shattered by the events of the passion. Jesus had died. They were disheartened like the funeral crowd mourning the deaths of Tom Sawyer, Huck, and Joe. Thoughts of the resurrection never entered their heads. Let’s read Mark 16:1-2.

And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.  And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.

By bringing the spices to the tomb at sunrise these women were trying to make the best of a bad situation. The eleven disciples were even more dispirited. Let’s read Mark 16:3-8.

And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?  And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.  And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted.  And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.  But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you.  And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre; for they trembled and were amazed: neither said they any thing to any man; for they were afraid.

Praise be to God, death was not the end. Jesus had risen! The paschal candle represents His risen presence until Ascension. If we see Jesus as merely dying, then there is nothing for us. But Christ arose from the grave, and His resurrection assures us that He has overcome death. The importance of this fact can be illustrated by an incident, well-known in English history, which took place after the Waterloo campaign of June, 1815. All England was awaiting news of the campaign in which the Duke of Wellington opposed Napoleon Bonaparte. Since it was long before the days of telegraph, watchers were stationed along the coast to catch flag signals from sailing vessels. Finally one watcher spied a sailing vessel beginning to wig-wag a message. The words were, “Wellington defeated.” Then fog closed in. These words were relayed across England and all the nation was plunged into gloom. “Wellington defeated.” The fog then cleared and the message came through, “Wellington defeated the enemy.” Sorrow vanished in a second, and all England rejoiced. [From Donald Grey Barnhouse’s, The Cross Through the Open Tomb. P. 14.]

This story illustrates the state of mind of people when Christ died. Jesus had claimed to be God. He had said, “The Son of man came to give His life a ransom for many.” Then He was crucified. It was a terrible day. The sun was blotted from sight and there was darkness over the face of the earth. There was an earthquake. Events took place which caused even the Roman centurion to exclaim, “Truly this was the Son of God!” Then Christ died and His body was buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. The Pharisees gave each other high fives as if to say, “Well, that’s over!” We got rid of this man, this trouble-maker.” Jesus defeated! That was the message on Good Friday.  

Then came Sunday, the resurrection! The news was, “Jesus defeated the enemy!” He had vanquished death and all its power. And so we can sing today:

Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia!
Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia!
Dying once, He all doth save: Alleluia!
Where thy victory, O grave? Alleluia!

It would be hard to overstate the greatness of the resurrection. The infant Church saw the resurrection as so central they changed the Sabbath to Sunday. That is why we worship on Sunday and not on Saturday. The resurrection of Jesus from the grave set off the explosive growth of the Early Church. The Christians were so brave in persecution, so joyful in hardship, and confident in prayer that they outlived, out-loved and soon outnumbered the Jews and pagans. The hope and power of the resurrection was the key to the Church’s growth then, and can be the key to the growth of the Church today.

The resurrection also cushions the fear of death. The Lord’s resurrection is the guarantee of your resurrection. Since death leads to hope and glory, the resurrection can alleviate your fear of death. Have you ever thought about dying? We all do. Have you ever dreamed about dying? I think I have been killed thirty different ways in my dreams. The most frightening deaths are the slow, scary ones. Death is a reality we must face. You will probably experience fear when you die. Yet, you are not to be overly afraid. The Bible says that Christ removed the “sting” from death.

There is a book called Courage. I saw it at somebody’s house. I never read it, but the photograph on the front cover caught my attention. It shows an army officer standing at attention facing the firing squad. He has no blindfold on. A stone wall is behind him; in front of him a line of men aiming their rifles at his heart. The picture was taken just a second before they pulled their triggers and the deafening shot rang out. The picture absorbed me. How could that man stare at death so fearlessly? He didn’t even have on a blindfold.

Once while living in Paraguay, I was riding toward the front of a bus and reading the newspaper. All of sudden the bus driver stomped on the brakes and jumped off. Everybody else did too. It was pandemonium with people screaming and jostling. I turned around and saw two men locked in a desperate struggle for a hand-gun. One man wore a military uniform and the other was a young guy trying to shoot the officer for some deranged reason. Both of them gripped the revolver and were going around in circles, straining with all their might. I decided to help the officer. But as I got close, all of a sudden the barrel of the gun for a split second was one foot away aimed at my face. My courage vanished. I turned around and ran out of the bus in a panic. In a minute the officer had overpowered the lunatic and they arrested him. But I felt terrible about my cowardice. I stared death in the face for only a split second and ran. I forgot what God’s Word says.

The resurrection of Jesus from the dead, and the truth that we will follow Him to glory after we die is a truth that should give us courage. If death begins to sow terror in your heart remember the resurrection. Remember what comes after you die! Five minutes after you expire, your soul will enjoy experiences far more remarkable and awesome than anything you have ever experienced in this world. Picture, if you can, those first moments in glory. Undoubtedly you will see Jesus Christ your Lord, the One who saved you by dying on the tree, the Lamb of God on His throne. You will see His face. Now you belong to Him, and with angels and archangels, you will worship Him.

Second, you will see Christian loved ones who have gone on before and now come to welcome you. We know that they are with Christ, for He Himself said, “Let not your heart be troubled. In My Father’s house are many mansions. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and will receive you unto myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:1-3).

This is why we think of death as a home-going, and of Heaven as our eternal home. St. Paul says that we are “willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be at home with the Lord” (2 Cor. 5:8). The most distinctive feature about home is that it is where our loved ones are. The Easter lilies this morning commemorate them. It will be a great privilege to go home and renew family ties. If one of the happiest moments of our earthly lives is coming home for the holidays and eating a good meal, how much happier will be that homecoming in Heaven? As Johnny Cash used to sing, “It will be Supper time,” (as in the Marriage Supper of the Lamb). [Some of these thoughts borrowed from Lorraine Boettner’s Immortality. p. 41.]

These are some of the reasons why the resurrection can, and ought to, soften our fear of death. We have a glorious hope. By faith we gaze on that distant shore where the church Militant on earth and the church Expectant in Heaven unite to become the Church Triumphant, of the New Heavens and New Earth.

If you are in Christ, you will one day contemplate the Lamb on His throne. You will adore the Holy Almighty who deserves all worship, honor and glory. That beatific vision you will experience, body and soul. Christ’s risen body is the first-fruits. In Him you can be a part of that Heavenly adventure that never ends. Surrender your life to Jesus Christ today. Hope in Him! He is your only hope for salvation in the life to come.

Come now to the Holy Communion. On this Easter Day come with joy and thanksgiving. King Jesus invites you to His banquet table. Come and partake. This Eucharistic celebration is a foretaste of the Marriage Supper of the Lamb.

Let us pray.