Sermon for Easter 4: "The Shepherd and the Door of the Sheep" (John 10:1-10)

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

Happy Good Shepherd Sunday! A careful reading of today’s lesson from John 10 might leave us with many questions. I’m sure that if I had questions, you have questions, too. What is Jesus talking about? That day when Jesus first spoke those words, His hearers didn’t understand what He was saying.

 

Jesus seems to make His words even more challenging by changing the metaphors. Is He the shepherd? Is He the door? Is He both? This can be rather confusing. And if you put all the metaphors together, you get the Lamb is the Shepherd who is the Door that marks the Shepherd who leads the sheep. Are you confused? But do not worry. With these very words, the Good Shepherd calls His flock to hear His voice and follow it all the way to abundant life!

 

First, let’s look at how Jesus uses the term shepherd. Jesus says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep” (John 10:1-2).

 

Before Jesus gets to the true shepherd, He speaks of false shepherds – those who enter the sheepfold by another way, who He calls thieves and robbers. For these people, it is thought that Jesus is talking about people like Judas the Galilean and Theudas, since they falsely claimed to be the messiah. These are the men that the Pharisee Gamaliel mentioned to his fellow members of the Sanhedrin when the council was growing tired of the Apostles’ witnessing and evangelizing to the bodily resurrection of Jesus. To this, Gamaliel said, “For before these days Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody… he was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. After him Judas the Galilean rose up… he too perished, and all who followed him were scattered” (Acts 5:36-37).

 

Thieves and robbers were also used to designate the more violent messianic revolutionaries, as well. Barabbas comes to mind. He was referred directly as a robber by the gospel writers and Luke tells even more about Barabbas’ exploits as an insurrectionist and a murderer (Luke 23:19).

 

But another possibility that Jesus may be referring to are the Pharisees. Yes, those false messiahs convinced many people to follow them, but they all came and went. The real opponents of Jesus are the Jewish authorities and more specifically the Pharisees, since the Pharisees created new man-made laws as a worldly way to abide to God’s Ten Commandments.

      

The one thing these thieves and robbers all have in common is that they all creep in secretly and use sweet words by pretending special faithfulness and love for the sheep. For Judas the Galilean, Theudas, Barabbas, and the Pharisees, they all desire to rule over the sheep with only human wisdom. They each teach human doctrines, precepts, and the worship of their works.

 

What about today? False shepherds are still with us. Any pastor who proclaims another apart from Jesus is a false shepherd. So, if a pastor says that Jesus is one shepherd among many or that God’s Word is no longer sufficient in today’s world, that pastor is a thief and a robber.

 

These false shepherds may have a following for a time, since humans are easily deceived. We are compared to sheep, after all. Although sheep have almost 360-degree vision without turning their heads, they don’t have the best eyesight. So, sheep tend to follow the sheep that is in front of them. Even from birth, lambs are conditioned to follow the older members of the flock. This instinct is “hard-wired” into sheep. So, if one sheep jumps over the cliff, the others are likely to follow. 

 

People are that way, too. We have a herd mentality. For what we perceive as the majority, influences how we think. Our sinful nature has a natural tendency to follow the crowd. We want to be the “cool” kid. Herd mentality is behind the must-have toys, the listing of preferred pronouns in email signatures, and the transgender craze.

 

As the Babylon Bee – a Christian parody website says of today’s craze – “We’re absolutely stunned by this. We can’t begin to explain why young, impressionable kids who are desperate for popularity and affirmation are suddenly choosing to become members of the most popular and affirmed group in human history. Every single movie, TV show, corporation, TikTok influencer, YouTuber, public school teacher, pop star, and Hollywood star in the country openly promotes and celebrates this group. Why on earth would teenagers want to be a part of that? It must be biology.”

 

 

This parody, which is more reality than not, is another example of herd mentality. Instead of buying toys and videogames, today’s craze is questioning everything, including your own very being. If you desire to be liked, why wouldn’t you want to be a part of the world’s most celebrated group? This is what our sinful nature desires. It desires to be liked. And Satan uses this to his advantage.

 

These false shepherds are only popular for a time. They are fads. Some last a while, but in the long-run, they are all short lived. Eventually, they all come to nothing, because lies cannot be sustained forever, since the truth is always revealed.

 

But as we are like sheep with herd mentality, we are also like sheep when it comes to voice. Some time ago, a seminary professor visited two of his students who lived on a farm. While there, the students’ father asked the professor if he would like to help call the sheep. The professor enthusiastically agreed.

 

“Go ahead,” the father asked. “Call them in.”

 

“What do you say?” the professor asked.

 

“I just say, ‘Hey, sheep! Come on in!’”

 

The professor thought, well, this sounds pretty easy, so he began calling for the sheep, “Hey sheep! Come on in!”

 

As you likely expected, nothing happened. Not one sheep moved. But he tried and tried again. No change. Not even a sheep twitched an ear.

 

Jesus says the true Shepherd is known by His voice and He gives to the true Church this comfort: “My sheep listen to My voice, but they do not know the voice of strangers” (John 10:4-5).

 

As sheep, we may be deceived for a while, but in time we naturally know that something is wrong if the supposed shepherd is preaching doctrines against Jesus’ Word, such as changes in morality. This is what has led so many Christians to seek out churches that do proclaim God’s truth.

 

Faithful pastors sound the Shepherd’s voice. They warn the flock of dangers. They cleanse and bind wounds with the Gospel.

The voice of Jesus is the voice of comfort in a morally decaying world. As sheep, we may not be really smart, but we know our Shepherd’s voice. He calls us all by name. He cares for you, feeds you, and protects you. Jesus is the Good Shepherd who protects you and guides you through the dangers of this life all the way to life everlasting.

 

As the Good Shepherd, Jesus is not only the One who enters by the door, but He is also the Door Himself. Jesus says, “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture” (John 10:9). Now, what to make of Jesus as the Door?

 

One way to think about it is that Jesus is the doorway. Now, don’t think of a door with hinges that open and close. Think of a doorway. The opening by which people come in. Jesus is the only way people come into eternal life. And Jesus isn’t blocking people from eternal life. We do that on our own through unrepented sin and unbelief.

 

Jesus is the Door, the one and only exclusive entrance to eternal life. All who enter through Him are saved and find pasture. On our own, we are stray sheep, who are destined to the slaughter, which is what we deserve due to our sins. But through Jesus becoming Man for you, suffering, and dying as the Sacrificial Lamb for the sins of the world, and rising to life on the third day, all who trust in Him are given the gift of eternal life. The Good Shepherd has nothing but selflessness at heart.

 

As we live in a fallen, sinful world, we sheep need sustenance to keep going. God does all the saving, and He credits that to us by faith. We have the Shepherd who guides us to the calm waters of Holy Baptism where He calls you by name. We have the Shepherd who speaks to us through His written Word – the Bible. We have the Shepherd who prepares a table before you as He feeds you His body and blood under the bread and the wine for the forgiveness of your sins. We have the Shepherd whose cup of grace overflows. 

 

Christ, the Good Shepherd, seeks to bring His sheep eternal life. He doesn’t just get us through day by day, but beyond this life, so that you shall have life and have it abundantly in the house of Lord forever. Jesus is the Shepherd and the Door of the Sheep! Amen.

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen. 

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

Sermon for Easter 3: "The Stranger Savior" (Luke 24:13-35)

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia!

 

Jerusalem and the surrounding area were all abuzz. Jesus was the talk of the town. But now it seems it was all for nothing. It appears that Jesus was just like the others who claimed to be the promised messiah. 

 

On this Third Sunday of Easter, we meet two disciples of Jesus who had great expectations. But on that first Easter afternoon, they believed their expectations all came to nothing. Now, we don’t know much about these two disciples since they weren’t among the Eleven. Now, they could have been among the 72, but this we don’t know for sure either. All we know is the name of one of these men: Cleopas.

 

For these two disciples walking along the road, they were filled with bitter disappointments over dashed hopes. It could be that these two disciples were among the Palm Sunday crowds shouting “Hosannah.” The miracles and signs of Jesus had brought them to faith in Him, but the death of Jesus by crucifixion plunged them into deep despair. Even the report of the vision of angels by women about the empty tomb failed to lift their spirits. To them, the empty tomb was no guarantee of a bodily resurrection. Only the living body of the crucified Lord could give them fulfillment.

 

All of a sudden, a stranger joins them on the road. Unbeknownst to them, this stranger is Jesus, “but their eyes were kept from recognizing him” (Luke 24:16). Just like Jesus to come incognito, undercover as it were, an “undercover boss” for His own time. He hides Himself. Isaiah says, “Truly, You are a God who hides Himself, O God of Israel, the Savior” (Isaiah 45:15). God often hides Himself. He does not always let Himself become visible. Yet, it is in His hiding of Himself that Jesus shows Himself to be our Savior.

 

It is not that these travelers on the road to Emmaus were confronted with a case of mistaken identity. Their eyes were kept from recognizing Him. It was not that the Lord Jesus was absent from them. No, He was right there with them on the road, but they were prevented from recognizing Him. They could not see Him for who He is. 

Jesus remains to them as just a stranger. So, as the conversation goes on, they tell this stranger of their disappointment and now dead hope. To their surprise, this stranger appears to have heard nothing of this Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified, and who they hoped would rise to life that very day. Some women gave them some hope, but that hope was dashed, since no one has seen Him.

 

Now, these men may not be among Christ’s apostles, but they are certainly His disciples. Here, Jesus gets to hear what these men have to say if He were not present. And what these disciples say is practically exactly right, but they don’t believe it. It’s true that He was delivered up to death and crucified. Those are the exact words that Jesus would say to them. But they believe that His death was permanent, so they abandoned all hope. They are so close, and yet so far. They have the whole story right, but they just don’t believe it. They don’t believe the women and they don’t believe the Scriptures. They know the Bible and they know the Prophets, but they don’t believe it. They can’t put two and two together.

 

As they are in despair, Jesus interrupts them saying: “‘O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into His glory?’ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself” (Luke 24:25-27). 

 

After hearing God’s plan of salvation spoken to them, they urge this stranger to stay with them, and He agrees to stay with them for a while. Ironically, this stranger takes the place of host as He does what any Jewish host would do at mealtime. He takes, blesses, breaks, and distributes the bread to His companions. And at once, their eyes were opened. They recognized Jesus! This is the same Man who was crucified, the very Man on whom their hopes were pinned. He is alive! And He is with them! Jesus was no phantom. He was no ghost. It was Jesus! Alleluia! Christ is risen!

 

Yet, when their eyes were finally opened to see who it is who is with them, Jesus disappears.

 

With the Lord’s exalted Body, He can do with it as He wills. His Body is no longer confined by geography or time, it is the Lord’s Body. And with His Body, as we heard last week, locked doors are no longer a barrier. With His Body, He need not stay put in one place at a time. But where He puts Himself, He puts Himself for you. God does not invite you to search for Him where He cannot be found, such as in the cosmic reaches of space or in the depths of your own soul.

 

We, too, are often like these disciples. We face uncertainties. We face fears and anxieties. We face tragedies. In our moments of despair, we may even be tempted to ask, “Where are you God?” and “Why do You allow bad things to happen?” 

 

But the Triune God does not leave you to fend for yourself. He may be hidden, but that doesn’t mean that He is not there. Being raised from the dead, Jesus is free to be wherever He puts Himself for you. And you need not doubt as to where that is. 

 

The Lord hid Himself from those men on the road to Emmaus, so that He might reveal Himself to them, to show Himself where and when it pleases Him. And this is how Jesus wills to be known by you: in His Scriptures! So, in your life’s toughest moments, those moments of uncertainty and doubt, open the Scriptures!

 

It is the Scriptures that testify of Him as the very Son of God, who had to be handed over to evil men, crucified, and resurrected for us.

 

The redemption that these Emmaus disciples had hoped for had indeed taken place, but it was far greater than what they could ever imagine. Redemption took place not in some act of political liberation. It happened in the death of God’s only begotten Son, who paid the price of our release not with silver or gold, but with His own precious blood. That is what was necessary! “It was necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into His glory” (Luke 24:26).

 

It was necessary for you and your salvation. It has been done. The work is completed for you. It is finished. Jesus was put to death for your trespasses and raised again for your justification!

 

Yet even after His bodily resurrection, the Lord Jesus hides His glory. He does not overwhelm the road-weary sojourners on the road to Emmaus with a blinding flash of His dazzling radiance. Instead, He comes to them as a stranger whose identity is concealed from their eyes. This stranger reveals Himself in His words that interpret the Scriptures concerning Himself and in the breaking of the bread.

 

What the Lord did for the Emmaus disciples, He does for you. Your eyes are kept from seeing Him. Now, there will come a day when you will see Him in all of His glory. But until that day of Christ’s full appearing – that great and magnificent day – Jesus is concealed from our view.

 

But on that Last Day when He descends from above, all eyes will be upon Him, either to their everlasting joy or their eternal shame. Then we will behold Him and not another. 

 

At that moment, we will see our Redeemer as Job confessed: “After my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, who I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another” (Job 19:26-27). But this is still to come.

 

Now to recognize Jesus today means that He vanishes from our sight. He hides Himself so that we may learn to hear Him, and trust in Him, for faith comes not by sight but by the hearing of the Scriptures as St. Paul proclaims: “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the Word of Christ” (Romans 10:17).

 

Now, we may not see Him, but we still hear Him. We hear Him in His Word of absolution that declares, “Your sins are forgiven.” Like the Emmaus disciples, we hear His voice at the Holy Supper, where He gives you His Body to eat and His Blood to drink for the forgiveness of your sins. 

 

Through all the uncertainties of this fallen, sinful world, Christ is always found where He promises to be – His Word and Sacrament – as He assures us of the comfort of forgiveness and reconciliation. So, as the sinful world changes as the wind blows, Christ promises to be where He always is: His Means of Grace, Word and Sacrament, that gives us forgiveness of sins, which begets eternal life and salvation.

 

For us, too, Jesus is unseen, hidden under the words of Scripture and under the bread and wine. But when He speaks, our hearts are enflamed with faith.

 

Like the Emmaus disciples, our eyes are opened, and we recognize Him, but He never vanishes from our hearing, for “faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the Word of Christ” (Romans 10:17). Amen.

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen. 

 

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

Sermon for Easter 2: "We Are All Witnesses" (Acts 5:29-42)

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia!

 

Peter and his fellow apostles answered the Sanhedrin: “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).

 

On this Second Sunday of Easter, the apostles have changed. When we last heard about them, they were hiding away in a locked upper room as they feared the same fate as their Lord: death. Now, the doors weren’t just padlocked. They were barred shut. So, no one was getting in, and no one was getting out. The apostles believed the Jewish authorities could arrest them at any moment. But something changed them.

 

Jesus changed them! With the words, “Peace be with you,” Christ’s apostles no longer doubted. They saw and – in the case of Thomas – touched Him! They are no longer living in despair and fear; they are now filled with hope and assurance. 

 

These same apostles who were slow to faith are now filled with faith. They, who once doubted their Lord’s resurrection cannot stop proclaiming the wondrous works of their crucified and risen Lord at the temple. But their proclamation did not come without any conflict.

 

As the Holy Spirit aided the growth of Christ’s Church, not everyone was happy about it. We begin today’s reading from Acts with the apostles being called before the Sanhedrin. Now, since the resurrection of Christ, the Sanhedrin and the apostles had met on several occasions. And each time, the apostles were given strict orders to not speak of Jesus as the Christ. The Sanhedrin threatened the apostles. They even jailed them. But nothing deterred them. In fact, the apostles believed that if they silenced themselves, that would be criminal. So, by neglecting their proclamation of Jesus, they would be disobeying God.

 

Now, among the Sanhedrin, there was division. The Sadducees and the Pharisees did not like each other. Among the members of this highest Jewish court, they argued on various points of doctrine, including the resurrection of the dead. This court was religious, but it also dealt with temporal matters, both political and judicial.

The Sanhedrin was deeply divided, but they did find common ground on one issue: they would seek peace with Rome at any cost. For whenever the Jewish people got out of line, Rome would always respond harshly.

 

You see, the Sanhedrin would do anything to avoid the riots caused by frauds claiming to be the messiah, since they always resulted with Rome taking more power from them. But Jesus was not like any other person who claimed to be the Messiah. For Jesus was no national liberator as the others claimed. Jesus is the sacrificial Lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world. Jesus who is risen from the dead now sits at the right hand of God the Father. This too, the apostles witnessed as they stared at Jesus ascending into the heavens.

 

So, the apostles have a choice: obey God in proclaiming the forgiveness of sins won by the crucified and risen Jesus or obey men and live a peaceful and quiet life by not offending the Sanhedrin through hiding salvation from the world. Since the Sanhedrin commanded them to sin, the choice for the apostles was clear: “We must obey God rather than men.”

 

Like the apostles before us, we too, are also witnesses of Christ’s resurrection. But we weren’t there! How could we who live nearly 2,000 years after the resurrection be witnesses? Well, Martin Luther believed he was a witness of Christ. He lived about 1,500 years after Christ’s resurrection. He, like the apostles before him, was commanded to be silenced by his churchly and temporal authority: the pope and the Holy Roman emperor. 

 

Why? Because Luther said that popes and church councils have often made mistakes and even contradicted one another. He said that popes and councils should only be obeyed when their pronouncements conform to Scripture. This got Luther into much trouble. He would be excommunicated by the pope. But he was not deterred. A bounty was placed upon him, but he continued to teach, preach, write, publish, and debate. Luther firmly believed that his conscience was a safe guide since it was captive to the Word of God.

 

Now, due to sin, conscience is often separated from the Word of God. Still, we are all formed in some way. How and who and what we worship forms who we are. If we do not worship God and His Word, we then worship our disordered desires: money, possessions, lust. We get to choose what is right and what is wrong. We usurp God and take His throne.

 

During Luther’s day, the debate was on what was the higher authority: the Holy Bible or the pope. Today’s debate is on who or what has the authority on morality: the Holy Bible, government, or yourself.

 

As the world sees it, today’s radicals are Christians. We are the problem, since when our government commands us to sin, we are called to obey God rather than men. You, who are sitting in the pews here this morning, are seen as the extremists. You are the revolutionaries. You are because Christians believe that God’s Word never changes, because “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8) and “the Word of the Lord remains forever” (1 Peter 1:25). The world says all people are inherently good, but we know that “no one does good, not even one” (Romans 3:12b). We know that we are sinners in need of Christ’s forgiveness.

 

So, if we are the radicals, then what does the world consider normal? Since 2015, America has experienced a fundamental transformation. What was once considered abnormal is now normal: pornography, mutilating children through gender-affirming healthcare, drag queen story hour, same-sex and polyamorous relationships. Now, this isn’t a complete list. This is what men – in our government – encourage. Today, in order to protect our children, the world says that we must pervert them.

 

You have likely heard that we are in a battle for the soul of the nation. We are, indeed, in a spiritual war. But this war isn’t between people. This war attacks our soul. We are at battle against cosmic powers and spiritual forces of evil (Ephesians 6:12) that encourage man to disordered desires. But as Ecclesiastes 1:9 puts it, “there is nothing new under the sun.” So, all the issues we have today are not new. Sin is the cause. What’s different today is that social media takes the power of sinful desires and amplifies them. The entire focus of social media is turning our attention inward to ourselves. This is, in fact, the same tactic Satan used on our first parents. Satan said, “You will not surely die,” so go ahead and sin for “your eyes will be opened” (Genesis 3:1-5).

 

Today, our eyes are opened to more and more evil. Satan is deceiving us into thinking that evil is good. For many of us, the endorphins given by social media – as well with other forms of media – has changed our opinion on what is evil and good. 

 

Each of us are constantly at odds. We must face the choice of following God or following men. 

 

Our Old Adam – our inherited sinful nature – desires to follow men. Our New Adam – our regenerated self in Christ – desires to follow God. This is our constant and daily spiritual battle with sin. Dark, diabolical, demonic forces are at work in this world. Satan is hard at work in destroying marriage, the family, and the love of human life. So, when it comes to life and death, right and wrong, there is no third possibility, no middle ground, no neutral. It is an unrelenting war, Satan against God, and the battleground is the human heart.

 

But we have a weapon. And let us use this weapon. For this weapon is the Word of God – the Holy Bible. This was the weapon of the apostles, the weapon of Luther, and is our weapon. You see, through memorization, recitation, and prayer we have the weapons needed to hold off the sinful world, our sinful nature, and Satan himself.

 

And to give us even more ammunition against Satan, the world, and our sinful nature, Jesus gives us His peace through the Sacraments: Baptism, Confession, and the Lord’s Supper. This is why being active in church is so important! Here we are given forgiveness of sins and strength for our faith so we can proclaim the good news of God to the world. We need our sins forgiven, since Satan uses our sin to pull us away from God and to him. This is why we are here. We are here to receive God’s forgiveness and strength for our weak faith, so we have the will to fight ahead.

 

As we hear His Word and receive His gifts, we are all Christ’s witnesses. In Holy Baptism, Christ called you by name, and through His Word, He inspires us by the Holy Spirit to be His witnesses. We have been sent into this world, this culture, and at this time.

 

Truly, we must confess that we do not witness as we should. We can be daunted by the opposing words or condemning actions of those who don’t trust in the crucified and risen Christ. Out of fear of offending people, we can be tempted to remain silent.

 

Like the apostles, we cannot be silent. Even though we may receive rejection or dishonor, when we are commanded to break God’s Law, we must obey God rather than men. We will proclaim salvation as a gift through the crucified and risen Savior, Jesus Christ. We are His witnesses! Amen.

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen. 

 

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

Sermon for the Resurrection of Our Lord: "From Despair to Joy" (John 20:1-18)

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia!

 

Jesus rose not in mythology. He rose not in spirit, not in a mass hallucination, not in the distraught and disturbed minds of His disciples, and not in pious hope. Jesus rose! He took back His crucified and dead body. He took up His body from death and the grave.

 

He even left His linen grave cloths behind. It is as if He took off His bed sheets and folded them. Afterall, grave cloths are for the dead, not for the living. The tomb is empty, because He no longer has any use for it. Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia!

 

But on that great resurrection day morning, there wasn’t joy. Instead, there was despair, doubt, and uncertainty.

 

As much as Jesus taught His disciples that He must be delivered into the hands of evil men, die, and rise to life on the third day, they still were slow to believe. It seemed that each time Jesus mentioned this, they all got caught up on the aspect of His death. 

 

On Good Friday, they all witnessed their Lord suffer and later die nailed to a cross. All hope was lost.

 

So, on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark. She wasn’t alone as the other Gospels tell. She, along with Joanna and Mary the mother of James, and Salome brought spices, so that they could anoint the body of Jesus. Along the way, they asked each other, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” (Mark 16:3).

 

Despite Jesus proclaiming He would rise on the third day, none of those who were closest to Him had that expectation. But as the women arrived, they noticed that something was very wrong. The stone that once sealed the tomb was rolled away and the Roman guards were missing.

 

The women look inside the tomb and Jesus’ body is missing. All that remains are the expensive burial cloths neatly folded and placed by themselves.

 

Jesus had left behind clues, but Mary Magdalene’s first reaction was that of panic, despair, and uneasiness. What should have been clues to attest the Lord’s resurrection, served as evidence against the Lord’s resurrection. So, she immediately ran into Jerusalem to find Peter and John. Upon arrival, they too, were greatly influenced by Mary’s words: “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him!” (John 20:2). 

 

So, Peter and John run to the tomb. They look in, and confirm to Mary, “You’re right. He is not here.” Well, what big help they were. This she knew already. Then not knowing what else to do, Peter and John went back to Jerusalem. But Mary Magdalene remained. She did not know what to do. She did not know where to go. She did not know where to turn. So, she just stood there crying.

 

If she could only find the dead Christ, she would be satisfied. She longs to see Jesus. She was so thankful to Him. Jesus had driven seven demons out of her, and she could not forget His kindness. She only wanted to greet Him and thank Him one last time.

 

But this one last time was taken away from her. “Oh, they really hated Him,” she thought. “They hated Him so much that they stole His body! Now, they are grave robbers!”

 

She believed that in the middle of the night either the Romans or the Jewish authorities stole His body and buried Him somewhere else. How will she ever find Him again?

 

But there in the tomb are clues. Really, what grave robber would leave expensive linen cloths and fold them up neatly? There were no signs of haste. No signs of disarray. Whoever was responsible for this was careful, orderly, and unhurried. Who would just steal a body and leave expensive linen behind?

 

Alone and distraught, Mary remains weeping outside the empty tomb. You can just imagine here intense sobbing. On Friday, she witnessed the horror of her Lord hanging gruesomely upon the cross. She had seen the Romans take His limp body from the wood, and heard the horrid sound as they pulled the nails from the wood and the bone. Jesus was dead. She had no doubt of that. As awful Friday was, Sunday morning is starting off far worse. His body was missing.

 

But for some reason, she wanted to take another look inside. Could it be out of hope in seeing her dear Lord’s dead body miraculously re-appear? Maybe a chance to search for clues as who could have stolen His body?

 

But as Mary steps into the tomb, the tomb is no longer empty. In her grief, she doesn’t appear to be shocked in seeing two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain. Maybe she thinks she is daydreaming. Surely, this day so far has been an out-of-body experience for her. Showing their concern for Mary, the angels say to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” (John 20:13).

 

In distress, she replies, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him” (John 20:13b).

 

The magnitude of Mary’s grief shows itself when a conversation with angels does not even faze her. She doesn’t see their joy. But Mary turns around. Maybe she turned as the angels looked behind her. But she turns around. A man is standing there. Mary thought: “Could this be the gardener?” Hope is rising in her heart. “Maybe he knows something?!”

 

“Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away” (John 20:15).

 

His response: “Mary.” She immediately knew. Was it her tears that blinded Mary’s eyes that morning? Was it the grief in her heart that made all the world seem to move in slow motion? Everything changed when Jesus called her by name: “Mary.”

 

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 20:27), Jesus had said. Although she had not recognized Him before, at the sound of her name, Mary’s heart pounded, she caught her breath, and she moved the hair from her face and stared in awe. Joy then rose like a flood.

 

She turned and said to Him, “Rabboni! (which means teacher)” (John 20:16b).

 

I’m sure she immediately jumped into His arms. Beyond hope, beyond her wildest dreams, there Jesus stood. He was not a ghost. He was not a spirit. He was no illusion. It was Him! This was her Jesus with the wounds to prove it, but still shining in glory.

 

All morning Mary desired to be with Jesus. Now that she had Him back, she clung to Him. But, what about you? What would you have done that first Easter morning? Would you have given up all hope? Mary clung to the hope of finding His body. Do you always desire to cling to Jesus? 

 

So often, instead of clinging to Jesus, we cling to false gods – money, government, celebrities, or even yourself. Instead of coming to the Divine Service to be with fellow Christians and receive God’s grace that increases our faith, we make excuses. Instead of reading God’s Word, we find ourselves caught in the affairs of this fallen world. Instead of following the Triune God, we find ourselves following the fallen world and its upside-down values.

 

But as Mary clung to Jesus, she realized that without Him she had nothing, but with Him, she has everything. Knowing this, Jesus says to her, “Go and tell my brothers” (John 20:17).

 

Up to this moment, the disciples think that Jesus was dead, and they cannot believe that He has risen from the dead. Despite their unbelief, Jesus still calls them His brothers. There is nothing lacking in Him; the only lack is ours. Still, Jesus calls His doubting disciples, His brothers. And guess what? Despite our lack of faith, no matter what we may think, say, or do, Jesus still loves you, too, and He calls you His brother or His sister.

 

When all hope is lost in the world, Jesus still serves us His sure and certain hope because Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia!

 

Had Jesus remained dead, all hope would be lost. But He did not remain dead. Since He died and rose again, by faith in Christ, you, too, will also rise to life immortal. Until that day, cling to your crucified and risen Lord Jesus and repent and confess your sins to Him, for in Him, your sin is forgiven, your conscience is cleansed, your guilt is taken away, your shame is covered, your devil is crushed, your fears are banished. In Christ alone, we are given the joy of eternal life with Him!

 

Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia! Amen!

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen. 

 

+ SOLI DEO GLORIA +

Sermon for Easter Vigil: "Sharing in God's Rest" (Matthew 27:57-66)

Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Amen! Dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

“On the seventh day God finished His work that He had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all His work that He had done” (Genesis 2:2-3).

 

It was a Friday when God finished His work of creation. It was a Saturday when He rested from all His labors. 

 

God’s people were also reminded of God’s rest and were summoned to enter that rest with a day without toil by giving thanks to Him in worship and prayer.

 

Yesterday, Jesus finished His work. He cried out before His death: “It is finished.” The One through whom all things were made had come into human flesh to restore His creation. Having wrought redemption by His suffering on the cross, He announced His work complete and finished. He then slept in death.

 

His body was quickly taken by Joseph and Nicodemus to Joseph’s tomb, and before the sun set His body was laid to rest. As the sun set that Friday, Sabbath began. Even as God had rested from creating and blessed and hallowed the Sabbath rest, so God in our flesh rested from His labors of salvation. He rested in a tomb.

 

While the Son of God was resting in the tomb, the chief priests and the Pharisees were not resting. They were gathered before the Roman Governor Pontius Pilate in great fear. They said to Pilate, “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’ Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last fraud will be worse than the first” (Matthew 27:63-64).

 

After all the Sanhedrin had witnessed and heard Jesus do, is this what they were really afraid of? Were they afraid that Jesus who had healed the sick and raised the dead would have His disciples steal His body to make it look like He resurrected? What would that prove? A missing body proves nothing. 

Or did they actually come to believe that Jesus could very well be the Messiah? Could it be that they feared God’s wrath and thought that by sealing the tomb that they would be protected from God?

 

We don’t know. But while they should have been resting in God’s Word, they were scheming. They were frightened. This we know for sure. 

 

While all that was happening, Jesus was at rest, but His rest was only temporary. Maybe the Sanhedrin were right to be scared. However, while He was at rest, Jesus was sanctifying our graves, our burial sites. Even the graves of those who sent Him to death. He was preparing to make every one of them as temporary as His own. As He laid down and slept in death, Jesus would arise to a life that was forever beyond the grave, so that He would teach us to go to our graves as to a little rest, a little Sabbath. 

 

Our bodies will sleep there for a time, but on the Last Day Jesus will stand upon the earth with the sound of a trumpet blast. We shall rise and be glorified in our bodies forever. 

 

Christ’s temporary rest in the tomb opens up to us a new way for His baptized children to look at that hole in the ground. It has been made holy by His presence there. There is nothing we go through that He does not know, even the darkness of the grave closing us in. 

 

Yet, as it did not and could not hold Him, neither shall the darkness of death hold us. Amen. 

 

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen. 

 

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