Pastor Tom Johnson, April 5, 2015
Mary Magdalene, Mary the Mother of James, and Salome are courageous. They are brave disciples walking straight toward a tomb hewn out of solid rock. They are going straight to the place where they expect to find the dead body of Jesus. It took a handful of very strong people to put the large boulder there in the first place. It is no small obstacle for them to overcome. And so they wonder how they ever will be able to take their spices to serve their master, express their grief, and honor him in life and in death. “Who will roll away the stone for us?” they ask.
It is especially courageous when you think about what the grave means for these Jewish believers. The Hebrew Bible many times describes the grave or Sheol as power of death over all the living. The stone tomb is death’s hungry, gaping mouth which wants to have the living for breakfast. The stone door is the same thing as what Jesus calls “the gates of Hades.” That idea of death as a prison comes from the Hebrew Bible. The stone rolled over the opening of Jesus’ tomb means that death will not give up its captive. It’s what we mean when we confess that Jesus descended into hell. And so they ask, “Who will roll away the stone for us?” Scripture says that “our adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Pet 5:8). And so these women courageously walk into the mouth of death asking, “Who will open those jaws which are the gates of hell? Who will pry open those fangs which are the bars of Sheol?
What are the stones rolled over our hopelessness? What are the gates shutting us in to our despair? What are the bars locking us in the prison of anxiety and fear? What is preventing us from gaining access to our Savior? How have we overestimated the power of sin, death, the devil, and the gates of hell to keep us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord? Like the women in our text, we live courageously but with lingering doubt and questions about the obstacles ahead. “Who will roll away the stone for us?” How will the fractured relationships in my life be restored? How will I move forward by faith with my health concerns? How can I grow as a person in my vocation, serve God, and serve my neighbor in the face of joblessness or what feels like a dead-end career? How can I break free of the world’s many anxieties, the guilt of my sin, and the very real and inevitable prospect of death for all of us. “Who will roll away these stones for us?”
I think we should look again at these courageous disciples. They keep walking. They walk by faith and not by sight. They question but they keep moving forward. Their courage is mixed with fear—fear of the unknown but they still press on ahead. When they arrive at Jesus’ tomb, they are alarmed to see that the stone already rolled away. When they enter the tomb, they are alarmed to find an angel inside the tomb instead of the body of Jesus. It’s a great bait and switch! They encounter more questions. They face more fear. But they keep walking. They remain open, curious, and teachable despite their fear. That is true courage—to continue their journey to Jesus with so many unknowns and surprises. They discover a world where stones rolled over rock hewn tombs are trivial. They are challenged by good news far beyond what they asked or imagined. They realize that while they were wondering how they would gain access to Jesus’ dead body, God was working on how the risen Christ would gain access to them.
This is far greater than a great stone being rolled away for a few disciples. This is the world turned upside down by the resurrection! It is the realization that our worries and obstacles—as real and formidable as they certainly are—often fall short of God’s vision and mission to bring hope, peace, and joy into our lives. Through Jesus death and resurrection, God has rolled back a mighty stone! Just as Jesus said “The gates of hell will not prevail.” The prison doors and bars have been blown off their hinges. Jesus is not there. He has risen! God has rolled back a mighty stone! “Death itself cannot hold him.” And we… “If we have been united in a death like his, we shall certainly be united in a resurrection like his.” “O death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory?” God has rolled back a mighty stone! Guilt, shame, and despair are not greater than God’s forgiveness, grace, and love. God has overcome our sin and brokenness through the gift of his Son, Jesus Christ who lived, died, and lives again. God has rolled back a mighty stone! No stone—nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus! God has rolled back a mighty stone! The day is fast approaching when God will also roll back the sky like a scroll. His glory will be fully revealed. We will all see that he is Lord of lords and King of kings. And we will laugh at ourselves for wondering and worrying about how he would roll away our little stones.
This is a sight that gladdens—What peace it doth impart!
Now nothing ever saddens The joy within my heart.
No gloom shall ever shake, No foe shall ever take
The hope which God’s own Son In love for me has won.
Now hell, its prince, the devil, Of all their pow’r are shorn;
Now I am safe from evil, And sin I laugh to scorn,
Grim death with all its might Cannot my soul affright;
It is a pow’rless form, Howe’er it rave and storm.
Now I will cling forever To Christ, my Savior true;
My Lord will leave me never, Whate’er He passes through.
He rends death’s iron chain; He breaks through sin and pain;
He shatters hell’s grim thrall; I follow Him through all.
(vv. 3,4,6 of “Awake, My Heart, with Gladness” LSB 467)
Mary Magdalene, Mary the Mother of James, and Salome are courageous. They are brave disciples walking straight toward a tomb hewn out of solid rock. They are going straight to the place where they expect to find the dead body of Jesus. It took a handful of very strong people to put the large boulder there in the first place. It is no small obstacle for them to overcome. And so they wonder how they ever will be able to take their spices to serve their master, express their grief, and honor him in life and in death. “Who will roll away the stone for us?” they ask.
It is especially courageous when you think about what the grave means for these Jewish believers. The Hebrew Bible many times describes the grave or Sheol as power of death over all the living. The stone tomb is death’s hungry, gaping mouth which wants to have the living for breakfast. The stone door is the same thing as what Jesus calls “the gates of Hades.” That idea of death as a prison comes from the Hebrew Bible. The stone rolled over the opening of Jesus’ tomb means that death will not give up its captive. It’s what we mean when we confess that Jesus descended into hell. And so they ask, “Who will roll away the stone for us?” Scripture says that “our adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Pet 5:8). And so these women courageously walk into the mouth of death asking, “Who will open those jaws which are the gates of hell? Who will pry open those fangs which are the bars of Sheol?
What are the stones rolled over our hopelessness? What are the gates shutting us in to our despair? What are the bars locking us in the prison of anxiety and fear? What is preventing us from gaining access to our Savior? How have we overestimated the power of sin, death, the devil, and the gates of hell to keep us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord? Like the women in our text, we live courageously but with lingering doubt and questions about the obstacles ahead. “Who will roll away the stone for us?” How will the fractured relationships in my life be restored? How will I move forward by faith with my health concerns? How can I grow as a person in my vocation, serve God, and serve my neighbor in the face of joblessness or what feels like a dead-end career? How can I break free of the world’s many anxieties, the guilt of my sin, and the very real and inevitable prospect of death for all of us. “Who will roll away these stones for us?”
I think we should look again at these courageous disciples. They keep walking. They walk by faith and not by sight. They question but they keep moving forward. Their courage is mixed with fear—fear of the unknown but they still press on ahead. When they arrive at Jesus’ tomb, they are alarmed to see that the stone already rolled away. When they enter the tomb, they are alarmed to find an angel inside the tomb instead of the body of Jesus. It’s a great bait and switch! They encounter more questions. They face more fear. But they keep walking. They remain open, curious, and teachable despite their fear. That is true courage—to continue their journey to Jesus with so many unknowns and surprises. They discover a world where stones rolled over rock hewn tombs are trivial. They are challenged by good news far beyond what they asked or imagined. They realize that while they were wondering how they would gain access to Jesus’ dead body, God was working on how the risen Christ would gain access to them.
This is far greater than a great stone being rolled away for a few disciples. This is the world turned upside down by the resurrection! It is the realization that our worries and obstacles—as real and formidable as they certainly are—often fall short of God’s vision and mission to bring hope, peace, and joy into our lives. Through Jesus death and resurrection, God has rolled back a mighty stone! Just as Jesus said “The gates of hell will not prevail.” The prison doors and bars have been blown off their hinges. Jesus is not there. He has risen! God has rolled back a mighty stone! “Death itself cannot hold him.” And we… “If we have been united in a death like his, we shall certainly be united in a resurrection like his.” “O death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory?” God has rolled back a mighty stone! Guilt, shame, and despair are not greater than God’s forgiveness, grace, and love. God has overcome our sin and brokenness through the gift of his Son, Jesus Christ who lived, died, and lives again. God has rolled back a mighty stone! No stone—nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus! God has rolled back a mighty stone! The day is fast approaching when God will also roll back the sky like a scroll. His glory will be fully revealed. We will all see that he is Lord of lords and King of kings. And we will laugh at ourselves for wondering and worrying about how he would roll away our little stones.
This is a sight that gladdens—What peace it doth impart!
Now nothing ever saddens The joy within my heart.
No gloom shall ever shake, No foe shall ever take
The hope which God’s own Son In love for me has won.
Now hell, its prince, the devil, Of all their pow’r are shorn;
Now I am safe from evil, And sin I laugh to scorn,
Grim death with all its might Cannot my soul affright;
It is a pow’rless form, Howe’er it rave and storm.
Now I will cling forever To Christ, my Savior true;
My Lord will leave me never, Whate’er He passes through.
He rends death’s iron chain; He breaks through sin and pain;
He shatters hell’s grim thrall; I follow Him through all.
(vv. 3,4,6 of “Awake, My Heart, with Gladness” LSB 467)
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