Don't be alarmed?! Easter Sunday 2021 - Acts 10:34-43 & Mark 16:1-8
The Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard liked to tell stories about ducks. And he once told this story:
One wild duck was flying with his mates across northern Europe. During the flight this wild duck left the others to land in a Danish barnyard where there were tame ducks. He enjoyed the corn. He stayed for an hour, and then for a day, and then for a week, and then for a month.
He enjoyed the safety of the barnyard, so he decided to stay the entire summer. But one autumn day when the flock of wild ducks were winging their way southward again, they passed over the barnyard, and their mate heard their cries. He was stirred with a strange thrill of joy and delight, and with a great flapping of wings he rose in the air to join his old comrades in their flight.
But he found that his good life had made him soft and heavy that he could rise no higher than the top of the barn. So, he dropped back again to the barnyard, and said to himself, "Oh well, my life is safe here and the food is good."
Every spring and autumn when he heard the wild ducks honking, his eyes would gleam for a moment and he would begin to flap his wings. But finally, the day came when the wild ducks flew over him and uttered their cry, but he paid not the slightest attention to them.[1]
This dear old duck was complacent.
Kierkegaard’s duck draws our eyes to see our own complacency too.
After all, it is Easter Sunday once more.
Many of us have heard the Easter story year after year after year after year.
And here we are again.
How easy it is, like Kierkegaard’s duck to become complacent, no longer lifting our eyes to the miracle before us as we celebrate Easter.
The shock of it.
The joy of it.
The wonder of it all.
We know from the past year just how dangerous complacency can be. Just last week on Radio New Zealand’s morning report doctors and nurses were reflecting on the anniversary of our 4-week nationwide lockdown due to covid-19. These doctors and nurses expressed worry that because New Zealanders haven’t seen the worst of the virus, we might forget just how serious it is.
The UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has commented on the fact that in the UK widespread complacency about covid has led to devastating consequences.
Complacency can quite literally kill us.
Complacency can also dull our spirits, deafen our ears, and close our eyes to seeing the wonder of what God has done through Jesus Christ for our salvation.
And yet…
At the same time, there are others who have never heard the Easter story.
A teacher that I know was expressing the other day how shocked she was when she asked her class about Easter.
She asked her students: “So can anyone tell me what Easter is about?”
crickets
So, she pushed the question a little. “How about I give you a clue…You know about Hot Cross buns right?” (there were nods of recognition).
Again, “So what is Easter about?”
nothing.
“Ok, how about Christmas? Whose birthday is it at Christmas time?”
After a moment one child tentatively pipes up – “Jesus!”
“Ok, so at Easter time, what happens to Jesus? Again, think of that hot cross bun!’”
Now, it may seem shocking to some of you, but this is the truth of the matter.
We have today, in our society here in New Zealand folks in churches who have heard the Easter story so many times that there is a danger we can become complacent, and at the same time we have a community outside of the church, many for whom Easter means no more than a few days off work and some chocolate.
So, today as we explore our Easter readings what I want to do for us is to highlight two things:
First, the shock of Easter as we encounter Jesus’ resurrection in Mark.
Second, the meaning of Easter and its message exemplified by Peter’s sermon in Acts.
The event of the resurrection – Mark’s Gospel
Mark’s account of the resurrection of Jesus is brief, bracing, and ends abruptly.
In it we meet the women coming to the tomb of Jesus.
Mark tells us they come bearing spices to anoint the body of Jesus. This makes it clear they weren’t expecting him to be raised from the dead.
As they walk to the tomb they wonder, saying “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?”
This is quite a funny and homely detail. Like an absent-minded shopper who has forgotten their list doing the groceries, a key detail is missing – “Once we get there, how will we actually see the body of Jesus.”
The tomb was covered by a large burial stone. Not simple or easy to move.
There is a hint here at this moment of the insurmountable problem the women face. They were about to enter the mysteries of salvation – of death and resurrection, of human sin and brokenness, healing, forgiveness, grace, and new life.
In other words, they were about to walk into territory that belongs to God and God only.
God is the only one who can remove the stone. God is the only one who can solve the deepest ache of humanity to be reconciled to God and one another and to be made truly whole.
And so, the women come to the tomb.
What they discover is an empty tomb and an angel with news of resurrection on his lips.
And we hear in verse 8 “they fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.”
Shock, awe, terror.
Let us not imagine a serene moment with an angel and early morning light painted in bright colours of joy, but rather terrified women, awestruck and shocked to the core by what has just happened.
May we, with these women encounter afresh the shock of that moment as we worship this morning.
The angel says, “do not be alarmed” and in this setting his exclamation seems like one half of a Tui billboard – “Yeah right.”
But this story isn’t really about the women.
In fact, the main character is missing from the scene. He is not at the tomb for he is risen!
This whole story is in fact about Jesus. He stands at the centre of the story. The conspicuous nature of the empty tomb points to the reality of the resurrection. Mark tells us this story so that we might know the shocking reality of it all.
(I have spoken about the reasons we can trust in the resurrection accounts in the gospels before, and will post a podcast on this today for those who are interested).
Today we reflect on that shocking first Easter morning, and in our reading from Acts we see one of the first preachers of the good news about Jesus articulating the meaning of Jesus’ resurrection.
The meaning of the resurrection – Peter’s sermon in Acts.
In Acts chapter 10, Peter stands before an audience of gentiles (that is non-Jewish folks) and explains to them the story of Jesus and what he has done.
“As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), 37 you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. 39 And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, 40 but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, 41 not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. 43 To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” (Acts 10:36-43)
CROSS AND RESURRECTION
First, what is important about Peter’s sermon is that he holds the whole story together in one movement. The death and resurrection of Jesus are two parts of one story. We need both.
If we try to jump to resurrection without the pain and suffering of the cross, we might have a peppy and positive message but it is without substance, unable to enter into the depths of human suffering.
If we only look to the cross, then we have a faith that speaks into suffering and brokenness, but never lifts our eyes to hope and healing beyond it.
The cross and resurrection are both proclaimed by Peter – together they announce the reality of what God has done to rescue this world.
FORGIVENESS OF SIN
So, what does the cross and resurrection of Jesus mean for us?
Peter says: “To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
Sin is the word the Bible uses to name our refusal of God, our rejection of God and life with him and all of the miseries that flow from this. To be sinners is to be alienated from God because of our inherent propensity to reject him and seek to live on our own terms. To be a sinner is to contribute to the brokenness of this world by our own selfish choices and actions. We are all caught in this web, none of us beyond it or above it. All fall short.
And so, the Easter story tells us of how God came to reconcile us to him. To forgive sinners like us and make us whole again, giving us a fresh start.
Through the cross, Jesus took upon himself the penalty for our sin – even death itself. He bore it in his body as he was crucified. He uttered words of forgiveness even as he did so: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”
For Peter, forgiveness of sin is not just an abstract message.
He knows deeply and intimately what it means to be a sinner, to reject God in the flesh, Jesus Christ.
Just when Jesus needed his friends the most, Peter cut and run. He turned his back on Jesus as Jesus was handed over to be tortured and crucified. Peter was singled out as the one disciple who publicly denied Jesus three times.
And yet on resurrection Sunday Peter gets a special mention from the angel. Jesus is going ahead to meet him to give Peter a fresh start.
Jesus forgives Peter, even for his betrayal.
Peter intimately knows the power of sins forgiven. [2]
We too can know forgiveness for our sin, and the shame and guilt we carry in our lives through the freedom offered to us through the death and resurrection of Jesus.
HOPE FOR THE FUTURE
Not only do we experience forgiveness of sins as we trust in Jesus, we are also given a hope for the future. Peter reminds his hearers that Jesus“is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead…”
For those who trust in Jesus their future is determined by what Jesus has done in the world changing events of his death and resurrection.
In 1 Corinthians 15 Paul says: “But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.”
The point is that those who believe in Christ, will share in his resurrection with Him.
We have hope offered beyond the grave.
This calls Paul to exclaim in praise: “O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?”
JESUS THE LIVING LORD WHO MEETS US RISEN FROM THE TOMB
So, through Jesus’ death and resurrection we our offered forgiveness of sin, hope beyond death, and an invitation to relationship with Jesus.
Pastor Tim Keller puts it well saying:
“The resurrection means that we do not merely follow the teachings of a dead leader. Rather, we have vital, loving fellowship with a living Lord.”[3]
Today as we gather to worship, this Easter, we are invited to meet with the risen Jesus and to know his love for each and every one of us.
So, as we reflect on the Easter message today, for those who have heard it many times, let us not be complacent. May we be shocked afresh as we hear the good news of resurrection and what it means for us.
Like Peter, may we also be stirred to preach good news to a world that so desperately needs to hear of who Jesus is and what he has done.
And for those of us for whom this is new and fresh, like those first disciples, may we be moved to respond in faith.
[1] Soren Kierkegaard parable (adapted)
[2] Larry Hurtado, Mark: Understanding the Bible Commentary Series. Hurtado puts it beautifully: “The risen Jesus summons the same disciples who abandoned and denied him (Peter) to renew their discipleship and to become again his followers. Thus, this earliest form of the proclamation of the Christian gospel in Mark, the news of the risen Jesus, not only heralds the victory of Jesus over death but also announces and embodies the forgiveness that is part of the gospel message.”
[3] Keller, Timothy. Hope in Times of Fear: The Resurrection and the Meaning of Easter (p. 57). John Murray Press. Kindle Edition.