"But..."

9.30am Easter Sunday 23 February 2008

Readings: Matthew 28:1-10

According to The Concise Oxford Dictionary the word 'but' in the English language can be used in nine different ways depending on the context in which it is found. It is a very significant word when it is used to mean 'on the contrary,' 'nevertheless,' 'however,' 'on the other hand,' 'moreover,' and 'yet.' For example, in the passage we have just had read to us from Matthew 28, in the Greek interlinear New Testament, the first word in the translation that it gives for the Greek text of Matthew 28:1 is the word 'But.' Immediately I thought, how appropriate. That one word picks up the stark contrast between what you read in Matthew 27, and what follows in Matthew 28. The contrast is as different as night and day, dusk and dawn, despair and hope, death and life. And I found myself getting really excited and thinking, "That's it! That one word captures the essence of the Easter message. That's what Easter is all about. It is God's 'but' after humankind had done its worst to his Son. God has the final say." "But after the Sabbath, on the first day of the week..."

Let us look for a moment at what we find either side of this word, and note the difference between these two chapters. Matthew 27 traces the events that happened on that fateful day two thousand years ago. The chapter begins with the chief priests and the elders of the people bringing Jesus before Pilate to have him executed. They had wanted to do this for some time, but the final straw came earlier in that week when Jesus raised Lazarus from death at Bethany. John tells us that when news of this miracle reached them, they called an emergency meeting of the Sanhedrin, the highest political body in the land. "What are we to do?" they said.[1] They were concerned that if Jesus continued to do such things, everyone would believe in him. John in his Gospel gives some of the content of their deliberations, and the upshot of it was, "...from that day on they plotted to take his life."[2] When Judas came along offering to betray Jesus to them, they jumped at the opportunity. And so after a farcical trial in which they condemn him to death on the evidence of his own testimony, they bring him to Pilate to have him condemned. The middle part of Matthew 27 shows the religious leaders relentlessly pursuing their goal to be rid of Jesus. They deftly outmanoeuvre Pilate, the Roman Governor, and persuade the crowd to call for the release of the notorious murderer, Barabbas, and stir them up to demand the crucifixion of Jesus.

The chapter ends with those same people, the chief priests and the Pharisees, coming to Pilate to express their concerns that Jesus' disciples might come and steal his body and say that he had risen. I am sure Pilate enjoyed that moment after being outfoxed by them earlier in the day. They had done their 'dirty' work by having Jesus crucified. Now they are fearful that the disciples will pull off the theft of Jesus' body and say that he was raised. They knew that if that happened, it would make things worse than they were before. Isaiah truly said, "There is no peace for the wicked."[3] And so Pilate said, "Do something about it yourselves." "You have a guard of soldiers; go, make it as secure as you can."[4] And so they did. They put a seal on the stone covering the tomb where Jesus lay, and posted a guard to keep watch over the grave. They did all they could to make sure that the body would not or could not be ferreted away. You could imagine them leaving the scene congratulating themselves and rubbing their hands together in smug satisfaction, saying, "That's the last we will see of him. Well done, guys." That evening they may have even toasted each other on a successful outcome to the day. How wrong they were. Did they think that some puny seal on a grave, and guards with swords and spears could keep the God who had created the universe at bay? They had left God's 'but' out of their reckoning. The Bible says, "Many are the plans in a human heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails."[5]

Now there was another group of people in this story for whom this day had realised their worst fears. You can imagine how they must have felt - despondent, defeated, disillusioned, demoralised, dejected. They were in hiding behind locked doors for fear of the Jews. You can sense the tenseness in the air. Everyone is on edge. It was the darkest moment of their lives. They had pinned all their hopes on Jesus. They had given up their livelihoods to follow him, because they believed he was their Messiah. What he said made sense. It had the ring of truth about it. It was liberating, so radically different from what they had been taught before. But it was not only what he said that made him so special. It was what he did. Amazing things! Things that showed them God really cared. They saw love in action in a way they had never experienced before. You can imagine the thoughts that would have been going through their minds. Was it all for nothing? Was it all in vain? They, too, had left God out of the picture.

Then in Matthew 28 we have this touching scene of the women in this story. Women are more practical than men. They were feeling no less distraught at what had happened than the disciples, but they were going to do what they could to make sure that Jesus had a decent burial, even if it meant being arrested. And so after resting as was prescribed on the Sabbath day they took the spices they had prepared and set off for the tomb. The first rays of light could be seen filtering across the dawn sky as they solemnly made their way out of the city. Mark's account of the resurrection implies that they had not thought about the stone across the entrance of the tomb until they were on their way, and they were wondering who would roll it way.[6] 'But' they need not have worried. Matthew says, "There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it."[7] The guards were scared out of their wits and froze in fear. But to the women the angel said, "Do not be afraid, for I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead...'"[8] God "...is able to do immeasurably more that all we ask or imagine..."[9] The resurrection proves it. That the tomb would be empty was the last thing these women were expecting to find that day. And when they went back to the others, the other disciples did not believe it either. They thought the women were talking "nonsense."[10] And they were right. It did not make sense. But once they had seen Jesus themselves and realised that it was true, the resurrection became an essential part of the message they shared everywhere they went. Peter said to the crowd that gathered on the Day of Pentecost, "This man (Jesus) was handed over to you by God's deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him."[11]

God always has the last say. And this is true for each one of us. We must never leave God out of the equation, out of our reckoning, out of the picture. It makes all the difference. Paul puts the message of Easter this way: "...at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."[12]

I do not know what your present situation is, what struggles you are having, what problems you are experiencing, what decisions you are having to make, what challenges you are facing, but ... God does. He knows. He cares, and he has promised to work in all things for the good of those who love him.[13] Don't leave him out of the equation. The words "but God" or "but the Lord" occur about 130 times in Scripture and so many of them speak of a different future. He is with you, so you are not to be afraid.[14] He is your support, and will see you through your difficulties.[15] He promises to strengthen and protect you from the evil one.[16] He is calling you to offer your life and gifts in service to others, according to the grace given to you.[17]

But most of all, never give up hope. Remember the "But..." in the Easter story. It made all the difference to the outcome, and let the risen Christ come into your life and circumstances. Nothing is ever too hard for him.[18]