Sunday's Message - The Paradox of the Passion (The Paradox of the Resurrection)

During the worship services of Holy Week, we’re focusing on The Paradox of the Passion: Exploring Holy Week in the Gospel of Matthew. Now, a paradox is a statement, idea, or situation that seems to contradict itself or defy logic, but which may actually be true or reveal a hidden truth. We'll consider the paradox present in the following four stories:

• Sunday, March 29 - Palm / Passion Sunday (The Paradox of the Triumphal Entry)
• Thursday, April 2 - Maundy Thursday Love Feast (The Paradox of the Last Supper)
• Friday, April 3 - Good Friday Tenebrae Service (The Paradox of the Crucifixion)
• Sunday, April 5 - Easter Celebration Service (The Paradox of the Resurrection)

On Sunday, we celebrated Easter by focusing on the paradox of the resurrection.  Below is a presentation and the text of the sermon. You can stream the service by going to the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel on Sundays at 10:00 a.m. (EDT).  You can hear a podcast of the service at the Sligo Presbyterian Church YouTube Channel or the Sligo Presbyterian Spotify Page.

Well, here we are, Easter morning. And even though it’s not as beautiful as it was yesterday, it’s still a magnificent day, especially for Christians. In fact, in my opinion, it’s the most important day in the entire year. Now, I recognize that, if you’re talking about how it’s celebrated, dyed eggs and silent bunnies really can’t hold a candle to Santa Claus and decorated trees. Still, in my opinion, the meaning and importance of the resurrection puts it head and shoulders above the other 365. 

And I’ll tell you, that’s the reason we spent five weeks talking about how we might prepare to celebrate Easter. And then last week, on Palm Sunday, we refined our focus a little bit and started talking about the four episodes in Matthew that led up to the resurrection, each of which, I believe, has a paradox, a contradiction, some kind of unexpected twist either within or connected to the story. For example, last week, we looked at how the same crowd who waved palm branches and shouted “Hosannas” would later cry, “Nail him to a cross” while standing in Pilate’s court. And then, on Maundy Thursday, we considered how the closeness and unity of the last supper led to Jesus praying alone in Gethsemane and the disciples running away. And then, on Good Friday, we shared the most dramatic paradox of all, how an event that involved Jesus saying, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me” as he died alone on a cross, how did this could culminate with earthquakes and dead people walking around and a group of Roman soldiers who saw it all saying, “This man really was God’s Son!” Now, that’s been our trip through what’s called Holy Week.

And this morning, we reach the conclusion of our little journey toward Easter, and I’m talking about the resurrection of the Lord. And you know, I think it’s interesting, just like we saw with the triumphal entry and the Last Supper and the crucifixion, as described by Matthew, well, I think there’s a paradox here as well. And just like we did last week, we’ll cover it by looking at three aspects of the account. I mean, first, we’ll consider the story itself. And then second, we’ll focus on the paradox within the story. And then third, we’ll discuss a lesson we might take from what’s happening here in Matthew.

Now that’s the plan, which starts with the story as written by the Evangelist Matthew. Now just listen to what he wrote:

The Sabbath was over, and it was almost daybreak on Sunday when Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. Suddenly a strong earthquake struck, and the Lord’s angel came down from heaven. He rolled away the stone and sat on it. The angel looked as bright as lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards shook from fear and fell down, as though they were dead.

The angel said to the women, “Don’t be afraid! I know you are looking for Jesus, who was nailed to a cross. He isn’t here! God has raised him to life, just as Jesus said he would. Come, see the place where his body was lying. Now hurry! Tell his disciples he has been raised to life and is on his way to Galilee. Go there, and you will see him. This is what I came to tell you.” [Matthew 28:1-7, CEV]

Now that’s the resurrection according to Matthew. And even though the stuff that happened at the beginning is really exciting, I mean, it sounds like something you might see in a Steven Spielberg movie and very similar to the kind of thing that those soldiers saw right after Jesus died, I want to focus on what the angel said to the women. For example, he said two things about Jesus, didn’t he, you know, that he wasn’t in the tomb because God had raised him to life, and since he wasn’t where he’d been lying, he had to be somewhere else. That’s one. And then he said that Jesus was on his way to Galilee, a distance of about 70 miles as the crow flies. And so, according to what the angel said, Jesus was no longer anywhere near the tomb and they would be seeing him later. Now file that away. 

But the angel didn’t just talk about Jesus, did he? I mean, he also mentioned the women, and in particular, two things he wanted them to do. I mean, he said, “Don’t be afraid!”, a command that really makes a lot of sense, considering what they saw. And then he said, “Tell his disciples he has been raised to life and is on his way to Galilee.” In other words, that angel clearly and emphatically gave those women a purpose, didn’t he? They had a very specific mission, a message to share with the other disciples, you know, that Jesus was covering those 70 miles between Jerusalem and Galilee. And as a reminder that they would be taking this message all by themselves, the angel added, “Go there [meaning Galilee], and you will see him. This is what I came to tell you.” Now, in a nutshell, that’s the story. 

Well, having said that, let me take a half-step back, because, according to the Evangelist Matthew, something happened within the story itself that really contradicted what the angel had just said. In other words, for me, right here is the paradox. Just listen:

The women were frightened and yet very happy, as they hurried from the tomb and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them and greeted them. They went near him, held on to his feet, and worshiped him. Then Jesus said, “Don’t be afraid! Tell my followers to go to Galilee. They will see me there.” [Matthew 28:8-10, CEV]

Now, according to Matthew, that’s what happened. You see, as those women were claiming their purpose, you know, as they were doing what the angel told them to do and as they were going to tell the other disciples that Jesus wasn’t there at the tomb, instead he was going to get together with them 70 miles away in Galilee, as all this was going on, who did they meet? They met Jesus, right? As they were accomplishing their purpose, they met Jesus along the way. And obviously they knew right away who he was, because without any hesitation, “they went near him, held on to his feet, and worshiped him.” You see, the one whom they weren’t supposed to see, the one who wasn’t there and who would meet them in Galilee, man, there he was, a contradiction to what the angel said, a paradox within the story itself. And to leave no doubt that there was a connection between his presence there on the road with the purpose of those women, Jesus said, “Don’t be afraid! Tell my followers to go to Galilee. They will see me there.” 

Of course, we’re going to see this same kind of connection between purpose and presence a little later in the story. Just listen:

Jesus’ eleven disciples went to a mountain in Galilee, where Jesus had told them to meet him. They saw him and worshiped him, but some of them doubted.

Jesus came to them and said:

I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth! Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world. [Matthew 28:16-20, CEV]

Now, in case you don’t know it, this is how the Gospel of Matthew ends, with our purpose and Christ’s presence coming together, something that I believe is apparent when we take the paradox within the story seriously.

Of course, both the story and the paradox, well, they’re just nice to know information without the lesson. And I’ll tell you, in my opinion, the lesson we can take from the resurrection according to Matthew, not only have we been talking about it but I believe we can claim it as soon as we leave here this morning. And here it is. 

You see, as we think about the story and the paradox, I believe the resurrection reminds us that we, right here and right now, we also have a purpose. I mean, like those women who left the tomb and those disciples who went down from that mountain, we have the opportunity to share the love and the mercy and the generosity of Jesus Christ to those around us. Now I recognize that when I say “share,” some of y’all may cringe just a little bit. You see, often we assume that sharing means telling and talking. And when you get right down to it, doing that kind of thing may demand a pretty definite skill set that not everyone has. I mean, that’s what preachers do. They tell the story, and they do it by talking and talking and talking, right? Now that’s what we assume “sharing” means. But you know, I really don’t think that’s true, at least not about sharing. I mean, let me ask y’all. What’s the best way to communicate love, is it by talking about it or by deciding to be loving, even to folks we don’t like? And what’s the best way to communicate mercy, is it by defining it or by deciding to be merciful, even to people who don’t deserve it? And what’s the best way to communicate generosity, is it by telling folks how generous we are or by deciding to be truly generous, even if that means sacrificing some of our wants so that we can address the needs of others. You see, maybe that’s what sharing Jesus Christ is all about. And I’ll tell you, we can do that all by ourselves, by the words we speak and the work we do and the attitude we show. But you know, we can also do it as communities, can’t we? And just imagine, just imagine the impact we might have if we got together to be loving and to be merciful and to be generous. Who knows, we might change the world, or at the very least, change our little piece of it. You see, as written by Matthew, I think the resurrection reminds us that we have a purpose.

But take it to the bank, it also reminds us that we have a presence, a presence that we’re going to experience in just a few minutes when we gather around the Lord’s Table and a presence that we have the opportunity to take into the world. You know, I think it’s really interesting. The one who met those women as they were doing what the angel told them to do and the one who promised the disciples that he would be with them until the end of the world, he was given a name before he was even born that reminds us who and what he is and will always be. I mean, according to Matthew, Jesus came to be Emmanuel, which means, “God with us.” That’s who he was going to be before his birth. And that’s who he is after his resurrection. And that’s who he will be for us as we move forward. In other words, regardless of where we go, through Jesus Christ, God is with us, inspiring us to be loving. And regardless of whom we’re with, through Jesus Christ, God is with us, enabling us to be merciful. And regardless of what we do, through Jesus Christ, God is with us, empowering us to be generous. You see, not only do we have a purpose, man, we’ve got a presence. And for me, that’s the lesson of the story and the paradox.

Of course, having said all that, I think you could say that the Cadbury egg is now in our court. You see, as we move through our celebration of Easter, let’s remember the story of that angel who told the women about how Jesus wasn’t there and who gave them a very definite mission to accomplish. And then, let’s remember the paradox, you know, how that person who wasn’t there met them along the way as they were doing the very thing they were told to do. And then, let’s remember the lesson, that like those women, we also have a purpose and a presence with us all the time. Let’s remember. And I’ll tell you, if we do, I think we’ll be claiming and living the paradox of the resurrection.