+ In Nomine Jesu +
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Christ is Risen! He is Risen, Indeed! Alleluia!
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Grace and peace to you, from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. 
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This morning’s message is based on the Gospel reading from Matthew 28, but especially these words toward the end of the reading.  “So the (women) departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell (Jesus’) disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them‌, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”
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It is difficult to know how any of us would have reacted had we been there at Jesus’ tomb on that first Easter morning. I mean, as Lutherans, and assuming everyone else there that morning were Lutherans too, we would have had our words rehearsed and ready, right? “Christ is Risen! He is Risen, Indeed! Alleluia!” What else do you say on Easter Sunday morning? But, as you can see from Matthew’s account of things, that’s not really what happened with the people who were there that morning. 
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There were several people at the tomb. Some guards had been posted there to make sure that no one came and stole the body of Jesus. The authorities, you see, feared that Jesus’ followers would steal His body in order to fake His resurrection from the dead. It’s interesting though, isn’t it? The posting of the guards to prevent a hoax from being perpetrated, made for sound testimony that no one had stolen Jesus body, but that He had, in fact, risen from the dead. 
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There were two Mary’s that went to the tomb that morning as well. One was Mary Magdalene, the other was Mary, the mother of James and Joseph. And, as Matthew tells us, there was “an angel of the Lord there too. (He) descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance (we are told) was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow.”
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So, there is the cast, if you will, of people who were there that day. How did this small group of people react on that first Easter morning? There is a word used a couple of times in these verses from Matthew 28 to describe their reactions. It’s a word that we probably wouldn’t expect to be associated with Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. It’s the word fear, or in the Greek language, the language of the NT, it’s the word phobas. It’s worth noting that though the Hebrew language, which is the language of the Old Testament, has many different words for fear, the Greek language tends to use just one, this word phobas. By the way, I’m sure you recognize that our English word phobia comes from this particular Greek word. 

A little more on this word fear and then we’ll come back to the reaction of the people at the tomb. Fear, as it’s used in the NT, covers the a spectrum of meanings and uses, such as fearing physical danger, or fearing social ramifications, or feeling awe at witnessing extraordinary events, or fearing the wrath of God, or feeling reverence and respect for God. In the Book of Acts, non-Jews who worshiped the God of Israel are called those who “fear God.”
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We are told that the guards, who were at the tomb that day, “for fear of him (meaning the angel who sat on the stone), trembled and became like dead men.”  Now, assuming these men were not believers in Christ, a proper assumption, their reaction to the empty tomb and the presence of the angel is, at least, pure and honest. What I mean by that is that they didn’t seem to have a weak or a cavalier view of God, that is, if they had any view of Him at all. No, on a much simpler level, they recognized that they were characters in an unfolding drama, that they could neither explain or nor comprehend. What they were experiencing that day was otherworldly and it frightened them.
 

And so, the guards fear was real, so real, in fact, that they became like dead men, meaning they were unable to even move. We would probably say they were paralyzed with fear. By the way, for anyone who rejects Jesus, who doesn’t believe in Him and the salvation that He has won for and given to the world, the guards reaction at the empty tomb is still the right one. As the Prophet Isaiah once said when he “saw” God, “Woe is me! For I am (undone); for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!”
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The two Mary’s saw the reaction of the guards, and apparently they were afraid too, but the angel spoke them, saying, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen.” And then, after they had left the tomb, Jesus appeared to them and said, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”
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Throughout the Bible, fear and particularly being afraid of God, is depicted as a consequence of man’s fall into sin. After He had disobeyed God, Adam is found hiding in the bushes in the Garden because he heard the sound of God. “Adam, God said, where are you?” God didn’t ask the question for His own benefit. He knew exactly where Adam was. Rather, He asked the question so that Adam would reflect. “Adam, where are you?” Adam must have thought, that’s a good question. Where am I? I used to love God and I used to enjoy being in His presence. But now I’m terrified of Him. I’m stricken with fear and loathe having to face Him. I’m ashamed!
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Fear is part of our experience in life. Sometimes it’s devastating, even paralyzing. And yet, the very one we sometimes fear, namely God, has come to us in meekness and humility, having taken on our humanity, to restore the relationship between us and Him that sin destroyed. Just days before the events of the first Easter morning, Jesus had given His life on the cross for the sins of the world. It’s an amazing thing, don’t you think...God dying for the sins of His creation, that is? You see, “God was in Christ reconciling to world to Himself, not counting our trespasses against us.” 
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It is because of the atonement accomplished by Jesus, and only because of it, that we can stand before God once again without fear. “Do not be afraid,” Jesus said to the women at the tomb. It’s a repeated theme that runs throughout the Scriptures. To the frightened shepherds who kept their flock in the fields the night of Jesus birth, the angels said, “Fear not, for I bring you good tidings of great joy, which is for all the people. For there is born to you this day, in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” 
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Coupled with the atonement, the promise that our sins have been forgiven, is the incredible message that we celebrate today. “Death has been swallowed up in victory!” And the words of Jesus to the two Mary’s is as appropriate to you as it has ever been. In one way or another, death has touched most of us here today. Some of us, no doubt, more than others. And it’s always hard to deal with the reality of it because it means that we have been separated for a time from someone we loved dearly.  Only in Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, do His words to the two Mary’s and to you make any sense at all. “Do not be afraid.” 
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For those who die in Christ it is no longer death to die. Just as Jesus was raised from the dead, so will all the faithful be raised on the last great day. “Behold (say the Scriptures), the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
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“Your name we bless, O risen Lord,
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And sing today with one accord
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The life laid down, the life restored;
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Alleluia!”
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In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting. Amen.
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+ Soli Deo Gloria +