1. Corinthians 15,19-28. Easter Sunday

✠ One Message: Christ crucified and risen for you ✠

The Word of the Lord Endures Forever

Verbum Domini Manet in Aeternum

1. Corinthians  15,19-28 2514

Ostersonntag  034 

Sulpicius and Servilianus, Martyrs at Rome 117

Johannes Bugenhagen, Pastor at St. Mary’s Church in Wittenberg, ✠ 1573

20. April 2014

1. Rejoice now, all you heavenly choirs of angels; rejoice now, all creation; sound forth, trumpet of salvation,and proclaim the triumph of our King. Rejoice too, all the earth, in the radiance of the light now poured upon you and made brilliant by the brightness of the Everlasting King; know that the ancient darkness has been forever banished. Rejoice, O Church of Christ, clothed in the brightness of this light; let all this house of God ring out with rejoicing, with the praises of all God’s faithful people (Exsultet; Altar Book 533).  Amen. 

   2. »If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits 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. But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, then at His coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when He delivers the reign to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For »God has put all things in subjection under His feet.« But when it says: »all things are put in subjection,« it is plain that He is excepted who put all things in subjection under Him. When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subjected to Him who put all things in subjection under Him, so that God may be all in all.«  

3. In our Gospel Lection for Easter Sunday we heard: »When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint Jesus. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. And he said to them: „Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; He is not here.« (Mark 16,1-,5-6). Jesus’ teaching had been fulfilled, for three times He had taught His apostles and disciples: »Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the Prophets will be accomplished. For He will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon, And after flogging Him, they will kill him, and on the third day He will rise« (Luke 18,31-33). That final phrase: »and on the third day He will rise« is what the women experienced in Mark 16 and what we confess every Divine Service, especially on this day of Easter Sunday. 

4. That first Easter, however, did not begin in the hope of Jesus’ resurrection. The women had gone to the tomb to finish giving Jesus a proper burial, complete with spices and oils. Their biggest concern was how would they be able to roll away the heavy stone that sealed up the tomb. While the women and all the disciples believed in the resurrection of the body, they didn’t expect it to happen on Easter Sunday but some time way far in the future. The Apostle Paul dealt with a different understanding of the resurrection with the Corinthian Christians twenty years later. After the Apostle Paul had preached the gospel of Jesus resurrection to them, there remained a morbid belief among the Corinthians that there was no such thing as the resurrection of the body. Here, the Corinthians were falling back to their default Ancient Greek philosophical upbringing that did not expect, nor want, a resurrection of the body. What Paul told them also applies to the women in Mark 16 and each of us today. The Apostle Paul says of the Easter resurrection: »How can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? but if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that He raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.« The apostle says the resurrection of Jesus is a historical fact; His resurrection is not fiction or fantasy or delusion or lie or anything else. Paul says Jesus truly rose from the grave, and he himself saw and spoke to this risen Christ on the Damascus Road. 

5. The women at Easter dawn did not see or speak to the risen Christ. They only saw the empty tomb, the discarded burial cloth and an angel seated where Jesus had been placed. This angel told the startled women: »Do not be afraid. Jesus has risen. Go, tell His disciples and Peter that He is going to Galilee. You will see Him there, just as He told you« (Mark 16,6-7). The angel points the women back to Jesus’ teaching that He must be delivered over to the Gentiles, be killed and rise on the third day (Luke 18,31-33). 

6. But as the Gospel according to Mark draws to a close, the women flee from the tomb in fear and don’t tell anyone what they had just witnessed. The other Gospels tell us that the women did indeed get over their initial shock and fear and later that morning did go and tell the disciples what they had seen and heard at the tomb. Matthew records: »So the women departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell His disciples« (Matthew 28,8). Luke tells us: »And the women remembered Jesus’ words, and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the rest« (Luke 24,8-9). John records that: »Mary Magdalene told Peter and John about the empty tomb« (John 20,2). 

7. Mark ends his Gospel as he did for a specific reason, and in doing so he answers the question that Christians have asked since the first generation of Christians died and joined Jesus in Paradise. That question is: „Wouldn’t it be easier to believe in Jesus if we had some proof?“ Mark’s answer is „It was ever thus. If you had been there it would not have been any easier than it is today. The evidence would have been ambiguous, even with your Lord. What you have is what the disciples and the women had, also on that Easter morning: you have the promise of his Word, a Word that is ever sure“ (Voelz 61). The only proof we have from Mark is that the tomb is empty, an angel told the women that Jesus has risen and they go and tell the apostles. But this word is a sure word for it is a word founded upon the reality of Jesus’ resurrection and a word founded upon the Very Word Himself, Jesus Christ our Lord. 

8. The Gospel according to Mark leaves us with the women fleeing the tomb in fear, with the word of the resurrection in their hearts and minds. It did not take them long to overcome the initial shock of seeing the angel at the empty tomb before they go and tell the disciples that Jesus has risen from the grave. These women serve as the first witnesses to the empty tomb and the resurrection. You have heard their report; now what will you do with it? Will you believe the words given to them to profess? Will you shrug it off and doubt? The women believed and their faith encourages us to believe as well. 

9. The tomb was empty on Easter Sunday, and the Apostle Paul proclaims what the empty tomb means: »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.« In these two sentences, the apostle highlights the importance of Christ crucified and risen. On the cross, Jesus atoned for all our sin; and with the empty tomb, Jesus is the first fruit of those to rise from the dead. His atonement and resurrection are ours through Baptism and received by faith. 

10. The apostle continues: »Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: »Death is swallowed up in victory (1) [Isaiah 25,8]. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? (2) [Hosea 13,14]« The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ« (1. Corinthians 15,51-57). 

11. Jesus had preached to His disciples: »Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the Prophets will be accomplished. For He will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon. And after flogging Him, they will kill him, and on the third day He will rise« (Luke 18,31-33). On Easter Sunday, His final phrase was done, and the women witnessed it when they saw the tomb empty and heard the angel’s proclamation. The Apostle Paul tells us that »The last enemy to be destroyed is death.« The empty tomb is what victory looks like, first Christ’ victory and then yours, for in Baptism you have been united to Christ, His resurrection and victory. The women saw this victory first at Easter dawn, and we have heard this victory proclaimed again this day. The Lord’s Table is ready for you to eat and drink this victory in the Sacrament of Holy Communion. Receive and rejoice in Christ’s victory of death and the grave, for He did it for you and gives you its blessing in both His Word and Sacraments.  Amen.

11. Jesus has redeemed all the world back to our Heavenly Father. Easter Sunday is a glorious day of victory. Christ is risen from His grave! You have been baptized into Jesus’ resurrection, and He promises that on the last day He will likewise raise you up from your grave. We are heirs of the gospel proclamation made by Mary Magdalene, the apostles and all bishops and pastors who continue to preach this gospel heritage. Rejoice and be glad for your sins are forgiven and everlasting salvation is yours through the risen Christ Jesus. The women saw the empty tomb, heard the angel’s proclamation, believed and told others. You believe, too, and may go and tell others that Christ is risen; He is risen indeed.  Amen. 

12. Let us pray. O Lord Jesus, make us joyful of Your resurrection and fill us with delightful hope so that whether we live or are awaiting death we are nevertheless assured of the resurrection of the dead. O Lord Christ, You were once dead but have become alive again so that You have the keys of Death and the Grave, therefore we sing our Hosannas and our Hallelujahs for You are our propitiation both in the hour of our parting and in our resurrection! By Your death and Your resurrection, we live!  Amen. (Löhe 6 §7). 

To God alone be the Glory 

Soli Deo Gloria

✠

All Scriptural quotations are translations done by The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind using the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, 4. Edition © 1990 by the Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart, and the Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 27. Edition © 1993 by Deutsch Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart.  

ELKB. Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern. www.bayern-evangelisch.de/www/index.php. Copyright © 2013 Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche in Bayern. 

Löhe, Wilhelm. A sermon preached on Mark 16,1-8 on Osterfeste. Translation © 2011 The Rev. Peter A. Bauernfeind. 

Lutheran Service Book Altar Book. Copyright (c) 2006 Concordia Publishing House. 

VELKD. Vereinigte Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche Deutschlands. www.velkd.de. Copyright © 2013 Vereinigte Evangelisch-Lutherische Kirche Deutschlands. 

Voelz, James W. Mark 1:1—8:26. Copyright © 2013 Concordia Publishing House. 

(1)  »Yahweh will swallow up death forever. κατέπιεν ὁ θάνατος ἰσχύσας (Isaiah). Κατεπόθη ὁ θάνατος εἰς νῖκος« (Paul). 

(2)  »O Death, where are your plagues? O Sheol, where is your sting? ποῦ ἡ δίκη σου θάνατε ποῦ τὸ κέντρον σου ᾅδη (Hosea). ποῦ σου, θάνατε, τὸ νικος; ποῦ σου, θάνατε, τὸ κέντρον⸃;« (Paul).