An Extraordinary Event

Matthew 28:2-6

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If you’ve ever been to a gender reveal party, you know just how exciting and even a spectacle of an event they can be to witness. I remember for my nephew’s gender reveal party, there were special cakes, treats, snacks, whatever. The whole day was this ordeal and the pinnacle of events was throwing darts at balloons, and the balloons held the secret gender that was to be revealed. But even with all this pizzazz and flair, how could this surpass the birth of the baby?

In a similar way, the extraordinary appearance of the angel is just the announcement of the truly spectacular event, the resurrection of Jesus. We read in Matthew 28, beginning at verse two.

Suddenly, there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, and going to the tomb, he rolled away the stone and was sitting on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. The guards were so terrified of him that they shook and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid! I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here. He has risen, just as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. (Matthew 28:2-6)

I don’t know if we always totally appreciate just how awesome the events of the Bible really were. Particularly the resurrection of Jesus. I mean an angel, a heavenly being coming down in an earthquake as bright as lightning, clothes as white as snow. Enough to scare two highly trained military guards close to death. That is an extraordinary event.

The angel quickly calms the fears of the women. Points them to what they came for, or more particularly, what was missing. Certainly the resurrection might have been hard to believe. The appearance of the angels certainly gives it some street cred, but the angel doesn’t stop there. As if to calm the unvoiced doubts of the women, he points them to the tomb, which no longer holds Jesus’s body. And if that wasn’t enough, he also reminds them that this took place just as their Savior, Jesus, had told them about.

The angel calms the doubts of the women, and this account was written also to calm your doubts. And we may not have all the pizzazz and flair of the appearance of a heavenly being, but we receive heavenly adoption in our baptism. We may not be able to see the place where Jesus laid, but we receive Jesus’s body and blood in the Lord’s Supper for the strengthening of our faith. Just like the women were told that these events would happen by Jesus. So also are we told in God’s written word. And these are written that you may believe and that by believing have life in Jesus’ name.

Jesus has conquered death. Death no longer has grips on you. Praise be to God for the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Amen.