A Man-Centered Easter
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Introduction: Waking up on Easter morning, my kids are usually out of the bed by 5:30 a.m. (We make them get back in bed until 6:30 a.m.). But they want their easter baskets which are hidden somewhere in the house. They have to run around looking for them.
When they find them, they look at them for a while, beg that they can eat candy for breakfast. We let them have one piece so long as it’s not the giant bunny.
While they are looking, Amanda is getting our Easter Breakfast tradition where she tells the story of Jesus’ resurrection using a marshmallow, cinnamon/sugar and Pilsbury crescent roll down. She calls them resurrection rolls.
Then I’m off to get ready for the service. Easter for a pastor is the easiest regarding picking a passage to preach, but the most stressful sermon. You all know the story. It’s like going to the movie to watch Titanic. You have a pretty good idea what’s going to happen. The challenge is to preach the same story in such a way that doesn’t feel stale.
Which honestly is only a self-imposed challenge. Because imagine thinking that the greatest event in human history; an event on which the entire work has turned could ever be STALE!!!! Whether you believe Jesus rose from the dead or not, you can’t deny the fact that people who believed that he rose from the dead then turned the world upside down.
In 1969, the world watched in awe as the USA landed men on the moon and returned them safely to earth. People thought that event would change the world. It didn’t. We haven’t been back to the moon in 50 years.
Today, many people will celebrate Easter with no regard for the reason behind it. They’ll gather as family and friends. Some have come to church today because that’s what you do on Easter. Some may even have decided not to go to church because they have family to get ready for. They’ll give and receive easter baskets. They’ll eat a honey glazed ham. My family is having pizza, because we’re rebellious.
But whatever their Easter tradition, Jesus and the resurrection shouldn’t play a minor roll. Maybe this year is a good time to remind ourselves of what Jesus did for us.
Transition to the Text: Turn with me in your Bibles to Mark 16:1-8. Like I said there are 4 accounts of Jesus’ resurrection in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. While each account is slightly different depending on the emphasis of the writer, they all agree that Jesus rose from the dead while people, including His disciples, had trouble believing it.
It’s hard to believe that the first Easter was nothing special in the eyes of most people.
For the Jewish people, it was just another day. It was the continuation of the feast of unleavened bread.
For Jesus’ disciples, it was another day of great mourning.
But it shouldn’t have been. In fact they should have known.
Mark’s account is the shortest and shows a simple picture of how people responded or didn't respond on that first day.
Introduce:
Authentic Principle: Let your Easter Celebration be centered on Jesus.
Authentic Principle: Let your Easter Celebration be centered on Jesus.
Read: Mark 16:1-8
1 When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. 2 And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. 3 And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” 4 And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. 5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. 6 And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.” 8 And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
Authentic Principle: Let your Easter Celebration be centered on Jesus.
Authentic Principle: Let your Easter Celebration be centered on Jesus.
1. Don’t think like a man. (Mark 16:1-4)
1. Don’t think like a man. (Mark 16:1-4)
Explanation: The first Easter was centered on Jesus, but not in a good way. It was centered on His death and the mourning that resulted from it. And it shows how often we miss things because we are thinking about them in the wrong way.
It started with the women, led by Mary Magdalene, who were going to finish preparing the body of Jesus for burial since their process was rushed on account of the sabbath starting at sundown on the day of His death. (Interestingly, crucified bodies weren’t typically buried. They were left for the birds.)
But in this case, Joseph of Arimatheo had already asked for Jesus’ body to burial Him. And the women saw where he was laid so they could come finish the job later.
When they arrived at the tomb on that Sunday morning, they fully expected to finish giving Jesus a proper burial. You might ask, why did they wait until the sun came up. Well the Sabbath went from Sun down to sun up. They couldn’t get there until after the sun came up. Additionally, this lines up with the prophecy that Jesus would be in the tomb 3 days and and 3 nights.
It’s interesting that the only words recorded by women was asking the question, “who will roll away the stone.” Now I do not think this is an issue of men verses women. But it does beg a question, “Where are the men?” Honestly I think that’s what Mark is getting at.
Still what those women expected when they arrived at the tomb were based on their human thinking. From a human perspective, the story was over. Jesus was dead, in that tomb. The only thing they could think about was trying to honor Him in the best way they knew how.
If only they knew this was just the beginning.
Illustration: You ever notice how infrequently we mistake bad situations for good. You’re boss wants to meet with you in his/her office. Do you immediately jump to good or bad? By the way, you’re getting a promotion with a raise and a corner office. But you will wait in fear that you are getting fired.
Why is it that we always assume the worst? Because we’ve been burned too many times and many of us have ceased believing that things just work out. Because too often they don’t work out.
We’ve been tricked too many times. We’ve had our hope slip through our fingertips too many times. Let’s just say that life is not always kind.
That’s one of the reasons why Jesus said that we are to come like children before him. Experience steals our expectation for wonder.
Application: A man-centered Easters starts in our mind, by trying to think rationally about everything. We have a way of looking at everything through a lens of what we think of a possible. We even tend to limit God because we don’t expect a lot. We don’t expect the miraculous. But with God, all things are possible.
Still, even after all that Jesus had done and said, no one expected Jesus to raise from the dead because it was only . They should have. Because told them many times. Mark records 3 pretty clear examples.
Mark 8:31–33 (ESV)
31 And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. 33 But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
30 They went on from there and passed through Galilee. And he did not want anyone to know, 31 for he was teaching his disciples, saying to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him. And when he is killed, after three days he will rise.” 32 But they did not understand the saying, and were afraid to ask him.
32 And they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them. And they were amazed, and those who followed were afraid. And taking the twelve again, he began to tell them what was to happen to him, 33 saying, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles. 34 And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise.”
You see, Jesus told them that he would be raised from the dead. But they didn’t get it because they were thinking like people. They needed a different perspective. And so do we. We need a heavenly perspective. And we only get that when we....
2. Embrace Heavenly Things. (Mark 16:5-7)
2. Embrace Heavenly Things. (Mark 16:5-7)
Explanation: When Mary and the other women arrive at the tomb, things are not like they expected. But nothing changes perspective like an angel.
Angels appear throughout the Bible. They show up when they are least expected. And usually their presence evokes utter terror for the men who experience them.
But angels are messengers from God sent to change our perspective and get us to see things from a heavenly perspective.
They usually show up at a pivotal moment in history to show that God is about to do something truly magnificent.
This angel is said to look like a young man dressed in a white robe. And the text says that immediately the women are alarmed. Notice they aren’t afraid of the man at first, probably because they mistake him for someone else.
The other accounts of the resurrection tell us that they were alarmed because they thought the body of Jesus had been stolen and they wanted it back to continue the burial.
But the Angel is clear. Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen, he is not here.
And this is the greatest message every given and it should have brought them great joy. And it will, but the transition from human thinking to heavenly thinking takes a minute. But when it happens absolutely everything will change.
But for now, the resurrection would have seemed completely ridiculous. People don’t come back from the dead. Unless of course you embrace heavenly things. But they weren’t ready.
Even after they hear from an angel they aren’t ready to believe.
Illustration: It’s hard to embrace what we cannot see even when we are told to expect it. We are naturally predisposed to doubt. I think I was 10 the first time I flew on a plane with just my brother and me. I can’t imagine letting Mia, who is 10, fly by herself. We were flying to spend the summer with my mom who was in the army stationed at Fort Campbell, KY. My mom was supposed to pick us up from the airport. I remember getting off the plane and looking frantically for her because we were all alone and we were afraid.
And after what felt like an eternity (10 seconds), there she was. There was never anything to worry about. Parents come through for their kids.
A heavenly perspective means knowing that God is going to come through for His people.
While we aren’t told the rest of the story, but none of the women or the disciples really believed until they saw Jesus. But Jesus didn’t leave them in suspense for that long.
Application: The secret to overcoming a man-centered Easter is to embrace heavenly things. My prayer for all of us today is that, motivated by the most incredible event that has ever happened is for our eyes to be open to the Spiritual reality all around us.
Aside for the story of Jesus, my favorite part of the Bible is the story of Elisha when he comforts his servant.
15 When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” 16 He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” 17 Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
My guess is that many of you feel like you are surrounded by the worries of life. May we be comforted that because of the death burial and resurrection of Jesus, we may live in the knowledge that when God is with us, we don’t need to be afraid. As Jesus said,
4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
But seeing things from a heavenly perspective has a way of producing a jarring sense of fear on the way to joy.
3. Don’t be afraid when you don’t have all the answers. (Mark 16:8)
3. Don’t be afraid when you don’t have all the answers. (Mark 16:8)
Explanation: It is very human to be afraid. The story in the Gospel of Mark really ends at verse 8. 9-20 serve as a summary of everything that happened afterward.
And I love that it ends with them afraid. It really ends with a question. How will the women respond to this news? Will they do as they are told? Or will they remain trapped in their fear? The truth is some of the bravest people in the world will tell you that courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is the willingness to act in spite of your fear.
On that Easter morning 2000 years ago, those women were being asked by the angels to trust without all the answers. They haven’t even seen Jesus yet. The truth is, they probably had never even seen an angel before. They were being asked to step out in faith. They were asked to respond without all the answers.
And even we are left wondering, what will they do? How will they respond?
And then the reader or hearer is left to answer the question, How will you respond?
Illustration: I think one of the most anxiety inducing scenarios is when you are taking a test and you come to a question and you haven’t the slightest idea what the answer is. Can’t even guess.
Few things cause fear like not knowing something. An answer to a question. The future. Where a loved one is.
That’s one of the reasons why the Bible talks about the answer to fear being faith. We mess faith up so much. Because faith and trust are the same thing.
So many people think about faith as blind belief. But biblical faith is trust. But it’s more than that…it’s trust in God to come through for his people.
Application: Today, we are asked to trust God. We are asked to believe without all the answers. We are asked to respond in faith to something and to trust God when from a human perspective, it seems far fetched. Because right in front of us, we are being told that the tomb is empty. Jesus has risen. You may not have all the answers right now. And that’s ok. But we know enough to believe.
A man-centered Gospel focuses on all the reasons we have to doubt and be afraid.
The opposite of a man-centered gospel is faith. But not just any faith. Faith in Jesus.
Response: Do you trust in a man-centered gospel?
Response: Do you trust in a man-centered gospel?
Summation:
Authentic Principle: Let your Easter Celebration be centered on Jesus.
1. Don’t think like a mortal man. (Mark 16:1-4)
2. Embrace Heavenly Things. (Mark 16:5-7)
3. Don’t be afraid when you don’t have all the answers. (Mark 16:8)
Response: Do you trust in a man-centered gospel?
Closing Illustration: Too often people believe that it is faith that saves them. And this has led people to say you can believe whatever you want.
It’s not the faith that saves us. What saves us is that 2000 years ago, a man named Jesus lived a perfect life and never sinned. And even though he was without sin, by God’s perfect plan, He was beaten, bruised, tortured. He died a horrendous death. But God looked upon the willing sacrifice of Jesus as acceptable as payment for the sins of all those who would put their faith in Jesus.
At the center of God’s plan to save His people from their sins was a man named Jesus. But he was more than a man. He was Emanuel, God with us.
So in a real sense, we really do have a man-centered Easter. But Jesus is that Man. And we are invited to trust in His perfect sacrifice for the forgiveness of our sin.
But we might need to abandon our inauthentic human thinking, embrace a heavenly mindset, and trust God even when we don’t have all the answers.
Have you embraced a Christ-centered Easter? If not, there’s no better day than Easter!
Let’s pray.
Week 34 of 2021-2022 Sermon Series: Inauthentic: A Man-Centered Easter
Authentic Principle: Let your Easter Celebration be centered on Jesus.
1. Don’t think like a MAN. (Mark 16:1-4)
2. Embrace HEAVENLY Things. (Mark 16:5-7)
3. Don’t be AFRAID when you don’t have all the ANSWERS. (Mark 16:8)
Response: Do you TRUST in a man-centered GOSPEL?
Opening Discussion: Why do you think it was so difficult for even Jesus’ disciples to accept that He had risen from the dead?
Sermon:
Why do you think the women were the ones to go to the tomb on that first Easter morning?
What does their intention to complete the burial process of Jesus say about their expectations on that first Easter?
How does Mark describe what the women saw when they arrived at the tomb? Why are the details so important?
Why do you think the angel singles out Peter apart from the other disciples?
Why do you think that after everything the angel told them, they were still afraid?
Application:
What do you think about when you think about Easter?
How difficult is it for you to believe that Jesus rose from the dead?
What evidence do we have today for the truth of the resurrection? How does that compare to what the early disciples had?
What does the disciples’ willingness to die for Jesus reveal about their beliefs?
Knowing their boldness to willingly die for Jesus, why is it significant that it started in fear?
How do you respond to the claims that Jesus rose from the dead?
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