Well, this is not exactly the Easter we had hoped for. Typically, the chancel would be full of flowers and there would be the lingering smell of Easter breakfast hanging in the air. The choirs would have sung the songs they spent months perfecting and the musicians would have beautifully accented our songs of praise with their playing. There were plans to make this year’s Easter egg hunt the biggest we have ever had. Typically, when I shout, “Christ is Risen!” The voices of God’s people fill this church with the thunderous reply “He is Risen indeed!” But this year, there is none of that; no flowers on the chancel, no breakfast smells in the air, no choirs singing, no musicians playing, no children laughing and when I shout “Christ is Risen!” the only thing that I hear is the echo of my own voice bouncing off the walls of this big empty church.
This is not exactly the Easter we had hoped for. This Easter we find ourselves separated and sad, not at all unlike the disciples were on the first Easter. In the early morning hours, as grey dawn began to streak across the sky, it seems two groups of women made their way to the place where He had been laid. The disciples did not accompany them. It seems they had not gathered together since they were scattered in Gethsemane on the night of Jesus’ betrayal. Two of them were preparing to leave for Emmaus; soon they would all go their separate ways. But first, the dead body of Jesus needed tending before He could be permanently laid to rest. So, with heavy hearts the women made their way to the tomb with the necessary oils and spices. They likely spoke very little to each other. Other than a brief discussion about the stone that sealed Jesus in tomb there was little that needed to be said. They had believed He was the resurrection and the life, but that was before the Romans hung Him on a tree.
As the women made their way to the tomb, together and yet separated by their sadness, the ground beneath their feet began to quake, just as it had done the Friday before when Jesus breathed his last breath. Upon their arrival, the women discovered the stone they had been concerned about had been tossed aside. Mary Magdalene, fearing the worst ran to tell Peter and John that someone had stolen the dead body of Jesus. After Mary leaves, the other women decide to investigate further. The first thing their investigations uncovered was an angel. Saint Matthew tells us, “His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.”[1] Naturally the women were terrified. I suspect they would have fled if the angel had not said to them, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.”[2]
With these words, the angel was inviting the women to see beyond their separation and sadness and see their Savior Jesus as He really is, not buried in a tomb like another one of death’s victims but risen from the dead as their victorious Savior.
My fellow disciples, this morning, the prophet Isaiah, like a brilliant angel, invites us to do the same. He invites us to lift up our eyes; lift them up from our separation and sadness and see our victorious Savior. In Isaiah 25:6-9, the prophet invites us to see Jesus, not buried in a tomb, but standing atop a mountain. There we see Jesus, not resting in peace, but hard at work.
Look at verses 6-8 and you will see that not only is Jesus hard at work but that He is the only one working. Jesus is the one who “6prepares”. Jesus is the one who “7destroys”. Jesus is the one who “8swallows up”. Jesus is the one who “8wipes away.” And Jesus is the one who “8removes”. Jesus is the one who does all the work. The sight of Jesus doing all the work is nothing new, rather, it is in perfect harmony with all of Scripture. I cannot help but think of Ephesians 2:8 where we are told “it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, [not from any work that you and I might do] it is the gift of [Jesus] God.” who prepares, destroys, swallows up, wipes away, and removes.
The prophet Isaiah invites us to see Jesus doing all the work and he invites us to see the people for whom Jesus works. Look again at verses 6-8 and you will see a description of the kinds of people Jesus works for. The prophet Isaiah tells us the work that Jesus does, He does for “6 all peoples”. He does it for “7 all nations”. He does it for “8all faces”. He does it for “8all the earth”. The work that Jesus does He does for all. That includes you. Everything that Jesus has done, He has done for you. You, who are still haunted by the sins of your past – Jesus has done it for you. You, whose spirits are willing, but flesh remains weak – Jesus has done it for you. You who have been absent from the house of the Lord – Jesus has done it for you. You, who remain skeptical of all of this – Jesus has done it for you. You, who worry that you are beyond help – Jesus has done it for you. You, who fear that you are unlovable – Jesus has done it for you. You, who despair that you are unforgiveable – Jesus has done it for you. How do I know, you ask? I know, because the work that Jesus has done, He has done for all and that by very definition, includes you.
Since the work that Jesus has done has been done for you, would you like to know what Jesus has done? Look once again at verses 6-8 and you will see what Jesus does for you while He stands atop the mountain. In verse 6 the prophet invites us to see that Jesus has prepared a feast of “the best of meats and the finest of wines.” One of the great joys of Easter is the fellowship and food that we share; be it Easter breakfast at our church or Easter dinner with our families and friends such feasts are an important part of our celebrations. Well, better than biscuits and gravy is the bread of life that Jesus serves us in the Scriptures. In the Scriptures, Jesus has preserved for us the very Words of God. From the promises of the prophets to the fulfillments of the gospel, every bite of grace and every sip of mercy is food that nourishes our souls. Every time we read our bibles, our souls enjoy a feast of rich food and fine wine. In the Scriptures, Jesus serves us these things on a paper platter.
Standing atop the mountain, there is more that Jesus does for you. Look now at verse 7. There the prophet invites us to see that a well-fed soul is an enlightened soul. There we read, “On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations.” The shroud and sheet are unbelief and ignorance. They prevent us from seeing the seriousness of our sin and therefore our need for a savior. The devil, in cahoots with the fallen world and our sinful selves, works hard to keep the shroud and the sheet wrapped around us because as long as we remain in unbelief and ignorance we remain outside the grace of God. Well, Jesus loves you too much to allow you to remain outside the grace of God. So, through the preaching and teaching of His word Jesus shows you that the wages of sin, all sin, every sin, any sin, even the little sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.[3] Through the preaching and teaching of His word Jesus destroys the shroud and sheet and enlightens your soul.
There is still more that Jesus does for you as He stands atop the mountain. Take a look at verse 8. There the prophet invites us to see what Jesus does to mankind’s worst enemy. There the prophet tells us Jesus “will swallow up death forever.” Death, sins most powerful weapon, has been digested in the stomach of God’s grace and mercy. We might say, Jesus chewed it up and spit it out. Technically the Hebrew verb the prophet used to describe what Jesus did to death is a completed past action. I suppose the NIV translates it as a future because Isaiah wrote these words 700 years before Jesus was born. But from our perspective, this thing that Jesus does to death is a completed past action. When Jesus spoke the words “it is finished”[4] death lost its sting. When the angel tossed aside the stone to reveal an empty tomb, death was shown to be powerless. Death may still come for us all, but because of what Jesus has done, death will not claim us as one of its victims.
The swallowing up of death forever is by itself enough, but, standing atop the mountain, Jesus does even more for you. Still in verse 8 the prophet tells us that Jesus “will wipe away the tears from all faces.” Death may have lost its sting, but life continues to be annoyingly painful. Even without a global pandemic, life is not easy. Life is full of disappointments, betrayals, misunderstandings, arguments, frustrations, and failures to name but a few. The pain of life has likely caused more than one tear to stain your face. In contrast to the pain of life the prophet shows us an incredibly comforting image this morning. Jesus does not delegate the task of comforting you to an angel, though one could argue Jesus has seemingly more important things to do. Rather, Jesus Himself tenderly wipes the tears from your eyes. He may wear the mask of a compassionate coworker, or sympathetic friend, or loving family member, but it is Jesus’ nail pierced hand that wipes away your tears.
As we look upon Jesus standing atop the mountain, there is one last thing that Jesus does for us that the prophet would like us to see. In the end of verse 8 the prophet tells us that Jesus “will remove the disgrace of his people”. There will come a time when you will stand before Jesus on His mountain. To save the court some time and to spare yourself the humiliation you may choose to waive the reading of the charges God’s holy Law holds against you. You may also, if you are wise, choose to make no excuse for your crimes and offer no justification for your transgressions. It would be best if you simply throw yourself on the mercy of the court. Even then you will know justice demands a disgraced sinner like you deserves to be banished from the mountain. So, imagine your gratitude when Jesus does one more thing for you, imagine how you will feel when Jesus exchanges your filthy rags with His righteous robe. Imagine what it will be like to stand on Jesus’ mountain for all eternity. The last, or should I say the lasting thing that Jesus will do is share His victory with you.
It took a while for the angel’s words to sink in, but eventually the followers of Jesus were able to look beyond their separation and sadness and see Jesus as He really is, not buried in a tomb like another one of death’s victims but risen from the dead as their victorious Savior. Matthew tells us after their encounter with the angel “the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy”.[5]
This certainly is not the Easter that any of us had hoped for. I wish there were flowers on the chancel. I wish the smell of casseroles filled our hallways. I wish the choirs could have been here to sing. I wish the musicians could have been here to play. I wish the children could have hunted for eggs on the playground. I wish I wasn’t all alone in this big empty church. I wish I could hear more than the echo of my own voice when I shout, “Christ is Risen.” But even though this Easter has none of those things, there is still a reason for us to celebrate. Oh, my dear friends, never forget that this Easter like all other Easters is about Jesus giving us even more than we could have hoped for. Our Savior rest not in a grave but stands victorious on top of His mountain. There He prepares a feast, destroys the shroud and the sheet, swallows up death, wipes away our tears, and removes our disgrace. So, let us speak no more of separation and sadness. On this day let us say, “Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the LORD, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.” For, Christ is Risen! He has risen indeed! Alleluia! Amen.
[1] Matthew 28:3
[2] Matthew 28:5-6
[3] Romans 6:23
[4] John 19:30
[5] Matthew 28:8