Christ the King Epiphany Church, Wilbraham

The Rev. Martha S. Sipe

April 5, 2026 / The Resurrection of Our Lord

Matthew 27:62-28:10

Did you notice how intent the religious leaders were to stifle the message of Jesus?  They had already arrested Jesus, subjected him to a phony trial that had nothing to do with seeking truth or justice, punished him severely, and executed him publicly.  One would think that those measures would have taken the wind out of the sails of any who would have wanted to continue Jesus’ mission.  And yet still, the leaders were so afraid that Jesus’ message of love and forgiveness and inclusion would continue to spread that they took extra precautions to make sure that Jesus’ followers couldn’t break into the tomb, steal his body, and keep hope’s momentum going with the “myth” of his continued life.  They went to Pilate, the Roman governor, and asked for help crushing any last potential for hope.  Scholars point out that it is actually very unlikely that the Jewish religious leaders would have gone to see Pilate on the sabbath, particularly the Passover sabbath.  But even if that’s true, Matthew’s inclusion of this detail helps us to see just how serious the religious leaders were about making sure that Jesus’ message was as dead as his body. 

And Pilate was apparently sympathetic to the leaders’ concerns.  The governor probably didn’t care a bit about the religious concerns of the chief priests and Pharisees.  I suspect he was more worried about the possibility of continued unrest among the people, which could not be tolerated under Roman rule.  So Pilate ordered a detachment of Roman soldiers to seal and guard the tomb to make sure the Jesus movement was well and truly dead.  I’ve always been puzzled by the term sealing the tomb.  I mean, wasn’t a huge rock rolled against the entrance sufficient to keep Jesus in and others out?  I’ve always wondered what was used to seal the tomb . . . like, I don’t know, quick-drying cement?  I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I just this week read that the seal was likely a cord or rope fastened with clay or wax and stamped with an official mark, that is sealed, to indicate that the tomb was under Roman authority and not to be disturbed.  Breaking the seal was against the law.  This was serious business.  It seems the government officials were just as intent on making Jesus’ death the end of the story as the religious officials were.

But their efforts to crush the Jesus movement were in vain.  They needn’t have worried about anyone breaking in to steal Jesus’ body because by the time Jesus’ followers appeared on the scene, Jesus was already gone!  God’s risen life had already triumphed!  So much for the laws of the land, let alone the laws of physics!  The angel descended from heaven, rolled away the great stone, and in my imagination, assumed a decidedly casual, maybe even slightly comical pose, sitting in a relaxed manner on top of the mighty rock.  The soldiers didn’t find it funny, however.  Those who represented the greatest fighting force in the world at that time shook with fear and fell to the ground like dead men.  The simple fact is that, no matter how much the powers of this world tried to stifle it, Jesus’ message of love and life and hope would not be silenced.

The Easter message is still the same today:  no matter how much the powers of this world try to stifle it, Jesus’ message of love and life cannot be silenced.  Even if the forces of death threaten to destroy us, Jesus’ risen life cannot be defeated.  Regardless of the evil we encounter, God’s will for good cannot be subdued.

We need this message, today more than ever.

There are those in our country who, in the name of Jesus, are trying to lessen the power of the resurrection by claiming that some people are more deserving than others of dignity, of respect, of justice, of compassion.  But don’t they know that Jesus’ message of love is for all, not just for some?  Christ is risen!  (He is risen indeed) – and not just for those of a particular heritage or color or gender identity or citizenship.  His love is for all.

There are others in our country – reportedly 8 million – who last weekend turned out for protests against various government policies.  Full disclosure – I am one of those 8 million.  And I celebrate so many people taking an interest in our democracy.  But even so, we must remember that we control our destiny only to a point.  It is not the President who controls a believer’s future; it is the One who presides over heaven and earth.  It is not the Congress who dictates how Christians behave, but the One who has given us the Commandments.  And it is not the Supreme Court who helps people of faith determine what is right and wrong; it is the Lord of heaven and earth.  We cannot forget that Christ is risen!  (He is risen indeed) – and that means that the power of life is not in any human hands, but in the hands of our resurrected Lord.

And then there are others – in our country, and in our world; there are others – in our neighborhoods, in our circles of friends, in our families; other beloved persons who have given up, or are on the verge of giving up, on hope.  How can we hope for reconciliation with God when we can’t even forgive our sisters or brothers, let alone our neighbors or our enemies?  How can this planet survive when we keep on destroying the fragile web of life?  How can the human race survive when some people have so much and so many have nothing?  How can we have hope when daily we face suffering and grief and isolation?  Hope is this:  Christ is risen.  (He is risen indeed) and his love and life make possible forgiveness for all, sustenance for our planet, and the promise of healing for all God’s creatures.

No matter how much the powers of this world try to stifle it, Easter means that Jesus’ message of love and life will not be silenced.  Even if we forget who is really in charge, Easter means that God will never leave us behind.  Regardless of how despondent we may feel on any given day, Easter means that there is always hope.  As the women raced to tell the others, so now let us hurry to share the good news with all who are hungry to hear a message of hope, because this is the most life-giving, love-blooming, hope-inspiring message of all:  Christ is risen.  (He is risen indeed.)  And let us share the good news not only with our Easter greeting, but also by the way we give life and love to everyone we meet – in Jesus’ name.