Luke 24:44-47

Easter Festival service

April 12, 2009

Luke 24:44-47 (New International Version)

⁴⁴He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms."

⁴⁵Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. ⁴⁶He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, ⁴⁷and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

Put yourself into the place of one of Jesus’ followers on the weekend of His death. Things did not look too promising. Jesus had been nailed to the cross on Friday. The image was etched on your mind. It was horrible. You couldn’t forget it all day Saturday. Questions flooded your thoughts: “Was my faith all wrong? Had I trusted Him for naught?” Sunday morning dawned. The women found the tomb empty and saw angels who said, “He is not here; He has risen!” Yet doubts linger. In your experience that is not what happens when someone has died. You are a bit hopeful yet also hesitant and confused.

So you seek the company of likeminded believers and gather behind locked doors that night. All of a sudden there is the living Jesus in the room. He eats with you, allows you to examine His wounds and verify it is really the same person. It becomes clear

THE FATHER HAS FORGIVEN US

That newfound certainty is I. A message proved by the risen Jesus

II. A message to preach to all nations

“The Father has forgiven us” was a message proved by the risen Jesus although He had died under a curse. The Old Testament declared, “Anyone who is hung on a tree is under God’s curse.” After being executed a body would be hung there in shame and not buried. The practice was stated in the book of Deuteronomy, part of the law of Moses, really of God Himself. That law was like the constitution of their nation. It was more than a manmade document, for it was given by God. Jesus asserted that not the dot of an “i” or the crossing of a “t” would fall from it before all was fulfilled. So it appeared that Jesus died under a curse, maybe even the curse of God.

The Sanhedrin, the Jewish high court, had condemned the cursed Jesus. They found Him guilty of blasphemy, that is, of mocking or dishonoring God. Their evidence for conviction was that under oath before the high priest He had claimed to be the Messiah, the Son of the living God. The group agreed it was blasphemy since they were convinced Jesus was a mere human. Blasphemy was a crime deserving death according to their law.

The Roman court granted permission to carry out the penalty. Rome ruled Palestine at the time and reserved the right to impose the death penalty. Pilate was not really convinced that the verdict was proper but he agreed under pressure and ordered the death of Jesus. So He died under the curse of the law of the land, and governing authorities are the representatives of God, so again the curse of God appeared to be upon Him.

Yet the act was an injustice. Jesus had committed no crime meriting such a penalty. In fact, He was guilty of no crime at all. He had never harmed anybody. He headed no revolt against the Romans. Rather, He had called for obedience to Caesar.

The act did meet God’s justice. The Lord had declared that the soul that sins will die. As Jesus hung on the cross He was a guilty sinner. He had taken our guilt on Himself: yours, mine, the sins of all people who would ever live on the face of the earth. He was truly cursed. He faced the fullness of the anger of our holy God and suffered the pains of hell there on the cross.

But then it had all changed as Jesus rose on Easter. The miracle had been foretold. Jesus explained, either that night or in later sessions with the disciples, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” He had told them personally. Each time that He mentioned He would die He also said that on the third day He would rise again. It wasn’t a new idea, either. It was all in the Bible. “The Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms” were the categories of the Old Testament books. The individual books were arranged a bit differently from the groupings we find in our Bibles, but they were all the same ones. And they told of the work of the Savior. Jesus then worked His way through the Scriptures, identifying those prophecies of His work, just as He had done that afternoon when He talked with a pair of believers who were walking to Emmaus. All that the Bible foretold was true and had now been fulfilled. It “must be” Jesus said. God had spoken and He does not lie. Therefore it had to happen.

His work changed the verdict. The new verdict is that the price has been paid so the debt is removed. Our sins are forgiven. The record is clear. We are holy in God’s sight. The curse is gone. Jesus had called out on the cross, “It is finished.” No more payment was required. The Bible says, “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.”

The resurrection changes everything. Jesus was not a condemned loser. He was the victor. He was God. Jesus was “declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead.” Jesus keeps His word. He said it and He did it. He is “the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep,” as we heard in the Second Lesson today. We will follow Him in rising, and to wonderful conditions, to life in heavenly perfection. Easter is worth celebrating with fanfare. It also changes today. We can live in peace and security. We have a living Savior at our side to protect us, provide for us, and turn all our troubles to good. Live in joy. Sing out the Savior’s praises. The Father has forgiven us.

II.

We sing out to others, for as Jesus continued, the fact that the Father has forgiven us is a message to preach to all nations. The fabulous event is meaningless if it is not known. Suppose Jesus had come to life quietly, returned to heaven and nobody bothered to investigate. What good would it be? Gloom and despair would remain. We would be in the situation that the Apostle Paul described in the verses before the Second Lesson. “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost.” Useless preaching, empty faith, false testimony, sins remaining, hopeless dead, wasted lives—truly we are to be pitied if that’s the case.

Not understanding the message of Easter results in the same sad condition. We have no comfort and no reason for joy. We are confused at best and more likely, despondent. Life lacks purpose. No reason for hope exists.

However, it is comforting if it is known and believed. Easter is more than bunnies, chicks, eggs, and candy. The day declares our Redeemer lives. More than the sun in the sky rose that morning. The Son of God returned to life. He defeated the devil for us. He is our Savior from sin and death. That realization and certainty came to the disciples as Jesus explained the Scriptures to them. Because Jesus lives we will live eternally in heaven. That’s the great message we hear this Easter Day.

It is also a message for sharing. Jesus said that repentance and remission of sins would be preached to all nations. Repentant faith is how the forgiveness of sins is received. We see our sins with sorrow and give up on ourselves as the way to obtain a right relationship with God. We cling to Jesus for mercy. And we have it in Him. Remission is sending away, canceling a debt. It is what every sinner needs. So tell them.

The message is for all nations. Tell everybody you can. Some of that task is done personally. Start where you are. Jesus instructed His followers then to begin in Jerusalem. Later they would expand the effort. Share Easter joy wherever you go, in whatever you do, with whomever you meet. You have a family whom you love. Those who are most important to you are ones you certainly want to have the peace of forgiveness and the hope of eternal life. You have neighbors and friends who would benefit from the joy of Jesus in their lives. That person facing a crisis needs to hear of God’s love and that all will work out in the way that is best. The person questioning and wondering where you get your optimism and your calm approach to life, or why you are not selfish and backstabbing, is giving you an opportunity to share what Jesus means in your life. That soul grieving the loss of a loved one will cherish the assurance that heaven is the home for all who believe. Seize those opportunities. Pray that God will keep you alert for such openings and guide your responses.

One individual can’t talk to everybody nor travel around the globe to reach all nations. There are others who go in your name to places you will never reach. That is why you heard last week that even as we face budget challenges we place a priority on the work of our synod and its missions both in our country and in foreign fields. Our offerings help support those who represent us.

Remember why we want to bring a message to all nations. The Father has forgiven us. The resurrection of Jesus proves it. Our living Savior won the victory. He fills our hearts with joy. We can’t hold it inside. We have to tell others. Filled with the love of Jesus, we want the world to know it also. Jesus Christ is risen today, Alleluia! Jesus lives, the victory’s won! The tomb is open and empty and so will our graves be one day. Heaven is open and welcoming us all. Rejoice, rejoice, believers!