“He Speaks a Word of Victory”
(Matthew 28:1-10 – Easter – April 20, 2025)
Matthew 28:1-10 – 1Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. 2And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. 3His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. 4And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men. 5But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 7And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.” 8So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word. 9And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. 10Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.”
Dear Redeemed in the name of our once crucified and now risen Savior, Jesus Christ:
In 490 BC, the Athenian army defeated the Persian army in a battle at Marathon. According to legend, the Athenians had the messenger Pheidippides run 26 miles to Athens to announce the victory over the Persians. Upon arrival, Pheidippides exclaimed: “Chairete! Nikomen!” (“Rejoice! We Won!”). Then, he collapsed dead from exhaustion. That legend has become the basis for the modern day 26 mile marathon.
“Chairete! Rejoice!” This is the word used in our text, as Jesus greeted the women that first Easter. But that word of victory did not fade on His lips in death. He declared it with power in His resurrection. Jesus lives! The victory’s won! His resurrection proves that He has conquered our worst enemies – sin, death, and the devil. Jesus is risen to give us His blood-bought forgiveness, salvation, and everlasting life in His Kingdom!
Imagine the joy that filled the hearts of the women! They had come to the tomb that morning, filled with grief to anoint Jesus’ dead body. Instead, they found the tomb empty, and their living Lord standing there greeting them! As we hear our risen Savior’s word, we too can “Rejoice!” For with His greeting, “He Speaks a Word of Victory” for us.
1) “Rejoice! I have removed all cause for fear!”
Jesus’ greeting says, first: “Rejoice! I have removed all cause for fear!” We see this by the words that follow, as Jesus tells the women: “Do not be afraid.”
In the past few days, there had been much to cause fear for the disciples. The women had been there to the bitter end, at the foot of Jesus’ cross. In His agony, they heard Him cry out: “My God My God, why have You forsaken Me?” “It is finished!” and “Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit.’” Then they had seen Jesus’ dead body removed from the cross and laid in the tomb, before a heavy stone was rolled across the entrance.
Since that dark and dreadful Friday, these women and all the disciples had hidden in dark shadows, grieving deeply, fearing the worst. They had put all their hopes in Jesus as their Lord and Savior, but now He was gone. It appeared that everything Jesus had taught and done, all their hopes of a glorious future in God’s Kingdom – all that had just died.
The reality had begun to set in, just what it would mean, if Jesus were dead and gone. In 1 Corinthians 15:17-19, the apostle Paul put it plainly: “If Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.”
This is how the disciples must have felt. They had left all to follow Jesus. But now they had to be asking, what was the use in giving up the comforts of life, giving up the friendship of the world, giving up the sinful pleasures of the flesh, all for Jesus’ sake, if it only ended in the grave? Jesus’ enemies seemed to have the victory in His death, as proof that He had been a fake. But of all men, the disciples felt the most pitiable. If their hope in Christ had only been for this short life, it had not been worth living for; nor would it be worth dying for. As they hid in fear of enemies, they had begun to contemplate the futility of their faith.
Consider what it must have felt like to Mary Magdalene early that morning, as she made her way to the tomb to anoint Jesus’ body and say her last goodbyes. When Jesus first met Mary, He had cast seven demons out of her (Mark 16:9). Evil spirits of Satan’s kingdom had possessed her, controlling her life. But Jesus had cast them out, setting her free. Since then, Mary had devoted her life in loving service, supporting Jesus’ ministry. But now, if He were just dead, her faith was futile. What would keep Satan and his demons from possessing her again? Along with her deep grief, there was much for Mary to fear.
Consider what it must have felt like to Peter. As that first Easter morning dawned, he might rather have been dead. Pangs of guilt hounded him. After boasting that he would be faithful to Jesus unto death, how easily he had denied having anything to do with Jesus during His trial. Then the Lord had turned and given him that look, and Peter had gone out and wept bitterly in guilt and shame (Luke 22:61-62). Peter could remember the time he had fallen at Jesus’ knees, saying: “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” (Luke 5:7). But now, if Jesus had departed forever in death, that is all Peter would remain – a sinful man. Where could he find comfort of the Lord’s forgiveness now? In his grief, all he could think of was the fearful prospect of judgment on a sinner like himself.
That is where you and I would be today, if all we had was Good Friday and a dead Jesus. Then His words, “Be of good cheer, your sins are forgiven you” (Matthew 9:2), would mean nothing. We would still be lost in our sins, living in fear of God’s judgment. Without a living Savior, we would be left trying to find a way to become worthy of God’s favor, when all we can hold up to Him is the rags of a guilt-ridden life as sinners.
If Jesus were just dead then His words, “now the prince of this world will be driven out” (John 12:31), would mean nothing. As Satan accuses us before God (Revelation 12:10), pointing out that the Law requires damnation for sinners, who would there be to speak in our defense? Without a living Savior to intercede and deliver us, we would be in the possession of Satan forever.
If Jesus were just dead then His words, “Because I live, you will live also” (John 14:19), would mean nothing. When we laid our loved ones in the grave, it would not matter if they had believed in Christ; they would simply be dead and gone. Without a living Savior, we would have to sorrow as those without hope, and face death with fear and trepidation.
2) “Rejoice! I have won the victory for you!”
But now, Jesus’ resurrection has changed everything. As the women came to the tomb, filled with grief and fear, the angel announced: “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.” Then as “they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy,” Jesus Himself met them with those words: “Rejoice! …. Do not be afraid.” It was a greeting that meant everything to them. It means everything for us, too. Our living Savior says to us today: “Rejoice! I have won the victory for you!”
“Rejoice!” First, because He lives to forgive all our sins and set us free from all guilt. When Jesus cried out on the cross, “It is finished!” He really meant it. The Son of God had finished suffering the hellish punishment our sins deserved. He had paid for our forgiveness, once and for all, by His precious blood. Easter and the empty tomb prove it. Romans 4:25 says He “was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.” Because of what Jesus accomplished, He was raised to declare us justified, forgiven, and reconciled to God in peace.
After greeting the women outside the tomb, Jesus said: “Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.” “My brethren” He called them, even though they all had forsaken Him when He was arrested. “My brethren” He says, including Peter who had denied Him. The risen Savior does not hold any sin against His disciples. Later, He would appear to them where they hid behind locked doors in fear, with the words: “Peace to you!” (John 20:21). So He restored them in the peace of His forgiveness. He even gave them authority to declare forgiveness to fellow repentant sinners in His name.
So it is with us. Even after all our sins, our living Savior restores us by His Word of forgiveness. He has baptized us and washed our sins away. He has poured out the Holy Spirit and faith into our hearts. He has clothed us in His own holiness and given us new life as the children of God. He holds us near and dear as His own family (Hebrews 2:11). So when we find ourselves like Peter, burdened with sin, guilt, and shame, let us not despair. Jesus is not dead, but alive! He comes to us today, as our loving God and Brother, saying: “Rejoice! I have won the victory for you. I forgive all your sins.”
“Rejoice!” Secondly, because He lives to set us free from Satan’s power. The accuser wants to charge us with sin before God so that we share his judgment in hell. But God declares in Colossians 2:13-15 that He took away that penalty, having nailed it to the cross of Christ; and “Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.” When Jesus came to life in the tomb, He descended into hell to declare His victory over Satan and his kingdom (1 Peter 3:18-19). So when we find ourselves like Mary Magdalene, living in fear of evil around us, when Satan seems to have his way, when he tempts us to feel all alone and defenseless, let us not despair. Jesus is not dead, but alive! He comes to us today as our almighty Lord and Savior, saying: “Rejoice! I have won the victory for you. I have conquered Satan and brought you into My Kingdom of Grace and Glory.”
“Rejoice!” Thirdly, because He lives to set us free from the last enemy – death. Jesus has removed the sting of death, which is sin. Since He died and rose again for us, “Death is swallowed up in victory” (1 Corinthians 15:54-57). So when we find ourselves like the women, standing at the tomb of a loved, come to say our last goodbyes, filled with sorrow and fear in the face of death, let us not despair. Jesus is not dead, but alive! He comes to us today as our living Savior, saying: “Rejoice! I have won the victory for you. I have conquered death.” Death is not the end: “But Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20). Because He lives, we can live in the assurance that one day He will raise us up, together with our loved ones in Christ, to be reunited with Him in heaven’s perfect joys (1 Thessalonians 4:17).
Today, our risen Savior speaks the same Word of victory He spoke to the women that first Easter: “Rejoice!” At His greeting, let us also fall at His feet with joyful hearts, and worship Him as our living Lord and Savior! And let us also go and share the good news: “Rejoice! He is risen!” He has removed all cause for fear! He has won the victory for us!
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be. Amen.