Theme: The Gift that Exceeds All Others
1.
Because of where it was given
2.
Because of the One who gave it
Who
doesn’t like getting a gift? Well, a gift is free, that’s hard to argue with. A
gift can also share something much deeper than the item itself. I suppose a
gift makes the recipient feel good too. Those are a few reasons why nearly
everyone enjoys getting a gift.
But
gifts are also enjoyable to give. A gift can be a way to express emotions, even
the deepest like love. It feels good for the giver when a well thought out gift
is appreciated. And it does the soul good to extend kindness to another person.
In
all these ways, gifts – though simple on the surface – can reach much deeper
and become tangible expressions of thoughts and emotions that are difficult to
put into words. Perhaps that’s why gift giving is recognized as one of the
famed “love languages.” A love language is a term used to describe how someone
communicates and receives love. The five love languages are: words of
affirmation, works of service, physical touch, quality time, and gift giving.
We’re
all different and therefore we express love in different ways. For me, gift
giving is most certainly a love language. I use gifts to show others how much I
care about them. When someone puts time and effort into a gift for me it really
underscores in my mind how much they think of me. It resonates with me. Could
be the same for you, could be different.
But
gift giving can be tricky when so much meaning is attached to it. What if the
gift falls short of the gesture I envisioned with it? What if I measure how
someone feels about me based on their gift when they speak with a different
love language? What if I just completely flop on a gift and send the wrong
message? Sometimes gifts don’t always work out as planned. Sometimes their
meaning is less than what it should be.
This
morning we consider the greatest gift God gave humanity, as He sealed the
promise of eternal life in the resurrection of His Son, Jesus. Though it’d be
wrong to constrain God to five love languages, we certainly see Him making use
of gift giving to convey His care for us. As we study these words from God
today, we seek to understand what makes His gift exceed all others, as we read
from Matthew 28:1-8:
Matthew
28:1-8 Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary
Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. 2 And 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. 3 His countenance was like
lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. 4 And the guards shook for fear
of him, and became like dead men. 5 But the angel answered and said to the
women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was
crucified. 6 "He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the
place where the Lord lay. 7 "And 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." 8 So they went out quickly
from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word.
(NKJV)
The
first aspect we see that makes God’s gift exceed all others, is where it was
given. That’s one unique detail about gifts, they can be attached to locations
and situations. If you consider the most precious gifts in your life, I bet
they have an attachment to some time or place. On the surface, it seems natural
that the best gifts would be the ones that are most expensive or the ones that
offer the best entertainment or personal pleasure. But this really isn’t the case.
One
of the precious gifts I have is quite simple on the surface. It’s about the
size of a postcard. Its monetary value is probably less than five dollars. But
it’s valuable to me because it’s attached to a time and place in my life. The
gift I’m talking about is a picture of our house in Minnesota that my sister
painted when we moved out here. It was her parting gift to us as we packed up
and left. It’s well done, but it wouldn’t be found in an art museum. No one
else would consider it important. But it’s priceless to me because each time I
look at it, my memories take me back to the time we lived there – to the events
we experienced there – to the joy, and sometimes the heartaches – that we
endured there. It takes me back to when Allie was a newborn baby and Micah
learned to ride a bike. It takes me back to our first Christmas together on our
own, and the garden we planted and the sandbox we built, and a host of other
fond memories. It’s a valuable gift.
The
resurrection of Jesus was a similar gift – because of the location. John paints
the scene for us: John 19:41 Now in the place where He was crucified there
was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid.
42 So there they laid Jesus, because of the Jews' Preparation Day, for the tomb
was nearby. Matthew tells us who was there, and low and behold, it was the
same two women who open our text. In the prior chapter, just verses before the
resurrection, Matthew records this seemingly odd detail to what John described:
Matthew 27:61 And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting
opposite the tomb.
The
same two Mary’s who first arrived at the empty tomb on Easter morning, had sat
aside in disbelief on Good Friday and gazed upon the burial of Jesus’ body. They
watched it all happen, and only God knew what lay in store as they solemnly advanced
to that same spot three days later. Consider the value for them when they saw
the tomb empty on Easter morning! What meaning that gift must have had because
of the location where it was given. And in that sense, even the painful moment
of watching the Lord’s shrouded body with utter disbelief was a gift of its
own. Only God could give such an exceedingly wonderful gift. Only He had a
purpose to that heartache, to that horrible, empty, helpless feeling of shock
and bewilderment. Because they went through that, they had a far greater and
more surpassing comfort when they saw that stone rolled away and the tomb empty
on Easter.
Locations
have connections and they are not soon forgotten. Because the Mary’s saw Jesus
buried, they were sure to believe and trust when they saw Him alive. They did
not have to take anyone’s word for it – the Lord had shown them.
Consider
the lasting lesson in your life. Only God knows the trials and tribulations He
must bring you through to build your faith. One day they will become yours, but
now they are only in God’s hands. So also with the gift – only God can use such
pain, such heartache, such astonishment and shock in a fallen world to create
an exceedingly great blessing for you. Believe that He knows it. Trust that He
will provide it. The resurrection is a gift that means something to us –
because God has seen fit in His Word to make it known in our lives.
The
gift of the resurrection also exceeds all others because of the One who gave
it. Of course, for all intents and purposes it appears that God is absent
in our text. The tomb is certainly empty, but there’s no Jesus either – yet.
The One who gave the gift is present through His messenger, the angel. It seems
that each time an angel comes before someone, the lasting image is one of power
and fear. Indeed, most angel encounter begins with “Do not be afraid” as
this one does. We, too, are tempted to get caught up in the angel’s power and
appearance. But, that’s always the secondary quality of an angel encounter. The
main reason God uses His angels is because He has a very important message to
convey. When we focus so intently on what the angel may have looked like, or
what amount of power they possess, we neglect the true purpose for their
arrival – to speak in the place of God.
God
is not present in visible form here, but He is present through the angel’s
words, for as God’s holy messenger, the angel’s words are God’s words. An angel
not only possesses power and perfection, but also speaks with
perfection. Everything said by this angel is correct and the absolute best way
to get the message across – because these are God’s words. Listen again, to the
angel’s message and consider it as God’s direct word to you. “Do not be
afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 "He is not
here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 7 "And
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.”
There
are subtle truths in this message that are so important for your faith, and that
importance comes forth when we see these as words from God. These words are
from the One who gave the gift.
One
message that means more coming from God is that the angel says, “I know”
– God knew that the Mary’s were looking for Jesus. He was aware of what
feelings were in their heart. He knew the sorrow they had felt during the last
few days. Essentially, God was not distant – He was with them. He wanted them
to know that Jesus was alive, but also that He knew what they were going
through. Likewise, God knows how you feel. God knows what you think. He meets
you where you are at and imparts the life-saving, soul-rescuing comfort of the
resurrection – the gift that exceeds all others.
The
angel also says, “He is not here; for He is risen, as He said.” God
reminds the Mary’s of what they had already been taught. Jesus was open about
His mission to the cross, but also about His victory over the grave. Jesus had
predicted His death and resurrection three times. God had foretold it in the
Old Testament Scriptures. This call to remember what Jesus said is a subtle
reminder that the answers we look for are often given by God in the places we
least expect – most of all His Word. What God had told us through His Word is
more than sufficient for every ill and trouble, but sometimes we need that
gentle reminder to return to what the Lord has said because we’re busy looking
somewhere else. In Luke’s account, we’re informed that upon hearing the angel’s
reminder, the Mary’s remembered the words Jesus spoke to them beforehand. What
joy must have been in their hearts at this remembrance! What a lasting reminder
it must have been for them to always turn back to the Word.
And,
finally, it is of great significance that the angel promises them, “Jesus is
going before you into Galilee, there you will see Him.” Isn’t this the gift
they wanted all along – just to see Jesus alive? They would get that gift, but
in the Lord’s time. As we’ve seen, He had others lessons for them and reminders
that would strengthen their faith long after this day. The fact that God gave
them this promise and delivered it is really the same certain hope we rest upon
for our own resurrection. This is the believer’s hope because it’s God’s
promise. It’s the same as Job’s timeless confession: Job 19:25 For I know
that my Redeemer lives, And He shall stand at last on the earth; 26 And after
my skin is destroyed, this I know, That in my flesh I shall see God, 27 Whom I
shall see for myself, And my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart
yearns within me!
This
is the gift that exceeds all others because of the One who gave it. There’s
nothing tricky or uncertain about the gifts God gives through Jesus – most of
all the resurrection over death. There will be no let down for the one who
trusts in Jesus in the hour of death – your resurrection will far exceed any
other gift. Heed the times and circumstances that accompany this gift, because
they can bring deeper meaning and comfort to God’s blessings. And may you
always have hope because of the One who has given you this. Amen.
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