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Life Giving Fear

Rev. Jeremy J. Schultz
Easter Sunday
April 12, 2009

One bright, beautiful Sunday morning, everyone in the tiny Midwest town got up early and went to the local church. Before the services started, the townspeople were sitting in their pews. Suddenly, Satan appeared at the front of the church. Everyone started screaming and running for the entrance, trampling each other in a frantic effort to get away from an evil incarnate. Soon everyone was evacuated from the church, except for one elderly gentleman who sat calmly in his pew, not moving...seemingly oblivious to the fact that God's ultimate enemy was in his presence. Now this confused and irritated the Devil a bit, so he walked up to the man and said, "Don't you know who I am?" "Yep, sure do," the elderly man said. Satan asked, "Aren't you afraid of me?" This time the man said, "Nope, sure ain't!" Satan, a little more perturbed at this, asked, "Why aren't you afraid of me?" The man calmly replied, "Been married to your sister for 56 years."

In many corners of Christianity, it's customary to tell a joke like that on Easter and do you know why? It's because the joke is on Satan. Easter announces and with trumpets and lilies we proclaim – Christ is alive. The bars of the grave are broken! Death has lost its sting! The greater Jonah has risen! The Temple has been rebuilt in three days! Now Satan had done his level best. He tempted Adam and Eve and all their children to sin. He incited the enemies of Jesus to condemn and crucify Him. And because of that, he'd like to convince you and me that he has a whole lot more power than he has. He'd love to walk into our church today and make us afraid. But the joke's on him. Because even after hell had scowled and snarled and done it's worst, Christ rose victorious. He died in our place. He won for us the pardon of God. And He came back to life just as He said. The joke's on Satan and truly there is nothing to fear. But if you paid attention to the end of Mark's Gospel today, you might be a bit baffled. It ends unlike any of the rest. St. Mark records, "The women said nothing to anyone because they were afraid." That's verse 8. That's the end of our Gospel reading.

There are many things, of course, that will make people afraid. In fact, I read that there are 530 documented phobias. Many are well known – like claustrophobia. When I was about 15, I was inside a cave for the first time and it was so dark that I couldn't see my hand in front of my face. I remember holding onto the walls, as our passage became more and more narrow. It's the first time I knew I had it – the fear of closed spaces. Then there's thanatophobia – the fear of death. Lots of people have that one. Somebody once said, "I'm not afraid to die, I just don't want to be there when it happens." Then there's phobophobia – the fear of being afraid and pantophobia, which is the fear of everything! But what exactly made the women afraid?

The angel had just told them that Jesus had been raised. He would go ahead and meet them in Galilee. They were supposed to tell the disciples the mind-blowing news. So why were they afraid?

See it might have been a fear of death. Jesus had come to bring life to those who all their lives were held captive to the fear of death. Lazarus had died and he was in the tomb for four days, but Jesus called him out. And on account of this, many of the Jewish leaders were plotting to take both of their lives. Just imagine what they would want to do if it got out that Jesus Himself had been raised! They'd want to kill him again! We have this kind of fear – a fear that leads to death. We experience this fear sometimes when we go to nursing homes and cancer floors. Some people can't even stand to visit funeral parlors because it produces within them such a strong fear of death.

Or maybe they were afraid of the future. I can imagine what they might have thought! What's going to happen now? Would they be on the run? Would they have to hide Him? Would anybody believe us? Can we even believe it? We may also experience a fear of the future. We don’t know what's going to happen tomorrow, let alone next year. Will the economic ball continue to roll off of the table? And if it hits the ground will it bounce back? Will my job be safe or will we have to move? The future is one big question mark. Life isn't safe. God doesn't appear tame. What tomorrow will be cannot be told. These are things that make us afraid. But out of such fears, come life.

During the Second World War, a church in London made the usual preparations for a harvest thanksgiving. A spread of the harvest, perhaps the British version of a cornucopia, was laid out in the sanctuary. I don't know if they had pumpkins or some of the other things we often include, but there was a shock of corn. But unfortunately, the service was never held. During the night, bombs destroyed the building. There was nothing but a big pile of rubble. And because the war continued, the church was not immediately rebuilt. The rubble and debris remained. But that spring, something very unusual occurred. Green shoots appeared in the midst of the rubble. By summer, it was obvious that it was corn. And later that summer, that corn was actually harvested and once more, it became a source of thanksgiving. Here is the message – the message more powerful than bombs and death and destruction. Life is stronger than death. Life is stronger than fear.

See Mark's Gospel would be inconsistent with the others if we were to assume that this fear paralyzed the women and kept them from sharing the good news. Matthew's Gospel tells us that they went away with fear and great joy. So maybe their fear is something else. In fact, maybe their fear was the sort of awe and amazement that we see when people have really some great news to share! Even the continuation of Mark's Gospel tells us that they went on and did as they were told. They went to the disciples and told them that there was no reason to fear. They could exit their locked doors. They could run the tomb and see it opened for themselves. Later on they would all see the risen Christ. But this much was already clear – the joke was on the devil. There was no fear of death – there was now only life!

And that is the message of this day! When fear and sin and death have done their worst – God can still do His best! There on the cross, Jesus died for you. During His three-day stay in the grave, He sanctified your own grave. He made it holy. And on Easter Sunday morning, Christ rose and you too will rise through faith in Him.

Of the 530 documented phobias, there are some really far out ones. But you know what there is absolutely no fear of? Jesus and the life that He brings! So have a little fun this Easter day – tell a little joke – poke a little fun at Satan, that ancient foe. He can do you no harm. Christ is victorious. He brings you life. He definitely gets the last laugh. Amen.