G’day. Happy Easter! Its so good to be able to celebrate this with you. I hope you’ve enjoyed the rest of the series. At the end, please stick around for a couple of announcements. But right now… sit back… and enjoy the final episode of Stories of a Faithful God, Easter special.

Intro then music

Jesus died… fully trusting that his Father would save him from death.

But no-one else believed any of that. Not the crowds, not the chief priests… not even his disciples… even though he’d told them three times. In fact… it was public knowledge that Jesus thought he’d rise again. The priests asked Pilate if they could put a guard at the tomb. Not because they thought Jesus would come out, but because they thought his disciples would go in and get him. Steal the body and then say… Wow, he must’ve come alive!

On the Sunday morning… two heartbroken women make their way towards the tomb. Mary Magdalene and… another Mary. All the men disciples are off hiding in locked rooms. They don’t believe Jesus will come alive again. These women didn’t believe it either… but they are at least brave enough to visit the tomb. They know exactly where it is because they’d also been brave enough to follow the burial party back on Friday.

As the sun’s coming up… as sad as the scene is, everything seems really… normal. The guards are guarding… the men are hiding… the women are walking to the tomb with heavy hearts…

And then… all of a sudden… everything becomes… not normal. This is what Matthew tells us in chapter 28, verse 2:

There was a violent earthquake, because an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and approached the tomb. He rolled back the stone and was sitting on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. The guards were so shaken by fear of him that they became like dead men.

The angel speaks to the women. He’s gentle and kind. He knows a few things. He knows why they’re there. He knows what’s happened… but he also knows that they hadn’t believed Jesus when he told them what was going to happen.

And so gently… kindly… he invites them to believe. To trust. To have faith in the faithful words of their saviour and king: He says this to them in verse 5. He says:

“Don’t be afraid, because I know you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here. For he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has risen from the dead and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; you will see him there.’ Listen, I have told you.”

I love the joy and gentleness of what the angel says to these ladies. It isn’t a rebuke for their unbelief. Its an invitation to joy and happiness. “Don’t be afraid. Come and check it out. See where they put him? He’s not there anymore. Remember… he told you this was going to happen.” Imagine the smile on his face when he tells them to run. Not to run away in fear. Run with light hearts and full of joy to tell the best news in the world.

Matthew tells us that they actually run away with both… fear AND joy. Its like… they don’t really get what’s happening… they’re confused and yet… they kind of realise that something amazing’s going on. Something wonderful. Something that’s never happened before.

And so they run until suddenly… they come to an immediate and complete stop. If what happened before was unexpected and weird and confusing and exciting… its nothing compared to what happens now. Standing right in front of them… as though he just happened to be walking down the road… is Jesus.

And he says to them… “Greetings”. Or… Hi there. An Australian translation would be… G’day.

It must’ve been so strange. Just think about the emotional rollercoaster these women have been on. From desperate sadness, to fear to happiness with confusion… and then all of sudden there’s Jesus… who they’d seen die just a few days before… and as they stand there shocked and overwhelmed he says… “G’day”.

Who knows what they’re thinking exactly… but they immediately do a couple of things.

They fall down and grab his feet… perhaps out of love… or because they want to check he’s not a ghost or because they just don’t want him to ever leave them again.

And they bow down and worship him. Whether its because they’ve finally realised that he’s God in the flesh or its just the sort of honour you’d give to a great king… they know that they need to bow in front of him.

And again… just like the angel said… Jesus says these loving… gentle words. “Don’t be afraid.”

And then he gives them the same job that the angel gave them… but there’s something in the way he says it that’s truly remarkable. Something that… when you hear it… you can’t unhear it. He says in verse 10:

“Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to leave for Galilee, and they will see me there.”

Did you hear it? There’s a word in there which is simply… remarkable. Jesus calls the disciples… his brothers.

They’d been so unfaithful to him. They’d all said they’d follow him to the bitter end and they’d all run away. Peter had even denied him three times.

And yet… Jesus knew that was going to happen. He’d told them it would happen. He didn’t die for them because they were faithful. He died to save them from their unfaithfulness. He was faithful… on their behalf. He was faithful to God… in their place. He was perfect because they never could be. And now… having swallowed up their guilt… Having taken their shame on himself… He’s made them clean… and guilt free… and brought them into his family.

Which is especially remarkable because of the position Jesus has been given, and which he’s about to tell them about.

The eleven remaining disciples… Judas is dead by now… travel north to Galilee… they climb a mountain that Jesus had told them about… and there they see Jesus. Matthew tells us in verse 17:

When they saw him, they worshiped, but some doubted.

Or perhaps a better word would be… some hesitated. It isn’t a doubt like… is he really real. It seems to be more of a hesitation of… can I really go up to Jesus? Am I really allowed to be here? But Jesus kindly answers it for them and comes up to them.

Then he tells them the greatest news in all the universe.

Do you remember where we started this series? With Jesus in the wilderness being tempted by Satan? The last temptation was when Satan offered him the whole world, if only he worshipped Satan. If Jesus had said yes… it would’ve meant no suffering… no crucifixion… no death.

But Jesus knew two things. He knew that Satan’s a liar and a murderer. He’s the embodiment of unfaithfulness. And he knew that his Father in heaven is the great, loving… faithful life giver. Yes, he knew that if he trusted his Father that it would lead to the cross… but he also knew that his faithful Father would raise him to life… would give him far more than Satan could ever offer… and that through God’s good plan… salvation could be offered to the whole world. The cross was central to God’s plan because it was the only way to save people. And God’s been completely faithful. As he always is. As he always has been. Look at what he’s given Jesus. In verse 18 Jesus says:

“All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth.

And what does Jesus… God the Son… want to do with that authority? He wants to save people of course. Because that’s what God always wants. To rescue people from the lies of Satan… the lie that says if you go your own way…. If you ignore God and put yourself in charge… everything’ll be better. Because it won’t. Following God is always best. And so Jesus sends out his disciples to the whole world… inviting us to submit to him… hand authority over our lives back to him… to receive forgiveness and joy and blessing and eternal life in his family as brothers and sisters. He says in verse 19:

Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you.

It doesn’t matter where you live… what you’ve done… Jesus’ invitation is for everyone.

And then he gives them one final promise… One final reminder of his faithfulness. A promise that they’ll never be alone. That today… if you trust and follow Jesus… you’ll never be alone. That no matter where you are or when you are… the faithful ruler of the universe will never ever abandon you or forsake you or leave you or give up on you or be unfaithful to you. He says in verse 20:

“And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Thanks for listening.

MUSIC

Its been a wonderful privilege to share the Easter story with you. If you’ve found it helpful, please show your appreciation if you’re able by making a contribution at my website, faithfulgod.net, that’s faithfulgod.net. There’s a link in the show notes to the giving page. You can make a one-off contribution to my work, or, if you want to help keep the podcasts going, both for yourself and others, please consider becoming a regular contributor. If money’s too tight, don’t worry, just enjoy the show. Also, please go to the contact page and let me know how you found the Easter series. That would be great feedback for me.

If you’ve only tuned in during the Easter specials, its great to have you. These shows have been a little different. Usually, There’s one or two shows a week for Stories of a Faithful God for Kids. They’re a bit shorter and more focussed on kids. And once every 2 weeks we have a longer episode on Stories of a Faithful God. In Psalm 22, what stops David giving up on trusting God is when he remembers how God’s been faithful in the past. We all need that in our minds… so please join me as we look at what God’s said and done.

Next week for the kids I’ll release 2 episodes… the last 2 episodes of the Jonah series. I had great fun making them. There’s a whole lot of laughs as well as a wonderful picture of the faithful God. The week after that, on both shows, I’m going to be doing a longer series on Exodus. Its an amazing story. We’re going to get into the detail of it, never in a boring way though. God’s story is so captivating. I do hope you’ll join me for Exodus.

Last thing, Stories of a Faithful God is now on Facebook, Instagram and X. Just search Stories of a Faithful God. I’ll post episodes there but also some other helpful things along the way.

So… if you’re able, please show your appreciation by donating. Like, follow, the show so you don’t miss out on new episodes, and I look forward to bringing you more… Stories of a Faithful God.