He Sat On It

There have been some pretty popular “put-downs” in TV history. “Eat my shorts.” “What you talkin’ ‘bout, Willis?” “No soup for you.” “Kiss my grits.” And one that is definitely popular in the Milwaukee area, “Sit on it.”

St. Matthew tells us, “An angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.” The angel sat on it! It seems like such an insignificant little detail in such a tremendous story. But with those words we see that all the strength and might of man in sealing the tomb and posting a guard and making it as secure as they knew how (Mt 27:65-66), was reduced to a chair. How right the psalmist was when against all the plotting and raging of man, he simply states: “He who sits in the heavens, shall laugh.” (Ps 2:4) On Easter we can add, “He who laid in the tomb shall laugh! For Christ is risen! No stone could hold in the Lord of life. When the angel sat on the stone, Jesus told Satan to ‘sit on it!’”

For what is a stone – no matter how big – against the One who took upon Himself the crushing weight of the sin of the world? What is a stone against the One who came to do battle again Satan and his subordinates? It is the height of unbelief that thinks a stone can hold God in a tomb.

With the resurrected Christ, sin is atoned for, death loses its power and the grave gives up its prey. On Easter we exclaim, “Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!” “Christ is risen!” means sin is forgiven. “Christ is risen!” means the roaring lion is now a toothless foe. “Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia!” Every time we say those words, it should be with a particular gusto. Satan has lost and we won’t let him forget it. He lost and is vanquished forever. The prince of this world has been hurled down and the Prince of Life reigns immortal. Every time we confess these words, we are poking the devil in the eye with the sharp stick of our resurrection confession. We are mocking the mocker. We are telling him to “sit on it.”

That Easter morning, not only did the stone become a chair, it also became a pulpit. It is the place where the first Easter sermon was proclaimed, “You are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.” The angel rolled back the stone, not to let the Lord out, but to show the world that the Lord was already gone. He rolled it back to help his fellow servants believe. He rolled it back so the women, the disciples and the world might believe. Now we know that Jesus’ resurrection was no mere spiritual resurrection, but that Jesus was wholly and fully alive. Not just part of Him, but all of Him – body and soul. Anything less would not have been a victory. Anything less would have meant that death had not been defeated, but had won after all. And if death is not defeated, then sin is not defeated. And if sin is not defeated, then we are still in our sin. And if we are still in our sin, then we have no hope (1 Cor 15:14), and Easter is not the most joyous, but the saddest, day of the year.
But the angel is sitting on the stone! The grave is not only open, it is empty. The angel opens his mouth to proclaim this good news. Concerning the life of Christ, don’t angels always bring good news? Christ is conceived, Christ is born, Christ is risen!

That is the cornerstone of all Christian preaching. The cross is empty; the grave is empty; which allows God to fill heaven. The stone the angel sat upon is not only his pulpit, but the pulpit from which all pastors preach. The once dead, now alive Savior dispels our doubts, calms our fears and forgives our sins.

Death is a common denominator for all of us. Sometimes it comes like a rapist, ripping and tearing and forcing himself upon families. Other times it arrives as a welcome friend providing respite and release from a painful and terminal illness. Death comes to all. But there is one God-given, blood-bought truth which cannot be overemphasized – when death comes and places his bony fingers around the necks of our souls, his cold, clutching grasp is broken by the nail-pierced hands of the risen Savior. When death comes calling, a living Jesus stands there and bars the way, saying, “You cannot have them; today, they shall be with Me in paradise.”

So let us too rejoice this Easter! Let us too sit on Christ’s resurrection stone and laugh with holy joy! For Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! The angel sat on it. Now you can tell the devil, “Sit on it!”