Fear Not Friday: Easter Resurrection - When Fear Meets Joy (Matthew 28)

The hardest part of the resurrection story might be how real it feels. You can almost hear the footsteps of Mary and Mary Magdalene as they head to the tomb after the Sabbath, still carrying the weight of what they saw. 

They weren’t strangers to hope. They witnessed the miracles, from water turned to wine to a crowd of 5,000 fed on a hillside. They saw the sick healed and Lazarus called out of the grave. And then they watched that same Jesus crucified.

We walk through Matthew 28 with fresh eyes: the dawn of the first day of the week, the violent earthquake, the angel of the Lord descending, and the stone rolled away from a sealed, guarded tomb. Even Roman soldiers trained for violence are shaken into silence by fear. The message that follows cuts through panic with a calm command that still lands today: “Do not be afraid.”

From there, we sit with the line that describes so many of us more accurately than we like to admit: afraid, yet filled with joy. We talk about why Easter Sunday is more than a date on the calendar, how the empty tomb reframes the worst of times, and why the first response to resurrection is movement, telling, sharing, and living like hope is true. 

If you’re searching for meaning, comfort, or clarity in the Christian faith, this reflection on the resurrection of Jesus Christ is for you. 

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• Remembering the miracles Jesus performs and the lives changed
• Crucifixion as the darkest turn after real wonder
• Dawn after the Sabbath and why the week begins on Sunday
• The earthquake, the rolled stone and the terrified Roman guards
• The angel’s words “Do not be afraid” and the resurrection announcement
• Fear and joy held together as a real Christian experience
• The charge to go and tell the disciples

Transcript

Remembering Jesus’ Miracles

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Imagine Mary and Mary Madeline. It's been quite a week. Your King, your Lord, your Savior, Jesus. You were an eyewitness to all the miracles he did. You were there when at a wedding he turned the water into wine. You were there at a hilltop where 5,000 people were hungry, and he fed all 5,000. You were there when he healed the blind, the sick, the crippled. You were there when he called the name of Lazarus. And Lazarus came walking out of a tomb. And you were there where all the teachings he gave changed lives. And what

From Crucifixion To The Tomb

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happened? They killed him, they crucified him. And now that day, that day after the Sabbath, that first day of the week, you're going to the tomb. And what happens?

The Angel’s Message At Dawn

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You find this angelic being whose body is like lightning and so powerful, and his clothes are white as snow, and you're scared. You're scared. And that angelic being says, Do not be afraid. For I know you're looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, he has risen, just as he said. Wow.

Matthew 28 And Why Sunday Matters

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Well, the Bible tells us in Matthew 28 that again, it was after the Sabbath, the dawn of the first day of the week. That's why your calendars start with Sunday. That's the day after the Sabbath. Mary Mary Madeline went down to their tomb. It said there was a violent earthquake that day. And the angel of the Lord came down from heaven. Now, I believe the Bible doesn't say it, but was that Gabriel? Because Gabriel was known as God's messenger, and Gabriel always said, Fear not or do not be afraid. And he delivered a message. This is the angel of the Lord came down from heaven. He came to

Fear And Joy In The Same Moment

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the tomb. He rolled back the stone out. These are big, massive, heavy stones to guard a tomb that nobody could move. And there were two soldiers, Roman soldiers, placed in front of the stone to guard that tomb under the penalty of death to these soldiers that no one could disturb that tomb. And it says when the Roman guards saw the angel, his appearance, they were so afraid they shook, and then it became like dead men. They were that scared, the fear they had. The Bible also tells you when the angel came before Mary and Mary Madeline, they also were scared. And he had to tell them, Do not be afraid. You're looking for Jesus, he's not here, he is risen, just as he said. And then the angel says, Go and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead. There you will see him. And he concludes, Now I have told you. Again, that's why I believe it could be Gabriel. The Bible doesn't say Gabriel, but he came down from heaven. He delivered a message, and he said his famous, fear not or do not be afraid. The women were scared. What they had seen, this angelic being, it did scare them. The Bible says in Matthew 28. It says they were afraid, but they were filled with joy. And they ran to tell the disciples Imagine the time of your life when those emotions you're so afraid of, but you're still full of joy. If that describes you and your life, whatever you're going through, maybe like Mary and Mary Madeline, you come to the tomb the day after the Sabbath, and you find an angel there, and you're scared. And your angel tells you, Do not be afraid.

Easter Sunday Hope And Closing Amen

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And as Christians, we know it was probably the worst of times. It became a time of joy. Jesus was crucified after all he had done. Our Lord, our Savior, our King was crucified. And the dawn of this third day, the first day of the week on a Sunday, we call it Easter Sunday. He rose up. And the angel said, Do not be afraid. You are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, he is risen just as he said. Thank you, my friends. Let's end this with Amen. Amen. Amen.