Preaching Paths 5 April 2026 Easter Year A

Sally A Brown, Professor Emerita, Princeton Theological Seminary

Preachers may draw the Easter morning sermon from either John 20:1-18 or Mt 28:1-10. John’s account is much loved; yet Matthew’s story, despite its brevity, presents the resurrection of Jesus as a profound power-shift in the cosmos—one that shakes the earth, exposes the weakness of Empire-like power, and re-orders social norms. Yet, at the same time, the intimacy of a new relationship with God through the risen Christ is revealed.

We find no disciples running to the tomb in the pre-dawn darkness in Matthew. Rather, two Marys—Magdalen, and perhaps also the mother of Jesus—come to the tomb at sunrise and witness stunning events. The earth rumbles; an earthquake shakes the ground, as when Jesus died (Mt 27:51). Suddenly an angel descends in a flash of intense light and rolls back the stone. The Roman soldiers guarding the tomb are rendered catatonic, “like dead men” (28:4). The angel, now seated on the great stone, speaks to the women: “Do not be afraid!” Announcing that Jesus has risen, he invites them to see the empty tomb and then sends them to tell Jesus’ brothers and sisters the news. They run, trembling with fear and joy. But on their way, they encounter Jesus himself, who also says, “Do not fear.” They grasp his feet and worship; in John, Jesus refuses human touch. Jesus sends the two women on their way: “Tell my brothers and sister that they shall see me in Galilee.”

Three features of Matthew’s account are starting points for preaching. First, only Mt reports earthquakes at the cross and tomb, signifying that all creation is affected by the death and resurrection of the divine Son. Jesus is not “resuscitated” to rejoin a world that is fundamentally unchanged. God’s raising up of Jesus is the inauguration of a new creation(2 Cor 5:17), one in which human existence shall no longer be subject to the constraints of three-dimensional experience or the claim of death. Second, Matthew’s story underscores that Jesus’ resurrection decisively defeats the power of Empire. Abandoned, maligned and condemned, mocked as a failure and staked to a cross, Jesus seemed powerless. Yet, on the third day, an angel wielding other-worldly power renders Rome’s armed guards helpless. He rolls back the immense stone, and, seated on it (a posture of power), commissions the first witnesses to Jesus’ resurrection to share the world-transforming news. Third, we witness a profound reversal of societal norms. Women’s testimony was not considered valid in a Jewish court of law at the time. Yet, God commissions two women who stood faithfully by Jesus’ cross as the first proclaimers of the Lord’s resurrection. This is a new creation altogether, one in which the disregarded are God’s chosen agents to announce the world’s transformation. Unquenchable life has overcome death. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!