Matthew 27:62-66; Selected
Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last fraud will be worse than the first.”
Sermon Transcript:
Morning everybody. Good morning. Invite you to take your Bibles to Matthew chapter 27. This morning we’re continuing our series in the Passion Week of Christ. Today we are looking at Saturday today immediately preceding the resurrection of Christ On Easter Sunday, we’re gonna be looking at Matthew chapter 27, um, verses 62 to 66.
And the end of the, the verses just preceding this are about Joseph of Aramathea, one of the members of the San Hadron. The group of 70 leaders of Israel has come to pilot, has gotten permission to bury Jesus in his own grave. That has all happened, uh, horridly at the end of Friday to get it done before the Sabbath begins, which actually begins at dusk on Friday night.
Their days went from dusk to dusk, as Jared, Jared said last week. And so now we pick up what is happening on Saturday in verse 62. The next day, that is after the day of preparation, the chief priest and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, sir, we remember how this imposter said while he was still alive.
After three days, I will rise, therefore order the term to be made secure until the third day, lest is disciples go and steal him away and tell the people he has risen from the dead and the last fraud will be worse than the first pilot said to them, you have a guard of soldiers, go and make it as secure as you can.
So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone. And setting a guard. Let’s pray.
Lord, we’ve already gathered here in this room and expressed worship already. Heart our thoughts lifted to you. Now God, we come to this unique day, the day on, on Earth’s surface, which is utterly silent. A day of confusion, a day of pain, a day of bewilderment for his Jesus followers. Lord, as I hope we can glean from this sermon and study this morning, also a day in which astonishing things are going on, Lord, I pray you’d be our teacher.
Guide us as we look at some interesting truths this morning. Seek to understand some interesting passages. In Jesus’ name. Amen. Amen. Last Sunday, pastor Jared presented a great sermon on the costs that Jesus Christ experienced on Friday, emotionally, physically, spiritually. It all climaxed at the moment of the cross where in late afternoon he gave up his spirit.
He died, um, and then hurriedly, they took him down from the cross. They took his body, put it in the tomb of this leader of the Sanhedrin Joseph of Aramathea, in order to beat the hours before the Sabbath day would begin on late Friday evening. They have taken him, they’ve put him in a tomb. They’ve rolled the stone in front of it.
And so begin the events of Saturday of Passion Week. A reporter on the ground would not see a lot going on. On this day. Jesus followers have dispersed. Peter is somewhere completely licking his wounds in disgrace, overwhelming remorse for publicly denying Jesus Christ in such an overt way. On Thursday evening, Judas, after seeing Jesus marked for the cross Friday morning, has gone out and hung himself.
All of the others followers of Jesus have dispersed some gathering together, some separate to. Rest during the Sabbath day. During the end of that day. Actually Saturday night it will be after the Sabbath is over, the women will begin to prepare their spices for the coming morning when they intend to go to the tomb and try to anoint the body of Jesus.
Don’t think about until they’re almost there, how they’re gonna get the stone out of the way. But they’ve gone and, and the only on the ground record we have of what happened on Saturday is the verses I just read. It is basically telling us what is happening outside the tomb, but what is happening to the one in the tomb.
This is going to be the second aspect of our sermon this morning, and I’ll give you a preview. It will be one of the most unique sermon subjects we have ever tackled together. But first, let’s look at Jesus in the grave as we’re going to look at them in this sermon from two perspectives. First of all, the ground view, and we see the enemy’s designed to captivate.
Then we’re going to look at the below ground view. Jesus dissent to liberate the ground view here in Matthew 27 is talking about the enemy’s design to captivate him. It’s made up of two groups of people. It says the chief priest and the Pharisees, and that’s who we’ve read about in Matthew 27 62 to 66.
Basically those were members of the Sanhedrin, the ruling 70 of Israel, the chief priest. Were usually, as they were in this day, members of what is called the Sadi Group. The Sadi Group was the more liberal group. They tended to be affluent. They tended to be, um, prominent families. Um, and the chief priests were individuals who did not believe in an afterlife astonishingly.
These were the priests. The chief priest did not believe. Certainly there was a future resurrection. They did not tend to take Bible stories, literally. Then you had the other group that were also a part of the Sanhedrin, and these were the individuals called the Pharisees. These were the more conservative biblical scholars.
These individuals absolutely did believe in the afterlife, and they did believe that there was a future resurrection to come. Yet we find that these two groups have joined forces as they go to pilot, and they have one belief where they can agree on the afterlife, and that is this. Jesus is not the guy that is going to lead us there.
Jesus does not have the power to raise himself from the dead. Jesus does not have the the ability to bring about resurrection on his own volition at his own time. Even though we, as Pharisees would believe there is a future resurrection
as they come together, their concern is not really about Jesus, it’s about his followers. They’re worried that they’re gonna come and steal the body, and then they’re gonna announce that he is resurrected from the dead because as the tomb is open, low and behold there’s no body there. And there are three things I just wanna highlight that I think stand out for from this passage we’re struck with these three things.
First of all, they really heard Jesus words about the resurrection. This is a really clear summation of what Jesus predicted. In three days, I will rise from the dead. They knew he said that. They heard, he said that far more clearly and expressed far more cogently than we ever hear the disciples. I, I think it was just a truth.
They just couldn’t put their arms around and, and actually the disciples, you never read an account of the disciples saying, you know, he’s gonna ra He said he was gonna raise three days. I wonder if you don’t hear that. As a matter of fact, with the disciples, there’s no sense of of processing that we have any record of, of what this could mean.
You know, he died. We didn’t expect him to die, but he did say he was gonna die. Maybe this means this. They’re all astounded at the resurrection. The religious leaders are giving these guys far too much credit. That they would be able to strategize at this moment in time, to, uh, to, to, to take the body of Jesus and then fabricate his, his resurrection.
But these guys hurt him. They really hurt him. They didn’t believe him, but scared him. The second thing that strikes you about this is their fear. I mean, this is the Sabbath day. These guys were really fearful of what Jesus could do through his followers. This, the Sabbath. They were of course, under all kinds of restraints and regulations.
Even those that were liberal would, would still have said there are ways the Sabbath has to be practiced and one way is not gathering together for a special meeting, which they did. Secondly, to ask for a special audience with the Roman governor, which they did to marshal their own guards and take them out to defend the hill where Jesus was buried, which they did.
These guys were willing to cut a lot of corners. As a matter of fact, they were willing to cross big lines in their frenzy to make sure this tomb is secure and to stop What might happen. Also, and I love this part of the story, this is Joseph’s tomb. Joseph o Mathia is part of their group. I mean, you would think they would say, Joseph, we don’t know why.
You felt the need, maybe compassion or something to, to take this guy’s body who quite frankly we’re the reason he’s dead and put him in your own tomb, but would you at least get some guards out there? They’re not trusting Joseph. It’s highly unlikely that Joseph of Aramathea is a part of the group that’s speaking a pilot.
It’s very unlikely that Nicodemus, who is one of the members of the San Union and a leading Pharisee, that he’s a part of the group. These guys have been left out. They’re now questionable. They’re suspect
they have guards. We know there are guards that the religious leaders have and the and and what P says to, he says, take your guards, take your police. Go ahead and secure the tomb. So why do they need to go to pilot? I mean, they got their own guards, right? They got their own mini army. They arrested Jesus with those guys.
Why did they need to go to pilot? They went to a pilot because they wanted the power of Rome behind this protective ploy. They really received strong empowerment for their goals here. You know, Jesus had, has already shown he can do some weird things at tombs. Just a few weeks before this, he stood at the tomb of Lazarus, not far from Jerusalem, just a couple of miles east of it, and he said, what has he said to him?
Move the stone away and then, and I’m sure the religious leaders is, we are not sure what actually happened there, but man, what a mess it was for us. They still were told in the gospels we’re trying to discredit Lazarus ease until this time they don’t want another scene, certainly in the tomb of one of their own members.
So they go to pilot and basically this is what they’re requesting. Look, we know we can put our soldiers where we want. We can put our guards where we want, but we want Rome stamp on this. That’s why it says in verse 65 and 66 that they sealed the tomb. What that means is they put a Roman steel on it, seal on it, and the seal said this, anybody that moves this stone has just put their fist in the face of the Roman Empire.
This is Caesar’s tomb. Now you don’t move this stone. They brought now the, the authority of Rome. It’s striking to me the pilot is willing to do this. PIL also is unnerved by this whole experience with Jesus. Pilate doesn’t blow him off. He allows them to put a Roman seal on it. And I, I’m saying all this to say this.
The view on the ground, the only one recorded of the only one recorded event is of Jesus enemies trying to limit his influence. Don’t let anything happen. Don’t let these guys now, now get a message out there that Jesus is somehow still alive and this whole thing will just keep going. Let’s stop it. The whole picture, the only messaging we have of on the ground in activity is of Jesus enemies trying to limit him, trying to captivate him, which is astonishing and very exciting as we come to the second part of our sermon because the second part of the sermon is the below ground view.
Jesus dissent. To liberate. We’re gonna look at a number of different passages regarding this, but first, I want you to join with me and I want you to process with me. Jesus died on Friday afternoon, right? He was put in the tomb around dinnertime. His body was there, now sealed into this tomb of Joseph,
but has Jesus ceased to exist? I, I think we would all say no. Jesus, in spirit, soul, the immaterial part has left his body to go where life. I think if I asked that question, our, our immediate response would be, well, heaven, doesn’t he say to the, you know, the thief on the cross today, you’ll be with me in paradise.
We’re gonna circle back to that. Where did he go? What happened? Where was Jesus on Saturday? The Apostles Creed is the original doctrinal statement put together by the early church. It’s called the Apostles Creed because the church fathers that were discipled by the disciples, by the apostles actually credited them with providing this body of truth.
The Apostles Creed has basically been endorsed by every Christian group in worldwide throughout history. It’s a simple statement. Later statements will simply elaborate on it, but the Apostles Creed will always be the foundational teaching of the church. I’d like to quickly read to you. The Apostles Creed.
And I want to point out two things about this. One in particular. I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to hell. The third day, rose from the dead. He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God, the Father Almighty. From there, he will come to judge the living in the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.
Amen. Two quick points. You’ll notice down in the latter part, I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic church, Catholic, here is the word. Uh, it’s actually from two words. Um, which means according to, or or in, in, in relation to. And then the word, um, all basically it’s saying this is the universal church.
This is, this is the, the church in relation to all believers is what it means. But I want you to go back a few lines to the lines that may have jumped out to you. He was crucified. He died and was buried. He descended to hell. This particular statement
has caused a lot of controversy questions, just, uh, in, in interpretation throughout the history of the church. Actually only the last few centuries, the early centuries all agreed exactly what it was referring to. But there are three different interpretations. I’m just gonna highlight these very quickly.
Number one, some people saw it as a reference to Jesus experiencing death. I, I just, I don’t know how this even got traction. It’s not what it says. It says he descended to hell or literally Hades. Um, nor does it explain a number of New Testament passages. And it even says before this, he died. He died, was buried and descended to hell.
The second was actually by John Calvin. It was a view that no one had promoted that anybody knows before his period. But also it’s got some traction today. And that was that it is a reference to Jesus experiencing the fury and judgment of hell. I understand that, that makes more sense to me, uh, because he did bear hell for us.
But again, it, it, it, it is not, the question is why would this happen after he was buried? Um, and no one has postulated before John Calvin. The third view is that Jesus literally went to Hades. To release believers who had died. Virtually every church father in the first eight centuries or more embraced this view, St.
Augustine in the fourth century, one of the truly great church fathers most prominent writer, made this statement, how could anyone think otherwise than that? Jesus did descend to hell during the time of his burial, not bodily, but in his spirit, in who he was, his body still in the grave. The word translated hell in the statement is the word Hades.
It is the same place referred to as the Hebrew word shield. It’s not talking about the eternal state of hell. As a matter of fact, in Revelation 20, it says this, those that are still contained in Hades will be. Placed into the lake of fire, whatever that means, literal or non-literal fire. It is a place of eternal separation from God.
But, and that’s what we think of as, as the, the place of eternal judgment. Hades is a holding place now, bear with me, hang with me because the longer we go into this subject, the more excited I’m gonna get right now. There’s just stuff we gotta get through. Okay. Okay. So what is Hades? Well, Hades is the place of the departed dead in history before Jesus resurrection.
It’s an intermediate state. It is a, uh, between physical death and future, the future eternal state. There are two sides to it, two different, uh, places in it. Somehow. I don’t know how to localize this, but there is a state which is called Abraham’s side. Which is where righteous believers prior to Jesus, that’s where Abraham was.
It’s where David was. It’s where Ruth was. It’s where all, all the, the saints of God, all and believers of any fame or, or, or notoriety. And secondly, there’s another side, which is where those who rejected belief and salvation. Jesus tells us about this in a parable in Luke 16. He talks about, in Luke 16, he’s talking about a, a poor man, poor godly man whose name is Lazarus.
And then there’s this rich guy who is, uh, uh, uh, proud, arrogant, uh, unresponsive to things of faith. Listen to the passage in Luke 16. Here’s what it says. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried and in Hades. Being in torment. He lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side.
Both of these individuals are in Hades or Old Testament term Shield. They’re both there. One’s in one part, the righteous Abraham, the righteous Lazarus, and the other guy is this rich guy. And his position is totally different from the others. For the Godly in the time before Christ, they were in a state of comfort, wholeness, joy, Abraham’s side, if you will.
It is even called in writings. Paradise.
You got that? We’ll come back, but they are separated from their bodies until a day to come. So my second question, my se my, my next question is this, did Jesus go there? Ephesians chapter four, verse eight through 10, and again, I’m talking about after Jesus Christ has physically died. Now we’re into Saturday.
Did Jesus go to Hades? Ephesians four, eight through 10, when Jesus ascended on high, he let a host of captives and he gave gifts to men. In saying he ascended, what does it mean? But the ha that he had also descended into the lower regions the earth, he who descended is the one who also ascended for above all the heavens that he might fill all things.
Peter talks about this very thing in the first sermon ever preached after Jesus died and rose from the dead. Here’s what he says in Acts chapter two. He’s quoting from Psalm 16, and it’s a prophetic statement about Jesus. And ge. This is Jesus. Putting words to Jesus is speaking for, you’ll not abandon my soul to Hades or let your holy one see corruption.
And then Peter gives his interpretation in verse 31, he David for Sue and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. Here’s what he’s saying. Jesus was not held in Hades. He was delivered from it by his resurrection. Mr. First sermon of the early church.
And Peter is saying, I wanna tell you the whole story of the passion from crucifixion to resurrection. Jesus Christ died on the cross fulfilling all the scriptures of the one that would be the lamb slain that would provide a way through the veil into the presence of God as Gerald presented to us last week.
He said, then he descended to Hades, but then he was not abandoned there. Justice the psalmist said he didn’t stay there as those saints had stamped, stayed there for some of the millennia of time, though it was a, a rich place at times called Paradise, though it was a place that of joy and, and, and, and blessing.
It also was not the final place. And he says, how could he not be kept there if he’s a person that died
because Jesus Christ had the power to rise from the dead. This is the, this is the first sermon of the early church. Okay, let’s keep going. Revelation one, verse 1718 for great declarations about Jesus Christ. And he says to the believers, don’t be afraid because as fear not, I am the first and the last.
And the living one. I died. And behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and Hades. Some people try to argue that death and Hades are the same place here and many passages. Their deline has two different things. Death is the state. Hades is is a locale. He says, I’m the one that had the keys.
The picture of Christ in his crucifixion is that I went to Hades, to all those saints that were in Abraham’s side. I have the keys, I’m opening the door, I’m releasing them.
So why would Jesus go there?
Why was this going on on Saturday? Number one? It’s where humans went at death, you know? It’s just we sort of get in this state of I I I, I certainly get it. I’ve been there. I am there wondering, okay, Jesus died and I know what death’s like death is. Preached it my whole life. Believed it. My whole life since it became a believer.
Death is separation. My body is left and my spirit now goes on. Jesus experienced death just like any human. His spirit went on to wear to the same place they all did, to Hades, to shield to, to the underworld. Whether it is literally under the earth, I don’t know. I dunno where it’s localized or how it’s localized for spirit beings.
But Jesus experienced death in the same way humans experienced death and where he went. Was not focused on back to the presence of God. That’s emphasized as a result of the resurrection. Jesus went to Hades. He went there, first of all, because it’s where humans go when they died to this point. Secondly, and that’s where I, I, to me, Luke 4 23 43, where he says to the, to the guy on the cross today, because you believe you’ll be with me in paradise.
He means we’re going together. We’re just gonna be there a little while, but we’re going together. You’ll be on Abraham’s side with me. The second thing why Jesus would go there is he went to liberate those who had awaited the salvation. He died to. Why are Abraham and David and Ruth and all the godly women and all the godly men that have embraced salvation through the, the, the provision of God, the temporary provision of the sacrifices covering their sin.
People that, that in humility saw their, their sin and, and their need of, of forgiveness from a, a, a holy God, but also a God of grace, that it provided a temporary way. Why are they still in Abraham’s side? Because there has not been made an eternal sacrifice for sin that has been declared acceptable through the resurrection yet.
I love this thought. I love the thought of Christ. Who here they up on the ground, right? They’re sealing the tomb. We’re gonna hold this guy. We’re gonna put your guards there. And he’s down there liberating. Yeah. Every saint that has ever lived. Amen. Yes. He’s the conqueror. Why would he go there? He went there to say, you see these, see these halls?
They were for you, you Abraham, you rayhab, you Ruth, you Adam, you eve sins scarred, broken, have waited in place of blessing and goodness. But you knew this is a temporary thing. I’m the one, I’m the guy. This was for you
and I have the keys to open that door to eternity. Okay? Does it matter if he went there? It matters. I think for four reasons. I’m gonna try to r run through these pretty rapidly. Number one, it declares that Jesus is the focus of all human history. Since Adam and Eve, this has been the moment humanity has waited for every believer in God.
Every person who has experienced acceptance by faith and the sacrifices and the grace of God has looked for this moment, and Jesus has come to say it’s completed. The second reason it matters. Jesus resurrection is a literal picture of our resurrection.
Jesus resurrection is just like yours will be one day if you died today. You would go to be with the presence of the Lord, your, your spiritual, your immaterial part wood. But Paul talks about this is somewhat aberrant, that we are unclothed is the idea. He says in second Corinthians five, four, he says that it’s, it’s wonderful.
We are in a place without pain and sorrow. We are in the presence of God now through what Christ. But he says, it’s still not the resurrection
Jesus is emphasizing. There is a body, bodily, physical resurrection that is yet to come. One of the, the things that I’ve struggled with, my whole ministry is at gravesides of how to explain what’s going on because we’re there and I’m saying, Your loved one, if they’ve embraced Christ, your, your believing loved one is in the presence of God.
Now, the hope is there’s a future resurrection. Eh? What? And what I’m saying, I’m trying to explain, and I, and I don’t highlight a lot, cuz it, it can be confusing to everybody, is that their body will be raced. This is real. This is actual, Jesus was alive on Saturday, right? He was resurrected on Sunday. What was resurrected?
He was resurrected to physical life. His human body was brought to life again. Now you may be thinking, wait, wait a minute. So the hope is that in the future, if maybe I’ll die and I’ll be in heaven in the presence of God, but. I’m gonna come back and get this body again. Well, maybe some questions you have.
Well, well, I, I just cremated my grandmother, or, or worse, my loved one was eaten by a shark. Or worse, worse. I hate my body. I don’t want this body. This is all I can say to you. Whatever your body’s like, it’s gonna be fantastic. You’re not gonna have any, oh, I just, I just gonna do wave words. Ah, it’s never gonna end.
No, you’re gonna never be happier than you. This, this gonna be the perfect body.
You see? There is going to be a new heaven and new earth. Th this is where I, ah, this is just grit. This we die. And now, because Jesus has emptied out the Abraham’s side of Hades, were in the presence of God, with God, with Christ, but he’s going to prepare a new heavens and new earth. The whole cosmos, the whole universe, as we know it, is at least part of this cosmic garden of Eden.
Every part of it, we’re going to be given bodies to enjoy it. This is not earthy. You know, the NAICS used to, this is a big argument they had against the early church. They said, no, no, the body is bad, bad, bad, bad. And, and the early church father say, no, the body is good. It’s, it’s marred by sin, but we are part human body.
This is, this is real. This is special. We’re gonna be given a body just like Jesus Christ. So Jesus Christ experienced everything you experience at death. He died, his body still lay in. The tomb was buried. He went to the place at this time, Hades in his spirit. Now that is, those believers are in the presence of God, wherever that is.
Third heaven, wherever it would be. But on the third day, on Sunday, his body was resurrected. His body was now changed. But you know, he still ate. He still walked around. He still talked. His body is exactly how your body will be. It also implies that he walked through a wall. I mean, that would be, that’d be all right, but Jesus experienced everything.
We’re going to experience
Jesus. Then third, Knows every part of human experience because Christ’s dissent pushes us to recognize that he doesn’t simply know what it’s like to die. He knows what it’s like to be dead. He said, wait, wait, wait, wait. Yeah, that’s what’s going on. From the moment he expired on the cross till the moment he was resurrected, he was in the state of death.
He was living in that happy but unnatural state of unclothed that Paul talks about in Second Corinthians five, four, and to dwell among the departed saints, the resurrection forms the foundation of our. And it didn’t just happen the moment Jesus died on the cross. He didn’t rise till Sunday. And in that interim state, he pictures the state that we are in, in that unclosed state, yes, in God’s presence, but not as.
We will one day be reunited with a body that is glorified, prepared for a cosmos that is paradoxical. And the last thing it declares that Jesus is the cornerstone is the conqueror of every square inch of creation in Philippians two tend through 11. It says this, as a result of what Jesus Christ did in coming among us and dying and rising, here’s what Paul concludes so that the name of Jesus every knee should bow in heaven, on earth and under the earth.
And every tongue confessed that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the father. He has descended. He has conquered at every level existence in heaven, on earth, under the earth. He is the conquering king, the risen, glorified savior. He’s the one that descended and liberated. You know, we love this visual actually, it’s, it fills our myths.
It fills our movies. We want Maui to enter the realm of monsters in defeat Tama in the Disney film. Moana. We feel joy while reading the Silver Chair as part of the Chronicles of Narnia as Jill and used to rescue Prince Rian from the underworld in the Lord of the Rings, we see Gandolph descend into the depths of Mariah.
And gives up his own life to defeat the ball rock, and then rises again to save middle earth. There is something fascinating about a sh, a shared yearning that we have for a hero who can enter the underworld, defeat our enemies, and bring the dad back to life. This dissent motif, so popular in ancient and modern mythology are the echoes.
They’re just the echoes of the great work of the sovereign son who leaves heaven, who walks this earth, who voluntarily embraces his own death and then descends to the place of the dead to lift them to life and to announce to them his work of redemption and liberation. So what do we see on this Saturday of Passion Week?
Well, on the ground, we see Jesus followers. Sorrowing and confused. They see death. They see defeat for his enemies. They see a discerned strategy, a determined strategy to captivate and control his power and his influence on the ground to a reporter reporting it’s a dark and silent day, a day of defeat and sorrow.
But below the ground there is an utterly different story being written. He is existing in the state of physical death. He is using the moment to announce liberation to all the righteous of all human history. He is descended to announce his victory even when on the ground His defeat seems assured. He is our conqueror.
He is our king. He is our Lord. Every dimension of life, he is one for us. Look to your future saints. Look to a new heaven and new earth that is real, where you will be embodied. Look to the life of Christ in his days after the resurrection. And see, that’s how I’ll be. I’ll still be eating. I’ll still be enjoying life, but there will also be a sense that there is no other restraint upon my life, but the joy of living and enjoying God.
Saturday for the disciples was a dark day, but man, it’s not a dark day to me. I love the thought that he is the descending, conquering one. I got close. Let’s pray. Lord,
the deeper we go into the scriptures, the more we spend time with truth, the more we fall in love with Christ.
We see once again, Lord, that in the stories of mythology, the stories of fantasy, the stories of heroes, there is again just the echoes that emanate from the true hero, our hero who died, descended and rose. And Lord Jesus, we love you for it. In Jesus’ name. Amen.