The Resurrection of our Lord April 5, 2026
“Against All Odds” Matthew 28:1-10
Rev. John R. Larson Ascension Lutheran Church Littleton, Colorado
When I was a kid, it seemed like many of the things that I did were based on a bet. “I bet I’m faster than you.” “I bet I can throw that ball farther than you.” “I bet I can block your shot.” Now, they weren’t bets for money. I didn’t have any. They were boasting bets. If I won, I was a bragger – “Ha, Ha” “I won.” Some bets I won. Most of them I lost. I guess that taught me humility.
We have become a nation of betters. We bet on the lottery and at the casinos. Sports betting is huge and it just gets bigger and bigger. Someone told me about Polybet – it is betting on anything – politics, people, businesses – almost everything. I bet you can place a bet on Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift’s first child. Date of birth. Sex of the child. If they are going to be a Kansas City Chief’s fan.
So what are the odds that a man, who had been almost beaten to death in 30 AD, and then put to death by crucifixion, could come back to life again. Now, I’m talking about alive like breathing and talking and eating. Alive, alive. I would say that the chance of such a thing occurring was slim. I wouldn’t put money on it. I think we have a phrase “Against All Odds” that tell us that such a thing was not going to happen.
In our account from Matthew, we hear that two women, both named Mary, are heading to the place where Jesus was buried. Now they had a slim chance of even getting within ten feet of that grave and able to see the corpse of Jesus. The first barrier was a stone which had been rolled in front of the tomb. They never would have been able to budge it. And the second barrier was the grave was guarded. Roman guards, not the friendly type, were posted so nobody got close to the grave. Their early morning trip was going to be fruitless.
But Easter is the day that works against all odds. I heard a joke that might be appropriate for today. Three guys were at a funeral of a friend and following the service they asked each other, “What do you want folks to say about you at your funeral.” The first guy says, “I want people to say what a great man I was. I made wise decisions. I was a good husband and father. I was a faithful friend.” The next guy said, “I want people to say that I succeeded in life. Though I didn’t have things easy or given to me, I made the most of what I had. I worked hard for everything I have.” The first two had spoken their piece and the third guy said, “When they look into my casket I want them to say, “Look, he’s moving.”
Against all odds, after 3 days of death, the women who saw the stone rolled away and witnessed the guards afraid and shaking and looking like dead men themselves, saw an angel who said, “Do not be afraid, for I know that 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.” (Matthew 28:5-6)
Jesus had told His followers, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!” (Matthew 20:18-19)
You can bet on anything and everything that Jesus has said. Against all odds we speak with confidence of this one thing – Jesus Christ came to life on Easter morning. It is like Paul writes in the resurrection chapter, I Corinthians 15, “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” (I Corinthians 15:3-4)
Against all odds, everything that we should expect, Jesus rose. That changed His day and that changed our day. Paul would also say in that same chapter, “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who fallen in sleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. But Christ has indeed been raised from death, the firstfruits of those who fall asleep. For since death comes through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.” (I Corinthians 15:17-22)
Against all odds Jesus rose. Against all odds we are made a new creation, are forgiven our sins and declared righteous. Against all odds we will defeat death and are going to live forever. Against all odds, our flesh, which will die and be buried or cremated, will be made whole and complete. What are the odds of any of these happening to us? Impossible, if we look to our own solution. Certain, if we look to Christ and trust in Him.
It all begins with repentance. It all begins with a humble heart, a broken spirit, a heart that seeks after God. Reed Lessing, an author I used for our Lenten series, makes this great analogy: Have you noticed that dogs are great at confessing sin? Cats? Not so much. The moment you walk into the house, if a dog has sinned, his eyes will squint and dart one way, then the other. His ears will be flat. His head will be lowered. His tail will be between his legs. When you discover the actual crime – a mistake on the rug, a broken what-not, a chewed shoe – it takes only one phrase to crush your dog’s faint optimism. In a low, I’m the master-of-the-world voice, you intone, “Oh, how could you?” Complete canine collapse ensues. He throws himself on your mercy. Dogs confess. Cats? Never bet on it! Unfortunately, we’re more like cats than dogs.” (Reed Lessing, Deliver Us – God’s Rescue Story in Exodus, Pages 259-260)
Are you a dog, or are you a cat? Against all odds, let me suggest that in this matter of repentance, being honest about our sins, never becoming indifferent to our need for God’s washing us from our evil and sin, we should be like a dog. The hymn says it well, “I need Thee, O, I need Thee; Every hour I need Thee! O bless me now, my Savior – I come to Thee.” (I Need Thee Every Hour” Chorus)
And do you know what this Lord, the one who died and rose again, can do for us? He can resurrect us. He resurrects our soul and mind and heart right now through His forgiveness and the gift of the Holy Spirit. The hymn “Amazing Grace” says, “Amazing grace! How sweet the sound – that saved a wretch like me.”
If you trust in Jesus for your salvation, do you know what is in store for you? I hope you do. Jesus would say, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” (John 11:25-26) That is the ultimate “against all odds” statement. Paul would say of this gift, “If you confess with your mouth ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” (Romans 10:9-10)
This is a day when we think about our loved ones who have died. Those in Christ are in His presence and later their souls will be reunited with their restored bodies. Who can do this? God can do this. Jesus says, “Because I live, you also will live.” (John 14:19)
The account on Easter, for those two women, those two Mary’s, ended oddly. “So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy.” One hand had fear. One hand had joy. Maybe that is us. We are confident in Jesus and His resurrection and His promises. But we have stuff that is too big, too hard and we don’t know how to handle it. I guess Easter and its truth and what it can do takes a lifetime to grasp.
When life seems to be against all odds. realize that our Lord Jesus on this day, and every day, beats the odds. Bet on Him!! Amen!!
