“The One who lives,” Luke 24:1-12

Luke 24:1-12

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“The One who lives,” Luke 24:1-12
Pastor Tom Johnson, April 21, 2019

There is a group of women who go to the tomb to anoint Jesus’ body with spices. They are not expecting the stone to be rolled away from the tomb. They are not anticipating the tomb to be empty. They are perplexed. While they are still trying to make sense of things, two angels appear in dazzling clothes. They terrify the women. The angels express their joy of the resurrection by pointing out the irony of looking for someone who is alive in a graveyard. The angels see the humor of the situation. And what better way to celebrate the truth of the resurrection than with joy and laughter? We laugh at death, the devil, and sin that tried to snuff out the eternal Son of God. And at the same time, we learn to laugh at ourselves—how foolish we can be.

“Why seek thee the living among the dead?”
John Roddam Spencer Stanhope (1829-1908)

Later we see the foolishness of the apostles. When the women tell the men the good news of the resurrection, they do not believe their story—presumably because they are women. It seems to them to be an idle tale. The reason this is sad, but also ironic, is that the women again go seeking to proclaim the living one among the dead. Now it is the apostles—the ones to be commissioned by Christ himself—who are the ones whose ears, minds, and hearts are lifeless—dead to the news of the One who triumphs over the grave!

The angels are God’s messengers. Their message to the women and the apostles is a question that calls into question their actions. God wants us to reflect on our actions. He wants us to ask ourselves, “Why do we look for the living among the dead?” Why do we engage in vain pursuits in this life? Why do we not live more by faith not by sight? Why do we seek meaning, pleasure, or fulfillment in the things that are passing away? Or why have we become dead to God’s resurrected power? Why have we let our cynicism, despair, and pride get in the way of hearing the good news God sends our way? Through the Word of God, the Holy Spirit confronts our unbelief day after day with the transformative power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. God sends us his angels who continually guard and protect us. And like the angels in our reading, they still wonder why on earth we would still look for the living among the dead. “He is not here, but has risen,” they say. “Remember how he told you...that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.”

It was necessary for Jesus to be arrested, be unjustly condemned, die, and rise from the dead. “Necessary” because through his suffering and death he confronts sin and the evil of this world to bring us forgiveness. And through the resurrection, he triumphs over death and the grave to bring us eternal life. Jesus is the Living One among the dead. He is life in the midst of a dying world. “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the Word of the Lord stands forever.” Christ is the One who dawns upon us to infuse meaning, hope, and joy. The Living One makes all things new.

When we live our lives in light of Christ’s resurrection, we see the futility of worldly pursuits. We will not look for riches among an impoverished world. We realize how much God treasures our lives who has purchased us not with gold or silver but his precious blood. We will not look for power or great stature in a world that misuses and abuses power. We come to understand that power is not in our ability to manipulate others and get our own way. Power and authority is God’s delight to forgive us and set us free from the bondage of sin. We realize the unprofitable pursuit of pleasure. God spreads the banquet table before us. We celebrate the pascal feast. We taste and see that the Lord is good. He strengthens us for the journey ahead in body and soul to life everlasting. And we get to proclaim the Living One so that the whole world can share in his life.

He brings me to the portal
That leads to bliss untold, 
Whereon this rhyme immortal
Is found in script of gold:
“Who there My cross has shared
Finds here a crown prepared; 
Who there with Me has died 
Shall here be glorified.”

Alleluia! Christ is risen!