“But very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. So they went in, but they didn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus. As they stood there puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes. The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the men asked. Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead!” – Luke 24: 1- 6a.
“Why do you look for the living among the dead?” (Luke 24:5). That is the question the angels posed to the women who came to Jesus’ tomb that first Easter morning.
These women felt there was something more important than sleeping in that Easter morning. And so they got up, took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. Out of love and respect for their crucified Lord, they were going to anoint his body in the grave. They went fully expecting to find Jesus dead and buried in the tomb. Instead, they found the stone rolled away, but they did not find Jesus.
Many people are still looking for Jesus among the dead – The scholars who study the words of Jesus and the gospel manuscripts but do not believe in Christ’s resurrection; the archaeologists who two thousand years later are still trying to find Jesus’ body and bones in the tomb but keep coming up empty; people who finger the body of Christ on their crucifixes but do not know the reality of the living Christ. These people have one thing in common. They are all looking for Jesus among the dead. And if you are looking for Jesus among the dead, you will not find him. He is not there.
Remember that Jesus told His followers again and again what would happen to Him when they got to Jerusalem. He would suffer at the hands of sinful men, He would be crucified and on the third day be raised again. So Jesus’ arrest should not have been a surprise to his followers. Jesus’ crucifixion and death should not have been a surprise. And even Jesus’ resurrection should not have been a surprise. Jesus told them all these things in advance. And yet somehow the meaning of these things escaped them. It was only after these things had happened that they remembered His words.
“Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; He has risen!. That is the good news of Easter. Jesus Christ has conquered sin and death and the grave. He rose from the dead on Easter morning. He is alive and well today. You will not find Him among the dead, for He is among the living. And He offers new life to you. The Bible tells us that those who trust in Christ will share in His resurrection. The fear of death and judgment is taken away. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!. How have you responded to this good news of Easter?
We see several responses highlighted in the scripture. First, there was the response of the women. They came back from the tomb and told all these things to the apostles and all the others (Luke 24:9-10). They must have been frightened. They must have been confused. They certainly did not understand all that had happened. But there was one thing they could do. They could share what they knew. Jesus’ body was no longer in the grave. The angels said He had risen from the dead. The women believed, and they shared their faith with others.
Are you a believer in Jesus’ resurrection? Do you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead? (Romans 10:9). If so, then you need to share your faith with others, just like the women at Jesus’ tomb did. Jesus died and rose again. That is good news! And good news is for sharing. Don’t keep the good news of Easter all to yourself. That would be selfish! Share with other people the astonishing good news that God sent His Son to die for sinners, and that Jesus rose from the dead on the third day. What better way to respond to the good news of Easter than to share it with others!
Secondly, there was the response of the apostles. The apostles did not believe initially, and so they did nothing (Luke 24:11). Their response mirrors the response of so many people today. They don’t believe in all this Jesus stuff. It all seems like so much nonsense to them, and so they do nothing. They dismiss the story of Jesus outright and continue to live their lives as though nothing happened that first Easter morning.
Is that your response today? Have you heard the Easter story before but never done anything about it? Have you ever thought, “Well, that’s okay for those people at church, but it has nothing to do with me.” Then you are missing out on the most wonderful news in all the world. Jesus is alive! And if Jesus rose from the dead, that means that if you put your faith in him, then you will one day rise from the dead, too.
The third option is illustrated for us by Peter’s response. Peter ran to the tomb. He examined the evidence. He saw the stone that was rolled away. He entered the empty tomb and saw the strips of linen that once contained the body of Jesus, now lying there by themselves (Luke 24:12). He went looking for Jesus, and you know what? He found Him — not lying dead in a tomb, but resurrected and alive. The Bible tells us that Jesus appeared to Peter before He appeared to the twelve. (Luke 24:33; 1 Corinthians 15:5). This must have taken place sometime after Peter left the tomb. Peter was not yet ready to believe that Jesus was alive, but he did not dismiss it as nonsense. He checked it out for himself, and he encountered the living Christ.
If you are not yet ready to believe this good news, do not just dismiss it all as nonsense. Don’t you owe it to yourself at least to investigate the claims of Christianity? Be like Peter, and check it out for yourself.
Beloved, if you are looking for Jesus among the dead, you will never find him because he is not there. But if you look for Jesus among the living, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10: 9).
Christ is Risen; He is risen indeed… Halelluya!!!