On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’” Then they remembered his words.
Luke 24:1-12
When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.
This is the text of my Easter Sunrise Service message preached on March 31, 2024. As this was outside, there is no audio or video recording available.
I imagine it was still dark when they set out that morning to the tomb. We don’t know exactly who were in their number, but we do know of 3 of them – Mary Magdelene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James – all three whom were disciples and close followers of Jesus. They came with spices intent on finishing the preparation of Jesus’ body for burial that they were unable to do on the sabbath. And so they came, intent to care for Jesus in his death as he had cared for them in His life.
But when they arrived, they were met with a series of surprises. First, the stone that had been placed in front of the tomb had been rolled away. They go in to be met with a second surprise, Jesus’ body was gone! And as they stood there in bewilderment they encounter a third surprise, two men in glowing robes appear beside them.
Naturally, they are terrified and fall to the ground. But the men address them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’”
Why do you look for the living among the dead?
The women that came to the tomb that morning did not come to see the resurrection. They came to show their love and to mourn the death of Jesus. They came to finish the burial, to find closure, to take that important step of saying goodbye so they could move on. Their expectations were not to experience a risen Jesus, but to say their final goodbyes to someone dear to them. They came to say thank you to Jesus for all of his teachings and the new way they could look at faith and God. They came to mourn another in a long line of dead prophets, brave men who stood up and spoke for God, calling out the leaders and the people and challenging them to repent and return to God. They came to remember the miracles, the healings and the restoration that Jesus brought that would be no more. Maybe they even came to mourn the death of a martyr who took on sin, even their sin, as a perfect sacrifice that they may be restored to a right relationship with God.
They came to mourn, remember, and maybe even celebrate who Jesus was – a great teacher, a prophet, a miracle worker, and maybe even the perfect sacrifice who took on sin.
They came for who Jesus was, only to find out who he is.
Sometimes we too have a similar approach when it comes to Jesus. Particularly as we face the grim reality of his death on the cross, we may come with similar mourning. We celebrate a Jesus who died nearly 2,000 years ago – a Jesus who left us with a wealth of teachings to guide us to the life that God wants for us. We celebrate a Jesus who spoke as God’s prophet to proclaim a new way of faith and to call everyone to new life and to repentance. A Jesus who tells of a God of mercy and grace and a freedom to live a new life. We may look at the miracles and the love that Jesus shared with everyone and we hear that same call to love and service, to minister to those that are in need around us and to offer that same love and grace that is offered to us. We may even gather in thankfulness for His sacrifice, that on the cross He took on our sin and gave himself in death that we might be forgiven and freed from the bondage to sin. We remember all that Jesus was and all that he did for us.
But, friends, here is the good news. The greatest news. We don’t have a dead Savior, we serve a living Lord.
We serve a living Lord, a Jesus who has conquered death and was raised to life. Jesus isn’t just some great moral teacher who revealed to us a new way to live in faith. He isn’t just a bold prophet who declared a new way and challenged us to repent from sin. He isn’t only some miracle worker who showed us just what God can do if we surrender fully to His spirit. And Jesus isn’t even just some eternal martyr who took on our sin and died for us, taking our place for our punishment of rebellion. He is a risen king, God who won victory over both sin and death and now lives.
We serve a Living Jesus, who gives us certain hope to resurrection to new life, who walks with us in the Holy Spirit to guide us, who sets us free from the bondage to sin by breaking the power of our sinful nature and giving us new life. He died, but he’s not dead. He rose again to new life and gave us new life in the process.
So I ask you all now this morning, are you looking for the living among the dead?
Did you come this morning only to remember the great life of a great teacher – someone who’s teachings give us a way to live life that honors God? Did you come only to venerate a prophet who challenged his listeners to repentance and to live with love and grace? Are you here only to give thanks for a great miracle worker who once performed great miracles and who gave us the example of how to live in love towards each other? Are you hear for a memorial service of the ultimate martyr who died so that you might live?
Or are you here to seek a living Lord, a Savior and King who conquered sin and death and who gives us the power to live forgiven, freed, and empowered to overcome our sin and to live new life. Are you here to celebrate a Jesus who is for us, in us, and with us? Are you here to declare faith not in a dead teacher, a fallen prophet, a long ago miracle worker, or a sacrificial martyr, but in a risen and glorious Jesus who defeated sin and death and lives. He lives today just as he did 2,000 years ago.
Sometimes we can get so caught up on what Jesus did and who Jesus was that we forget that Jesus is, that he rose and that he lives today. We remember his teachings. We are challenged by his call to repentance. We strive to love like he loved. We are humbled by the grace offered to us in his death on the cross. But all of it is in the past. Jesus is someone who was, not a loving God who is – who is with us today in our lives, who intercedes for us to God, who gives us the Holy Spirit, His Spirit, to strengthen us in our souls and give us to power to overcome the bonds of sin and temptation. Jesus lives today, and that life is the greatest news for us. Because he lives, we can live also. Because he lives, we can have new life. Because he lives, we too can die to sin and live a new and abundant life, an eternal life confident in the grace of Jesus.
So I ask again, are you looking for the living among the dead?
Are you just content to have Jesus be a good teacher whose teachings can help you live a better life? Are you settled with Jesus being a great prophet who challenged you to repent and turn to God? Are you here looking for a Jesus who gave you the example of how to live in love and grace towards others? Are you here to celebrate and remember Jesus as a spiritual martyr who took on your sin and died in your place?
Or are you here to discover a risen savior. Are you here to encounter a living Lord. Are you here to accept that Jesus, fully God and fully man, came to teach us how to live for God and with each other, how to show love and grace, and ultimately died for our sins. But death was not the end. He rose and he lives. He lives so that we can face tomorrow. He lives so that all fear is gone. He lives to impart his salvation on us and that we too may have victory over sin and death.
Are you here seeking to honor a dead Jesus or to worship a living one?
May this Easter be a day we seek the living Jesus. Let us celebrate that Jesus lives and His live gives new life to all who trust in Him alone for salvation.
Almighty Lord and Savior Jesus, we seek you today as our living and eternal savior and lord. We celebrate today that the tomb is empty because you have overcome death and have give us new life through your resurrection. You are not a dead teacher and prophet. You are not a dead martyr. You are a living savior who has conquered death and through faith in you we may have abundant eternal life. You have risen indeed, and we praise your resurrection as the way to new life. May we seek your living presence in our lives today, that you may be in us through the Holy Spirit, that you may be for us as you intercede for us, and that you may be with us, guiding us to new life and freeing us from sin and disgrace. You are our living savior and lord, may we live new life in you. Amen.