Strathalbyn Church of Christ

Luke 24:1-12. Empty! Sermon by Pastor David Williams. Strathalbyn Church of Christ. Easter Sunday 9 Apr 2023.

Let’s recap on the Good Friday story. Jesus had been crucified. He died an agonising death hanging on a cross. And to make sure that he was dead, the soldiers thrust a spear in his side and out came blood and water. For his body had already started to decay.

He was placed in a tomb with a large circular stone covering the opening. Before burial, the stone lay in a groove. After the body was inserted, a wedge was removed and the stone rolled into place. Large heavy stones were used, for graverobbers were a problem.

Many women had followed Jesus and were there when he died.

on the first day of the week, at early dawn, the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared.

The spices were to be used on his body as a way of honouring their beloved teacher. But in their grief they’d forgotten about the stone – how to remove it? Perhaps a gardener may be there to assist? But …

Empty!

The women found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. They were puzzled and worried about this …

Instead of a stone, they found an empty tomb. They could not explain it. Nothing could explain it. Let’s look at the possible explanations:

1. Graverobbers?

Was the body stolen? Had grave robbers stolen the body? No that could not be – for the corpse itself was worthless. The only things of value – the linen cloths – were still there. We know that from Peter’s report:

But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves…

2. Rulers stole?

Had the rulers stolen the body? Either the Romans or the Jews? No, that could not be. Both were anxious to keep the corpse in the tomb. For they had heard Jesus predict that he would rise from death. The last thing his enemies wanted was a missing corpse. So anxious were they about this that a guard was posted at his tomb.

The Jewish leaders went to see Pilate. “Sir, we remember how that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise.’ So, order the tomb to be made secure until the third day. This will prevent his disciples from coming and stealing his body and then telling everyone he was raised from the dead! This deception will be worse than the first!” Pilate said, “Take a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.” Matt 27:62-66.

3. Followers stole?

Had Jesus’ followers stolen the body? Maybe to create this myth that he had indeed risen? Unarmed men overcoming Roman guards – I don’t think so.

4. Resurrection?

So, the women could not explain the disappearance of the body. But wasn’t it obvious? He had risen. Didn’t they believe in the resurrection? Well, sort of. When Lazarus died, his sister Martha said as much.

I know that he [Lazarus] will rise again in the resurrection on the last day, Jn 11:24.

Some believed in some sort of resurrection. But that was on the last day – at the end of time. Not here and now. And it probably involved a sort of disembodied spirit. The idea of a very dead corpse rising was not possible – especially a corpse that had been whipped, crucified, speared and entombed for 3 days. They were at a loss to explain it. Then …

Angels

Suddenly two men stood by them in clothes that gleamed like lightning. They were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground …

Their mood changed from worry to fear. They bowed their faces to the ground. These were dazzling messengers from God, Angels. Angels were not common. They appeared at special times in Israel’s history. The women would have known the stories of them.

The women had seen an empty tomb, they had seen dazzling angels. So far their reaction was to be puzzled and frightened. Sceptics say – if God exists, let him show up and I’ll believe. Let him do a miracle and I’ll believe. But whenever God does show up or does a miracle, most people respond not in faith but in confusion or fear. These are the typical responses in the Bible – E.g., think of Isaiah, Daniel, Zechariah, Cornelius (Is 6:5; Dan 8:16; Lk 1:12; Acts 10:4).

Many Christians say, if I could see just one miracle, then I would have a strong faith. Then I could be a good Christian. Yet these women – these women who had followed Jesus for three years – they stood before an empty tomb and in the presence of dazzling angels – and their response? Not faith but fear. Not peace but perplexity.

So God showed up – through his angels. But God does not just show up. He explains things. He speaks to us.

Words

The angels spoke these words to the women:

Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here but has risen.

It is when God speaks to us that we understand and believe. Faith comes from hearing God’s word (Ro 10:17, see also 10:14-17). We hear God speak to us when we read his word, or when his word is preached or spoken. Do you hear God’s word today?

Margy asked me, Have you fixed the bill? For sure, I said. But when she came in later, I knew I was in trouble. Yet there was no need to shout, was there??

Have your batteries gone flat, Dear? What I asked you was – have you fixed the spill?

Well, have your batteries gone flat? Are your hearing God’s word or have you got stoppers in your ears?

God’s word is in focus three times in what the angels said.

1. As God’s messengers, the words the Angels spoke were God’s words.

2. They quoted the words of the Son of God. For Jesus had predicted – again and again – that he would suffer, be crucified and rise.

Remember how he told you… that the Son of Man [that is, Jesus] must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.”

3. The prophets also spoke God’s word. Centuries before, they had predicted Jesus’ suffering, death and resurrection.

Jesus told the Twelve, “… everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled … they will flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.” Luke 18:31_-33_

And they heard the voice of God.

And the women remembered his words …

As the women heard the word of God, as they remembered the words of Jesus, a seed of faith took root in them that day. A seed that completely changed them.

Jesus’ mission

Let’s pause and ask – who was Jesus, and what did he come to do? The angels answered both questions.

1. Who was Jesus?

The Son of Man. That is the term the angels and Jesus himself used. The prophet Daniel had predicted a Son of Man – one who was given all the authority of God himself. He was given the honour that only God deserved (Dan 7:13-14).

The angels also called Jesus the Living one.

Why seek the Living (one) among the dead?

(the Greek can mean either)

God is called the Living one or the Living God – in contrast to the dead idols that people follow and serve (Dan 6:20; 7:7; Rev 10:6; cf., Rev 1:18). In the eyes of the angels and of Jesus himself – he was no ordinary man. He was the Son of Man, the Living One – he was equal to God himself for he was God – the Son of God. That is clearly extraordinary, but the second question is also extraordinary:

2. What did Jesus come to do?

…must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.

Jesus taught his followers that he must suffer and be crucified. This was not just a prediction – like the Crows must win the Grand Final. No, this was suffering that had to happen to achieve something else.

In PNG are many tall mountains and steep valleys. Rope bridges are slung across the valleys so that people may cross. Hundreds of tribes live in these mountains and sometimes they have disputes – even battles. If one tribe wants to cut off all contact with an enemy tribe, simple – it can cut the ropes and send the whole bridge into the ravine. It will then be impossible to cross that chasm.

That is what we’ve done with God. We have turned our backs on him and gone our own way. We have cut the ropes of any bridge to him and sent them into the ravine. We want to run our own lives and not have anyone or any god tell us what to do.

God sent his own son to us to bring us back to himself. He did this not because he had to – but because he loves us – we who are his enemies. He made a way – a bridge back to him. A bridge that connects that huge divide between us and God. Jesus did not merely build a bridge – he is that bridge. He laid down his life so that we could have a way back to God.

Told – our mission

With their new found faith, what did the women do? They went to tell others. The word ‘told’ is repeated three times to hammer this home.

Remember what Jesus told you …

and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven …

Now it was Mary Magdalene … who told these things to the apostles…

This telling – telling the good news – stretches back in history as an unbroken chain. The prophets and then Jesus had predicted these things and so Jesus told his followers. The angels repeated his words. The women then told his other followers.

The women told these things to the apostles, but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them.

They weren’t believed. In those days, the word of a woman counted for nothing. But these men were familiar with death. They had seen how Jesus’ body had been whipped, crucified, and speared. After three days in the tomb, this was one very dead body. A corpse like this cannot come back to life.

The women did as they were told. They went to tell – not to convince. That is our task as well. Our task is simply to tell the good news. God will take care of how people hear it. Some will doubt. Some will reject it. But some will respond in faith – like Peter.

But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.

Many see the church as irrelevant. In the face of such apathy and even hostility, how can people come to faith? We need two things – the word of God and people willing to tell it. This is what Christians have done through history. They speak the word of God. One person telling another. The good news does not need to be rewritten. It simply needs retelling. As the women raced out to tell others: Jesus is risen – so we must follow their example. We don’t need to have impressive testimonies. We don’t need slick advertising. We don’t need eloquent speeches or convincing arguments. We have something far more powerful than any of these – we have the very words of God – these words that are so simple: Jesus is risen. We simply need to keep telling people this good news.

So go forth as messengers with the good news – for we carry the best news in history. That Jesus has defeated death. This news will always be new, it will always be astounding; it will always be life-changing – for those with ears to hear it. Jesus is risen from the dead.

What about you? Do you see the empty tomb? Can you see it in your mind’s eye. One moment, a rotting, bloody corpse. The next a man walking from that tomb, a man full of life, risen from the dead, never to die again. Do you hear the word of God?

Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is … risen.

Do you hear his command?

Go quickly and tell his followers that he has risen … Mt 28:7

Jesus, we praise you our Lord and our God that you died an agonising death for us. And you then rose again – defeating death itself. Death has no hold on you. Nor has it any hold on those who put their trust in you. Lord, we trust in you and in your death for us today. Give us the faith and courage to tell the good news, that you Lord have risen from the dead. Amen.

Sources: nil

Series: Luke , Easter

Topics: #Luke , #Easter , #Evidence for Resurrection , #God's Word , #Son of God , #Son of Man , #Evangelism