“Why Do You Look for the Living among the Dead?”
Easter 2008
Rev. Steven D. Spencer – Pastor Messiah Lutheran Church, Salem Oregon
Luke 24:5
Luke 24:1 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, bringing the spices which they had prepared. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 And it happened that while they were perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling apparel; 5 and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, "Why do you seek the living One among the dead?
Dear Christian Friends,
I. You have a risen Lord “Why do you look for the living among the dead?”
Those words have an edge to them. There seems to be rebuke in those words. Truly the women are seeking someone who is dead, not someone who is alive. Imagine what they felt on that first Easter morning. Because they hadn’t had enough time to properly prepare Jesus’ dead body for burial on Good Friday, they purchased spices and then came back to finish the task once the Sabbath had ended. So early on that Sunday morning, these women got up; carrying the spices they had purchased to prepare the body of Jesus for a proper burial. They headed to the tomb to do their Godly duty. As they walked, no doubt they began to talk about the great stone that was placed in front of the tomb to secure Jesus body. Not only place but sealed with Pilate’s own seal. Who would move it? Who would open it for them, they must have wondered. When they arrived the stone had already been moved. Maybe some of the disciples had come earlier to move it for them. Maybe the Roman guards had anticipated the need to finish entombing the body. But when they drew closer no one seemed to be around. I imagine the women were quite nervous now. Here in a graveyard, just a hint of light, no guards, no disciples surrounded only by death with the tomb is open. Maybe thieves had come. Imagine what they must have felt at that moment. So with fear and trepidation they slowly peered into the tomb. To their great surprise, an angel greeted them and asked them, “Why do you seek the living amongst the dead?” In other words, “Why do you act as though the Savior is still dead?” The words contained a certain rebuke, a rebuke of their lack of faith, a rebuke for living as though Jesus is still dead.
We too deserve this rebuke. Like those women, we carry around needless burdens. We often carry around needless burdens of guilt and shame because of our sins. We act as though Jesus were still dead and, therefore, we are still in our sins. Like the women, we worry and fret about things when we really have nothing to worry about. The women fretted about the stone and who would roll it away. How many of us worry about the stones that lie ahead of us and how we will move them and roll them away? We live as though Jesus were still dead. The women came to the cemetery with great grief. They came expecting to find a dead body. We too often stand in the cemetery and think only of the deaths of those we love and of our own deaths that are to come. We act as though Jesus were still dead.
And there is also another way we act as though Jesus were still dead: when we permit sin to rule and dominate our lives. Then we act as though Jesus were still dead. Why do you look for the living among the dead? When he sees us bearing needless burdens, fretting and worrying our way through life, grieving over loved ones who have fallen asleep in Jesus, and when he sees us letting sin get a foothold in our lives, the Lord asks us too through his angel’s words, “Why do you live as though I were still dead?” We have a risen Lord! Jesus, who was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised again for our justification. Jesus has risen, and as he was with Mary though she didn’t know it, so he is with us always to the end of the age. We have a risen Lord who has broken the power of the grave so that we can look forward to rising from the dead with our loved ones one day. We have a risen Lord who gives us the power to say to sin, “NO”. Let’s not live as though Jesus were dead; we have a risen Lord.
“Why?” the angel asked. Why do you look for the living among the dead? There was an answer. The angel had it. He said, “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 into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again’” (Lk 24:6,7). The angel knew why. It was because the women had forgotten Jesus’ words and promises. Jesus had told them all that was to happen to him in Jerusalem. He had predicted his betrayal and suffering and death. They had witnessed all these things, but they forgot that Jesus had predicted still one more thing: on the third day he would rise. The women forgot. That’s why they were bearing unnecessary burdens, worrying and fretting about things that turned out to be no problem at all, grieving over a loved one who had died—they had forgotten the words of the Savior. That’s why they were living as though Jesus was still dead. But he had risen from the dead and was alive again.
That’s what we need to remember. We need to remember that Jesus is alive and stop living as though he were still dead. When the angel asks us “Why do you look for the living among the dead?” let’s remember that Jesus has risen from the dead. Instead of carrying around the unnecessary burden of guilt, let’s remember that Christ Jesus, who died and was raised to life again, is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. When we find ourselves worrying and fretting about the obstacles that confront us in this life, let’s remember that Jesus has risen and His promised, “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Mt 28:20). We have a Savior who also promised, “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isa 41:10). Jesus isn’t dead anymore; He lives and rules forever. When we come to the cemetery and grief wants to take over and drive away hope, let us remember that Jesus is not dead anymore. God raised Him from the dead and has promised likewise to raise you from the dead. And when sin wants to rule our lives and dominate our hearts, let’s remember that Jesus isn’t dead anymore and let’s stop acting like He is. Jesus died and then was raised in the glory of the Father, and we who are united with Him in Baptism have also been buried with Him and have been raised to live new lives. “Why do you look for the living among the dead?” Why do you live as if Jesus were still dead? He is risen—let’s depend on His reliable Word.
3. You have a responsibility in the world
About nine hundred years before Jesus died and rose again, a prophet named Elijah became discouraged with his work for the Lord. He ran off into the desert and hid in a cave, and waited to die. The Lord found him there and asked him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” (1 Ki 19:9). The question contained a reminder for the prophet. It said, “You are a prophet of God; what are you doing here in a cave in the middle of the wilderness?” The angel’s question to the women contained the same reminder. “Why are you looking for the living among the dead?” The question was a reminder to the women that they had good news to tell others. They had a living Savior, and they needed to stop poking around like Jesus was still dead and, instead, go and tell the good news. The women got the message. We are told that they remembered Jesus’ words and then left the tomb and told Jesus’ disciples everything that they had seen.
Why do you look for the living among the dead? The question is still asked of us when we are tempted to poke around in our lives as if we really have no purpose here and no reason for living. Jesus is risen; we have a reason for living: it is to glorify Him in all that we do. And one way that we glorify the Savior is by going and telling others about our Savior. Our Savior is alive; He lives to comfort us in life’s troubles, to give us peace in life’s turmoil, to walk with us, and to help us carry our burdens. So what are you doing here? Why do you look for the living among the dead? We have good news to tell others. Let’s begin with the members of our own families and those in our neighborhoods, and then let us remember to participate in the work of telling the world about our living Savior by supporting our church missions with offerings and prayers. No, it often doesn’t produce immediate results. The prophet Elijah was frustrated by the lack of expected results. On Easter morning, when the women went and told the disciples, we are told that at first the disciples did not believe the women because their words seemed like nonsense. But then we are told that Simon Peter got up and ran to the tomb to look for himself. That’s the way it goes for us too. Perhaps our invitations seem to fall on deaf ears. But St. Paul reminds us that our labor in the Lord is not in vain and urges us to give ourselves fully to doing God’s work. Why do you look for the living among the dead? We have a responsibility in the world. Let’s go and tell all that we have seen and heard. P: For He is risen, c: He is risen indeed, alleluia! In Jesus Name, Amen!