Title: The Risen Christ / Luke 24:1-12
Contents
Risen Christ
Luke 24:1-12
Precisely on the first day after the Sabbath, on Sunday morning, the women who loved Jesus came to the tomb of Jesus with perfumed oil to put on the body of Jesus. They went, worrying about how they would move the heavy stone, but when they reached the tomb of Jesus, the women were astonished. Because the tomb of Jesus was open. By the time they entered the tomb, Jesus' body was no longer found. There are only two people standing next to each other in dazzling clothes. The men in the splendid robes said to the women. They say, "Why do you seek the living among the dead! He is not here, but has risen." In fact, Jesus said that while he was still alive. “The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinners, crucified, and on the third day be raised again,” he prophesied of the resurrection. Indeed, Jesus was resurrected as promised.
1. About Resurrection
You can easily see how difficult it is to believe that Jesus rose from the dead three days later by looking at the words and actions of the women and disciples who visited the tomb (verses 11 and 12). So angels are expressing their plight in very appropriate words. “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” (verse 5).
Inside and outside the church, there are still not one or two people like the disciples who are looking for the living from the dead. It is they who hold to the premise that the resurrection of the dead is completely impossible. They use plausible logic to rationally explain the resurrection of Jesus. The first is the thief theory. The oldest theory is that Jesus' body was stolen and then rumored to have been resurrected. The second is the stunner. Jesus fell asleep and woke up from the chill of the tomb. And the third is fantasy. The disciples missed Jesus so much that they mistakenly thought he was alive. These are plausible theories, but they are all bullshit.
But it's not just unbelievers who do this nonsense. Even among believers, there are those who have a habit of vaguely thinking about the resurrection of Jesus. There are also those who think of the resurrection of Jesus as a religious story that gives courage and hope to overcome the fear of death. I hope that none of us is like that.
2. About the Evidence of the Resurrection
Now let's look at some reasons why we shouldn't seek Jesus among the dead. First, because Jesus is life itself. Jesus said so. “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me will live even if he dies, and he who lives and believes in me will never die” (John 11:25,26) Life is stronger than death. Death is never the enemy of life. Peter wrote a very interesting expression. “For he could not be bound by death” (Acts 2:24). The whale swallowed Jonah, but because Jonah was alive in the whale's belly, he eventually vomited. Likewise, death could not keep Jesus, who is life itself, in the tomb.
There is also another reason why we should not seek Jesus among the dead. Jesus prophesied many times during his lifetime that he would rise again. The reason he spoke of the resurrection in advance was to make people believe in the resurrection, but another important reason was to show that the resurrection is not an accident that can happen by chance. Jesus was resurrected, but why did the disciples not believe? It is because they did not remember the words that the Lord said that He would rise again on the third day. So what was the first thing the angel said? "Why do you seek the living from the dead? He is not here, but is risen. Remember what he said to you when he was in Galilee..." Because we forget Jesus' words, we become unbelievers. We hope that we will hold fast to the word of promise and become believers.
Finally, another reason why Jesus should not be found among the dead is because of the undeniable evidence. These are the evidences of the resurrection recorded in the Bible. It is so perfect that those who have a clean conscience and sound food cannot deny it.
Among the various evidences in the Bible, I would like to look at just one of the evidences that we tend to throw away. While Luke only testifies about the empty tomb in verse 3, John, who ran to the tomb with Peter and checked the scene, gives a very detailed story in John 20:6-7. "The linen cloth was placed, and the towel that was piled on the head was not laid with the linen cloth, but was folded in another place." The important facts are the condition and position of the linen cloth and the hood. Since Jesus' funeral was a rich man's funeral, he must have been removed from the cross, washed, wrapped around his neck in linen (soft cloth), and stuffed with over 100 pounds of a mixture of myrrh and aloes. And your head will be wrapped in something like a towel. If someone stole, the hood and linen were all missing or scattered around. Also, if Jesus had been dark and woke up, would he have been able to untie and come out on his own? But what John saw was that everything had been opened in its place.
This hints at a very important fact. Jesus was resurrected, but he can only rise by loosening the linen cloths! It is the fact that he was not resurrected with a body that was limited by time and space. He was resurrected in a mysterious and spiritual body that is difficult for us to understand. The disciples who saw it said that they believed it. I hope you also believe. (John 20:8) Jesus was buried and rose again on the third day.
Dear all! Said the angel in a splendid robe. “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” Do not seek the resurrected Jesus among the dead. Our Jesus is the risen Lord. I bless you that you are confident in the risen Lord and live with that faith and hope. †