Seeking the Living

 

[The following is a manuscript of my meditation delivered at our Sunrise Service on Easter morning, Sunday the 17th of April, 2022, at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  Our YouTube streaming channel is: 

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDIz4WuP8igQstkEOq1AMTg.  Look for the video of our recorded services on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

The women who had followed Jesus from Galilee - including Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's sons - watched as Jesus was crucified and died.  When Jesus' body was laid in the tomb, Mary Magdalene and "the other Mary" were there, sitting opposite the tomb.  They returned home and prepared spices and fragrant oil to anoint the body.  Then they rested on the Sabbath, according to the commandment and the Law.

Please listen to how the Apostle Luke described the discovery of the now empty tomb, as recorded in the 24th chapter of his Gospel account, verses 1 through 12, reading from the New King James Version of our Holy Bible…

1 Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. 2 But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. 3 Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. 5 Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, 7 saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’”

8 And they remembered His words. 9 Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles. 11 And their words seemed to them like nonsense, and they did not believe them. 12 But Peter arose and ran to the tomb; and stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying by themselves; and he departed, marveling to himself at what had happened.

--Luke 24:1-12 (NKJV)

Let us pray…  Father God, Thursday evening we were enraged that our Master Jesus had been arrested, but we were also a little scared that we might be taken into custody too.  Friday we were saddened because Jesus was executed.  We watched as He took His last breath on the cross, and as He was buried.  And all the while our fear increased that we might be next.  But then this morning, this beautiful morning, Father, we can rejoice, for You have resurrected our Lord Jesus!  You raised Him bodily from the grave so that He could defeat death.  And You and Jesus did it all just for us!  Your Son suffered, and You had to stand by and watch, just so we might enjoy everlasting life in paradise with You both… if we only believe in Him and follow His voice.  We believe, Lord Jesus.  We believe that You are the one true Son of God, and we believe that You rose bodily from the grave.  This morning we celebrate that glorious day.  Bless us Lord, and help us prepare ourselves for Your return.  Help us to better serve You and to never falter in our belief and faith.  In Your sweet name, Christ Jesus we pray.  Amen.

It’s Sunday morning, the day following the Sabbath.  Just two days ago Jesus died on the cross.  His body was wrapped in burial cloths and placed in a brand new tomb.  Some of the women who had followed Jesus down from Galilee had gotten oils and spices ready to anoint the body, but had to wait because everything stopped in observance of the Sabbath.

But now the Sabbath is past, the dew is still fresh on the grass, and the sun is just beginning to peek over the eastern horizon.  This is the best time for the women to get to the gravesite, anoint the body, and get back before anyone can even notice they’re gone.  Or at least that’s what they planned.  

So the women get to the tomb and find that the stone has been rolled away from the entrance.  

Oh, yeah…  the stone.  From what we know of the burial customs of the period, huge stones would be chiseled into round, thick wheel shapes and used to seal off a tomb door.  A depression as much as six inches or so would be dug at the entrance and the stone rolled into that depression.  A couple of stakes or spikes might also be driven into the ground or the side of the tomb on each side of the stone to further secure it in place.  The end result would be a very effective door block, one that would prove difficult for a couple of men to budge.  We aren’t told how these women planned to move it, so it’s very fortunate for them that it had already been rolled away.

At any rate, they didn’t seem too concerned about the stone and its removal, for they went right on into the tomb to get about their task.  But nobody was there – no body!  They came to anoint the body of Jesus but there was no body to anoint!  Did someone come in the night and take the body of their Master, their Friend?  Is that how the stone got rolled aside?

As they pondered the situation with a growing sense of concern and confusion, two men suddenly stood beside them, glowing in the gloom of the tomb.  This would have definitely scared me, and it scared the women too.

And then the men asked the women what to us might seem an obvious question:  “Why do you seek the living among the dead?”  “Why are you looking for Jesus here in this grave?”  “Don’t you remember that He told you He would rise from the grave on the third day and live again?”  “Or didn’t you believe Him when He said it?”

I added that last question, because I think that’s a little closer to the cause of their confusion.  It isn’t so much that they didn’t believe Him as maybe they didn’t think He meant it literally.  I mean let’s face it… if I said I was going to die within the week but then I’d rise from the grave two days later, who would believe me?  Even though Jesus did so many incredible miracles, even though He raised three people from the dead Himself, could they still have grasped that He would literally walk out of the grave on the third day after His death?

Our scripture reading says that after the men’s reminder, they remembered Jesus words.  Or maybe it finally dawned on them that He had meant exactly what He said.  Anyway, they ran back to where the disciples were hiding, for fear that they might be next to suffer the same fate as Jesus.  The women told them what they had seen, and the men believed every word of it.

Not!  The Apostles thought the women were talking pure nonsense.  One version called it “idle tales”.  To them, the story was unbelievable, and they indeed didn’t believe it.

But I guess Peter’s curiosity was aroused, because he got up and ran to the grave to check for himself.  He looked in and saw the linen burial cloths lying by themselves, with no body to be found.  Peter left the tomb amazed at what he had just seen, marveling at what had happened.

Why did they seek the living among the dead?  The women and Peter all went to the tomb expecting to find the dead body of their dear friend Jesus.  He was dead, after all.  They had watched Him die.  And some of the women had seen Him buried in that very tomb, and watched as the entry was sealed.  The body was supposed to be there.

The trouble is that none of them – not the women, not Peter, not the rest of the disciples – none of them took Jesus at His word.  None of them believed He could come back to life, even though He promised He would.  They came to the place of the dead seeking the dead, not the living.

What about us today?  We believers know and trust in the story.  We believe that Jesus was bodily raised from the dead and walked this earth again before returning to heaven.  We believe it because we believe the testimony of the eyewitnesses to this miracle.

But so many in our world do not believe it.  So many refuse to even listen, calling the story nonsense, nothing but idle tales.  Even we believers may not take everything Jesus said literally.  We may not take Him at His word regarding everything that hasn’t happened yet, that we don’t yet have eyewitness reports of.

Do we believe it when He said He would come again someday to call His church home to Him?  We say the words and we profess it out loud, but do we truly believe it, down deep in our heart of hearts?

Do we truly accept Him as our Master, fully believing that we will all be judged, individually, judged on everything we ever done and said, and everything left undone and unsaid?  Do we really grasp that He holds our very future in His hands, and will justly determine how we will spend all of eternity?

Are we seeking the living, but hoping for the dead?  Do we hope that the final judgment won’t be as strict as the Bible says, that we’ll be given one last chance, that we’ll be granted leniency because we are basically good at our core?

Family, Jesus lives.  He is alive and well and sitting at God’s right hand in heaven.  And some day He is coming again to call His church home and to judge the entire world.

We need to stop looking for the dead and start seeking the living.  We need to prepare for His return by doing what He commanded us to do.  Love one another as He loves us: unconditionally, sacrificially, without consideration of reward or repayment, humbly, giving all the glory to God.  Show our love by helping others learn about Jesus, telling them all that He did while He walked this earth, all that He has done for us in this life, His promise of everlasting life in heaven when this age has ended.  Let’s help those living now find eternal life in paradise.

Seek the living.  Seek Jesus.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord.  Amen.

Let us pray…  Lord Jesus Christ, Redeemer, Master…  You came as our Messiah, our Savior.  But You died on the cross, and for a moment the world lost hope.  Then You rose from the grave, just as You said You would, once again alive and full of life!  You conquered death and promised we would share in that victory if we would only believe in You and accept You as Lord.  As the sun rises on us this morning, just as it did on You so long ago, that promise remains our expected and anticipated hope.

Dear Lord, may our faith remain strong and not waiver during the tremendous trials of this present age.  May we continue to seek You, our living Lord, and be completely prepared for Your return, which You also promised.  May we fully grasp what You told us before, and what You are whispering now in our hearts.  May we serve You, with all that is in us.  This we pray, in Your glorious name, Christ Jesus our Master and Savior.

And now, Father God, hear us as we pray to You as Your Son Jesus taught us…  Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.  Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.  Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.  For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever.  Amen.