Luke 24:1-12 (NIV)
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. 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.
The tomb. Was it truly holy ground as we’re told? Or, was it simply an idle tale? Was it, perhaps, a bunch of nonsense?
Have we been sold a bill of goods due to the pressure to believe something? Maybe even the pressure on ministers to find something to help people connect with the scriptures? How about the people of the day? Did they all lie or pretend it happened?
Most of the Pharisees didn’t believe Jesus to be the Messiah. They believed the Messiah would be something completely different than Jesus. They were hostile toward Him. There are four key reasons the Pharisees opposed Jesus.
- Authority and Tradition: They prioritized oral tradition. Jesus ignored this and violated this, especially as it pertained to Sabbath rules.
- A Threat to Status: They feared losing their influence over the people. This fear escalated when Jesus questioned their hypocrisy.
- Jesus’ Actions: He called them “blind guides” and “hypocrites” because they focused not on justice and mercy but on minor details.
- Theological Conflict: They accused Jesus of breaking the covenant with God because He ate with sinners. He also claimed divine authority to forgive sins.
Due to all of this, the Pharisees wanted to get rid of Jesus as quickly as possible.
Photo by MAURO FOSSATI on Unsplash
Easter is the greatest story known to man. The greatest story ever told. We see through Easter how God shows the world His love. He is a God of love, peace, justice, and joy.
The message of love from Jesus is to love your neighbor as yourself. How hard is that sometimes? I know I definitely struggle with that.
Through the life of Jesus, we see the trial, the crucifixion, the death, and the resurrection. How do we connect with each of these?
The Trial: We can connect to this when we see or experience false accusations or unfair trials. On a spiritual bases there is solidarity in injustice.
The Crucifixion: We can connect to this when we realize that even though we are still or were powerless, Jesus chose to die for us. On a spiritual basis, this is a true demonstration of love.
The Death: We can connect to this when we look at the fact that the penalty of our death due to our sin was fully paid. Through this, justice was satisfied. On a spiritual basis, death was the payment for sin.
The Resurrection: We can connect to this when we realize and acknowledge that death is not the end. We can choose to receive the power to live a transformed life. On a spiritual basis, it’s victory and new life.
So, did Christians simply need a happy ending and just made it all up? Seems likely when we know suffering and we see the reality of the brokenness of the world.
I would argue that it’s not a made-up story. The message of Easter is true. It shows us hope. It’s that deep-seated hope for the future through a risen Lord. He who was once dead is now alive.
The disciples were willing to go forward and put their lives on the line to announce that love still lives. That Jesus is alive. He rose from the dead as He predicted. Think they would have done that for a hoax?
Photo by Mark Jones on Unsplash
“Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!”
God’s promise travels with us throughout our lives. Faith, trust, and hope.
Is this Holy ground? Is it the ground of hope? The last thing you expect to find when hope is lost is hope. Resurrection hope. Imagine that.
I’d say that’s the good news.
Wishing you all the Happiest of Easters!
And that’s what I learned in Church……see ya next time!
