Sunday 4th
Luke 24:1-12
NIV (v3) – ‘but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.’
ESV (v3) – ‘but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.’
Just imagine the scene, you know without any shadow of doubt that the man called Jesus who you had spent so much time with over the last few years had died. You witnessed it, you saw him arrested, you had heard the shouts of ‘crucify him’, you had seen him beaten and bloodied, you had seen him hanging on the awful tool of torture and crucifixion, you had seen Joseph of Arimathea with others take his body down off the cross, and you had witnessed the body being wrapped in a clean linen shroud and placed in the tomb, you had even seen the stone placed across the entrance and sealed, with a guard being set, you were absolutely clear in your mind about everything. He was dead and he had been buried.
As far as you were concerned the burial had been hurried because of the Jewish Sabbath, and so out of respect you go down to the tomb the following day to give him a proper burial, to add some spices and ointments you had just been so with preparing, ready to anoint his body.
But horror of all horrors you arrive at the tomb and it has been opened, the stone has been rolled away to one side and you enter into the tomb and the body of Jesus is missing – ‘Oh no, what’s happened?’ ‘Someone must have come and snatched the body, either taken it and hidden it somewhere else, or perhaps beaten us to it and done the anointing and reburied him somewhere else, somewhere more permanent.’ ‘If only we had got up earlier and got here sooner’.
And while you are contemplating it all, the early morning suddenly gets a bit brighter, and then brighter still and two men in dazzling clothing stand next to you and you are frightened, you rub your eyes wondering if it is all a dream and you are suddenly brought back to your senses as they begin to speak, saying ‘Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.’ AND THEY REMEMBERED his words. . .’ (Luke 24:5-8)
Wow what a relief, as you suddenly begin to remember and to piece it all together, but more importantly what incredible news, ‘He is not here, but has risen.’
This is the most amazing news that the world has ever heard and still needs to hear, the one who came into the world to save sinners by dying in their place is alive, he had fulfilled his mission, he had appeared in this world, he was delivered up unto death, he had atoned for sin and he was alive. He had dealt with the sin problem; he had dealt with the sting of death and he has made the remission of sin and the entrance to God possible.
HE IS ALIVE, death could not hold its prey, Jesus my Saviour, he tore the bars away. Jesus my Lord.
The women who I am referring to were as Luke reports, Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other unnamed women (v10) They were the first to hear the incredible news and also the first to be able to share it. They had a mixed response, in fact Scripture is clear that the first ones the women told thought it was an idle tale, until they investigated further and found it to be true.
Many today will still consider the good news we have to share about Easter – the death and the resurrection of Jesus as an ‘idle tale’ maybe you were once like that but you also investigated further and discovered it’s truthfulness and applied its message to your life, maybe you are reading this and still consider it as an ‘idle tale’ you just cannot or will not believe that someone could come into this world to die for you, to take your sin and to bear the punishment for that sin on your behalf, but someone did and his name is Jesus. Listen to what Scripture has to say, ‘For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.’ Romans 5:6-11
Jesus has done what none other can do, and Jesus can do for you what none other can do, he can grant you forgiveness of sin, he can grant you eternal hope, he can grant you eternal life, what we need to do is to accept the sacrifice he has made on our behalf, acknowledge our sin, accept him as our Saviour and surrendering our lives to him allowing him to be Lord in our lives. Will you spend some time today concerning the message of the gospel of hope that is all based upon what Jesus has done, and realise like so many others have done, myself included, that it is no idle tale, it is the truth that can change your life for eternity. Jesus is alive.