03.27.2016 Why do We Look for Jesus among the Dead

3-27-2016 Easter from Grace Summit on Vimeo.

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 While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling clothing; 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? 6 He is not here, but He has risen.
He is risen indeed!
We are going to look at this question today: Why do we look for Jesus among the dead? Today, how do we look for Jesus in the dead places today? How are we missing the Living One because of that? And how can we find and discover the Living One in our own lives? He is meant to be found and discovered and sought today. Just like these women – we spend much of our time trying to find the living one in dead places.
Dead spaces are self-centered places, self-promoting, self-gratifying places. They are places where Jesus is not going to be found – places of apathy and indifference. Places of manipulation and control are also dead places. There are also many meaningless religious activities – things that are good in and of themselves – but because of our heart motive – they should be places where we would find God but we miss Him.
When those things are done – without hearts that are humble and broken – they become a problem for us and keep us from God. Going to church can keep you from God if your heart is not right. That doesn’t mean stop going to church – but get your heart right. Take tithing – tithing with the wrong heart will take you away from God – like Jesus said – blowing trumpets when you put that offering in the plate.
Prayer – when you do it to be seen by people – you are doing it to your detriment. Instead, Jesus says, go into your closet where it is just between you and God.
In the Old Testament, it was sacrifices – God told them to sacrifice – but then he told them it was worthless – because their hearts were wrong on the inside.
We need to examine our own lives – do we have dead places because of our hearts? A heart that is not humble and broken and willing before God.
This question the angels ask the women is a gentle rebuke with grace – what a good example – why do you seek the living among the dead? Don’t you get it? He is addressing their unbelief, and unbelief is the thing that keeps us from seeing the living one most.
We can only come into relationship with Christ through faith –
Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, 7 saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.”
You forgot! The way it is explained to them leads them into faith – and that is what God wants to do with us – lead and guide and encourage us in faith. We will all struggle – we will almost chuck our faith – is any of it real? What we see in the Bible, God gently and graciously – patiently leads us back to faith in Him. He will never coerce, manipulate or force our faith – but He will encourage and enable it.
If you find yourself in a time of doubting – KNOW that God understands that – and it is fully okay – God just wants to enter in to help and restore your faith. He does this with the disciples.
No one believed the resurrection until Jesus said it’s Me!
8 And they remembered His words, 9 and returned from the tomb and reported all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.
We find faith in His words – particularly in the gospels where Jesus is revealed to us. In the Old Testament – the Ten Commandments – do not have idols/graven images – and it was important – because they were saying – this is god – this is what He looks like.
But the only thing that shows us what God looks like is in the person of Jesus Christ. We can only know and find Him in Jesus. If we want to find God in our lives on a daily basis – we need to learn to fill our lives and live within the gospel stories – to let those gospels fill our hearts and minds. It is in those stories of Jesus that we see everything about God that we need to know and then we need to let those stories fill our lives. This is how Jesus dealt with the disciples after the resurrection – how does it relate to me?
These are not just commands and principles – but narratives that define the stories of our lives –and it is found in the four gospels. In liturgical churches – there is a gospel reading – and in the Daily Office – there is a gospel reading – because they recognized the value of the gospels. The practicals are great and helpful – but to the extent the life of Christ becomes your life – that is everything.
Get wrapped up in the gospels – the stories of how Jesus lived and how He treated people and begin to live and act that way.
A casual reading of the gospels would give people the sense that there was this private society of Jesus and the twelve.
He tells the women – to tell the 11 and all the rest – Do you not remember His words? He was not just talking to the twelve. The women were all there - 8 And they remembered His words, 9 and returned from the tomb and reported all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.
There were all kinds of people who were His disciples. Luke reveals that there were a lot of women involved in this thing:
10 Now they were Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James; also the other women with them were telling these things to the apostles.
There were a bunch of them. Women played a privileged role in the gospel stories – all four gospels demonstrate that – Luke especially gives priority to this. They were the first to see the risen savior – and that is huge.
Jesus continually elevated the status of women. In their day, women, in many ways, were simply property. One step above slaves. It is not equal pay for equal work here…
This story from Josephus makes this clear:
"Women were to be disqualified as witnesses on account of their giddiness and impetuosity."
Jesus the living one is found with the devalued and the disadvantaged. The living one is found today with the devalued and disadvantaged. We find that the privileged and resourced people must bring Jesus to the devalued – but Jesus says that the privileged and resourced need to find Jesus in the devalued and disadvantaged.
Whatsoever you do to the least of my brethren, that you’ve done unto Me…
It is in the least of these that I am found, Jesus says! We need to find Jesus in the least of His children.
10 Now they were Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James; also the other women with them were telling these things to the apostles. 11 But these words appeared to them as nonsense, and they would not believe them.
When we witness to the resurrection, we find God in our own lives.
When we say He is risen, we say it to one another. I think we have left it out of our gospel message. The gospel message tends to be about these points and how to become a Christian – but the gospel message in the Bible is about Jesus and the resurrection. If this were our gospel message, people might say – it is not just about escaping hell, but living forever? Me? Perfected? That is REALLY good news! To know that we are going to go on – having hands and feet and seeing and knowing and understanding wonder! Like when you see some amazing scenery – and WOW! We will have an eternity of wows in eternity!
When things go well and you experience joy and peace – it will be an eternity of even better than that.
There was such a focus in the New Testament on the resurrection that we take it for granted.
Part of the witness of the resurrection is living it! We have all been in situations where people have come to you – and another Christian in the situation has done something awful… “They are supposed to be a Christian! “ What do you say to that? We need to perform it – to live it – so that is never said about us. The world knows what Christians are supposed to act like – they know it better than Christians! But they know it and see it.
12 But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he *saw the linen wrappings only; and he went away to his home, marveling at what had happened.
Fifth way the living one is found – Marvelous events of our day. Sometimes they are small marvels – but they are ways that God is revealing them to us all day long. We first need an awareness – God is out there and wants to open my eyes to see Him.
With the awareness – there needs to be recognition – when something marvelous happens – to recognize that it was God – and then we have gratitude – we thank Him. And as you develop this habit – you will find and see God more regularly.
13 And behold, two of them were going that very day to a village named Emmaus, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 And they were talking with each other about all these things which had taken place. 15 While they were talking and discussing, Jesus Himself approached and began traveling with them. 16 But their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him.
No one can find the Living One on his own – God must open up his eyes. He must open up our eyes.
They go on – how could Jesus keep from laughing? Or from wanting to correct them?...
17 And He said to them, “What are these words that you are exchanging with one another as you are walking?” And they stood still, looking sad. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, answered and said to Him, “Are You the only one visiting Jerusalem and unaware of the things which have happened here in these days?” 19 And He said to them, “What things?” And they said to Him, “The things about Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word in the sight of God and all the people, 20 and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to the sentence of death, and crucified Him. 21 But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, it is the third day since these things happened. 22 But also some women among us amazed us. When they were at the tomb early in the morning, 23 and did not find His body, they came, saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said that He was alive. 24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just exactly as the women also had said; but Him they did not see.”
25 And He said to them, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?” 27 Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.
So much of this is unbelief. Don’t feel guilty when you have it – remember God wants to give you more faith! Does God call us out on our unbelief? Yes! But He also guides and encourages our faith.
28 And they approached the village where they were going, and He acted as though He were going farther. 29 But they urged Him, saying, “Stay with us, for it is getting toward evening, and the day is now nearly over.” So He went in to stay with them. 30 When He had reclined at the table with them, He took the bread and blessed it, and breaking it, He began giving it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished from their sight. 32 They said to one another, “Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?” 33 And they got up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found gathered together the eleven and those who were with them, 34 saying, “The Lord has really risen and has appeared to Simon.” 35 They began to relate their experiences on the road and how He was recognized by them in the breaking of the bread.
What an amazing message – what would that have been like? They might have been embarrassed – did I say anything? Did you say anything?
Bible scholars differ on whether this is communion or just having dinner together…
I think we find the Living One when we have communion together. Sometimes I’ll visit someone in the nursing home – and we’ll have communion together – and it is some of the most precious communion times I ever have.
Jesus is found in our fellowship with one another. Whether it is focused on communion or a meal in our homes
Christianity has become in some ways – “the selling of religious goods and services at the best price in the most convenient way.”
Those who do that best are sometimes the most “successful” =- but Jesus’ Christianity was never meant to be that – but gathering people to a new society and race – to love one another – to find Him in one another – to live in such a way to go out into the world with that message.
The resurrection story is very simple – and it concludes with Go into all the world! This is the message that matters – and for us – it means taking it to our world. Don’t leave with nice feelings – take the message to your world. Let’s pray…