SOME THOUGHTS FOR AN EASTER SERMON

We are in Wales for Holy Week without internet connection. Palm Sunday reflection is below

The first day of the week.

                                                                 Luke 24:1-12.

Luke 24.1-12 (NRSV)

The Resurrection of Jesus

¹But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. ²They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, ³but when they went in, they did not find the body. ⁴While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. ⁵The women were terrified and bowed 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, but has risen. ⁶Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, ⁷that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.’ ⁸Then they remembered his words, ⁹and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. ¹⁰Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. ¹¹But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. ¹²But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.

My text is written in Luke 24.12:

¹²But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.

Verses 1-12 describe what happened on that first Easter morning in the garden of the tomb where Jesus had been laid to rest. When the women arrived at the tomb, they found that the stone that had been placed in front of the entrance had been rolled away. They were worried about what this meant and were frightened by what they saw - two men whose appearance shone greeted them with the news that Jesus had risen from death:

⁴While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. ⁵The women were terrified and bowed 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, but has risen (vs 4-5).

For them, this was the straw that broke the camel's back - they never understood Jesus' betrayal, his crucifixion, nor this resurrection - everything was equally perplexing to them. But the angels reminded them of what Jesus had taught them:

⁶Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, ⁷that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.’ ⁸Then they remembered his words ... (vs 6-8)

Jesus had warned them that he would be delivered into the hands of evil people and would be crucified and that he would rise again on the third day. Luke adds in verse 8: ‘Then they remembered what Jesus had said.’

Nothing that ever happened to Jesus did so without his prior explanation to the disciples - but the disciples - like all humans - forgot and needed to be reminded. In the world today, the words of Jesus are freely available through the Bible which has been translated into just about every language and dialect in the world, but many tend to forget and so it becomes vital that the church reminds the world of our Lord's teachings and show how they remain relevant for all generations.

Another significant lesson we learn from this passage is the fact that, like the disciples, our ignorance of our Lord's teachings often leads to unnecessary confusion. The first step in our salvation is to realise and acknowledge that life does not make sense unless we accept Jesus and his teachings as the central feature of our lives. In the midst of unnecessary suffering, Christians need to spread Christ's teachings and remind people in the same way that the angels reminded these women: "Remember, Jesus told you ..."

McBride reminds us that none of the Gospel narratives actually recounts the rising of Jesus because no one was actually there to witness it. All the Gospel narratives can do is register the fact of the empty tomb and the resurrection appearances. The empty tomb by itself does not make for adequate evidence for the resurrection because all it can do is bear witness – like an empty room – that no one was there. And there can be a number of explanations as people have tried to explain over the thousands of years since then: the disciples could have stolen the body and hid it somewhere so that they could ­claim that Jesus has risen; dogs might have eaten the body etc. There have been many others which I am sure you have been reminded of over the years. But none of them can withstand historical scrutiny. What matters is that over 500 credible witnesses experienced the risen Christ over a period of 40 days and more importantly, we experience Christ even now in the power of the Holy Spirit, as our lives and the lives of millions of other credible people, are transformed as we are touched by the power of his love.

But the empty tomb is important, because it is filled with symbolism. The worst place – the place of death and darkness, becomes the best place, a symbol of life and hope – it shows how tragedy can be transformed into the best news of all, especially is one remembers what Jesus had said. This is why being steeped in the Scriptures is so important, because it reminds us of the Gospel; it reminds us that even the dark places in our lives can be transformed into something beautiful when touched by the love of God in Jesus Christ, and especially so when we remember what God has taught us.

At first the women are not believed and their message is dismissed – Luke uses the word leros which implies demented ramblings. It is almost as if the men think that the women are so stricken with their grief that they are not making any sense at all. Peter runs to the tomb to see for himself and he too finds it empty, this does not make him believe either, but it does make him wonder – which is always a preface to belief (McBride). Barclay reminds us that the presence of Peter in the group is of great significance as it says much about his character. The story of his denial of Jesus must have been well-known ‘... and yet he had the moral courage to face those who knew his shame ...’ Barclay continues:

           

‘There was something of the hero in Peter, as well as something of the coward. The man who was a fluttering dove is on the way to becoming a rock.’

We need to wonder more. Evidence matters, as does the testimony of reliable witnesses, but nothing can replace experiencing things for ourselves, first hand. This does not mean that we fly in the face of evidence and blindly believe – not at all – it does mean that it is good to doubt, it is good to search, it is good to find things out – all for ourselves – to experience firsthand the love of God in the risen Jesus Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit.

This is also a story of faithfulness, as John Wesley advised his preachers who were going through times of difficulty – ‘Preach faith until you have faith’. The women in their doubt were given the reliable testimony of the two men in dazzling clothes. We are given reliable testimony through scholarship and faithful preaching.

But it always comes down to the same thing again – all the evidence can only take us part of the way; we still need to experience firsthand the reality of the loving presence of God in our lives, and this becomes real for us as we are prompted to respond to others in the same way as our Lord responds to us – with love and forgiveness and acceptance.

There is so much here for our blessing and edification, and I close with some thoughts given by William Barclay when he reflected on this passage himself. He explains that one of the problems for people is that they continue to look for Jesus among the dead; so many people are willing to acknowledge that he was one of the greatest men of all time, perhaps even the noblest hero ever to have lived. It is easy to see that he lived one of the loveliest lives ever seen on earth – but then he died. But this is not the end of the story, because Jesus is not dead; he is alive. ‘He is not merely a hero of the past; he is a living reality of the present’.

There are others who claim that it is worthwhile to study the life and teachings of Jesus. And I agree, it is important to study, but Jesus is more than someone to be studied, he is someone who is meant to be met and lived with every day – he is a living presence.

Barclay continues: There are still others who see in Jesus the perfect pattern and example. And this is also true, but trying to follow the perfect example can also be the most heart-breaking thing in the world, because as we sincerely try to model our lives on the perfect example all it ever does is show up how far short we fall from the ideal. But Jesus does more. Just as a teacher will come alongside a pupil and help them to improve, so our Lord is with us to forgive, renew, encourage – as Barclay puts it ‘... he is not simply a model for life; he is a living presence to help us to live ...’

We need to be like Peter and experience it all first hand for ourselves and be amazed by the Love God has for us. As Luke records:

... Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.