Luke 24:1-12
April 20, 2025
I know ________________. There are countless ways that you could fill in that blank. The philosopher Socrates completed that sentence by saying, “I know that I know nothing.” A Christian mathematician named Dr. Peter Stoner might have completed that sentence by saying, “I know that is virtually impossible,” when considering that the prophet Isaiah made 24 predictions about Jesus 700 years before He was born and all of them came true. Dr. Stoner actually did a series of calculations that showed the probability of someone getting 8 prophecies correct was one in one hundred quintillion (that is a one with 17 zeros after it). The women who were going to Jesus’ tomb on Easter morning probably would have completed that sentence by saying, “I know Jesus is dead.”
These women had seen Jesus die on Friday and they had seen the way His body had been prepared for burial that day and may have felt that it deserved a better wrapping along with additional spices since He was buried rather quickly. So they got up early on Easter morning and went to the place where Jesus was buried, fully expecting to see Jesus’ dead body in a grave. This was not a pleasant job; just imagine handling a dead body after it had been in a tomb for a few days. How many of us would have felt compelled to go through such work in order to give Jesus a “better” burial? These women had every reason to just stay home that Easter morning, but they believed there was additional work to be done as they were still going to show honor and respect to Jesus’ dead body.
But when they arrive, not only has the stone been moved away from the entrance to the tomb, but the tomb is empty and two angels are standing there. It’s interesting how angels are involved in some of the key moments of Jesus’ life – his birth, his resurrection, and his ascension into heaven 40 days after his resurrection. The angels then ask the women a question that challenges their whole reason for being at the tomb: “Why are you looking for the living among the dead?”
Well, the fact is the women were not looking for the living, they were looking for the dead. They thought Jesus was still dead. But the angels were indirectly telling them, “Jesus is not among the dead, He is among the living.” Forget about the fact that it was impossible. Forget about the fact that He was beaten and bloodied beyond recognition. Forget about the fact that they saw nails pounded into his hands and feet, a sword pushed into his side, and watched him take his last breath. Three days later, Jesus was alive; so they were looking in the wrong spot, because they were looking for the wrong thing.
What an incredible change of events. On Friday, life seemed to be over. Here they were going to experience darkness, death, and depression as they gave their dead King one last burial right. But now, early on Sunday morning, instead of saying, “I know Jesus is dead,” I’m sure they may have been thinking, “I know something is up.” But what? They were not sure. These women were so consumed with their grief at Jesus’ death, and they were so set on finding a dead body that they did not see the evidence of Jesus’ resurrection even though it was staring them in the face. It just didn’t sink in at the moment. It’s kind of like trying to learn a new math formula. Sometimes you have to do it again and again to finally understand how it works in order to solve the problem. Other times it is easier to see how it works when you are given the complete answer, because then you can work backwards. It makes more sense as you see how the answer was calculated.
And that is the case with the women. The angels speak to the women and repeat the lesson that Jesus taught them, but this time after the fact. In verses 6-7 the angels said, “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 into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.” By referencing Galilee, the angels seem to be saying, “Jesus told you several times that He would die and rise from the dead 3 days later, and now look, He’s done it!” So now in hindsight, the women appear to understand as verse 8 tells us, “Then they remembered his words.” It’s as if the women now believed not only with their eyes, but also with their ears that Jesus was alive. And sometimes that’s the best way for us to keep seeing Jesus – with our ears as we listen to His voice and believe the promises that He has given to us in His Word.
The women now had a new mission – to tell the disciples and others that Jesus was alive, exactly as He had said. But when they found the disciples and told them the news, our text says that the disciples did not believe them. So the disciples had a choice. Either they could dismiss the women as crazy and do nothing or they could go and see the tomb for themselves.
We are told that Peter got up and ran to the tomb, maybe sensing that something was up. Peter always seems to be the impulsive one. He was the one who walked on water to see Jesus in the midst of a storm. He was the one who promised Jesus that He would never turn away from Him, and would even die for Him. He was the one who drew his sword and cut off a servant’s ear in the garden of Gethsemane, trying to protect Jesus when He was being arrested. And now he is the one who runs to the tomb. Perhaps the last interactions that Peter had with Jesus might shed some light as to why Peter ran to the tomb. When Jesus was arrested and put on trial in the high priest’s house, Peter was outside in a courtyard when a servant girl asked him if he was a follower of Jesus. Not only did Peter deny being a follower of Jesus three times, he went so far as to say, “I don’t even know the man.” Perhaps Peter runs to the tomb with a sense of fear thinking, “If Jesus is alive, am I going to be in trouble? If Jesus is risen, is He coming to get me for my betrayal?” Or maybe Peter could be running for a different reason thinking, “I remember Jesus saying that He would be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day He would be raised. So could His words really have come true?” When Peter arrived at the tomb and saw that it was empty, with only some strips of linen lying on the ground, the last verse of our text tells us that Peter went away wondering to himself what had happened. I’m sure Peter was thinking, “I know something is up, but what?”
Later that day Peter saw Jesus fully alive again and learned that He had come to give life by overcoming death, and that changed everything for Peter, the women, and all of us. Easter gives us a renewed sense of hope and life. Since Jesus was raised from the dead, it means that God is not dead. It means that God accepted Jesus’ sacrifice. It means our sins are forgiven and eternal life in heaven is ours, as Jesus’ victory over death is also our victory. This is the message that God gives to us to tell those who are still living and acting as if God were dead. It’s for those fellow Christians who are living in despair. It’s for those unbelievers who don’t believe there is a God. It’s for those who see no hope in this world. It’s for those who only expect the worst from God. God wants you and all people to know the truth. He is risen! He is risen indeed! This is our message. It’s a message of forgiveness, a message of hope, and a message of life. And our mission is for us to go and spread this message to the ends of the earth. Why would we ever keep this message to ourselves when there are so many potential disciples of Jesus who are sitting at home this morning or finding other things to do other than worship – thinking that there is no God.
I know __________. How would you finish that sentence? I know that my Redeemer lives? That is certainly a great way to finish that sentence. Or perhaps you would finish that sentence in a more personal way saying, “I know that cancer does not get the last word, because my Redeemer lives. I know that my sins are forgiven, because my Redeemer lives. I know that I can live with hope, because my Redeemer lives. I know that fear does not own me, because my Redeemer lives. I know that death is not the end, because my Redeemer lives. I know joy, because my Redeemer lives. However you might finish that sentence, knowing Jesus means knowing a Redeemer and friend who lives, loves, and forgives, so we can live with Him forever.
