He is Risen! 

In Luke’s gospel account, the women at the empty tomb were asked a question they could not answer. The angels said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” It’s a great question! But the truth is, they didn’t seek the living among the dead. They sought the dead. They were looking for a dead body.  

The angels asked a question that strikes at the very heart of where most people find themselves today. “Why are you spending time rummaging around death and the dead hoping that you will find life there somehow? Why would you go among the dead expecting to find fellowship there?” Or as Paul said, “What partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?” 

It is an important question for us to ask ourselves today, isn’t it? Are we looking for the living among the dead? I have to assume you, dear reader, are looking for life as you go through your days. No one in his right mind is looking for death. You are all looking for life, you are all looking to live, you are all looking for purpose, you are all looking for meaning. So, why would you seek that in a graveyard? Why would you look for meaning and value and purpose for your life in those things which are meaningless and purposeless and will ultimately be destroyed? Why seek the living among the dead?  

Remember in John’s gospel when many of the followers of Jesus turned back and no longer walked with him? Why did they do that? He had told them that they could only live by feeding on Him. That He alone was the source of life, the bread of life that they could eat and never be hungry again. He was the bread come down from heaven, and He said, “If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.” In other words, there is only life eternal and the life you are desperately seeking in Him. You cannot find it anywhere else. After this, many of those who were walking with Him turned away and did not walk with Him any longer. Jesus turned to the twelve and asked if they wanted to go away as well. Peter said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know that you are the Holy One of God.” Why seek the living among the dead? Jesus alone has the words of eternal life.  

At the empty tomb, the women were asked a question they could not answer. They were also given a treasure they could not contain. Mark’s gospel tells us the angel said, “You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you in Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.”   

What is the message of the cross and the empty tomb? He is risen! At every cemetery on earth, you can find the graves of great philosophers and world leaders and religious holy men and gurus and teachers and shamans and priests and soothsayers and fortunetellers and cult leaders. And you can wipe the dust off their tombstones and say, “He is not alive. He is here!” 

But the testimony of the angels 2000 years ago in a graveyard outside Jerusalem is the greatest proclamation of our faith: He is not here. He is risen! Why seek the dead among the living when you can walk with the living Christ among the dead? 

David Mathis wrote, “Easter has become our annual dress rehearsal for that great coming day when our perishable bodies will put on the imperishable. When the mortal will finally put on immortality. When we will join in the triumphant song of the prophets and apostles, ‘O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?’” 

You know what I really love about these first witnesses? They were terrified, Mark tells us they fled the scene and said nothing to anyone. They acted just as we would have. But wait. We know from the other gospels that they were able to overcome their fear and tell the disciples. They could not keep the news to themselves. The world had to know, so the women went and told the story. We must do the same. The world still needs to know. It needs to hear it from people like you and me, people who have seen the Lord, not face to face, not yet. But we have met Him, and His risen life has made us new.  

Go tell it! He is risen!