Not an Idol Tale
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| "The Holy Women at the Tomb" by William Adolphe Bouguereau |
On the first day of the week, at early dawn,
they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the
stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the
body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men
stood by them in dazzling apparel. And as they were frightened and bowed their
faces to the ground, the men said to them, “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, and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and
to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of
James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, but
these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. But
Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen
cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened (Luke
24:1–12).
Grace to you and peace
from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!
Christ is risen! He is risen
indeed! Alleluia!
Easter can be an
emotional day. The pastor feels exhausted from the past forty days of extra
services and preparation. The church musician feels the pressure to make sure every
note is perfect because of all the guests. The man in the back is anxious
because he fears someone will ask him where he has been for the last year.[i]
One person is excited
because they picked the best Easter hymns, while another feels disappointed
because they left the best ones out. The boy with allergies feels overwhelmed
by the lilies and wonders if he will be able to make it through the whole
service. The widower in the third row feels the emptiness of the space to his
right, where his beloved bride sat with him for so many Sundays for so many
years. Easter can be an emotional day.[ii]
Pride that the whole family
made it. Concern for the one who did not. Guilt over missing so many Sundays.
Hope for the resurrection on the Last Day. Fear that the preacher will bring up
the shame of past sins. Joy that the alleluias are back. Easter can be an
emotional day.
The first Easter was just
as loaded with emotions. Some of the emotions and mental states are explicitly
named: Perplexed (24:4), frightened (24:5), reminiscent (24:8), unbelieving
(24:11), and marveling (24:12).
For all the joyous
celebration that Easter brings, there’s a whole lot of puzzlement and
perplexity in our Gospel lesson for the Feast of the Resurrection. There’s not
a single person who isn’t confused and bewildered.
Look at the women headed
to the tomb at the break of the first day after the Sabbath, and it’s no
mystery why they’re going. They intend to care for Jesus’ dead body properly
before He is entombed forever. This is beautifully loving, but it misses the
message and mission of Jesus. They’re acting in love, not in faith. There’s no
hope or expectation of anything other than tending to His dead body. He was
alive, and then He died. That’s what always happens. If they can get the stone
rolled away, they’re going to pay their final respects.
But the stone is rolled
away already, and inside they cannot find the body of the Lord Jesus. It’s
gone. That’s perplexing enough: who would have taken it? And why? Now, add some
fright to their confusion: two men stand by them, with no hint of how they got
there. Their robes are dazzling in appearance, not just white but
radiating—angels reflecting the glory of God. The women are terrified and bow
their faces to the ground. This is not what they expected.
What does all of this
mean?
One of the angels
speaks. He says, “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.” That’s why. That explains it. Christ is risen from the
dead. His body has life again. That’s why He’s not in the grave.
So, the women remember.
Hearing the Lord’s Word from the angels, they also remember the Word straight
from Jesus’ mouth back in Galilee. He told them all of this would happen—this is
all according to plan. They remember. It “clicks.” They believe. It doesn’t
happen right away. From the Gospel of Mark, we know that the women flee from
the tomb, astonished and afraid. The News is too Good to believe—at least by
their own reason and strength; but the Lord’s Word gives faith along with
knowledge, and they eventually believe and tell the disciples.
One might expect a joyous
reaction as Jesus’ closest followers hear the news; but they don’t believe it
either. They dismiss the news as an idle tale. That’s right: when the eleven
first hear the Word of the Lord about the resurrection, they don’t believe it.
Peter rises and runs to the tomb. He stoops down and looks in, and he sees the
linen cloths by themselves. He marvels, but that doesn’t mean he believes. All
Peter knows for sure is that the body is gone. Maybe someone took it… but who
would unwrap it and leave the cloths behind? And what of the women’s “idle
tale”? Confusion and perplexity reign.
At least, they do for a
little while; but you know the story doesn’t end there. Christ will appear to
them that evening, showing them His hands and His side. And where the women
believed from the Word they remembered, the risen Lord will speak peace to His
disciples and give them faith by His Word, too. Christ is risen from the dead.
He is risen before His people know it. He is risen before His people believe
it. He is risen to give them faith and life; and so, He is risen for you.
Isn’t it a little
refreshing and reassuring to hear how even “the people in the Bible” did not
believe and did not understand? Jesus did not die and rise for perfect people
who had it all figured out. Jesus died and rose for the people who would betray
Him, ignore His Word, forget His promises, and doubt His messengers. Jesus died
for people who put Him to death. Jesus rose for the people whose minds rejected
the idea of a resurrection.
The Church is not a
club for the good people, the smart people, or the most faithful people. It is
a gathering of the forgetful and the doubtful. It is a community, unified not
in our polished comprehension or piety, but in our Savior’s life, death, and
resurrection. What we share with each other is the same thing we share in
common with the people in Luke 24: Jesus is risen! His resurrection binds us
together in Him because it is bigger than anything in or between us.[iii]
No one said that
everything would make sense if you are a Christian. Well, somebody probably has
said that, but they’re wrong. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself
bewildered and puzzled and confused from time to time—whether it be matters of
faith or matters of life or whatever.
But this you know for
sure—of this you can be certain: Christ has died, and Christ is risen from the
dead. You haven’t seen Him face to face yet, but He tells you it is so in His
Word. Faith comes by hearing, not by seeing; and as the resurrected Jesus said
to Thomas, “Blessed are those who have not seen, and yet believe.” That’s you.
So don’t take confusion
or bewilderment about life to be a sign that you’re without faith. It’s very
possible to be both confused and a believer at the same time. Most of all,
though, be on guard against those foes who would try to confuse you about
Christ’s resurrection.
Every year near Easter,
news magazines and TV specials bring special reports on “the real Jesus,” the
“real Jesus” being not the One proclaimed in the Bible. The articles and
documentaries will proceed to tell you why the Bible can’t be trusted, why the accounts
of Jesus’ resurrection are just an idle tale.
It is a curious
double-standard on the part of the world. Usually, when an old manuscript is
found, the world applauds it as a clear window to the past; and when the
manuscript is critical of Christianity, it is deemed to be especially precious.
Scripture must be the best-preserved record in history, verified by so many
witnesses; and yet the world dismisses it as unreliable.
Dear friends, the world
doesn’t have much use for Christ’s death and resurrection. That should come as
absolutely no surprise to you and me, because without God-given faith it is
impossible to believe in Christ. The women at the tomb didn’t reach the right
conclusion until the angels spoke that faith-giving Word to them. The disciples
didn’t believe for a while, even after the women told them the Word. As long as
the world rejects the Gospel, it will always question the resurrection of
Christ, and consider it an idle tale. It can be no other way.
But along with the
world’s perplexity and rejection of the faith, there’s enough other stuff to
bring you puzzlement and doubt, too. The problem for you is not just that you
can’t currently see the risen Christ, but also that you can see all sorts of
trouble. You can see natural disasters around the world and the effects of inflation
and supply chain disruptions. You can see the lab results with the troubling
indicators. You can see the co-worker who makes your life miserable, and you
can see the empty places where friends and loved ones used to be but aren’t
anymore. Your conscience can see your past sins and transgressions, as well as
the lingering damage they have done.
Those various sights
and sufferings would seek to leave you troubled and doubting that the Lord is
really there. If Satan cannot use them to attack your faith, he will use every
last one of those trials to distract you from the cross and make you forget or
reject the resurrection.
But you live by faith
not by sight. As the Lord sent angels to tell the women, so He still sends
messengers to you to say, “Do not be afraid.” Do not be afraid. Christ is not
among the dead, but among the living. He is risen from the dead and He is the
Life of all the living. He is risen, never to die again.
Do not be afraid, for
the joy of Easter is not just that Jesus died, and Jesus rose, but that Jesus
died and rose for you. He has borne your sin to the cross, and He has suffered
for it there. He has died your death and been laid the tomb, but now the tomb
is empty. So will yours be, for Christ is risen to raise you, too.
Do not be afraid, for the
risen Lord has not forsaken you. He who has accomplished your salvation still
sits at His Father’s right hand to intercede for you, to watch over you. Some
of your days on this earth will be like the first day of the week before the
angels arrived, where you only have bits and pieces of information and don’t
know what to make of it all. Some of your days will be like Holy Saturday,
perplexed and disappointed, and wondering where to go from here. And some days
will have all the appearance of Good Friday, where death and despair look to
reign supreme. But do not be afraid. Christ has died and Christ is risen for
you. While your afflictions and enemies can put on a good show to upset your
eyes, Christ speaks His Word to tell you He has conquered all of your enemies.
If they are to do any actual harm, they must go through Him to get to you.
They cannot, and so
they are conquered enemies, permitted to howl for a while so that you might be
reminded to look to Christ and the life that He offers. He has wrapped you in
His own righteousness by baptism, for there you already died with Him, and you
are risen with Him. He feeds you with His holy Supper, His risen body and
blood. And He speaks His Word to you: the Word that comforted the women at the
tomb. The Word that brought the disciples back to faith. The same Word that
brought Lazarus out of His tomb. The same Word that will call you out of yours.
Dear friends, as long
as you are in this world, there will be confusion and perplexity. But for you,
there need be no fear—not of what it ultimately means. This is not an idle tale.
You’ve got God’s Word on it that Christ has died, and Christ is risen from the
dead, never to die again. And if Christ is never to die again, there is not one
moment or situation in your life where He is not using all things for your
good. His victory is your victory because you are forgiven for all of your
sins. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
Unless otherwise
indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, English Standard
Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good
News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
[i] Gospel: Luke 24:1-12
(Easter Sunday: Series C) | 1517,
https://www.1517.org/articles/gospel-luke-241-12-easter-sunday-series-c-2.
[ii] Gospel: Luke 24:1-12
(Easter Sunday: Series C) | 1517,
https://www.1517.org/articles/gospel-luke-241-12-easter-sunday-series-c-2.
[iii] Gospel: Luke 24:1-12 (Easter Sunday: Series C) | 1517, https://www.1517.org/articles/gospel-luke-241-12-easter-sunday-series-c-2.
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