Why Do You Seek The Living Among The Dead?

Matthew 28:1-10

As the day dawns early on Sunday morning, there is barely enough light to see what one is doing,   Even at that way early hour, several women are making their way down the narrow streets of Jerusalem, out to the outskirts of town to a tomb that they had last left at sunset on the previous Friday.  They had needed to leave the hastily buried body of their Master, not having had enough time to properly anoint His body due to the arrival of the Sabbath.  Now they would finish the job of properly anointing the body, and continue to grieve His most cruel and brutal death.  As they approach, what seems like an earthquake occurs, and the stone is rolled aside.  (To have been an angel at Bethlehem would have been great, but if I was an angel, I think the greatest honor would have been to be that angel who rolled the tombstone away!!)   They must have wondered what was happening.  Standing there is someone who was brighter than any other person they have ever seen, and he tells the women to not be afraid, Jesus has risen!  He is not there!  I like the way Luke recorded it - “Why do you seek the living among the dead?”  (Luke 24:5).

Didn’t they, or the disciples, remember that numerous times Jesus had told them that He would be killed by the elders and priests, and that He would rise again the third day?  (Matthew 16:21, 17:23; 20:19).  They had forgotten, just like so often we forget the words that Jesus has said to us in the Scriptures.  The angels reminded the women.  Their words are words we need to hear today, as well.

“Fear not!” (vs. 5)  Jesus has risen!  He has defeated Satan!  We don’t need to be afraid any longer!  Our enemy has been defeated, and we no longer need to live in fear.  He is a defeated foe, and our Savior Jesus is the Victor!

“He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay” (vs. 6).  That place is empty.  Jesus is no longer in the tomb.  It is an empty tomb!  No other tomb where any other religious leader, political  or military leader, or anyone else, can make that claim.  Their bodies still lie in the grave.  But not Jesus.  His tomb is empty.  He is risen from the dead!

“And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead.”  (vs. 7)   Now that we know the good news of Jesus, that He died for our sins, and has now risen from the dead, we need to go and tell others.  This was not news that the women should just keep to themselves.  “Great!  We know, but why bother telling the other apostles.  They don’t deserve to know.  They didn’t come to the cross like we did.”  No!  They didn’t have that attitude, and we shouldn’t either.  Tell others the Good News!

This is news that we should share with everyone, at every time, in every place!  The angels didn’t keep the news to themselves.  When the women came, they didn’t keep silent and just let them look around and return home grieving.  They shared the news - the Messiah is not here.  He’s no longer dead, so He’s no longer in the tomb!  Look, and then go and spread the news.