24 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. 5 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? 6 He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” 8 And they remembered his words, 9 and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 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, 11 but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. 12 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.
Section Overview
Luke recounts the narrative of the women’s going to the tomb but finding it empty. The stone is rolled away, but Jesus is no longer there. The women are puzzled about what has happened, but two angels interpret the situation for them: Jesus is no longer in the grave. He is the living and risen one, and such a state of affairs fits with what he had said in his ministry, for he had predicted both his suffering and his resurrection. The women recall Jesus’ words, and Luke emphasizes that everything that has happened is in accord with what Jesus had said all along. The women return and tell the rest what they have seen and heard, but it is dismissed as nonsense because the rest do not trust Jesus’ words. Peter, however, runs to the tomb and sees the linen cloths, and he is astonished. His astonishment is probably one of faith, not doubt, although he too must recall Jesus’ words.
Section Outline
V. Death and Resurrection in Jerusalem (19:28–24:53) . . .
G. Resurrection: Scripture Fulfilled (24:1–24:53)
1. Resurrection Announced to Women; Apostles Disbelieve (24:1–24:12)
Response
Sometimes we are perplexed and frightened when the answer to our problem is right in front of us. What causes the women worry and fright is actually the cause of their greatest joy. In other words, sometimes that which we do anticipate is in fact the answer to our problems. God works in unexpected and surprising ways. When we think we can predict what he is doing, he moves in on us and surprises us. We might think, for instance, of some of the great revivals in history. In the eighteenth century God raised up George Whitefield and John Wesley to revive his church. In my own life, God saved me at a time in which I was not seeking him at all, and in a most unexpected and surprising way.
Our hope, our anticipation, depends on the resurrection of Christ. In the resurrection of Jesus Christ we have the fulfillment of salvation history. Jesus, as Paul tells us, is the “firstfruits” of the resurrection (1 Cor. 15:20). Because he is risen, we know that we will also be raised on the last day (1 Cor. 15:12–19). We can be confident that death will not triumph over us, that death will be conquered as the last enemy. Because Jesus is risen from the dead, we know that we have been truly forgiven of our sins. If Jesus died for our sins but was not raised, we could not believe he has truly forgiven our sins, but his resurrection proves our sins have been wiped clean.
The truth that we need to trust Jesus’ words is one of the most remarkable features of the story. We must not forget that all of God’s promises are fulfilled in Christ. Notice what the angels say: “Remember how he told you” (Luke 24:6). Then in verse 8 we are told that the women “remembered his words.” It is instructive that the angels do not focus only on the fact that the tomb is empty. They do announce, of course, that the tomb is empty, and we know from the other resurrection accounts that they promise the women that they will see Jesus. Still, what they focus on here is belief in the words of the Lord Jesus, trusting his promise that he would be raised from the dead. The lesson for us is clear: our hope and confidence is based on the Word of God as it is found in the Scriptures. Sometimes it seems as if experience and evidence contradict God’s Word. Sometimes it seems as if there is no way God’s Word could be true, but we remember what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 1:20: “All the promises of God find their Yes in [Christ Jesus].” When trials and temptations come, we are to remember his Word. Our strength comes not from ourselves but from his Word and promises. We rely on the God who has shown his faithfulness to his saving promises by raising Christ from the dead. We rely on a God who is fulfilling what he planned in redemptive history.
Women were not considered reliable witnesses in Judaism, but God in his sovereignty decided that women would be the first heralds of the resurrection. We are reminded from this that our Lord does not demean women but values them as humans made in God’s image. Sometimes we feel unworthy to witness because of negative feelings about our own Christian lives. But when we witness we are sharing not ourselves but Jesus Christ our Lord. We are advertising not how good we are but how great he is. We can actually view witnessing from the perspective of works, thinking that we should witness only when our lives are going great, but such a view of witnessing puts the emphasis on ourselves instead of on Jesus Christ.