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Introduction
My Grandmother was a female hemophiliac. What that means is that her body could not produce the platelets that would enable her blood to clot. As a result, she was not expected to live into old age. Problems that might have been minor for you and me quickly became big problems for her because her body could not stop the bleeding. Beyond all expectations, she was able to have four children and live into her seventies. However, she was repeatedly in the hospital and at the point of death several times. One time, she told me, she was able to look down on her own body. It seemed like she was dead at that point, but then her spirit returned to her body. She knew her time was not yet up. I’ve actually read about and heard tons of stories like that.
What we are dealing with here is something completely different. Imagine the time when my Grandmother did finally pass away at 74. Then, her body is brought to the funeral home. They do their work. Two full days later, they do a viewing for her. Then, imagine that at the viewing with all the family there, she gets up and starts talking. Now, that, I can tell you is something that I have not heard many stories about! But that is what this text is talking about. We are talking about a man rising from the dead two full days later. He dies on Friday, remains in the grave all day Saturday, and then rises from the dead on Sunday. A truly astonishing fact. This is what really happened 2,000 years ago on a Sunday morning.
Does that seem hard to believe? Well, it seemed hard to believe to the people who experienced it. And this is another extremely interesting fact about the resurrection of Jesus. It came to His followers as something completely unexpected. So, let’s look at how they encountered the resurrection and see what this might teach us about our own doubts and questions and the meaning of Easter.
The Women & the Resurrection
Remember that the women had been watching over Jesus while He was crucified, died, and was buried. They wanted to go back to the body of Jesus to show it the care that it deserved by putting spices and perfume on it.
When they got there, they were surprised to find that the stone that had been put over the mouth of the tomb was already rolled away. What did this mean? When they entered the tomb, the body of Jesus was gone. Now, what they did not conclude from this was that Jesus had risen from the dead. Instead it made them wonder what in the world had happened to Jesus’ body?
They needed angels to interpret this for them. Two men dressed in white and shining like lightning appeared before them. The women were scared to death, as you and I would be to encounter these heavenly beings. So, they bowed to the ground, which was all that they knew how to do.
Then, the angels spoke these powerful words. “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!” (Luke 24:5–6). Against all their expectations, He had come back to life. He was no longer among the dead. He had risen!