4.20.25 Haxtun

Remember & Encounter

Luke 24:1–12 NRSV

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in, they did not find the body. While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for 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 handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.” Then they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.

A little while ago, Dillon and I sold my little four door sedan that I’ve had for many years. The day we were to meet the buyers, sign papers, and transfer ownership, we had made the plan to meet at Loaf n Jug in Flagler.

So I grabbed the title, the bill of sale, my wallet, my water bottle (that has an open straw in it - that’s an important piece of the story), and then I put my jacket over all that as I headed out the door. I threw everything in the front passenger seat and drove down memory lane to Flagler. About halfway, I got kind of *cough cough* got a little thirsty. I looked down to the cup holders, and wondered….hmmm I knew I had grabbed my big ole water bottle with the big ole straw in it…where did I put it? Then it dawned on me.

In my haste, I had thrown everything, and I mean everything into the passenger seat…not remembering that my water bottle was also in that ‘everything’. So it had been leaking all over the passenger seat, and all over the title and bill of sale since Arriba.

I hope there’s no state patrol in the room, because I semi-safely quickly grabbed my jacket to sop up the mess, and cranked my heater on high and blow dried the title and bill of sale through the dashboard vents. Thankfully, all turned out well and there were plenty of paper towels at Loaf n Jug.

I’m sure there are many times that come to mind when we think of our forgetfullness as humans, and the curious thing about our scripture this morning is that we learn that we’re not alone in that struggle: even 1st Century followers of Christ sometimes needed a reminder. Let’s dive in:

24 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them.

We are here, Easter Sunday - the sun is just coming up over the horizon, a new day is upon us, and for us, it’s a day of joy and celebration - but to those in this story, it’s important to remember that their Sunday didn’t start out that way. Their eyes were probably red and puffy and their throats raw from their lamenting after Jesus’ crucifixion and death just three days before. The women had taken Sabbath, to rest according to God’s commandment and mourned for a day before rising early and coming back to the tomb to continue their culture’s custom of burial - to bring closure to their grief and perform a sign of remembrance for Jesus, their rabbi and friend.

So as they approach the tomb, they are focused. But the reality the women expect is not the reality they encounter! First of all, the stone was rolled away, and second of all, Jesus wasn’t there!

They were perplexed. Where’s Jesus? Should he not be here in the tomb?

Enter: the two angels in clothes that gleamed like lightning:

They had dazzling apparel: this statement in Greek only occurs twice in the New Testament: here and in Luke 17:24 - the Transfiguration of Jesus.

This statement helps us recall and remember back to that moment back on that mountain top, where we saw that initial shift from phase 1 to phase 2 of Jesus’ ministry and the beginning of his walk to Jerusalem for his crucifixion and death. So with the appearance of more men in dazzling apparel, here we have another huge shift: Jesus’ resurrection and us being called to continue his work through the Holy Spirit. This is huge!

And like all the encounters of Holy beings in the bible, the women respond normally:

5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ”

Notice how the angels phrased their question: why do you look for the living among the dead? The question does two things: it implies that Jesus is living, and it draws attention to the differences between the women’s expectations and their experience: they came expecting to find the dead because that is the function of tombs: to house the dead. But they discover it empty.

The women probably were still a little perplexed, and rightly so, because the angels went on to say: Remember how Jesus told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.

Twice while Jesus was in Galilee, he had told the disciples that the Son of Man would undergo suffering. The angels are trying to jog the women’s memory and help them with their present suffering, grief, and mourning. Why do you look for the living among the dead? Jesus is not dead!

And the reminder works!

8 Then they remembered his words. 9 When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. 12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.

Gosh, what a rollercoaster of emotions for these folks: grief, pain, wonder, fright, terror, joy, frustration for not being believed, I’m sure. So why did the other disciples not believe them and think that their testimony was but an idle tale?

This theme of not understanding until it being explained to them is a common theme in the gospel of Luke, so the fact that the women did not at first remember what Jesus had told them reveals a pattern in which understanding comes through proclamation - through reminding, and the same thing happens to the disciples here.

And sometimes the proclamation comes through action: Peter didn’t just roll over and continue his grieving - he got up and ran to the tomb to see for himself. Even with the Walk to Emmaus, in the very next story - the disciples didn’t recognize Jesus, who was literally walking beside them, until their memories were jogged through the breaking of bread.

There’s something to be learned here for all of us:

Part of understanding the Easter event requires an enlightenment of memory: “Remember Galilee”. Whenever we are in crisis or when we lay a loved one in the grave, like the disciples and followers of Jesus had to on Good Friday, the loss can obliterate all the rest of life from our awareness and sever the connections between us and the past.

But by remembering God’s presence in the past and how God has been ever so faithful, this gives us an opportunity to move forward and encounter God’s grace, Jesus’ presence, and the peace of the Holy Spirit - by remembering all that God has done and all that God has said, we get tools to deal with the present.

Remember what Jesus had done and what he had taught. Remember the meals in Jesus’ fellowship, his healings and his parables. Remember Galilee and the words of Jesus, said the angels.

My friends, our scripture today is paramount - it’s in the foundation of our faith - in Paul’s words 1 Corinthians “If Christ had not been raised, then our proclamation has been in vain and our faith has been in vain”. We remember and encounter our faith in five Greek words, translated: He is not here; he is risen.

It’s not just that someone was raised from the dead, but that God raised Jesus from the dead, and it is not just that someone was crucified but that the one who was crucified had proclaimed the kingdom and that his death was redemptive. The resurrection of Jesus is God’s response to Jesus’ death, God’s vindication of Jesus, and God’s validation of Jesus’ preaching of the kingdom to the poor, the outcast, and those in need of hope.

And our story today is helping put those connections in place, jogging those memories, helping the people who followed Christ realize the magnificence of this Sunday and the miracle of the empty tomb. Easter Sunday is a day of transformation: The grieving transformed into wonderment and then rejoicing, the cross of crucifixion into the cross of hope and the tomb of the dead into a place of resurrection.

And so may we also remember the words of hope, the miracles and actions of Jesus, the times when God delivered us in our own lives, the times of peace and joy in years past. May we remember that God is faithful, no matter what. Because when we remember, we open our eyes to encounter the Risen Lord, who has been beside us the whole time. We see the transformative work of a faith in THE God who has been raised, for you, for me, for all and THE God who is ever present with us on both Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

Please pray with me:

God of resurrection, as we leave this space, may we do so with remembrance and with resurrection hope, so we know that you love the world enough to come back again, and come back for us. May we go forth as agents of your steadfast and never-ending love, proclaiming the miracle of the empty tomb and being bearers of good news and great imagination. Amen.