Caught Off Guard

Introduction

Theif - perfect house to rob - picks the lock- once inside, he hears “I see you and Jesus sees you.” Unsure if he’s just hearing things or not...he says “who’s there?” Again, he hears “I see you and Jesus sees you.” He turns and points his flashlight in the direction of the voice...and is relieved to see a caged parrot saying, “I see you and Jesus sees you.” He laughs to himself and turns on the lights...which revealed a full sized doberman pinscher sitting under the bird’s cage...to which now the bird says “Attack...Jesus...Attack!!!”

I’d say he was expecting that!

We are all caught off guard at different points in our lives. But as Christians...there is one aspect of life that should never catch us off guard...but often still does...and that is God fulfilling His promises to his people.

Today

As Katie read in Call to Worship this morning...those first witnesses to Jesus’ bodily resurrection...were most certainly “caught off guard.” Not because “Jesus attacked” but because Jesus is risen...having attacked and conquered sin and death forever.

The Easter story...the story of resurrection Sunday...is a story of being caught off-guard. Resurrection has a tendency to do that. The big question I’m inviting us to ponder today is why? Why were the disciples caught off guard by the resurrection? Why are we caught off guard by God’s actions in our world?

No less than three times in Luke’s gospel...has Jesus predicted his passion...his

suffering death, rising again (Luke 8:31)

suffering death, rising again (Luke 9:30-31)

suffering death, rising again (Luke 10:32-34)

You’d think the disciples would have been expecting resurrection. But that’s not what we find. Luke tells us Luke 24:1: “Now on the first day of the week, at very early dawn, they came back to the tomb bringing the fragrant spices which they had prepared.”

Because it was a Sabbath, the day before, they did not have a chance to properly bury Jesus in the waning hours of Friday...which included preparing spices for the body to lesson the stinch of death.

Last night Laura pondered with me about how difficult it must have been for Jesus’ disciples on that Sabbath. They couldn’t distract themselves with busy work (like many of us do when we don’t want to attend to our grief). They had to just sit there. And wait until the next day.

Up Bright and Early

One cool tradition from Christianity is a sunrise service. Christians do this in accordance with the gospels telling us that it was very early in the morning...John’s gospel says while it was still dark...when the women came to the tomb of Jesus . My mom used to wake me up for school by flipping on the lights and saying “up and at ‘em”. I did not want to light...I wanted the darkness...after all mom, it’s biblical.

One scholar Nolland asserts that God’s actions or revealing of action occurrs during this time.

Exodus 14:24 ESV

And in the morning watch the Lord in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into a panic,

2 Kings 19:35 ESV

And that night the angel of the Lord went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies.

And...my personal favorite...Psalm 30:5

Psalm 30:5 ESV

For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.

Friends...God is at work in the dark. The darkness...the heaviness of Good Friday...of Jesus' Crucifixion...was dark and heavy for his frist followers...becuase they did not yet understand that God is at work in the darkest moments of life.

What are your dark moments of life? Whether past, present, or future...our dark moments are not dark to God. They are the times God is at work...to secure and reassure His people...to remind them he is the God of resurrection and new life...not of darkness and death. I invite us all to remember that when we are struggling in our own dark times.

No Stone; Two Angels

So the women were up and at ‘em...they come to the tomb and the stone is rolled away. As we have followed Luke since the beginning of Lent...we’ve discussed how Luke portrays Jesus/God as in control of the circumstances surrounding his suffering death....and now resurrection. The significance of the stone rolled away is that God is in control...not you...not me...not humanity...God alone.

They go into the tomb... no Jesus...but see two angels. Luke uses angels (messengers of God) to proclaim Jesus’ birth...and now his re-birth if you will...his resurrection. Astonished, the women bow down and fear...summarily dismissed by the Angels, who as an intriguing question (only in Luke’s gospel is this question found): Why do you seek the living among the dead?

Now this should have been a glaring....flashing light...literally telling them Jesus is raised (as he predicted) that he’s alive.

What do the angels charge the women to do? The same thing all Christians are to do... especially during our dark nights of the soul...esepically when our fear and grief threaten to overwhelm us.

The angles tell them to “remember”. Remember what? Jesus’ own words of his passion predictions...that the very thing they are witnessing...was foretold by Jesus himself. On Thursday we had a wonderful seder meal / Lord’s supper together to remember the last supper between Jesus and his disciples. The Seder is an orderly meal of remembrance for God’s salvation. The resurrection fulfills the Seder’s promise. We go from Seder to Savior...when we remember all that Jesus has done for us, that culminates with his resurrection.

Closing

Over and over...throughout scripture...God’s people are often “caught off guard” like that burglar and the Doberman Pinscher...when God does what God says He will do. But here’s the thing. Jesus' resurrection...the most unbelievable but true action God has ever done in our world...not only secures salvation for all who believe and trust in his name...but it proves a point that the Bible continuously attempts to convey.

That is this: God’s promises are always kept. They will inevitably come true. Even the most unbelievable of the promises of the Bible are true. God will do what God says he will do in his written word. End of story.

Don’t be caught off guard. Repent...believe...trust...and obey.

Thanks be to God...AMEN.