The Passion of Christ: The Dawn of Hope: Witnessing the Resurrection

Bible Passage: Luke 23:54, Luke 24:1-12

Luke 23:54 “It was the day of Preparation, and the Sabbath was beginning.” Luke24:1-12 “But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. 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? 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 delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” And they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 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, but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. 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.”

1. Preparation, Pause, and Promise | Surprise that Shifts Perspectives | Remembrance Sparks Witness | Skepticism and Seeking Truth

Looking in our text, Luke 23:54; Luke records, “It was the day of preparation and the Sabbath was beginning . “ From the way Luke structures the sentence we can see the day of preparation as the day prior to the Sabbath. Mark brings clarity in his gospel stating, Mark 15:42 “And when evening had come, since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath,”

What we can understand is that the Jews had a day prior to the Sabbath to prepare which directly proceeded the Sabbath. On the Sabbath per their custom they were not allowed to cook, to clean, to light lamps, to draw water or any unnecessary labor. They completed these tasks the day prior before sunset.

Sunset began the Sabbath which is why Luke wrote here in vs 54b that the “Sabbath was beginning.” Like every other day we see day time lead to the easing of the sun toward twilight of evening. The same pattern we are shown in Genesis during the creation account, “there was evening and there was morning, the xxx day” Genesis 1:5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31. This is a normal pattern to our days. Sunset, Sunrise making a day. In our modern culture we normally think of a day beginning at sunrise where as the Jews look at the beginning of the as Sunset. Jews use the moon to track seasons and time where as we use the sun which also accounts for the difference we see culturally vises what the bible teaches.

Looking back in our passage we see “the women who had come with him from Galilee.” We need to remember that they were in Jerusalem where Jesus was crucified and they had traveled with Jesus from the north to Jerusalem. These women as Luke called them were likely family members from the same area Jesus had grown up in. Luke later records most of their name in Luke 24:10 “Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women” . Luke does this to show us how personal his death is to both these ladies as it is to us whom call Him Lord.

If you have been to a funeral then you have some understanding on what was going on here. They were mourning and sad because Jesus had died and they had seen how his body was laid.

In a modern funeral, we send the body to a mortuary to be prepared for burial where as the preparation of the body fell to the family in days of old. This is why we see the women preparing spices and ointments to honor the body and hide the decomposition which comes with death.

Returning to our passage we see that they rested on the sabbath according to the commandment. With a time line on the decay of Jesus body, why would they rest? When would it occur? What shouldn’t be done? Who did it apply to? Why did God command and demonstrate it for us?

Moses as he was carried along by the Holy Spirit was writing to the Hebrew people at Mount Sinai wrote the ten commandments. The 4th commandment captures the idea the Jews were trying to follow in the Sabbath day laws. Exodus 20:8–11 ““Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”

The Sabbath has always been meant to be kept Holy since the first time God rested after creating the creation and us. It was a way for God’s people to acknowledge God as Holy and reconnect with God after six days of work by following the example of the one who’s image we have been created in.

Jesus rested in the tomb on the Sabbath honoring His father even in his death. The synoptic gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke all record Mark 2:28 “So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.”” Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath! He is the one who gives us rest because he forgives us from our sins. Jesus is recorded in Matthew 11:28–30 as saying, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.””

The Jews had a foretaste of the rest on the Sabbath that would only come through Jesus. Have you received the rest that Jesus offers us? Rest from the burden of sin? If not come and take His yoke for it is easy and his burden is light!

2. Surprises that Shift Perspectives

If you will look at your bible, Luke 24:1 Its now the first day of the week or Sunday and they got up early and went to the tomb taking the spices they prepared. I can’t imagine what they thought when they walked up and saw the large stone rolled away from the tomb.

What can we learn about the tomb from the bible?

It was made from rock.

Matthew 27:60 “and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away.”

Mark 15:46 “And Joseph bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud and laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. And he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.”

New and used

Luke 23:53 “Then he took it down and wrapped it in a linen shroud and laid him in a tomb cut in stone, where no one had ever yet been laid.”

Had a large stone at the entrance

Matthew 27:60 “and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away.”

Large enough for people to enter, sit, and stand.

Luke 24:1–4 “But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel.”

John 20:11–12 “But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet.”

What we can gather from other sources that the height just past the entrance was about 5-6 ft in height, probably 3 ft in width where Peter was able to John 20:5 “stoop to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in.”

The inner chamber was roughly 6-8 ft long, 6 feet wide and 6 ft tall. As we have discussed before it was costly for Joseph to bury Jesus in this tomb.

To seal the tomb was a large stone. Mark 16:4 It was likely 3-4 feet in diameter and weighed an estimated 1-2000lbs. The women who went to the tomb Mark 16:3 “were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?”” It was really big!

The thing is when they arrived, “the stone was rolled away from the tomb.” God had worked moving the stone out of the way for them. Take a look with me right here at Luke 24:2–3 “they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.”

Can you imagine what went through their minds? Look with me right there, vs 4 says they were perplexed! They were at a loss or puzzled. Dead bodies don’t just get up and leave. Maybe they thought someone took him. In all the questions that may be risen by a missing dead body, God provides the answer for us right here. He sends two men in dazzling apparel. What a sight! These were “two angels” John 20:12 record which frighten them and they bowed their faces to the ground.

God doesn’t just leave them bowed to the ground but the angels or messengers ask a question of great importance. Look vs 5b and their question. “Why do you seek the living among the dead?

The implication of this statement are huge as they had seen Christ die on the cross and yet these men proclaim him to be alive! In their minds and even in ours we might ponder. How can this be?

John Gill writes, “Is Christ to be found among dead sinners, or lifeless professors, but among living saints, and among the churches of the living God; nor is life to be found among the dead works of the law, or to be obtained by lifeless performances on the dead letter of the law.” John Gill, pg726.

If Christ is in you, you will be changed. You cannot stand fast in your sin but must be sanctified and bear fruit for the Lord. Are you alive in Christ, or dead in the works of your flesh?

3. Remembrance Sparks Witness

Luke 24:6–9

Vs 6 “He is not here, but has risen.” These angles come with a message. All the thoughts that the women had as they peered into the tomb and walked in have now been answered. God didn’t leave us to guess what happened to Jesus but provides the answer through angels who remind the women that Jesus had told his followers while he was still with them in Galilee.

Galilee was 70-80 miles from Jerusalem where Jesus was crucified. John records Jesus last time in Galilee as being at the Feast of Booths which occurs in the fall. John 7:1–2 So it had been sometime since what we see referenced as to when they were told since Passover occurs in the spring which is were we are at but they remembered his words look with me at vs 7 “that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” He told them before hand what would happen. “That he had been delivered into sinful men and he was crucified and raised on the third day” just as he said!

He wasn’t there! He had been raised from the dead! All the yes’ and amens’ of scripture are now true in Jesus! He truly had come to save his people from their sins! Matthew 1:21. Jesus has defeated death being raised and paid the cost of the sin for those who would believe!

This is the good news of the gospel. Paul writes Romans 10:9 “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” It was God’s work that Jesus was raised from the dead and God’s work in us that we can be saved from our sin and inherit eternal life!

4. Skepticism and Seeking Truth

Luke 24:10–12 “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, but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. 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.”

Having seen and experienced these two men in dazzling apparel the women return to the apostles and told them about what they had experienced. It was real to those who had seen it and they wanted to share it. They went to his closest companions which Luke records as the apostles and told them all that had happened and how Jesus is not there but has been raised!

Picking up in vs 11 we see “but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe. 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.”

Peter and the other apostles had heard Jesus teaching that he must die and be raised but they were idle tales to them. They didn’t truly think that this would be the case. They had no hope in it and they did not believe the report which the women had delivered to them.

Peter did not believe as we see in vs 11 but he listened to it, and was alarmed and even aroused by it. He was willing to know the truth of it and we see him running to the tomb to investigate it and seeing the cloths which once covered the Lord Jesus’ body. The body hadn’t been stolen or surly they would have taken the cloths off with the body. Peter went home marveling or wondering how these things could be.

Though it doesn’t snow here very often, I want you to take a minute and imagine the very first time or maybe when you saw snow for the first time.

You wake up, pull aside the curtain, and gasps. The whole world outside is completely transformed—rooftops, trees, and streets are blanketed in white. You run outside in pajamas and boots, arms stretched wide, spinning slowly in the falling snow, your face lit up with wonder.

You don’t say any thing at first—just stare, wide-eyed, mouth slightly open.

Your not analyzing. Not explaining what is going on around you. Your marveling—completely captured by the beauty and strangeness of it all.

This is what happened to Peter*when he ran to the tomb. He went home marveling. He was thinking about the beauty of all that Jesus had said and how none of it came about like he thought it would. How strange and wonderful the empty tomb is.

How about you, do you marvel at all Jesus has done for you or does it just seem like and idol tales?