He Is Not Here (Easter)

The disciples had just witnessed the unthinkable. In spite of Jesus’ predictions to them regarding His death, His followers were still shocked and surprised when Jesus was arrested and crucified. They witnessed Him being taken away by an angry mob and they saw Him crucified, killed in the most undignified manner possible. Now, they hid themselves away possibly out of fear that the religious leaders and authorities would come after them next.

Because Jesus is God and Savior, death could not hold Him. God raised Jesus from the dead affirming all that He did and taught. Jesus’ resurrection makes it possible for believers to have forgiveness and redemption from sin as well as new life through the Holy Spirit.

Luke 24:1 First-century Jewish culture measured time as beginning in the evening. This is illustrated in the Genesis account of creation: “There was evening and there was morning, the first day” (Gen. 1:5). Therefore, the first-century Jewish work week ran from Saturday evening at twilight to Friday at twilight. Since the women went to the tomb “at early dawn,” Mary Magdalene, Joanna, James’ mother Mary, and “other” women (see 24:10) went to the tomb early on Sunday morning. John’s Gospel adds that the women came to the tomb “while it was still dark,” suggesting that their arrival was very early on Sunday morning. The women carried spices with them to anoint the body. They were either unaware that Joseph and Nicodemus had prepared the body or felt that their preparations had been inadequate or incomplete (Utley, available online).

Luke 24:2-3 The type of tomb in which Jesus was laid had a groove to the side of the entrance by which a large, round stone could be rolled to seal the entrance. The stone would have been so large that the women could not unseal the tomb on their own. Fortunately, they found the stone rolled away. Matthew 28:4 recounted that an earthquake, possibly caused by an angel, was responsible for the stone’s movement. Seeing the stone rolled away, the women entered the tomb but did not find Jesus’ body. It is important to note that the women expected to find a literal, physical body there. Jesus was not some ethereal spirit as later heresies would argue (Utley, available online).

Luke 24:4 The men who suddenly stood before the women “in dazzling apparel” were angels. The term “dazzling” was also used by Luke to describe the transfiguration of Jesus and suggests overwhelming brightness (Utley, available online).

Luke 24:5 The women were frightened at the appearance of the angels. This response is common throughout Scripture (Dan. 10:8; Lk. 2:1-12), though it is sometimes difficult to discern whether the situation in which a person finds himself or the angel itself is fearsome (Acts 27:23-24). In this instance, the women signaled their respect and awe by prostrating themselves on the ground.

The angels’ question to the women is phrased differently in the Greek. Instead of “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” the Greek adds an article to “the living,” making the angels’ question, “Why do you seek The Living One among the dead?” This phrase, “The Living One,” is unique to Luke’s Gospel and denotes Jesus’ status as the risen Savior who was once dead but is now alive forevermore (Utley, available online).

Luke 24:6-7 The angels affirmed the fact of the resurrection. Jesus’ resurrection is the central tenant of the entire Christian faith. The resurrection demonstrated God’s approval of Jesus’ life and His substitutionary death to redeem mankind. Without the resurrection, Paul argued that the believer’s faith would be in vain and believers would still be in their sin (1 Cor. 15:12-19).

The angels reminded the women of the fact that Jesus had predicted His death and resurrection (Lk. 9:21-22; 17:25). Their words called to mind the title “Son of Man” that Jesus often used self-referentially. In this context, it perfectly meshed both Jesus’ divine and human natures. As a human, Jesus died. As God, death did not hold final power over Him.

Luke 24:8-9 After being reminded of Jesus’ predictions, the women recalled that He had, in fact, predicted all that had happened to Himself beforehand. Leaving the tomb, the women returned to the eleven remaining disciples, as well as an unnumbered gathering of others who had apparently been witness to the events of Jesus’ death.

Luke 24:10-11 Despite what must have been the women’s excitement, the remainder of the group had difficulty believing their account and dismissed it as “an idle tale,” a medical term for fever induced hysteria or hallucinations. The grammar of the text suggests that the women told the gathered group their account several times, but the group remained staunch in their disbelief of the story (Utley, available online).

Luke 24:12 Peter, who was notoriously impetuous, was the only member of the group who took the women’s account seriously enough to investigate it for himself. Seeing the stone rolled away was not enough. Peter entered the tomb, saw the burial cloths, found no body, then left and “marveled.”

Luke 24:36-37 Jesus miraculously appeared in the midst of His disciples after two of their number finished telling the rest of the group of an encounter they had just had with the risen Lord. Understandably, the group was frightened by Jesus’ sudden appearance and assumed that they were seeing a ghost.

Luke 24:38-40 Jesus asked the disciples two rhetorical questions: “Why are you troubled?” and “Why do doubts arise in your heart?” Taken together, the questions serve as a mild reprimand. Jesus had told His disciples all that would happen to Him before it happened. Now, they persisted in disbelief, not only after hearing that He had risen, but seemingly even as they saw Him, some doubt remained. To assuage their disbelief, Jesus encouraged the disciples to inspect His hands, His feet, and His side. He even encouraged them to touch Him to verify that He was actually present physically and not just a spirit that had appeared to them. The phrase, “It is I myself,” is used emphatically in the Greek and suggests that, upon their inspection, there should be no more doubt that Jesus had physically risen from the dead and was standing before them (Utley, available online).

Luke 24:41-43 Somehow, at least some of those gathered still disbelieved, in spite of now being able to personally, physically, verify Jesus’ resurrection. As a further proof that He was not simply a spirit, Jesus asked for something to eat. Receiving a piece of fish, Jesus ate it demonstrating once again that He was actually, physically alive and not simply a spirit.

Luke 24:44 This verse appears to be a summary statement of everything Jesus taught the disciples during His forty days of post-resurrection encounters. Jesus referenced “everything written about me” in the three major divisions of Hebrew Scripture: the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings (including Psalms and Proverbs). By Jesus’ own teaching, at least parts of the Old Testament pointed to His life, death, and resurrection.

Luke 24:45 Just as the disciples struggled to understand the teachings of the Old Testament about Jesus on their own, all of humanity cannot comprehend the truth of Scripture apart from God’s aid. This ministry of illumination is generally reserved for the Holy Spirit (Jn. 14:16; 16:8-15) but is sometimes performed by Jesus (Acts 16:14) (Utley, available online).

Luke 24:46-47 “Thus it is written” was a Hebrew idiom to convey the idea of Scripture’s divine inspiration, here used to underscore the Scriptural support for Jesus’ identity as “The Christ.” Jesus understood and taught the disciples that the Old Testament had predicted His death and resurrection on the third day. As a result, repentance and forgiveness of sins could now be proclaimed throughout all the earth because of the substitutionary nature of Jesus’ death and resurrection. It is important to note that this repentance and forgiveness is to be proclaimed “in His name.” It is only through Jesus that a right standing with God is possible because only Jesus paid the price for sin and defeated death (Utley, available online).

Luke 24:48-49 Because the disciples personally witnessed Jesus’ life, ministry, death, and resurrection, they were now charged with the task of proclaiming repentance and forgiveness in Jesus’ name throughout the world. The words, “the promise of my Father,” refers to the Holy Spirit, who would come upon the disciples and empower them to accomplish their evangelistic task. Jesus’ instruction to remain in the city until this event occurred was somewhat counter-intuitive. Most of His disciples were from rural Galilee. Jerusalem was where Jesus’ opposition was located. Yet God’s plan for the spread of the Gospel upon the Spirit’s arrival at Pentecost required their continued presence in Jerusalem.

The women who went to take care of Jesus’ body were the first to discover the empty tomb and its life-changing message: Jesus has risen from the dead! Although they initially feared that Jesus’ body had been stolen, both the abandoned grave cloths and the angels’ message assured them that God had demonstrated His great power by raising Jesus to life. And when Jesus appeared to the disciples in the flesh, and explained that He would soon ascend to His Father, they were all convinced that His resurrection indeed proved that Jesus is God and Savior.

Today, we must rely upon the recorded accounts of these (and other) eyewitnesses, who solemnly testified they talked with, walked with, and dined with the resurrected Christ before He ascended into heaven. No other faith can make that claim of its principle figure. As you teach this lesson, encourage learners to examine the evidence of these witnesses as they consider what Jesus’ death and resurrection means to them. On this Easter Sunday, lead learners to celebrate that Jesus is the Son of God, who was offered as the atoning sacrifice for our sins and then raised to eternal life, so we can experience the blessings of salvation and eternal life.