Luke 24:1-12 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.

In the Resurrection dialog between the women and the angels, the angels get the best line. But let’s back up. Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women go to the tomb early on Sunday morning to anoint Christ’s body. They arrive at the tomb and it’s empty. As the women stand around scratching their heads, two angels appear in dazzling clothes. And here comes the best line, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here but is risen.” It’s a great line.

Technically, the women were not seeking the living among the dead. There were seeking the dead among the dead. They had just seen Jesus crucified by the state. They didn’t expect Him to be anything other than dead.

I’ve heard the women posthumously scolded for not realizing immediately that Jesus had risen. What do you expect? They saw Him die. They saw Him buried. Jesus was dead and that’s all she wrote. The dead stay dead. It is sad as all get out, but it’s the way it goes.

Death is a human reality. We live in a culture that is not comfortable with the idea of death. We are so skittish about it that we speak of it euphemistically: Passed away. Slipped away. Resting in peace. Took their last breath. Went to a better place. We lost them. Went home to be with the Lord. Entered their eternal reward. A spiritually mature person acknowledges that death is real. It is important to underscore that Jesus’ death was a real death. It wasn’t an act. He wasn’t sleeping. He was dead. If asked, “Where was Jesus on Friday evening through Sunday morning,” my answer would be, “Dead.”

But Jesus didn’t stay dead. He rose again on the third day, just as He said. The implications of this are enormous. Ephesians 2 tells us we, “Were dead in our trespasses and sins,” but God, “Made us alive together with Christ.” The promise of the Resurrection includes us. We who were spiritually dead were made alive, with Christ, on that first Easter morning.

Rejoice, my friends! Because Christ is risen.