Luke 24: 1But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. 2They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3but when they went in, they did not find the body. 4While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. 5The 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. 6Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.” 8Then they remembered his words, 9and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. 10Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. 11But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. 12But 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.
Life is full of expectations. These expectations are formed through years of human experience, and carry with them . While some of these expectations come from tradition, others carry with them universal truths. Let’s take Easter, for instance. I think it is pretty safe to say that if you are a Christian celebrating Easter in North America, you expect certain things. You expect to sing Christ the Lord is Risen Today, you probably expect to flower a cross, and you are probably looking ahead to the ham lunch you will share with family and friends later that afternoon. Most children expect to receive an Easter basket of sorts, expect to dye eggs, and expect, if not demand, an Easter egg hunt. Expectations such as these can be fun, but also very important. They give structure and order to the season; they are a prescription, if you will, for how to celebrate this holiday. They bring joy, for the most part, and if they are neglected (especially the Easter egg hunt) the result is disappointment. How often have you heard, or you yourself have said, after a holiday that has been missing something, that it “just didn’t feel like ‘blank’.” It didn’t feel like Thanksgiving because there was apple pie instead of pumpkin pie. It didn’t feel like Christmas because we didn’t sing Joy to the World. It didn’t feel like Easter because…well, you get the point. Expectations are important to be aware of; when they are exceeded, we have cause for celebration or surprise. When they are met, we are satisfied. When they are not met; well, all sorts of things can happen.
Jesus had a very habitual way of meeting people’s expectations. In many ways, he exceeded his current and would be followers’expectations. No one would have dreamed he could cast out demons with such authority. When there were thousands that needed to be fed, the disciples did not expect Jesus to be able to feed them; but he did, with plenty left-over. No one expected he could walk on water, or calm the storm, but he did. Through his miracles he exceeded everyone’s expectations, and those expectations were raised. They did not expect Jesus to enter into Jerusalem on a donkey, but rather as a militant king! No one expected he would be betrayed by one of his closest followers. No one expected the Messiah to suffer, or to die. And no one expected him to rise.
The women who had followed Jesus from Galilee watched as his body was placed in a tomb; they saw how his body was laid, and saw the stone rolled in front of the entrance. Because of the Sabbath, they had to wait to annoint the body. They prepared the spices and ointment, and waited until the Sabbath was over before going to the tomb to annoint the body. They were surely preparing themselves for what they would find; a corpse, already deteriorating. It was, after all, to be expected. What they find, instead, is a surprise. There is no stench, there is no rotting corpse; there is no body at all! And the women are perplexed, because when you see a body be laid to rest with your own eyes, you most certainly expect it to be there when you return!
Even in death, Jesus surpassed their expectations.
If the disappearance of Jesus’body was not disturbing enough, suddenly the women find themselves in the company of two angels. After reminding the women of what Jesus had said, several times in his ministry in fact, the women remember. What I find interesting is Luke’s lack of description when it comes to the women’s reaction to this news; that the Son of Man has risen. He describes their puzzlement at finding the tomb empty, their fear at seeing the angels, but here, he says nothing. It makes me wonder if, rather than excitement, their response was a rather sheepish, “oh yeah, I remember that….” When they tell the apostles, those closest to Jesus, their words are brushed off. These men, Jesus’inner circle of followers, do not remember what Jesus had said. For them, he is still dead; they do not even seem concerned that his body may have been stolen. All but Peter. Peter, who has not only disappointed but also denied Jesus while he was living, must see for himself. And he runs. His expectations are not disclosed to the reader; whether he believed the women or not, upon seeing the empty tomb he is amazed. And he goes, not back to the apostles, but to his own home, no doubt to ponder what he had just seen, and to figure out what it meant.
What does it mean? The empty tomb means that Jesus has risen. It is a fulfillment of the prophecy of death and resurrection, leading the audience to believe also in the prophecy that Christ will come again. The empty tomb is a symbol of Christ’s victory over sin and death; it can give us courage to face darkness and death, realizing that the light of dawn is close at hand. It means that there is hope for salvation, that through Christ’s offering of himself our sins are forgiven, and we can be in a right relationship with God. The empty tomb means all these things, and more. It means that Christ is alive, and at work in the world, even today. Amen!
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