“Good News from the Graveyard”
(Luke 24:1-12)
Easter Sunday
Rev. Todd A. Linn, PhD
First Baptist Church Henderson, KY
4-8-07 (AM)
- Take your Bible and open to Luke, chapter 24.
I’m going to be bringing a message to you this morning entitled, “Good News from the Graveyard.” Speaking of good news, I remember once hearing about a woman who told her friend, she said, “I met a man.” Her friend said, “That’s good!” She said, “No, that’s bad. He’s ugly.” Her friend said, “That’s bad.” She said, “No, that’s good. He’s rich.” Her friend said, “Well, that’s good.” She said, “No, that’s bad. He’s mean.” Her friend said, “That’s bad.” She said, “No, that’s good. He built me a house.” Her friend said, “Well, that’s good.” She said, “No, that’s bad. It burned down.” Her friend said, “That’s bad.” She said, “No, that’s good. He was in it!”
Sometimes it’s hard to tell the good news from the bad news. And a graveyard is certainly the last place we would expect to find something good. But this morning we do indeed find good news, Good News from the graveyard.
Luke’s gospel teaches us that Jesus had been crucified on a Friday 2,000 years ago. And on that particular Friday some women had observed the place in the graveyard where they lay the Lord’s body. They planned to return to that gravesite on the third day, the day after the Sabbath which was Saturday. So the planned to return Sunday morning, the third day, to finish putting spices upon the body of Jesus. In Luke 24 we read what happen that first Easter Sunday morning.
- Stand in honor of the reading of God’s Word.
1 Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared.
2 But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb.
3 Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
4 And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments.
5 Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?
6 “He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee,
7 “saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’ ”
8 And they remembered His words.
9 Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.
10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles.
11 And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them.
12 But Peter arose and ran to the tomb; and stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying by themselves; and he departed, marveling to himself at what had happened.
- Pray.
Introduction:
You know, life is full of intriguing questions, many of them difficult to answer. And some of these questions can be somewhat humorous. Have you ever wondered, for instance:
Why does the sun lighten our hair, but darken our skin? Why is it that lemon juice is often made of artificial flavor, but dishwashing liquid is made with real lemons? Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called “rush hour?” Why is the third hand on a watch called the “second hand?” Why can’t a woman put on mascara without opening her mouth? Why is the word “abbreviated” so long? And why is it that doctors call their work their “practice?”
As crazy as those questions are, we might add another to the list, an equally absurd question that comes right out of the passage we just read. It is a question put forth by the angels at the tomb of Jesus. They ask the women this question: “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” That’s a good question. “Why do you seek the living among the dead? Why are you coming to a graveyard of all places and looking inside a tomb for a man who is not dead, but alive?!”
Well, of course, those women weren’t looking for someone who was alive. They were looking for someone who was dead. They came to the graveyard for the singular purpose of adding more spices to the body of Jesus. They had seen Him die. So in their mind, there is nothing to be happy about on this particular morning. They come with sullen faces to a place that is anything but joyful. But had they really known and had they really understood, what the Lord Jesus Christ had come to do then they would not have been surprised to find Good News from the Graveyard.
I want to talk to you this morning about this Good News that comes from the graveyard. You know the word “Gospel” means “Good News.” When we read the “Gospel of Matthew” or the “Gospel of Mark” or the “Gospel of Luke,” we are reading the “Good News of Matthew,” the “Good News of Mark,” and the “Good News of Luke.” And the “Good News” is defined as the whole purpose for which the Son of God came to this world 2,000 years ago and did for you and me: Jesus died, He was buried, and He rose again the third day. That is the essential content of the Gospel, the Good News. So I want to share with you some actions we should take as we consider the Good News this Easter Sunday morning. These come right out of the text. Let me encourage you to write them down. Number one:
I. We Must Purposefully Remember the Good News (1-8)
The truth is, these women who visited the tomb of Jesus already had the Good News, but they failed to purposefully remember it. When you read the first few verses of the chapter you find that these women come expecting to find the tomb occupied by the body of Jesus. Again, they had seen Him die. The last couple verses of the previous chapter tell us that they had seen the tomb in which was placed the body of Jesus. So they come back on the day after the Sabbath, the first day of the week; Sunday, expecting to find the body as they had seen it three days prior. See it again in the text, beginning at verse one.
1 Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared.
2 But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb.
3 Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
4 And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments.
Now these “two men” are angels. We know that because later in verse 23 the two men are identified as angels. It is important to note that angels are always presented in the Scriptures in the masculine gender. Angels in the Bible are so unlike the angel figurines for sale at the Christian bookstore. I mean, when you read the Scriptures you get the impression that these angels could be a bit frightening; pretty big dudes, you know. That’s why the women are afraid.
5 Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?
6 “He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee,
7 “saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’ ”
8 And they remembered His words.
Now they remember. And what they remember is the content of the Gospel, the content of the Good News. It is found in verse 7. The angels remind the women that the Lord Jesus had said, on more than one occasion, “The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.” That’s the essential content of the Gospel, the Good News.
Those of you who are FAITH-trained in our church know that. You know in 1 Corinthians 15 that the Apostle Paul specifically mentions his having declared the Gospel and then he spells-out the content of the Gospel; 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, He was buried, and He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.”
That’s the Good News. We touched on this before in last week’s message on Palm Sunday. Jesus knew exactly what He was doing. He had come to die for our sins. He said in Mark 10:45, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” He came to die for our sins, to take care of our sin problem. He came to fix us. He came to bear our punishment, our shame and our guilt by dying on the cross and by rising from the grave.
Now, I don’t know why the women and the disciples were so slow to get this whole thing. They had heard Jesus’ words, but apparently they were expecting something else. They just didn’t understand Christ’s mission until later. In verse 8, they now remember His words. They pointedly and purposefully reflect upon and remember the previously spoken words of Jesus about these things and now it begins to make sense.
Now here’s the deal. Here’s how this applies to you and me on this Easter Sunday 2,000 years later in Henderson, Kentucky. If we don’t take time today—and the days ahead—to purposefully remember the Good News then we, too, may find ourselves walking around defeated, heads-down, with no aim or purpose in life, with no gratitude in our hearts for the Good News that has come.
Too many Christians live their lives as though Jesus is still in the grave. Listen: If you have trusted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, if you have received by faith the Good News and you believe Jesus died for you personally and you are living for Him, you have no reason to walk around with your head down! Friend, before Christ the only thing you had to look forward to eternally was standing before a holy God and having to answer for your sin, knowing full well that you would be judged and sent to hell. But when you trusted Christ as your Lord and Savior that all changed. You now look forward to entering into heaven when you die because you are trusting Jesus Christ as your Savior. You have received the Good News. You have purpose and meaning in this life.
Take some time today and purposefully remember the Good News. Remember what Jesus Christ has done for you, Christian.
II. We Must Publicly Reveal the Good News (9-10)
That is, we must take this Good News and tell other people about it. That’s the first thing these wonderful women do in the story. Pick it up there at verse 9.
9 Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.
10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles.
Two times in two verses we read that they “told these things” to others. They shared the Good News. The Good News of the Gospel is not meant to be privately concealed, but publicly revealed. It is meant to be shared.
When you have a good experience you want to share that experience with others, don’t you? I told you last Sunday night that I had seen the movie, Amazing Grace, and I highly commended it to you. Why? Because it was good! So even before I came back to preach Sunday night I got on the internet and made sure it was still playing for you, and told you where you could go to see it. It was a good movie so I wanted you to see it, too. Now the same is true for you. You find a good restaurant that you really like or you hear a song you want to share, man, you can’t wait to tell others. You’ve got news to good to keep to yourself.
Well the Gospel is news to good to keep to ourselves. And if you have truly experienced the saving power of the Gospel, then you want to share that Good News with others. It’s just a natural thing, a natural expression.
What makes the Gospel so good? What is it that makes the Good News so good, after all? Before Christ, I viewed myself as being in the “land of the living” headed to the “land of the dying.” But after Christ, I view myself as being in the “land of the dying” headed to the land of the living.”
See, the Bible says that we are born with this problem called sin. Sin is in everything and sin is everywhere. God created everything and called it good, but when sin entered into the world, all creation was affected. Because of original sin, dating back to Genesis 3, all of creation is a bit out of sync, if you will. That’s why we have earthquakes, tornadoes, and disasters. That’s why buildings fall to the ground, and why tragedies occur. Sin is in all of creation, including us.
Sin affects my body. Sin is why our bodies eventually wear out. Even within the past week, I was again made aware of how my body is slowly wearing over time. I was eating lunch the other day with my family and my youngest son, Nicholas, was drawing pictures on his paper menu. I was seated next to him and he was drawing a face on one of the characters. Without really thinking about what he was saying, he turned and looked closely at my face and innocently said, “Hold still, dad. I want to get the wrinkles right!”
Sin affects my body. And sin affects my soul. I have a sin nature. I was born with one. I know that no matter how hard I try to be good, I have bad things going on inside. The Bible says I will be judged for my sin. And here’s what the Bible says in Romans 3:23, “All have sinned” and then Romans 6:23, “the wages of sin is death.”
Well Easter Sunday is all about how God fixes our sin problem. Jesus dies on the cross to take our sins upon Himself. He dies in our place. He dies for us so that God’s justice can be carried out, but carried out upon Jesus instead of us. He dies for us so that we may go free. He dies and is buried for our sins.
Romans 4:25 says that Christ was “delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification” (NIV). He died for our sins and was raised from the grave so that God would declare us “not guilty” of our sins. When God the Father raised Jesus from the dead that was His “stamp of approval” on everything Jesus did for us. The resurrection was God’s way of saying, “I am satisfied in what my Son did on the cross for you.”
So if we believe in that event and receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, then what happened 2,000 years ago becomes Good News to us! It means that though this body is wearing out and though I still struggle with a sin nature, this world is not all there is! I’m on my way to a better place. I’m on my way to glory.
That’s good news and it is news too good to keep to ourselves. The Gospel is not meant to be privately concealed, but publicly revealed. Publicly reveal the Good News today. People need to hear the Good News. The last time I checked, the statistics were something like 25% of all Americans do not know that the pivotal event celebrated today is the Lord’s resurrection.
Today! The Bible says these women “told these things” to others. Who are the others to whom you can “tell these things” today? Take time today and talk about this. Nothing is more important. If you are gathering together as a family for a special meal, take time to go around the table and talk about trusting the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior. If that seems a bit awkward then just say, “Remember what the pastor encouraged us to do today? Let’s do that.”
We must purposefully remember the Good News and we must publicly reveal the Good News. Thirdly:
III. We Must Personally Receive the Good News (11-12)
By this I mean that we must personally appropriate the Good News by believing the very content of the Gospel. How do the disciples initially receive the Good News? Verse 11:
11 And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them.
12 But Peter arose and ran to the tomb; and stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying by themselves; and he departed, marveling to himself at what had happened.
And there the narrative ends and Luke shifts to another scene. If all we had were verses 11 and 12 we wouldn’t have any of the disciples believing the Gospel. Initially they did not believe the Gospel. It seemed to them as “idle tales,” literally as “nonsense.” Peter even runs to the tomb and sees all the evidence of a resurrected body, but still cannot believe it.
Some of you hearing this message may be tempted to draw the same conclusion: “It’s a great little story, but only a story; idle tales. If it works for the kids, then it’s a good thing.” But I want to remind you that the only way we ourselves can be forgiven of our sins and have the confidence that we are going to heaven when we die is to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, to personally receive the Good News. The Bible says in Ephesians 2:8-9, “By grace are you saved, through faith, and this not of yourselves, it is a gift of God; not of works lest anyone should boast.
We know later on that these disciples who initially doubted came to trust in Jesus Christ. They encountered the resurrected Lord Jesus and they believed in Him. We, too, must personally receive the Good News. A saintly mother or father cannot get us into heaven. The prayers of others after we have died will do no good.
I shared in a funeral the other day that there are two appointments every person must keep. The Bible says in Hebrews 9:7, “It is appointed unto men to die once and after this to face the judgment.” We must personally do business with God, personally preparing for death and personally preparing for judgment. If Jesus is our Savior then we’ll be prepared for both.
- Stand for prayer.
Conclusion / Invitation:
Salvation is not automatic. What makes the Good News “Good” is our accepting it as true, appropriating it into our lives by faith. It requires a decision. Come to Jesus Christ this morning and trust Him as your personal Lord and Savior.
COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER: The text contained in this sermon is solely owned by its author. The reproduction, or distribution of this message, or any portion of it, should include the author’s name. The author intends to provide free resources in order to inspire believers and to assist preachers and teachers in Kingdom work.