He is Risen Indeed! - Easter 2024
song:
In Christ alone (vs 3-4)
Call to worship:
pastor andrew loginow
Genesis 1.9-13
song:
Christ the lord is risen today
Historical reading:
CCC art. 1 & 1 Peter 1.22-25
pastor Kevin mcguire
pastor Mike & Pastor Zachary mcguire lead the congregation in prayer
song:
Come awake
Confession & Pardon:
pastor brett eckel
song:
Something greater
Sermon:
dr. alex loginow
He is Risen Indeed! (Luke 24.1-12)
Introduction
This isn’t the 1st time I’ve preached this Scripture passage for Easter, but last time I did none of you were here. On Easter 2020 we live-streamed what I can’t even in good conscience call a sermon because the church was not gathered, no we live streamed a lecture or a teaching and I exposited this text and the only people in the room were me, Pastor Kevin, my dad, Jerry Chen, and Tim Smith. So now I’m excited to finally preach this text to our gathered church on Easter Sunday 2024. Covid was a wild time, wasn’t it? Live-streaming church, all of the other strange things we did. You may have been watching Stranger Things during the pandemic but it felt like we were living stranger things.
One of the stranger things we found ourselves doing was homeschooling. I don’t mean that homeschooling is strange in general, just that we had not anticipated doing it. We homeschooled from the start of the pandemic through the end of the 2020 school year, then in the fall the kids started virtual school, which was strange, then they were supposed to go back in November but the regulations our school had in place were too strange for us so we homeschooled from that point until August 2022. When we started homeschooling Haddon and Sophia were in preschool so we ordered them preschool workbooks. One of the activities in the workbook was a color-by-numbers sheet.
As we marvel at Luke’s resurrection account this morning, we’re gonna do a bit of color-by-numbers. There’s a Bible study method I learned from Dr. Jim Hamilton while I was in seminary. Part of the bible study method is that whenever you see numbers in a bible text, you underline them in blue. Numbers are used to convey different things in ancient text, and they often have more significance than mere history. Luke gives us 4 numbers in these 12 verses so let’s color them hermeneutically and see what the final picture reveals.
Speaking of the show Stranger Things the 1st season follows 4 kids. There are 3 boys and 1 girl. The girl’s name is Eleven. So we’re gonna have a bit of a stranger things color-by-numbers. Our numbers are going to be: 1, 2, 3, and 11.
One
We start with 1, or more properly, the 1st – the 1st day of the week. The 1st word in the English text is but. It’s actually the 2nd word in the Greek text. It’s the conjunction, δὲ and it’s what scholars refer to as postpositive. That means that even though it’s 2nd in word order it jumps to the front and must be translated 1st.
Even more importantly it signals that transition is happening. Something was true but something else is about to happen. You see, the Gospel of Luke doesn’t view itself as a stand-alone work; no it is born out of the heritage of the Old Testament. So as Luke tells us the story of Jesus Christ from his Holy Spirit conception through his death, this story exists in the 1st century 2nd temple era very self-aware that it is a continuation of the story of the Old Testament. The curse of Adam was on everyone, the civil and ceremonial regulations of the Law were being practiced, and the longing for the messiah – the Genesis 3.15 skull-crushing seed of Eve was palpable. Luke 23 ends with all of Jerusalem resting on the Sabbath and God himself resting in the tomb.
Then the world changed forever and it begins with this word – but. All of that was true but something greater is about to happen. Some women arrive at Jesus’ tomb with spices to embalm his body. Jesus died on Good Friday and his friends needed to bury him before sundown so they didn’t break Sabbath. Now the women come to finish the job and they do it on the 1st day of the week. Sabbath is over and so they come on Sunday.
What we witness here is the most important liturgical transition in redemptive history. Everything that’s about to unfold, does so on the 1st day of the week. Not only that, but at early dawn on the 1st day of the week. What beautiful imagery! The early dawn, literally in Greek the deep sunrise (ὄρθρου βαθέως), this is not merely a new day, or a new week, but a new creation.
All 4 Gospels witness that the events of Easter took place on Sunday. And because that’s true, the day of worship for God’s people has changed as well. For centuries God’s people rested and worshipped on the last day of the week. Every week ended in rest. But – but now because of what these women learn, the day of rest and worship for the new covenant people of God is the 1st day of the week. We gather to remember and rest in what is about to happen on this 1st day of the week.
Cultural commentators note that the most conservative elements of any given society (ie the least likely to change, or the last to change) is religion. And so for hundreds, and even thousands of Jews to change their day of rest and worship from Saturday to Sunday in such a short span of time speaks volumes. This wouldn’t have happened haphazardly. Something strange must have happened.
Two
That was number 1 – the 1st day of the week – now we move to number 2. The women find that the stone is rolled away and the tomb is empty. And behold, 2 men stood by them in dazzling apparel. We noted the significance of the word behold on Palm Sunday. Remember in Hebrew the interjection is הִנֵּה; in Greek the word is ἰδοὺ. One Greek lexicon describes ἰδοὺ in this way: “prompters of attention, which serve also to emphasize the following statement—‘look, listen, pay attention, come now.” Whenever you see the word behold in Scripture it’s like a loud siren: pay attention this is important. And what is Luke urging us to behold? At 1st Luke describes these 2 as men, but later in verse 23 he’ll reveal they’re angels.
Luke is making a redemptive point here. Matthew and Mark only mention 1 angel. Why does Luke find it important to reveal there were 2? This language would’ve alerted 1st century readers. You see, they would’ve known that in the holy of holies was the Ark of the Covenant, and on the ark there was the mercy seat. On either side of the mercy seat there were 2 cherubim, angels (Num 7.89).
John gives us an even clearer picture in his Gospel: But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. And she saw 2 angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet (John 20.11-12). Matthew makes the same point when he tells us that the curtain for the holy of holies was torn in 2. The tomb of Jesus has become the final holy of holies. Just like there were 2 cherubim in the holy of holies, there are 2 angels here.
In the holy of holies the 2 angels are on either side of the mercy seat. On Good Friday Pastor Andrew reminded us that the Hebrew word we translate mercy seat is כַּפֹּרֶת, like yom kippur. In the LXX that word is translated to the Greek word ἱλασμός, which means propitiation, or “the means by which sins are forgiven.” This is the same word used in 1st John 2.2, which he preached on Friday. So what does this all add up to? The Gospel writers are telling us that, surrounded by the 2 angels, Jesus Christ is the true and final mercy seat. Jesus Christ is the true and final means by which sins are forgiven.
Three
This brings us to 3, or more properly, the 3rd day. The clues about Jesus’ fulfillment of the mercy seat and the holy of holies are made explicit by the angels’ message:
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.
It’s almost as if the angels are speaking to us modern westerners, why do you seek the living among the dead? The Holy Spirit is speaking to us right now through the Word; are you listening? Jesus Christ is not in the same graveyard as the Buddha, Mohammed, Plato, and the rest. He is alive. The proof that he is the final sacrifice is that he is a living sacrifice.
They should’ve known this because Jesus told them – he had been preaching the gospel to them. He told them that he must die and resurrect. Don’t miss that important little verb, must (δεῖ). We don’t merely affirm historically that Jesus of Nazareth did die, but that he had to die. It was necessary that he die. It was God’s providential decree that he must die. In fact, the whole point of the history of creation is that Jesus Christ would die and be raised on the 3rd day!
Jesus had to die in order to satisfy God’s justice and to deal with sin, hell, and death. On Good Friday Jesus broke sin. On Holy Saturday Jesus broke hell. On Easter Sunday Jesus broke death. Jesus reversed the curse.
This is the message that brings life and we know it’s true because he is risen indeed! The message of Easter is the message of Christianity. The prince of preachers, Charles Haddon Spurgeon said, “The resurrection of our divine Lord from the dead is the corner-stone of Christian doctrine.” Jesus Christ is alive; the tomb is empty! This is the message that you must repent and believe. Jesus Christ is the final mercy seat of God. He is the only place where your sins can be forgiven. Scripture says if you believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead you will be saved (Rom 10.9).
What does it mean to believe? It means you have faith. What is faith? The Reformed tradition has long defined faith including 3 facets – knowledge, assent, and trust.
That means faith begins with knowledge – in order to have faith you must receive the correct knowledge. You must know that there is 1 true and holy God who created you. You must know that you have sinned against him in thought, word, and deed. You must know that Jesus Christ lived, died, was buried, and resurrected in the place of sinners.
Knowledge is the starting place of faith, but it is only the 1st step. You must also assent to this knowledge. It is not enough to know that Christians believe that God is holy, people are sinners, and Christ died and rose again for sinners, you must also confess and not deny these things to be true. You must acknowledge this to be right. You must assent to the validity of these truth claims.
Knowledge and assent are both essential components of faith, but on their own they fall short of saving faith. There is 1 more element of saving faith and it is the most important 1 – trust. You must take the knowledge of who Jesus is and what Jesus did, you must assent to its validity, and finally you must transfer your trust to Christ alone. If we used a chair as an illustration of faith we would say that you know what a chair is and that it is supposed to hold you; you understand that a chair will hold your weight if you sit on it, but it is not until you actually sit on the chair that you have trusted. That is what you must do with Jesus – you must rest the full weight of your standing before God, the forgiveness of your sins, and the hope of eternal life on who Jesus is and what Jesus did.
If God has given you the gift of genuine faith it will be revealed by your repentance. Repentance means 1st that you confess – you confess that you are a sinner, that you have sinned against God in thought, word, and deed. Secondly repentance means that you turn from your sin. Repentance does not save you but repentance is the result of your regeneration.
This is all true because Jesus is alive! Don’t expect to find the living among the dead. Jesus is risen indeed! He resurrected so that we might be raised too. This happens 1st spiritually when we repent and believe the gospel. God changes our hearts. And it will happen physically when he returns to raise the dead, judge the world, and make all things new!
Eleven
We now come to our final number – 11. The women return to the disciples to tell them what happened. Notice that Luke refers to the 11 as the apostles. They will no longer merely be disciples, learners, but they will now be apostles. They will bring the gospel to the world, but not yet. They don’t believe the women. Their story sounds like an idle tale. The word here is λῆρος, which is a medical term used by Dr. Luke. It refers to how one speaks when they’re in delirium.
This is another proof to the historicity of the resurrection. In 1st century Jewish culture women weren't valued; they weren't even legally allowed to give testimony in court! You’ll notice that the apostles treat them thus. They don’t believe the women. But Jesus works counter culturally. He calls these women – Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and other women – to be the apostles to the apostles. They are the ones who bring the good news. Their names are forever remembered as the 1st messengers.
It’s hard to blame the 11. They had spent 3 years in the seminary of Jesus’ ministry. They left all they had to follow him. You can imagine that they thought that he was going to usher in the Kingdom of God by overthrowing the Romans. They probably read Ezekiel’s prophecy about the 2nd Temple and saw that Herod’s Temple was almost complete. It seemed like everything was coming together. Jesus was healing people, commanding nature, and exorcising demons. This had to be the end.
And then they watched him be tried, crucified, and buried. And then Holy Saturday came and went. And now it’s the 1st day of the week. And whether it’s depression or denial, most of the 11 don’t believe them. Then we get that word but again – but Peter rose and ran to the tomb. Luke’s doing a little word play in Greek; the word rose that he uses for Peter sounds like the word he used for Jesus’ rise on the 3rd day. Peter’s hope is resurrected so he runs to the tomb. Upon finding it empty, as the women had said, he returns home marveling.
Do you find yourself marveling at the empty tomb this morning, or are you like the others who fancy it an idle tale? Do you view Jesus as merely a historical figure, or maybe even a good teacher? Do you seek the living among the dead?
Conclusion
As we take a step back from our color-by-numbers, we see the picture we’ve colored is a portrait of Jesus Christ. On the 1st day of the week, 2 angels testified to the women that Jesus was raised on the 3rd day. The women then took the message to the 11, who then took it to the world. This is the message that we celebrate on Easter. This is the message that we celebrate every Sunday, as we gather on the 1st day of the week around the Word and sacrament. There’s no doubt that some of you will still deny the evidence. You’ll still say that it sounds too mystical, too unbelievable, too strange. My prayer this morning is that you will believe in stranger things.