Luke 24:1-12 Commentary

The resurrection of Jesus Christ represents as much as—if not more so—a turning point in the life of his disciples than any other point in their journeys. The same is true for us.

Yes, it was a big deal for the twelve to be called to be his disciples, plucked out of their everyday tasks and obligations, chosen even though they weren’t good enough at the time disciples are usually set apart by their rabbis. Yes, it was a big change to their lives as they kept following their teacher Jesus and learning his ways.

And they were not alone in having their lives altered by Jesus the Messiah. For those not in the twelve but who were also called disciples, like Mary and Martha and many other women, there were lots of sacrifices made. They followed Jesus around the region to hear his teaching, to learn to do as he said and showed. They opened their homes to him, provided food and shelter for him and his inner twelve, spread the word about him to others who needed to hear about his mercy, his grace, his healing, his power. These other disciples also followed Jesus to Jerusalem, and the women even went so far as to be at his side at the cross and then followed him to his graveside in order to administer a death ritual after his crucifixion. They were devoted to him and to a task that they did not know how they would accomplish.

And the way the gospel writer Luke keeps them anonymous until verse 10 makes it seem like it shouldn’t matter who they were—which set of disciples they were part of. They all had heard the same messages from Jesus, been encouraged and discouraged with the same teachings, witnessed the same powers, been reminded of what Jesus was about because they were all his followers.

Yet, it is the women who follow Jesus even in their grief and fear. They go to serve their teacher in one last tangible way—even if they didn’t know how they were going to accomplish their task. They were even more perplexed when they arrived at the tomb and discovered things not as they were expected to be: the stone covering the entrance rolled away and the tomb empty. Where was Jesus? There they stand, this group of women disciples, holding their spices and utterly confused, terrified as two angels fill the space with brightness emanating from their clothes.

In the gospel of Luke, it’s the angels who give the message about the great new calling established in Jesus Christ; Jesus makes no appearance in the Garden. The angels say to the women, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen.”

Move from death to life… look for life where you know it will be found. Stop looking for life among things that that are dead. This is the only way to have new life with Christ. The journey does not stop at the cross, neither God’s nor ours. Dying is necessary, but choosing to live for God is even more so. This is the great turning point.

In order to do what the angels have told them, everything must change. But it doesn’t change into something unfamiliar: the change is built on what Jesus himself told them, what they need to remember and believe. The pieces all fall into place and they “get it.” By getting it, they are given a new purpose, a new direction for their lives; they have become disciples of a resurrected-death-conquering God now.

How lovely are the feet of those who bring such good news! Unless, apparently, those feet belong to women. (Maybe the disciples wouldn’t have been able to hear this message from anyone, but the text tells a story that most of us women know by experience.) The women bring the words of life to the men stuck in their space of death. These disciples too, must learn to hear words of freedom and life for what they are, as life-altering and transformative instead of idle tales and wastes of time.

In time, by God’s abundant grace in appearing directly to them, they will get there. Even Peter’s reaction is of one on the way to looking afresh. Death may still have its hold on them, but the resurrected God will soon do something about it.

But here on Easter Sunday morning, it doesn’t have to be that way for us. We can choose to believe and accept the reality that we do not see or touch, and build our lives on what Jesus through his Spirit has told us. We can be like the women and stop looking for life in dead things so that we will find new life in the firstborn of the dead, Jesus the Christ. And we can share that good good news with others.

Textual Point

John Nolland outlines a pattern to the resurrection narratives in his second volume on Luke in the Word Biblical Commentary Series. As he sees it, the encounters happen with disciples, and these close followers of Jesus are either completely surprised by the encounter or don’t recognize Jesus quickly. In the same vein, the disciples are confused as to what kind of person Jesus is now: they recognize that he is not dead but they also know that he is no longer like them (appearing in locked rooms and what not). Finally, and most connected to my theme this week, Nolland notes that each disciple who encounters the resurrected Jesus is “transformed… with a powerful sense of commission for a mission task.”

Illustration Idea

When I was a kid Paul Harvey’s news radio show was still on (he was on the radio until 2008!). I know him best for the segments, “The Rest of the Story” where he’d tell a story but keep something vital to the tale back until almost the very end. Then he’d say, “And now you know the rest of the story.” Luke does that with the way he holds back the women’s identity and how they were received by the male disciples—or even how Peter responded with amazement but relative inaction. This great thing happened, but people were too prejudiced or wrapped up in themselves to believe the women! But it doesn’t have to be this way; Easter is our invitation to have Jesus’s resurrection begin the rest of our story, not end it.