Amy C Walters

The Resurrection | Luke 24:1-12

Luke’s telling of the resurrection lacks the big reveal we would expect from such a huge moment. Instead of a blaze of glory, we see a stone rolled away from an empty tomb. But the emphasis is not on the physical evidence. It’s on remembering and believing Jesus’ words.

This is the story that we’ve been waiting for, the one that makes all the painful, difficult stories before this worthwhile. It’s the resurrection. 

But to be honest, the way Luke tells it doesn’t have the epic feel that I would expect from such a huge moment. The Hollywood version of this would have had Jesus appearing in a blaze of glory, inflicting shock and awe on his enemies, a huge ta-da. 

But Luke doesn’t tell us that way. Instead, what does he show us?

A stone rolled away from an empty tomb. 

It’s subtle. It’s quiet. So much so that the women who go to prepare Jesus’ body for burial are just left wondering what has happened. 

Some shock and awe comes from the sudden appearance of two angels. They say to the women, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here. He has risen.”  

This question from the angels is rhetorical. They’re not actually looking for an answer. Instead, they’re gently rebuking the women. 

Tim Keller calls it a counseling question. It’s meant to push the women to something. But to what? 

It’s what the angels say next. “Remember how he told you while he was still with you in Galilee, the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinners, be crucified, and on the third day be raised.” 

The angels are pushing the women to remember Jesus’ words. It’s like they’re saying, “You’ve heard this before.” 

For several chapters now, Jesus has talked about heading toward Jerusalem and the cross. One of the clearest references is in Matthew 17:22-23, “When they came together in Galilee, he said to them, ‘the Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and on the third day, he will be raised to life.’” The angels basically repeat these words from Jesus to the women. 

So Jesus has been drilling this idea into his followers, showing that his death and resurrection was no accident. This was God’s plan all along.

God wasn’t scrambling to try to figure out how we’re going to fix this. This was his plan, and

and this was Jesus carrying out that plan. 

So the proof is not in the tomb. It’s in the words Jesus spoke before. It’s in the prophecy. It’s that this was no surprise, but must happen, had to happen, did happen, just as it was foretold.

And the way that Luke tells this story emphasizes the importance of remembering and believing those words of Jesus. First, the word “remember” is used twice in the story. Once when the angels challenged the women to remember, and again when we’re told, “then the women remembered Jesus’ words.”

Also, what’s the majority of the evidence for the resurrection in this story? It’s testimony; the testimony of the angels, and Jesus’ previous words. So believing these words is paramount to understanding what has happened.

Luke also demonstrates that even the disciples struggle to remember and believe. When the women go back and tell them what has happened, it says the apostles “did not believe the women because their words sounded to them like nonsense.” 

The central issue of this story is whether or not Jesus’ words will be believed. 

And this challenge is not new. Think back to how many stories we’ve covered in Luke that tell us to listen to Jesus. We find it in Luke chapters 4, and 5, and 7, and 8, and 9, and 16, and 17, and 20, and now again in Luke 24.

One of those times is in Luke 5 when Jesus healed the paralyzed man who was lowered down through the ceiling by his friends. First Jesus forgives the man, and then he heals them. Jesus explains in this story “‘which is easier, to say, “your sins are forgiven,” or to say, “get up and walk”? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.’ So Jesus said to the paralyzed man, ‘I tell you, get up, take your mat, and go home.’ And immediately the man stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on, and went home praising God.” 

Why did Jesus do it that way? Because the physical evidence of the healing proved the spiritual authority of his words. 

I see a parallel here with the story of the resurrection. Soon these disciples will see the risen Jesus, but that physical evidence should serve to emphasize the authority of everything Jesus has said. 

Remembering and believing will continue to be vital, because not long after the disciples do see the post-resurrection Jesus, he’ll ascend into heaven. Before he goes, he promises help in remembering.

He says in John 14:26, “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” 

All of these things point to our key truth for today. Remember and believe Jesus’ words.

Just like the women and the apostles, we are prone to forget and disbelieve, especially when we’re sad or tired or confused like they were. The women only remember Jesus’ words when the angels remind them. That’s why it’s so important for us to regularly read the Bible and go to Bible studies and listen to sermons, even the ones that tell us stuff that we think we already know. Because what Jesus says is so important; important enough for Jesus to delay appearing to the disciples until after they had considered what he said. 

While Jesus was on earth, he also talked about the things that are still to come in the future. We need to remember them so that we can be prepared for what is coming.

Today as you go, be open to being reminded of Jesus’ words, even if you’ve heard them many times before. Maybe even choose a verse to memorize. Because it is vital that we remember and believe Jesus’ words.