Easter Sunday
April 11, 2004
Luke 24:1-11.

^24:1On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. ²They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, ³but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. ⁴While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. ⁵In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? ⁶He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ⁷‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’” ⁸Then they remembered his words. ⁹When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. ¹⁰It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. ¹¹But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. (NIV).

Remember!

  I want to read you a story. Some of you may remember it. It’s called The Egg.

  Jeremy was born with a twisted body and a slow mind. At the age of 12 he was still in second grade, seemingly unable to learn. His teacher, Doris Miller, often became exasperated with him. He would squirm in his seat, drool, and make grunting noises. At other times, he spoke clearly and distinctly, as if a spot of light had penetrated the darkness of his brain. Most of the time, however, Jeremy just irritated his teacher.

  One day she called his parents and asked them to come in for a consultation. As the Forresters entered the empty classroom, Doris said to them, “Jeremy really belongs in a special school. It isn't fair to him to be with younger children who don't have learning problems. Why, there is a five year gap between his age and that of the other students.” Mrs. Forrester cried softly into a tissue, while her husband spoke.

  “Miss Miller,” he said, “there is no school of that kind nearby. It would be a terrible shock for Jeremy if we had to take him out of this school. We know he really likes it here.”

  Doris sat for a long time after they had left, staring at the snow outside the window. Its coldness seemed to seep into her soul. She wanted to sympathize with the Forresters. After all, their only child had a terminal illness. But it wasn't fair to keep him in her class. She had 18 other youngsters to teach, and Jeremy was a distraction. Furthermore, he would never learn to read and write. Why waste any more time trying?

  As she pondered the situation, guilt washed over her. Here I am complaining when my problems are nothing compared to that poor family, she thought. Lord, please help me to be more patient with Jeremy. From that day on, she tried hard to ignore Jeremy's noises and his blank stares.

  Then one day, he limped to her desk, dragging his bad leg behind him. “I love you, Miss Miller,” he exclaimed, loud enough for the whole class to hear. The other students snickered, and Doris’ face turned red. She stammered, “Wh–why that's very nice, Jeremy. N–now please take your seat.”

  Spring came, and the children talked excitedly about the coming of Easter. Doris told them the story of Jesus, and then to emphasize the idea of new life springing forth, she gave each of the children a large plastic egg.

  “Now,” she said to them, “I want you to take this home and bring it back tomorrow with something inside that shows new life. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, Miss Miller,” the children responded enthusiastically–all except for Jeremy. He listened intently; his eyes never left her face. He did not even make his usual noises. Had he understood what she had said about Jesus’death and resurrection? Did he understand the assignment? Perhaps she should call his parents and explain the project to them.

  That evening, Doris’ kitchen sink stopped up. She called the landlord and waited an hour for him to come by and unclog it. After that, she still had to shop for groceries, iron a blouse, and prepare a vocabulary test for the next day. She completely forgot about phoning Jeremy’s parents.

  The next morning, 19 children came to school, laughing and talking as they placed their eggs in the large wicker basket on Miss Miller’s desk. After they completed their math lesson, it was time to open the eggs.

  In the first egg, Doris found a flower. “Oh yes, a flower is certainly a sign of new life,” she said. “When plants peek through the ground, we know that spring is here.” A small girl in the first row waved her arm. “That's my egg, Miss Miller,” she called out.

  The next egg contained a plastic butterfly, which looked very real. Doris held it up. “We all know that a caterpillar changes and grows into a beautiful butterfly. Yes, that's new life, too.” Little Judy smiled proudly and said, “Miss Miller, that one is mine.”

  Next, Doris found a rock with moss on it. She explained that moss, too, showed life. Billy spoke up from the back of the classroom, “My daddy helped me,” he beamed.

  Then Doris opened the fourth egg. She gasped. The egg was empty. Surely it must be Jeremy’s she thought, and of course, he did not understand her instructions. If only she had not forgotten to phone his parents. Because she did not want to embarrass him, she quietly set the egg aside and reached for another.

  Suddenly, Jeremy spoke up. “Miss Miller, aren't you going to talk about my egg?” Flustered, Doris replied, “But Jeremy, your egg is empty.” He looked into her eyes and said softly, “Yes, but Jesus’ tomb was empty, too.” Time stopped. When she could speak again, Doris asked him, “Do you know why the tomb was empty?” “Oh, yes,” Jeremy said, “Jesus was killed and put in there. Then His Father raised Him up.”

  The recess bell rang. While the children excitedly ran out to the schoolyard, Doris cried. The cold inside her melted completely away.

  Three months later, Jeremy died. Those who paid their respects at the mortuary were surprised to see 19 eggs on top of his casket, all of them empty.

  I suppose I could stop right now. But this story helps us to understand a very important point that St. Luke brings out in his Gospel. It’s the point that Jeremy expresses with his softly spoken, “Yes, but . . .” In other words, “Teacher, don’t you remember that Jesus’ tomb was empty?” Remembering that fact made all the difference. It meant that Jeremy’s empty egg was the best possible expression of the hope of new life!

  Just as Doris opened Jeremy’s egg expecting to find something inside, the women went to the tomb Sunday morning expecting to find something inside, Jesus’ body. Just as Doris was not prepared for what she did not find, so the women were not prepared for what they did not find. And just as Jeremy spoke the word of explanation that changed Doris’ life, so the angels spoke the word of explanation that changed the life of those women and of the rest of the world! “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’” Then they remembered his words.

  Mary and the others had not yet seen Jesus but as they remembered his word that he must rise again on the third day, they were able to make sense out of a confusing situation. At that moment, things that they had not thought possible, a world they had not thought possible came into existence. Again, it’s like Doris. She was resigned to the idea that Jeremy understood and could do very little. But when he explained his empty egg, at that moment, she learned that he understood and believed Jesus’ resurrection better than she, the teacher! The women at the tomb were resigned to the fact that Jesus was dead. They were resigned to the fact that he and they would all rise at the last day, at the end of the world. But they did not understand and believe what he had already said to them when he raised Lazarus: “I am the resurrection and the life!” He gives life! That’s why he could raise the dead and rise himself. That’s why the angels asked, “Why do you look for the living one among the dead?” Our translations are very poor here simply saying, “Why do you look for the living among the dead?” The Greek text calls him the living one. He is not one living among many, but the living one, the one who gives life. This is what they had to understand.

  Over and over again in his Word, God tells us to remember things. He doesn’t tell us just to remember facts and figures, so we can play some sort of Biblical Trivial Pursuit. He tells us to remember things that he has said and done so that those words and events might shape our lives. He tells us to remember so that we might believe in him!

  For example, once when speaking of the signs of the coming of the Kingdom of God, Jesus said, "Remember Lot’s wife!” (Luke 17:32. NIV). That was a sobering thought! It was all he had to say to make his point about not trying to save your earthly life and possessions.

  Again he spoke to the disciples about the difficulties they would have to face in the future. “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. . . . That is why the world hates you. Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.” (John 15:18-20. NIV).

  In these and other places, Jesus tells his disciples to remember something, not for the sake of nostalgia, but so they might believe and act correctly. In the same way the angels told the women to remember Jesus’ word. Not so they could have a warm fuzzy feeling and maybe a good cry at the memory of their dear departed Rabbi, but so that they might understand and believe that he had risen from the dead; so that they might rejoice at the greatest event in the history of the world!

  Jeremy explained his empty egg by saying, “Yes, but Jesus’ tomb was empty, too.” Doris understood and was transformed. She could no longer think of Jeremy as a poor unfortunate kid who embarrassed her and made teaching difficult. Now he was one of the wisest men who ever lived. Now he was someone to remember and imitate, someone who transformed her life! So at his death she joined the other 18 children in putting 19 empty eggs on the casket. In this way they remembered him and again proclaimed Jesus’ resurrection.

  The angels said, “Remember what he said to you,” and the women were transformed. Suddenly the tragedy of Jesus’ death became the proof of his power and glory. Now they understood what he meant about being the resurrection and the life. So they ran to tell these things to the Eleven and the other disciples.

  The men didn’t believe. They thought the women were speaking nonsense! Can’t you just imagine the women protesting to them, “No, don’t you remember what he said, that he would rise the third day?”

  They all eventually saw Jesus with their own eyes. Their life was never the same. You and I have not seen Jesus with our own eyes. But the angel’s Gospel message has been passed on to us like an empty egg on a casket. Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: “The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.”

  My dear friends, remember those words of Jesus. They are the power of God for salvation. They are the promise of the living one that he will raise you from the dead. They are the words that make this day the most important day of the year in our lives. Commit them to memory. Write them down. Do whatever you can to remember them! You know, it might just be a good thing, the next time I attend a Christian funeral, to put on the casket, a big, empty egg!