Life is filled with things that don’t make since.
Terrorist attacks, Earthquakes, storms, floods, untimely death….death in general, cancer, Farfignugan, IRS Rules…. Hush, little baby, don’t say a word, Mama’s going to buy you a mockingbird, ….
Agatha Christie insisted that nonsense was “Completely unimportant. That is why it is so interesting!”
Nonsense is something that we identify in our own ways. It might be based on our education. Maybe the way we were raised. But I think most of the time it is based on our common sense as we view the world…what is good and bad, right and wrong true and false.
We experience nonsense in the way the news channels deal with certain news events or non-events.
We witness nonsense when people make excuses for drinking and driving.
We identify nonsense when some story is clearly untrue or there has clearly been a mistake in the details.
-- When children are young they often come to their parents with stories about the monster under the bed or in the closet. The parents react in a number of ways.
I suggest that it is a rare time when dad or mom jumps out of bed because they fully believe that the report is true.
They will get out of bed to comfort the child and often even go to a lot of trouble to show their child that it is safe and OK. They will take time to prove that there is no monster in their room and there never was. Often they try to explain that it was a dream, a bad dream and that everyone needs to calm down and go back to sleep.
Our scripture this morning could have a hint of nonsense in several ways.
On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
The women closest to Jesus seem to have no underlying idea that Jesus statements about rising from the dead after 3 days was true.
They did not just go and check out the cemetery to confirm His claim….they carried spices that they had purchased and prepared before the Passover festival.
They have invested money and time in order to properly and for all the right reasons to properly prepare the body and to mourn this deep loss.
It would be nonsense to believe that Jesus was not dead….they were witnesses to the crucifixion and they were also witnesses when the body was quickly moved and sealed in a tomb.
They were responding with love and boldness when very early in the morning they headed for the tomb. Then to arrive and find a shocking surprise…. The tomb was open even with soldiers with orders to seal it and the body was missing.
What can we imagine was going though their minds? The situation, the scene did not make any since. Before the writer can answer this question we learn that 2 men in GLEAMIMG white clothing appeared to them.
The ladies respond out of fright, they bow down, perhaps just fall over on their faces covering their eyes and they face the ground.
I would probably shouted/squealed uncontrollably and either hit the ground too, or more likely took off out the door. That was a shocking thing to happen.
The men ask a question, perhaps rhetorical, I almost think with a sound of unbelief in their tone. “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.' "
The question is asking, why are you here….didn’t you believe your rabbi. That He would die and be raised?
The men are questioning women’s choice to believe that facts instead of the words of the teacher.
In the gleam of the clothing and words the light of their memory goes on! AND, “Then they remembered his words.”
Here we are this morning separated by a couple of thousand years. Most of us have been exposed to the different scriptures related to the resurrection of Jesus. We have heard the stories. We have sung the songs of celebration for the event. We are here in this place on this lovely day.
-- But have we come for a celebration or are we here with an idea of nonsense in the back of our minds?
We live in a scientific age where we expect everything to be proven and confirmed by tests and documentation. We expect to be able to see and understand things with our own eyes. Our culture tells us that there is no such thing as a free lunch. It tells us that religion is a crutch. Some people believe that everything we see, feel, hear, breath eat and drink is all just by chance and when we die the party is over.
However, most people have some internal belief that there is something more. They believe that there is a spiritual component to life which can be accessed and can improve life and connect us to something eternal. Too many of them are lost as to the details.
Generally, it would not be hard for the majority of people to believe that the man Jesus Christ actually lived and died.
There is documentation in the Bible and even a few references in other historical documentation that supports this basic detail. But Christians say that they also believe in a lot of other things. Things that are important and even critical to the deepest meaning of their faith.
There was the story of a virgin birth. Easily could be nonsense we know babies come from cabbage patches.
There is the claim that the Man Jesus was divine…he was actually the son of God.
How can anyone support a claim like that?
Some point to miracles as proof but we have not ALL seen it ourselves….Some might speak of his wisdom or love or knowledge as some kind of proof of a divine nature. That seems sort of over the top, a big jump.
The story has a couple of other twists. This man is said to have chosen to die on purpose as part of God’s plan. That is pretty tough to hold on too.
Then we end up with the resurrection. It is easy enough that believe that this good man, this moral teacher died at the hands of government but how can we make sense of his coming back to life?
We all know people ultimately die no matter how good he or she takes care of themselves. We also know that some people face illness, accidents and even are killed in a variety of tragic ways.
They don’t come back to life after 3 days no matter how much we might wish they would. How can we make sense of these claims?
It sounds like a bit more than a sensible person can grasp, especially in these modern times.
And yet, here we are on the day of celebration of this craziest sounding claim.
----- The question is are we HERE because we wish it was true or that we know it is true?
-- That is the most serious question that we will ever face in this life time! One way or another we answer the question….even a disgusted cry of “I Don’t know is a basic denial of Jesus Christ.”
Hear me on this, no matter how your mind is made up you are welcome in the house of the Lord.
Those that can celebrate the knowledge they have are here to be filled and renewed by their existing relationship. They are reminded of the basics of the love of God and the Easter story is a fantastic reminder of the length that God already went to welcome them to an eternal renewal. They are also here to testify to what they have come to know in their hearts and minds about Jesus.
Those that are struggling with nonsense…or doubt or only here out of obligation or fear are also welcome. No that is not the right word. The reason this place exist is for the people that want to make sense out of this world, out of life and are desperate for a hope in something lasting and even eternal.
That is the reason that the church exists!!!!….it is a place that we declare the good news of a relationship offered by God. It is a place of friendship, healing an hope when we may not have any of these ourselves.
How do I know that is true? This scripture leads me to that understanding.
The women knew that dead means dead. They came with no expectation of anything different. I am sure they wished he was alive. But they knew the facts.
With all of our technology and education and even medical resources…at some point we also know that dead means dead. That loss is real.
This scripture about the women’s love and the message given by the men tells me that God still speaks to those that have fear and feel hopeless and may only have the smallest wish in something supernatural that will give them hope.
The scripture continues, the women went back and told the Eleven and all the others what they had found, saw and heard.
“Brothers and sisters, we have good news. Jesus is alive! He has risen just like He said He would do. Don’t you remember, he said that this would happen and that he would be raised? We saw some men that told us what happened.”
I can imagine Peter or some other person saying, Mary, Joanna, calm down. What you are saying is crazy. Ladies, we know how you feel. We are all upset. But, ya’ll know what happened. It was some kind of a dream….it is just wishing. What you are saying is nonsense!
Of the 11 plus in the room we know that there was a limited response. Only 1 or 2 people headed out to see for themselves.
In this account Peter runs to the tomb. He wants to see. He wants to confirm. He wishes he could believe…
He has heard what the women said and when he arrives and sees only strips of cloth he went away…..wondering.
He went away struggling with nonsense. Trying to make sense of this change in events.
How are you making sense out of the story of Jesus?
Is today a special celebration?
Do you understand the signifence of the missing Body of Jesus?
For the people of the day this was something a lot more trying than a simple day to celebrate.
They were not all instantly filled with Joy or hope. In reality they were brought to a point of decision.
Folks, If you are struggling with what seems like nonsense I want you to know that is great. I can never talk you into believing anything. If you are struggling that means that the holy spirit is drawing you to look at the details, the facts, the testimony and with his help make some kind of sense out of it.
