Luke 24:1-12 Acts 10:34-43 I Corinthians 15:19-26
You are likely aware that SpaceX, the company whose Falcon9 spacecraft is currently contracted to carry our astronauts to and from the International Space Station, is also regularly launching satellites into orbit. Most of these are for their own constellation of Starlink satellites that provide internet coverage anywhere in the world, but they also launch satellites for the Department of Defense, foreign nations, and anyone else who can afford their services. Because SpaceX alone has been launching more rockets than any other nation on the planet, they also launch at night more often than anyone else. And the night launches, particularly those that travel north up the east coast of the United States, as well as a few from Vandenburg Air Force base in California, have been witnessed by many who live in the large population centers on both coasts.
As a model rocket hobbyist and space geek with a science background, what I find interesting is the number of people who, despite almost 20 years of launches, remain unaware of the SpaceX nighttime light shows. Depending on weather conditions, the light from rocket exhaust, especially as the first stage burns out and the second stage ignites, as well as when the first stage reignites and flies back to land in Florida, can be unusual, amazing, spectacular, and a little confusing. It doesn’t seem to matter that this has been going on for fifteen years or twenty years, with every night launch, there are people who see these light shows for the first time and many of them are terribly confused. Some of them flood 911 operators with calls about strange lights in the sky and worries about alien invasion, and others post pictures on the internet asking anyone and everyone what it is that they saw. And some of those folks, even when they hear a rational and accurate explanation, refuse to believe the truth, believe wild conspiracy theories, and remain confused.
All of that comes to mind as we read the story of Easter morning. Something amazing and wonderful has happened, the women receive an angelic explanation, carry that truth to the disciples, the disciples see the evidence for themselves, refuse to believe the truth, and remain confused. We find this story in Luke 24:1-12:
24:1 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. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 In 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? 6 He 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 over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’” 8 Then they remembered his words.
9 When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. 12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.
When the women discover that Jesus’ body is not in the tomb in which they had buried him less than 36 hours earlier, as one might expect, they are confused. But as they are trying to figure out what happened, two angels appear and explain it to them and, when they do, the women remember that Jesus had told them that he would be crucified and be raised on the third day. So, for the women, the process was straightforward. They saw something that they did not understand, they were confused, the answer was explained, and they remembered what Jesus had told them. But this was big news that they couldn’t keep to themselves, so they returned to where the disciples were staying and explained what had happened and what they had heard.
But the men refused to believe what they were told. And so at least two of them, Peter and John, ran to the tomb to see for themselves, found the tomb empty just as the women had told them, and Peter went away and was still confused. For Peter, and maybe for John, they saw something that they didn’t understand, they were confused, the answer was explained, but they refused to believe it. As I mentioned in my message last Sunday evening, the disciples do eventually understand, but not until they meet the risen Jesus at least twice. The men hear the truth, just as the women had, but even though Jesus told them in advance that this was going to happen, they refuse to accept it out of pure stubbornness and remain confused as a result.
But, once they do meet the risen Jesus twice, and they do understand, they go out into the world with the same passion and stubbornness with which they previously resisted the truth. Despite previously fearing that the religious leaders of Israel would arrest them, or even torture and crucify them, the disciples go out in public, even into the temple courts, and preach the message of Jesus to anyone who will listen. In Acts 10:34-43 we hear Peter preaching:
34 Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right. 36 You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. 37 You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.
39 “We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross, 40 but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. 41 He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
Finally, after Jesus’ teaching, and the events occurring just as Jesus had taught, and after the women had told them what happened Easter morning, and after they had heard of Jesus’ appearing on the walk to Emmaus, and after two appearances of Jesus himself, Peter finally gets it and begins his preaching by saying “I now realize the truth.’ And then “We are witnesses.” His stubbornness caused him to take longer, but Peter eventually understood the truth, realized what had happened, began to see the whole picture of what God had been doing all along, and finally understood Jesus’ message and the mission to which he had been called going forward.
But Peter isn’t the only one whom God called to do his work. In I Corinthians 15:19-26, Paul explains that God’s work, mission, and ministry belongs to all of us when he says that our faith in Jesus Christ isn’t just something that makes our mortal lives better for a few dozen years:
19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.
20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority, and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For he “has put everything under his feet.” Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. 28 When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.
Paul says that while Jesus was raised from the dead, he was just the first of us to do so. Just as it was the sin of Adam that caused humanity to sin, be convicted, and sentenced to death, it is through Jesus’ death and resurrection that all of us who belong to him are rescued from death and made alive again. The day will come, Paul says, that Jesus will put all of God’s enemies under his feet, he will overcome all the obstacles in heaven, on earth, and under the earth, and last of all, death itself will be defeated. Once that happens, then God will be everything to everyone just as he intended.
But our mission is found in the part where it said that Jesus was the firstfruits, the first to be raised from the dead, and everyone else whom God would raise from the dead would be those who belong to Jesus. As we live this life on earth, we know that everyone will die, but only those who follow Jesus will be raised from death to life again. Our mission is not only to make that group of people as large as possible, but to work to include our family, friends, coworkers, classmates, the people around us, and as many others as we possibly can. Once we choose to follow Jesus, our mission is to bring as many others with us as we are able. Remember, part of our resurrection is redemption, so all of us, even the people we don’t like, are going to be made into the perfect version of us that God intended. So, there aren’t any excuses for keeping news of God’s invitation to ourselves.
The crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus may well be the most extraordinary event in all of history. If Peter and the disciples who walked with Jesus for three years were confused, anyone of us can be forgiven for occasionally struggling with the story and its meaning. But, like Peter, the disciples, and even Paul, once we understand what happened and what it means, then we also begin to understand how the resurrection is God’s invitation to belonging. God has invited us all to become a part of his eternal family, and our mission on earth is to share that invitation with everyone that we meet.
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*You have been reading a message presented at Christ United Methodist Church on the date noted at the top of the first page. Rev. John Partridge is the pastor at Christ UMC in Alliance, Ohio. Duplication of this message is a part of our Media ministry, if you have received a blessing in this way, we would love to hear from you. Letters and donations in support of the Media ministry or any of our other projects may be sent to Christ United Methodist Church, 470 East Broadway Street, Alliance, Ohio 44601. These messages are available to any interested persons regardless of membership. You may subscribe to these messages, in print or electronic formats, by writing to the address noted, or by contacting us at secretary@CUMCAlliance.org. These messages can also be found online at https://pastorpartridge.com . All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.comThe “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™
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