“Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!"
Luke 24:5b-6a
I read this recently as I’ve been reflecting on the approaching Easter reason:
“How many times have I looked for life in places where only dead men live? I’ve peered into the tombs of fame and wealth, stepped into caverns where the powerful and popular preside, and carried my offerings to the pleasures of this world, looking for life. And then the whisper that cuts with the tip of a sword slices through: Why are you looking for life here? Look for Jesus. No life is life except the life he gives.”
In Luke 24, when Mary is first at the empty tomb, she encounters 2 angels who say to her “Why do you look for the living among the dead?”
We often look for something that will give us true life, in things that are inherently dead.
How often have we looked to our job or education to offer a sense of purpose, credibility, and identity?
How often have we looked to a relationship, travel, or adventure to fulfill us?
How often have we looked to money or other resources to supply all our needs?
How often have we looked to the latest binge-worthy show to provide us with the rest that our bodies and minds crave?
How often have we looked to someone else to satisfy us and give us hope for the future?
These things, in and of themselves, cannot give us the life that we long for…
But a ‘why’ question implies there’s an alternative, another way, a whole other way of living…the hope that somewhere, something, or someone does give life! Jesus said that he came to 'give life and life to the full’ (John 10:10), so that we would ‘reign in life’ (Romans 5:17), both in this life and the life to come (1 Peter 1:3-4)
Why do we look for life among things that are inherently dead? There’s a better way...