“Where Is He?”
April 17, 2022
Dear brothers and sisters, grace and peace be to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!
But, imagine what it must have been like over two thousand years ago. Imagine that you were one of Jesus’ followers, and had just spent the Passover celebration with Him, as He shared a special meal with you. Then, imagine that you watched Him suddenly and unjustly be arrested by the authorities, put on trial by both the religious and secular governments in a kangaroo court, and sentenced to death on false charges – for no other reason other than they wanted Him dead. Then imagine that you had watched Jesus unfairly be put to death by being crucified - a method of execution that was reserved for the worst kind of criminals, especially murderers and traitors, neither of which Jesus was. Imagine that you were forced helplessly to watch someone you had followed, trusted, learned from, watched people’s lives be changed by, watched heal and raise the dead, and, most of all, learned who God really is and what it means to be part of His Kingdom and family. But then imagine that, as you were watching Him die, you were wondering if following Him was really worth it. You had thought that He would be the promised Messiah, the King whom God would send to overthrow the Roman government and re-establish Israel as an independent nation again. You had thought that He would bring in a new age where God would reign supreme in victory. But here He is, dying on a cross. Most of His other disciples have fled and left Him to die. He is mainly surrounded by His enemies, who mock and slander Him even more as they enjoy watching Him die. So you are wondering if anything Jesus had promised, the new age of God’s victory, was ever going to happen.
Then, imagine that you were one of the people who had to take Jesus down from the cross after He had died, and lay Him in a tomb. But even then, you weren’t allowed to come and pay respects to Him, because of the Sabbath and special holiday, during which everyone who came in contact with a dead body would be considered unclean. Nothing seems fair, and nothing makes sense: Jesus is dead for false reasons, His enemies have won, His followers have been scattered, His mission seems to have been stopped. What hope is there for you?
But then, imagine that you hear something that makes even less sense: some women who have gone to the tomb after the Sabbath to prepare Jesus’ body for burial report something that sounds ridiculous. Jesus’ body is gone! Did someone steal it? Where is Jesus? What is more, two men in dazzling light clothes ask the women, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” And then remind them of something you’ve heard Jesus repeat, but probably didn’t really understand: that Jesus was going to be delivered into the hands of His enemies, be crucified, but then come back to life after three days! Could that have really happened? Did Jesus literally mean what He said? Is He really alive? If He is, then where is He?
The words the men speak seem ridiculous, but they are true: He is not here. But the reason He is not here is not because His body has been stolen, or taken somewhere else to be buried. He is not here because He is alive again! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! He has doen exactly what He promised He would do, and come back to life! He has won victory over everyone who wanted to put Him to death. He has won victory over the power of sin, the Devil, and death itself. He has won victory, and by dying on the cross and rising again, has paid the penalty for our sins. By rising again, Jesus has won! And, His victory is our victory! Whatever we are having to deal with, whatever we are having to fight, Jesus has already won victory over it! The words “He is not here” do not mean He is no longer with us. They mean He is no longer in the tomb, because He is alive! Because He is alive, He is everywhere, even here with us!
The whole point for Jesus dying and then rising again was so that He could no longer be limited in His human form. He could no longer be limited to one place at a time. Now that He is risen, He can be everywhere at once. Is that really possible? We know that with God all things are possible. So we know where Jesus is – He is here with us! Because He is risen, He is everywhere. Yet we still wonder if He is still here, because there is so much trouble in the world today. Wherever He seems not to be, He is actually there. Wherever people are suffering, He is there. Wherever people are sorrowing, He is there. Wherever people are in need of justice, He is there. He is with the people of Ukraine, especially Kharkiv, Mariupol, Bucha, Kyiv, and all the other places that have been bombed or attacked. He is with the refugees of Ukraine and other places who have had to flee their homes because of fighting. He is with the people of Ethiopia, the Middle East, West Africa, Myanmar, and many other places which continue to be torn apart by war and bloodshed. He is with everyone who has had to flee their homes because of natural disasters, especially, in most recent days, the people of South Africa and New Mexico. He is with everyone who is suffering because of wars caused by religion, especially in the Middle East and Northern Ireland, and is with everyone who just wants to live in peace with their neighbors. He is with everyone who is living in anywhere where there is famine, where people are struggling to find food and just to survive. He is with everyone who is struggling to live from paycheck to paycheck. He is with everyone who is wondering where their next source of income is going to come from. He is with everyone who is struggling with having to make a major life decision. He is with everyone who is unemployed, looking for work, and unable to find work. He is with everyone who is struggling to feed themselves or their families. He is with everyone who is growing older and having to adjust to a new living situation, and He is with everyone who is helping an older relative adjust to a new living situation. He is with everyone who is currently suffering from, or who has suffered from, the coronavirus. He is with everyone who has lost a family member or friend to the coronavirus. He is with everyone, and is on the side of everyone, who is suffering from cancer or any illness. He is with everyone who has lost a family member or friend to cancer or any other illness. He is with everyone who is mourning the loss of a family member or friend due to recent death, and those who, even after many years, continue to mourn the loss of a loved one. He is with everyone, and is on the side of everyone, who is struggling to get through the day, and through life, because of mental conditions. He is with everyone, and is on the side of everyone, who is struggling to function and keep going from day to day because of depression. He is with everyone, and is on the side of everyone, who is lonely. He is with everyone, and is on the side of everyone, who is struggling with addiction, and who is struggling to recover from an addiction. He is with everyone, and is one the side of everyone who is being bullied. He is with everyone, and is on the side of everyone who is suffering from any kind of abuse, or who has been abused. He is with everyone, and is on the side of everyone, who is struggling with a dysfunctional relationship. He is with everyone, and is on the side of everyone, who is dealing with a difficult job situation. He is with everyone, and is on the side of everyone, who is a victim of human trafficking. He is with everyone, and is on the side of everyone, who is being discriminated against for any reason. He is with everyone, and is on the side of everyone, who is excluded for any reason. He is with everyone, and is on the side of everyone, who is oppressed or persecuted for any reason. Because He rose again and won victory over death, He will win victory over the powers of death, illness, oppression, fear, and sin. Most of all, He is with each of us in every situation we have to deal with, and will bring us victory. He will bring victory to any of us who are struggling with illness. He will bring victory to any of us who are struggling to win in life. He will bring victory to any of us who are struggling to make a major life decision. He will bring victory to any of us who are struggling to find work, food, and everything needed for life. He will bring victory and justice to everyone who has been suffering from injustice. He will bring victory and justice to everyone who is being hurt, put down, bullied, or abused. He will bring victory and justice to everyone who is being victimized by violence. He will bring victory and justice to everyone who has been made to feel lonely, isolated, or excluded. He will bring victory and justice to any of us who, for any reason, are simply tired of fighting. He will help and rescue any of us who are in any kind of helpless, harmful, and hopeless situation. He will not leave any of us to suffer, because He has already won! He will, in fact, usher in a new age, a new age where He, and His will, will reign supreme, where He will bring victory and justice to everyone who has had to fight and suffer for far too long. He will bring peace to the world, and an end to war, violence, and division. He will bring peace to the world, and an end to injustice, exploitation, and abuse. He will bring peace to the world, and an end to hatred and selfishness. But this is not in the far off distant future. The future is now – Jesus has already won victory over His enemies, and our enemies. He is bringing His victory and peace even now, and is causing everything He wants to happen to happen now. So where is He? He is here! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!
Now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
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