Reflections with Andy – Luke 24: 1-12 – Telling the Story 

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As we sit with the early morning rain today, I’m leaning into that powerful question the angels asked the women at the tomb: “Why do you look for the living among the dead?” It’s a challenge for all of us to stop searching for Jesus in the “dead” places of our lives—our past mistakes, our old shames, or the general ugliness of the world—and instead look for Him where life, grace, and beauty are actually breaking through. Even though the very first sermon of the Resurrection was dismissed by the apostles as an “idle tale,” those women stayed faithful to what they had seen, reminding us that while we can’t control whether people are ready to hear the Good News, we are still called to proclaim it. We should take heart knowing that even when our witness feels ignored, God is often at work in the “wondering” hearts of those around us, and our only job is to keep pointing toward the One who is fully alive and walking beside us today.

Shameless plug: here’s a link to Method(ist) to the Madness, our new, hopefully entertaining podcast about church history.

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Good morning, everyone.

It’s good to be with you today. It’s a bit rainy and nasty out there as I’m recording this, but I’m holding out hope that things look a little brighter by the time you’re reading or listening to this.

Before we dive into the Word, just a bit of “housekeeping”: we’re going to finish out this week in Luke, and then I’m going to take a little season of rest from Rooted. I’ve got a lot going on, and I need a few weeks to recharge. I’ll likely pop back in for Ash Wednesday, and then we’ll get back to our regular rhythm the first week of March. You can always keep up with the archives on the podcast or Facebook, but I wanted to give you a heads-up.

Today, we’re looking at Luke 24:1–12—the morning that changed everything.

Why Seek the Living Among the Dead?

There is a line in this passage that just jumps off the page every time I read it. The angels look at these grieving women and ask, “Why do you look for the living among the dead?”

It is such a powerful question. Jesus isn’t in that tomb. He wasn’t “killed” in the sense that death had the final say—He is alive today, more alive than you or me. But so often, we keep looking for Him in the “dead” places.

If you want to find Jesus, don’t look among the ugly things of the world. Don’t look in the wreckage, the pain, or the death. Look for Him where life is. Look for Him in the grace shown to a stranger, in the love you have for your children, and in the beauty of a new morning. He is the God of life, and that is where He is found.

The “Idle Tale” and the First Sermon

I love that in Luke’s account, the women are the first ones to proclaim the Good News. They were the “apostles to the apostles.” They ran back to tell the Eleven what they had seen, but look at verse 11:

“But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them.”

It can be so frustrating as a believer when you want to share the joy of what God has done in your life, and the people you love just aren’t ready to hear it. Maybe they think you’re talking nonsense, or maybe they just aren’t in a place where they can receive it yet.

Here is the encouragement for you today: The very first sermon ever preached about the Resurrection was rejected.Even the apostles—the men who had walked with Jesus for three years—weren’t ready to hear it.

We can’t control how people respond to the Gospel. As Paul says in Romans, as much as it depends on us, we live at peace and we share the Word. But the “not yet” of a friend or family member doesn’t mean “never.” These same apostles who called the Resurrection an “idle tale” eventually went to the ends of the earth to die for that very truth.

Tell the Story Anyway

Our job isn’t to force people to believe; our job is to tell.

  • Look for Jesus in the beautiful places today.
  • Find Him in the life and the grace surrounding you.
  • Tell somebody about it—with your words or your actions.

God is glorified when we speak the truth of His life, whether the world is ready to hear it or not.

I’m looking forward to tomorrow as we jump into the story of the walk to Emmaus—one of the absolute best stories in all of Scripture. Have a great rest of your day, stay safe in the rain, and I’ll see you in the morning.

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