Idle Tale?

In Luke 24, a group of women had gone to the tomb, taking spices they had prepared. They expected to go care for the dead body of Jesus. They expected to encounter a dead body that needed service, but they found a very different situation.

At first, they were perplexed because the stone had been rolled away and the body of Jesus was gone. Their perplexity quickly turned to fear as two angels stood beside them. The Scripture says that the women quickly bowed their faces to the ground.

And then the messengers began to speak. As they spoke, they brought clarity and understanding. Listen to what they said,

· Why do you seek the living among the dead? · He is not here, but HAS RISEN!!! · Remember how He told you, while He was still in Galilee… · …the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.

This is a beautiful thing. In the midst of perplexity, fear, and forgetfulness, God sends His messengers who tell the truth and say - REMEMBER! God is so kind and gracious to His children even in their forgetfulness.

Now the women leave the tomb and run back to tell all they had seen and heard to the apostles. The Scripture, then, reads - …but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. Wow! Someone else had forgotten what Jesus had told them.

This was no idle tale. What Jesus said would happen is exactly what happened. Pick one and read – Luke 24, Matthew 28, Mark 16, and/or John 20-21.

Rejoice! Our Savior – Jesus Christ is risen. He is alive. He is the giver of life. Celebrate Christ – yes, this resurrection Sunday! And lets celebrate Christ every day of our lives.

How can we do this? · Do not seek the living among the dead. The Scripture says – by His divine power He has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness. Life is found in Christ! Look nowhere else, but to Christ.

· Remember what the Lord has told us in His Word.

· If you forget what Jesus has spoken, you may mistaken the truth for an idle tale.

· Finally, don’t give today's idle tales (bunnies, eggs, and chocolates) more attention than they deserve. Let your thanksgiving, joy, and praise be lifted up to Christ.

Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say – rejoice!