“But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, ‘Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen.’” (Luke 24:1–6a)
Each Gospel author records the events of Resurrection Sunday through a slightly different lens; Matthew with a straightforward eye to fulfilled prophecy (Matthew 28:5–7; cf. 16:21), Luke with the surgical precision of a physician turned historian (Luke 1:1–4), John with love and wonder (John 20:1–18; 21:24–25), and Mark with a more restrained account, leaving a kind of abrupt weight (Mark 16:1–8). Yet only Luke records this question: “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” (v. 5).
This question exposes one of the ironies of the Easter account. From the women’s perspective, they were not doing this; they believed they were visiting one who was dead. Yet the angel’s question leads to the exhortation in verses 6–7: “Remember how he told you… that the Son of Man must… on the third day rise” (cf. Luke 9:22; 18:31–33). For whatever reason, they had forgotten Jesus’ repeated predictions, whether through hardness of heart, slowness to believe (cf. Mark 8:17–18), or confusion (cf. Luke 24:25–27). Regardless, their ignorance was culpable. They should have known. Hence the question.
Yet do we not do similarly? Do we not seek Jesus among the dead, as though he were like them, when in fact he is alive?
The unbeliever certainly does so. One may briefly consider Jesus as a philosopher, then give equal weight to Confucius, Siddhartha Gautama, or Muhammad. In so doing, he consults Jesus as one consults the dead. This is blindness, for Jesus is not a mere teacher but the light (John 8:12), and men love darkness rather than light (John 3:19–20).
Yet we believers do something similar when we draw near to Christ as distant or abstract, as though he were less than a living Person who ever lives to intercede (Hebrews 7:25). When we treat him like any other priority, we functionally reduce him to an idol that cannot see or hear (Psalm 115:4–7). But he is Lord, exalted above all (Colossians 1:17–18).
We are not called to seek Christ among dead pursuits. We are called to seek him where he is, at the right hand of God (Colossians 3:1; Hebrews 1:3), putting to death what is earthly, for our life is hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3–5).
So seek him as the living Lord. Seek him expecting to find him, for he rewards those who seek him (Hebrews 11:6). Go to him not merely to anoint and leave, but to receive grace (Hebrews 4:16). Pray expecting he hears (1 John 5:14–15). Come to his Word as to the voice of the living God (John 10:27). Know that he receives you (John 6:37).
Seek Jesus, yes, but not in memoriam. Seek him where he is, among the living.
He is risen indeed.
