LUKE 24: 1-12
1 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in, they did not find the body. 4 While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. 5 The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. 6 Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again." 8 Then they remembered his words, 9 and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. 12 But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.
“IDLE TALK”
“Idle talk” is a technical term—medical language for the wild talk of delirium. It comes in many flavors, such as: coprolalia, which is dirty talk; echolalia, which is repeating what others say; palilalia, which is compulsive repetition of one’s own phrases; aphasia, which is the condition wherein one misunderstands language completely or in part; gibberish, which is nonsense talk—a possible symptom of aphasia—and I would be wrong not to include glossolalia, which is the official term for “speaking in tongues.” Idle talk, more simply understood, is the stuff of idle tales, which is what the Disciples call the first witnesses to the empty tomb.
UN-DISCIPLES
The Disciples were not prepared to believe in the Resurrection. The Christian faith cannot be said to be the result of the Disciples’ wishful thinking—their imaginative last resort to honor Jesus. No, these were basically reasonable men who, with no real evidence to go on, called the women’s testimony nonsense, idle talk, an “old wives’ tale” (and yes, in the sexist sense. The testimony of women—even several—did not constitute a credible witness in ancient Jewish trials).
Plenty of modern people assume the story of Jesus’ rising from the dead is an idle tale—a story made up by the Disciples to honor their deceased master, but all textual evidence is to the contrary.
•They were not strong believers.
•They had no concept of resurrection.
•They had no great loyalty or faithfulness.
•They were afraid.
•They were ashamed.
•They had nothing to gain, everything to lose.
Why Didn’t the Disciples Believe?
The Disciples—the eleven (Judas is out, remember) who would spread the Gospel to the world—do not believe the good news of the Gospel when they first hear it. What? Wouldn’t they of all people be the first ones to jump up and shout for joy? These, to whom it had been announced that Jesus would be handed over, suffer, die, and be raised again? If these were not predisposed to believe, then who would be? And if they don’t, why should anyone else?
The first preachers of the Gospel—these women who witnessed angels and an empty tomb—share the good news with the Disciples and they don’t buy it! Wouldn’t they, of all people, believe the women and be the first to celebrate the announcements?
It’s hard for us to understand the mindset of these disciples because we are so quick to remember the resurrection, but at this point they were not there at all.
We’re going to consider six reasons the Disciples did not believe.
1. NO NOTION OF RESURRECTION
Jesus died. He really died. This wasn’t suspended animation or an imitation of death; this was death like we and all people know death. No one doubted then that Jesus really died and no one ought to doubt or minimize it today.. And lest there be any doubt about it, the early Church Fathers were careful to add the phrase “He descended into Hell [Hades].” Make no mistake about it: when Jesus died he died for real—as real as death can be. This is the first reason the disciples thought it an Idle Tale. Dead people are not raised.
Yes, there were old myths of gods and demigods returning to life in the springtime—Osirus, Adonis, and so forth—but not stories of real human beings dying and coming back—not from a death like the one Jesus suffered. It didn’t happen to men, to human beings, not to people who you walked, talked, ate and travelled with. Ancients were exposed to death on a daily basis, far more than we are today. They never saw a man who was dead as Jesus was dead restored to life.
But you’re thinking, “Wait a minute; what about Lazarus? They saw him resurrected, didn’t they?” You’re thinking this because you’re smart.
Two things: First, Lazarus wasn’t resurrected, he was resuscitated. There’s a difference. When Lazarus came from the tomb, he was wrapped up in the same cloths and people were there to unwrap him and get him something to eat. This is resuscitation—he came back to the same life he had left, apparently to live the rest of it out in normal biological terms. Resurrection is something very different. Jesus was not resuscitated, but appeared [later] to the Disciples as the Lord of Life. His form was and is and remains mysterious.
He makes sudden appearances and exits into thin air. He eats fish and bread with a real, physical body, lest he be confused with some kind of vivid ghost. His disciples—even Thomas—see him and can no longer doubt. But at this point with the Disciples, it was still unthinkable—just idle talk, an idle tale.
Secondly, with Lazarus, how long do you think it took even for the Disciples to say to themselves: “Do you think Lazarus was really dead? Isn’t it possible he just kind of passed out and people stuck him in the tomb out of hysteria?”
The Disciples disbelieved because they had no notion of resurrection, and neither did the world. Resuscitation yes; resurrection, no. What happened to Jesus in being raised to new life had no categories in human history, literature, thought or imagination. It wasn’t anything anyone could expect, and no one had dreamt of it before. This was a new thing—a unique thing—and therefore very easy to doubt and to call an Idle Tale.
2. UNRELIABLE SOURCES
Three officers of the Disciples’ Women’s Auxiliary group—Mary Magdalene, Mary the Mother of James, Joanna—went to the tomb and who knows what really happened. They report back to the disciples but for some reason were not considered credible. This is terribly insulting, but I can imagine young men having an attitude: “Oh really? Is that what your Mother told you to believe?” It is patently unfair, but probable.
3. THE CONTEXT OF FEAR
The Jews were out to get them. When pretenders to the throne of Israel were crucified by the Romans, they tended to include all their followers in the crucifixions. The Disciples would have known this. No doubt they feared they were next in line. The followers are always targeted after the leaders of any insurrection are taken down. They looked at each other and wondered not so much what they were going to do next, but rather how were they going to get out of Jerusalem alive.
4. THE CONTEXT OF SHAME
The Disciples of Jesus had become the laughing stock of Jerusalem. Whatever public exposure they had since the arrest of Christ, we know it had to be negative. Those that taunted Jesus would surely have taunted the Disciples. Their life-investments (remember, they had left everything to follow Jesus) were proven to be wrong and in vain. Can you imagine how hard it would have been to have for them to say: “Alright, I guess you Pharisees were right all along and we were wrong.” In Jewish parlance, this was a time for “sackcloth and ashes”—humiliation—God had not favored them. They probably felt like the world’s biggest losers.
5. STATE OF SHOCK
Let’s remember this was still fresh news and the Disciples were still in shock—still trying to believe Jesus is actually dead! They were likely harboring denial in spite of what they had seen and fighting depression on top of it all.
6. pain can be blinding
Surely, they were hurt that Jesus was gone and frustrated at their inability to do anything about it they weren’t seeing straight. Their beloved friend and trusted leader had been unjustly and unfairly taken away and killed. All their hopes had been dashed with him. Israel’s much-expected “Messiah” was again a vain dream. The Disciples were now absolutely sure they would never rule in the kingdom and never have a special place at the Messiah’s table. Furthermore, whatever pride they had was destroyed. Whatever personal ambitions they dreamed of sharing (with Jesus) were shattered.
Even beyond this, they had to feel they had been abandoned by The Father as well: God had let them down. They were leaderless and without direction.
Pain can turn our eyes inward, disabling us from seeing what is real and true. The Disciples’ pain may have kept them self-absorbed and unwilling to hear the good news.
Conclusion: The story of Jesus being raised—one which they heard from Jesus himself—was nonsense, an Idle Tale.
DISCIPLES NOW
But today is Easter! It has been Easter for almost 2000 years and the news that Jesus is risen affects lives today just as it did the women at the tomb, and later, the Disciples who gave their lives for the gospel.
Plenty of people today disbelieve for the same reasons as the Disciples. They may have heard the story of God’s love in Christ, but feel it comes from unreliable sources.
Scriptural authority is right out for them. Likewise, they misunderstand the idea of resurrection, dismissing its factual claims as simply symbolic or mere allegory.
And certainly fear, shame, shock, and pain can come together in any combination to make people predisposed toward dismissal of the good news.
Others have been immunized against Christianity by overly pushing family, friends, or neighbors, such that they never taste the goodness of the good news. They reject faith the same way they would telemarketing calls.
Others are—in the words of Pink Floyd—comfortably numb, anesthetized by chemicals, technology, or they are preoccupied being entertained to death.
The question posed by the man in dazzling clothes is equally relevant today:
"Why do you look for the living among the dead?”
In time, the Disciples all came to believe and all died for the Easter message. Moderns accuse these of inventing or constructing this Idle Tale. Jewish theologican Pinchas Lapide makes a striking observation:
This band of disciples was beaten and weary, yet almost overnight it transformed itself into a victorious faith movement. If this had occurred simply on the basis of auto-suggestion and self-deceit, it would have been a much greater miracle than the Resurrection itself.
—Pinchas Lapide, Jewish theologian (1922–1997)
Would David Copperfield’s backstage crew endure torture and death over the false reality of his illusions? No! Would David Copperfield himself die for the thought that these were anything more than tricks? Of course not. Why would originally-disbelieving disciples die for the truth of the resurrection if it was merely their fabrication? If they invented it, why would they portray themselves in their earthly relationship with Jesus as such clueless boneheads? What did they have to gain by worshipping one who was humiliated and killed by this world?
IT IS FINISHED
The Angels’ message is just as fresh today:
•“Why are you seeking the Living One among the dead?”
•“He is not here, but is raised”
•“Remember what He told you?”
By being raised, we know that everything Jesus said—especially the things that seem crazy or difficult for us—are true and reliable. We know above all that he was who he claimed to be and the things he said about himself are reliable.
The risen Christ, mysteriously alive and mysteriously embodied in multiple dimensions is Lord, King, Master over all.
Today you may bring some of the Disciples’ more worldly qualities—incredulity, fear, shame, shock, pain—and these things may be keeping you in a state of disbelief. The good news is that these things will not last either for you or for the world.
We live in a new kingdom. The evidence for it is an empty tomb and the largest, most significant world movement ever—one that is still going, growing, and I daresay glowing.
Every day, ordinary folks like you, me, and the original disciples come to experience the miracle of faith. Lives change deeply, permanently, because God’s Holy Spirit breathes new life into dead matter, transforming what is dead and decaying into a new being, a new humanity, and new communities that now live in the love he intends for all humankind.
Because he is risen, we too can rise.
Because he lives, we too can live.
Because he is Lord, Death too will die.
And we are here to tell you that the story is trustworthy and true.
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