What are you looking for in life?
- Are you looking for love?
Are you looking for acceptance?
Are you looking for success?
Are you looking for happiness?
Are you looking for joy?
Are you looking for fun?
Are you looking for excitement?
Are you looking for purpose?
Are you looking for meaning?
Are you looking for hope?
Everyone is looking for something in life. Sometimes we are well aware of what we are pursuing, and sometimes we have no idea, but we know that we're looking for something.
Why do we hunt Easter eggs on Easter? We participate in this fun activity partially because it's fun. We are looking to enjoy ourselves and to have some fun. That fun may be an escape from something or it may simply be fun, but hunting for Easter eggs is honestly fun for people of all ages. Some people might be hunting for Easter eggs because they are pursuing a reward, a prize of some sort. Often, that reward is a piece of candy or a small toy, and sometimes it's a few coins or a couple dollars, but we hunt Easter eggs because we're looking for a reward. Some people hunt Easter eggs because they want to win. It's a game, and they want to succeed, and they want to come out on top. They want to show that they are the champion; that they have found the most Easter eggs. Sometimes people just want to feel like they've succeeded, have won and are the best at something.
When thinking about the Easter story, we see that there were several people who were looking for something. The Jews were all looking for a Savior, a Messiah, a conquering Warrior King who was going to come and reestablish the nation of Israel and set them free from their Roman oppressors, but that wasn't who Jesus was. He was the prophesied, promised Messiah, but he was not this Warrior King. They were looking in the right place (at Jesus), but for the wrong thing, and because of that they failed to see what was right in front of their eyes.
Jesus was not only overlooked, but He was made to be their enemy. He was accused of a religious crime, of blasphemy, of claiming to be God, which was a crime punishable by death under Jewish law. However, the Jews couldn't legally execute anyone, so they coerced the Romans into doing it for them, even though the Roman governor found no fault in Jesus. He had done nothing wrong, much less anything deserving of death, however, to appease the Jewish populace the governor had Jesus executed. It was for this reason that Jesus was crucified. Crucifixion was not a Jewish form of execution, but it was a Roman form of execution. It was a brutal, violent, torturous, excruciating way to die, and the Romans were really good at it.
This leads us to the second group of people who were looking for something: Jesus’ Disciples, His closest friends and followers. Let’s look at some of the verses that talk about what they were looking for that Easter morning.
John 20:1-16 ESV
Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples went back to their homes. But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher).
Luke 24:1-12 ESV
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. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” And they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.
Mark 16:1-8 ESV
When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.” And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
Matthew 28:1-10 ESV
Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”
On this first Easter morning we see Jesus’ friends going to His tomb. They were looking for closure. They were looking for a body. They were looking to honor Him. They were looking for proof. They were looking for hope. They were looking for Jesus. What is interesting is that none of them, initially, found what they were looking for. They didn’t recognize what had happened. They didn’t remember what Jesus had said, or they didn’t realize what it was that He had truly been saying. They didn’t even recognize Jesus at first. They didn’t believe, initially. They were looking for closure and a path forward and some form of hope. They were looking for Jesus, but they were looking for the right thing in the wrong place. “Why do you seek the living among the dead?”
Going back to the question that we started with, what are you looking for in life? You need to be able to identify this question. What do you need? What do you want? What are you pursuing? What are you hunting? Then, ask yourself: why? Why are you looking for whatever it is you are looking for, and is it the right thing? Sometimes we are like the Jews who were looking in the right place, but for the wrong thing. You need to make sure that what you are pursuing in life is what you really need so that you can see it. Secondly, are you looking for it in the right place? Often, we have right and noble pursuits and desires; there’s nothing wrong with desiring love or acceptance or meaning or understanding, but the danger comes in the fact that there are about a million different things that promise to give you those things you are looking for, and while you may be able to find some of it in some of them, if we aren’t looking in the right place we will never fully be satisfied. Jesus said that He is love. He is life. He is light (answers, understanding). He is the way (purpose, direction). In Him, and only in Him will you ever truly find everything you’re looking for.
“Why do you seek the living among the dead?”
Rather, seek Life, seek Jesus.
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