Easter Sermon: Which is the "idle tale"?

Easter 2013 (C)

March 31, 2013

Luke 24:1-12

Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed! Grace to you and peace from our Risen Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

         “Returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them.”

Kind of a let down, right? We’re all caught up in the women’s story – they’ve just seen these men in dazzling clothes, these angels, who have reminded them that what Jesus said would happen did, in fact, happen, and they are urgent and eager to share this news, to preach the first sermon, and to a crowd who is ripe to hear this news, who indeed craves this news. But then, “these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe it.” Ouch.

That phrase, “idle tale,” is sort of the G-rated version of the story. The Greek word Luke uses there, leros, is the root of our English word, “delirious.”  So, the men thought that the women were completely off their rockers, insane, and that their story was a load of garbage. All of the accounts of the resurrection have some element of disbelief, but Luke’s it seems is the most blatant about it. They didn’t just not believe it. They thought the women delivering the message belonged in a loony bin.

And really, why shouldn’t they think that? For those of us who grew up hearing this story, perhaps you’ve come to take for granted. We have heard it so many times that it no longer shocks us. But hearing it for the first time? I think I’d be with the eleven! If you don’t think the story of the resurrection is a hard one to get a hold of, well, then I’m not sure you’re giving it enough thought!

So why is it that those who heard that first Easter sermon had trouble believing it? And by extension, why do we? Maybe, it is just too good to be true. These people were Jesus’ closest friends and followers, and surely they wanted him not to have died at all, and the possibility that he could come back was too far-fetched. Thomas Long tells a story about his friend’s son, who was a great fan of both Captain Kangaroo and Mister Rogers. The boy loved both of their television shows, and one day it was announced that Mister Rogers would be appearing on the Captain Kangaroo show. The boy was beside himself. Both of his heroes, together on the same show! When the day of the show arrived, the whole family gathered around the television. There they were, Mister Rogers and Captain Kangaroo together! To everyone’s surprise, the boy watched for a minute, but then got up and wandered from the room. “What is it, son?” his father asked. “Is anything wrong?” “It’s too good," the boy replied. “It’s just too good.” [Christian Century, 4/4/01]

To believe something like that – I mean that Jesus would come back, not that Mr. Rogers would appear on Capt. Kangaroo! – is exciting, but it is a lot to take in! Furthermore, it really opens up the possibility of being hurt, doesn’t it? You get your hopes up too high, and you will inevitably be disappointed. We don’t want to put ourselves in that scary place, where disappointment becomes such a real possibility.

Or maybe the reason they didn’t want to believe that Jesus could have come back was that they had already accepted his death. Grief is a difficult thing, but at least it provides some closure. You can, finally, accept your loss and move on. But now these women are coming with their crazy story and reopening the wound! I’m reading a book right now called Unbroken, a true story about an Olympic runner turned WW2 bombardier, whose plane gets shot down over the Pacific. After a month and a half drifting across the Pacific in an inflatable raft, he gets picked up by the Japanese and sent to several different camps, but is never able to alert his family that he is alive. Finally, some two years later, the US government declares him dead, but later that same week, the Japanese allow him to be interviewed on a radio show and greet his family. Well, what is the family supposed to believe? It did sound like him, but could that be possible? Or was it a trick? They had already started to grieve – did they dare believe that he might still be alive? This sort of back and forth is hard on the heart!

Maybe there was even some sense of relief for the disciples about continuing to believe that Jesus was gone. As much as they loved Jesus, following him was no cakewalk. He was always upsetting the authorities and saying and doing strange things and putting forth a new kind of law. It was exhilarating, but also probably a little embarrassing. Even loyal friend Peter denied knowing Jesus at all in those last hours of Jesus’ life. So maybe there was some relief to closing that door and moving on back to normal life. But when this “idle tale” comes along… they no longer even have the closure that grief offers.

But perhaps the biggest hurdle for the disciples – and let’s face it, for us, too – is that this story just does not fit into our understanding of reality. We’ve been taught that the only things that are certain in this world are death and taxes. We may not like that reality, but at least we know it. But if the dead aren’t staying dead… then what can we count on anymore?

Did you know: there was a time when the Earth was the center of the universe? No, really, it’s true! The earth was at the center, and the sun moved around it. People knew this, because they could see it – the sun moved across the sky each day, and the earth stayed in one place. Anybody could see that, but also science proved it – models were developed showing the paths that stars took as they circled the earth. Even religion agreed: if God made humanity in God’s image, then of course the planet on which humanity dwells would be the center of the universe. It showed how much God loves us. And this understanding of the way life works was pretty much accepted … Until it wasn’t. Until Copernicus came along and said, “No, actually, the sun is stationary, and we move around that.” But these words seemed to the world an idle tale, and they did not believe them. Hundreds of years of science told them otherwise. Their daily observations told them otherwise. The Church told them otherwise! There was no way that the sun was stationary and the earth was moving around it: that did not fit into their understanding of reality. If the very way the universe functions changes, then what can we count on anymore? Where does it stop? It was no wonder the world was so resistant to accepting that new reality. If that changed… everything changed. The previous reality made sense, and had stood the test of time, but what do we make of this?

So, too, with the disciples on that first Easter morning. They have a stake in preserving the reality they have always known… but in doing so, in dismissing the resurrection as a mere “idle tale,” they miss, we miss, this amazing thing that God has done. We miss the fact that after the resurrection, reality as we knew it is gone. Death is no longer ultimate. Fear no longer dominates us. The pain, confusion, frustration and lostness of the old reality no longer needs to bring us down, because God in Christ has offered us something better: life, and love, and freedom. The old reality becomes the “idle tale,” and the one that the women present when they come running from the tomb is the story of life and newness that Jesus invites us into.

If this could be possible, if resurrection could be possible… then indeed, where does it stop? What else could be possible, that you would otherwise have never dreamed? What could happen in this new reality that Jesus offers us? It’s a risk to believe it – faith can be risky. And it seems incomprehensible, I know. But we don't have to understand it. We only need to trust it, and, even though it may scare us, even “terrify” us as it did the women at the tomb – we can trust that God has this under control. Fear no longer has to be our guiding force, because now, after the resurrection, LIFE is what guides us.

Let us pray… God of life, faith in you is not always easy, and sometimes, it is downright scary. Even still, grant us hearts willing to hear your Gospel, so that we will find ourselves able to embrace and participate in your new reality. In the name of the Father, and the Son, and Holy Spirit, Amen.