Risen with Healing in His Wings

Scripture: Luke 24:1-12

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went 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 the hands of 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.

Questions

1. Is there significance to “the first day of the week” or is this detail simply meant to date the account?
2. What is the significance of man’s question to the women in verse 5, what does it mean that Jesus is living?
3. What is the significance of the third day?
4. Why would the disciples not believe the women when they returned from the empty tomb, what did they think caused the women to get the story wrong?

Background

Related Scriptures: Isaiah 6:9-10; Matthew 13:15; Luke 9:2; 1 Peter 2:24; Revelation 22:2

ζητέω (life) is related to ἰάομαι (healing) in the New Testament healing is used to describe restoring a person to the fullest life. When Jesus is described as living he is completely healed and part of the salvation he brings is healing.

Jesus rising on the first day of the week is meant to remind us of Genesis 1 and signify that God’s new work—recreation—has begun.

The men (angels) who appear to the women at the tomb are similar in appearance to Jesus at the transfiguration and the two witnesses are meant to call our minds back to that event.

The women bow their heads, seemingly in fear, but this is one of the few times angels do not lead with “do not be afraid” but simply proclaim their news. This may be to show the importance and joy of the message.

Even though the women remember Jesus’ words it is left unclear whether or not they understood the message the angels’ gave them or if they were still processing everything.

Unlike the disbelief of the women at the tomb which comes from a place of ignorance, the disbelief of the men they tell comes from a place of distrust for the women. We should see this as one more time when the disciples Jesus called fail to be faithful to his message.

Reflection

I doubt there are many people whose Holy Week meditations had them consistently singing a Christmas carol, but that is how my week has been. This week I have been repeating the second verse of Charles Wesley’s “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing”: “Hail the heaven-born Prince of Peace! Hail the Sun of Righteousness! Light and life to all He brings Risen with healing in His wings” Specifically, I have focused on the line “Risen with healing in his wings”. When I think about Jesus’ resurrection, I tend to think about words like “save”, “deliver”, “redeem”, “conquer” but this year I have been thinking about the word “heal”.

We all know that Jesus healed people, but I think the temptation can be to think that Jesus’ healings were simply signs of power, events meant to convince people he was as close to God as he said he was. But that is not the reason Jesus healed people, healing is intrinsic to who Jesus is and the world he is creating. When Peter stands up to proclaim the Goopel in Acts 10, he highlights Jesus’ healing ministry, because healing is about bringing life to the world. The Bible provides a picture of this world that where God is life is whole; this means there is no disease. We recognize that in this world there are sicknesses, mental wounds, emotional trauma, physical handicaps, but the Bible presents a hope that one day all of these will be healed, and the Earth will be restored. Easter Sunday is a foretaste of that hope entering our world, Jesus rising represents true life. As the angels said to the women at the tomb, “Why do you look for the living among the dead?” The living Jesus is Jesus ready to bring life to this world and that life involves healing. Jesus came to bring “heaven” God’s realm to this earth, as he said to Pilate before he was crucified, “My kingdom is not from this world”. This means Jesus’ kingdom is for this world but operates differently, Jesus’ kingdom is one that is support people and lead them to healing and restoration. When the angels proclaim Jesus is alive the are not simply saying he has regained bodily function, they are pointing to the fact that Jesus now lives in a way that prevents death. Death and its minions of disease and decay are no longer a threat to Jesus. Paul picks up on this in 1 Corinthians to tell us that because death now has no ability to affect Jesus it has lost control over us also.

There is so much Good News attached to Jesus’ resurrection, yet sometimes it feels like we forget that Jesus is” Risen with healing in his wings”. How many people today struggle because of disease, whether that is physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual? I am not saying we can heal all people here and now, but can we introduce people to the great Healer who can and will provide them healing? Can we show people how Jesus does enter this world to heal and restore life? Can we demonstrate how Jesus has brought healing to us and continues to bring healing to us?

The women are sent from the tomb to tell people the great healer is alive, that Jesus has conquered the grave and brings healing to our lives. Peter took this message with him and as he proclaimed it he too brought healing into people’s lives. As Peter proclaimed the message, he began to live out the message and bring healing to those around him. As he talked about Jesus’ healing power he grew in that power and found himself bringing healing into the world.

In all likelihood, we will not find ourselves preforming the kinds of healings described in Acts, those seem to be rare events, but we can help people find healing in Jesus. We can help people find deliverance from the minions of death that so afflict this earth. Once we begin to experience Jesus as the healer in our lives, we can lead others to encounter him. Let this encourage you to listen to the story the women told, hear them repeat the angels’ words that he is living. Hear Peter’s words that he brings healing. And pause long enough to encounter the risen Jesus, take time to encounter the healing he brings into the world. And once you have experienced Jesus’ healing in your own life, however big or small proclaim the living savior to the world around you so others can encounter him also.