My Favorite Verses - Vol V (Feb 17 to Jun 17)

Luke 24:5 … Living among the Dead
(03/19/2017)
“Why do you look for the living among the dead?”
~ unknown (Luke 24:5)
First & foremost, it is important to realize the context surrounding this
particular verse – namely, that Jesus had been removed from the cross only the
day before, and had only been (supposedly) in the tomb overnight … It was indeed
only the previous day that “The women who had come with him from Galilee
followed, and they saw the tomb and how his body was laid. Then they returned,
and prepared spices and ointments.” (Luke 23:55-56) And these women did
indeed return the next day with what was in all likelihood healing herbs to tend to
the wounded-but-not-dead Jesus – seeing as how Jesus in all likelihood preplanned
the entire crucifixion event, including the women bringing him healing
salves to tend the wounds he received while on the cross (wounds that normally took
several days to kill those who received them, not the mere few hours Jesus was up on the
cross -- see Matthew 27:45-50) … Besides, it was Jewish custom to anoint a body
with burial liniments before it was placed in its tomb, not afterward. This would
explain their surprise the next day when they arrived at the now empty tomb – not
that they were surprised to see that Jesus was no longer dead, but rather that he
was no longer there to be tended by them.
And this is when the “two men in dazzling clothes” spoke with them, asking
the above-cited “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here,
but has risen.” Their “dazzling clothes” probably meant that they were dressed in
white – much like the Essenes were known to have dressed in Jesus‟ day. And
this is especially intriguing, seeing as how the Essenes were known to practice a
lifestyle very similar to the one preached by Jesus; seeing as how Jesus was
probably baptized by an Essene at the very outset of his ministry (see Matthew 3 &
Luke 3); and seeing as how more than a few biblical scholars go under the
assumption that Jesus was an Essene himself … It is intriguing as well that these
two “men” (Note: they were not described as angels in this passage) very clearly
stated what Jesus himself had told his disciples many times over the previous three
years – that he would be persecuted, that he would be crucified, but that he would
not die therefrom; that he would indeed “rise on the third day” (see Matthew 16:21,
Matthew 17:23, Mark 8:31, Luke 9:22, & Luke 24:7 et al) … And this makes perfect
sense, seeing as how Jesus had also said over & over & over again that his
followers were not to worship him as God (see Mark 10:18, John 5:41, John7:16,
John 8:50-54, John 12:44 et al), that each of them had the same divinity within them
as he did (see John 14:20-26), and that they could all do & live exactly as he had
done & exactly as he had lived (see John 12:47-48).
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