The Preacher’s Pen

Questions God Asks Man – Week 3
Why Seek Ye the Living Among the Dead?
Luke 24:5

We are in the third week of our series: “Questions God Asks Man.”

Week One – “Where art thou?”
Week Two – “If God be for us, who can be against us?”
Week Three – “Why seek ye the living among the dead?”

This week’s question comes from the resurrection story, spoken by the angels at the empty tomb of Jesus.

The Stage of Death

Jesus had died.

He told the disciples He would die.
He preached of His death.
He warned of His death.
His followers saw Him die.

They watched His body taken down.
They saw Him given to Joseph of Arimathea.
They saw Him placed in the tomb.
They saw the stone sealed.
They saw the guards posted.

He was dead.
He was in a place for the dead.
Death had Him bound.

But three days later—the story changed.

Life defeated death.
The stone was rolled away.
The guards that watched a dead man fell as dead men themselves.
Jesus walked out, alive forevermore!

Life moved the stone.
Life raised His body.
Life won.

Jesus predicted, orchestrated, and fulfilled His own death and resurrection:

“Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
“In my Father’s house are many mansions: I go to prepare a place for you.”
“The Son of Man shall be betrayed… and they shall kill Him: and the third day He shall rise again.” (Mark 9:31)

He said He would die—and He did.
He said He would rise—and He did.

Yet the women came bearing spices for a dead friend, looking for a sealed stone, expecting only death.

Isn’t that where most of us live? We have a lifetime of promises. We have a Book filled with prophecies. We have the songs of victory and sermons of encouragement. But still, we wake up every day expecting no life, no change, no power.

We carry our spices.
We walk through the cemeteries of yesterday.
We live in Friday’s sorrow instead of Sunday’s victory.

The angels asked: “Why seek ye the living among the dead?”

And they still ask us the same today.

1. They Walked Toward the Tomb Defeated

Luke 23:55–24:1 tells us they came with spices, ready to anoint death, not expecting life.

Hopelessness blinded them to hope.

That’s how many of us live—starting the day already defeated, expecting a dead job, a dead relationship, a dead spirit. We carry the things of the cemetery instead of the things of celebration.

Even in church, we sometimes arrive expecting nothing. We expect the music to fall flat. We expect the sermon to miss us. We expect not to move at the altar. We expect death where life should be.

But not much moves in a cemetery. Life belongs to the living.

Hopelessness caused the angels to ask: “Why seek ye the living among the dead?”

2. They Walked Into the Tomb Distracted

Luke 24:2–5 shows that even with miracles in front of them, they missed it.

They saw the stone rolled away—but no reaction.
They saw an empty tomb—but no reaction.
They saw two angels in shining garments—but still no recognition.

They were too distracted by death, tradition, and ritual.

I wonder—how many miracles has God done right before our eyes that we’ve missed? Too distracted, too focused on our rituals, too bound by our old expectations.

Don’t keep putting spices and flowers on your old, dead life while ignoring the new, living one.

3. They Walked Away from the Tomb Different

Luke 24:8–9 tells us that once they remembered Jesus’ words, they left changed.

Here’s the truth:
You will not ever be different spiritually until you have an encounter with the gospel.

The gospel is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus (1 Cor. 15:3–4). And it’s the resurrection that makes the difference.

His death defeated them.
His burial distracted them.
But His resurrection transformed them.

They went looking for the living among the dead—but they walked away different because Jesus was alive.

And so can we.

Conclusion

Too many are still seeking life in the wrong place:

Trying to fix relationships with dead things.
Trying to mend finances with dead solutions.
Trying to heal addictions with dead answers.
Trying to grow spiritually with dead religion.

The angels’ question echoes still: “Why seek ye the living among the dead?”

Instead of looking for life in dead places, why not turn today to the One who is alive forevermore?

Seek the living among the living—and you will never be the same.