April 1, 2021 THE EMPTY TOMB
Matthew 28:5-6 “And the angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying.’”
1 Peter 1:3 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great Mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
John 11:25-26 “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in Me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in Me will never die. Do you believe this?’
I cannot even imagine what was going on in the minds and hearts of these women when they saw the empty tomb and the angel-what fear-what joy-what wonder-could it be! The resurrection of Jesus is good news! (The greatest understatement of all times.) If Jesus was not resurrected from the dead, we are not forgiven, we have no hope, we live with the fear of death, we are destined for hell, separated from God for all eternity-never experiencing heaven, doomed to live in darkness and in a world that does not know love, left to fend for ourselves, and bound by the power of sin. Jesus’ resurrection from the dead was the proof that God was real, that He had sent His son Jesus to die for us, and that He was well pleased with the mission that Jesus had accomplished on earth. Jesus’s resurrection meant that He “has given us new birth into a living hope.” 1 Peter 1:3. It means that we can now walk in newness of life. “just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” Romans 6:4b. It is possible for one to believe in the resurrection of Jesus, and yet not experience Him and the power of His resurrection personally. Somehow, someway our spirits must be awakened to the awesome, almost unbelievable implications of Jesus being raised from the dead. The very minute He was raised from the dead is the most awesome-the grandest-the greatest moment of all times-it changed everything for mankind. The scriptures tell us that we share in His resurrection-as He died and rose again, so we too might die to ourselves and be raised to new life! His resurrection is a historical fact-but so much more. Do we walk in this newness of life? What does walking in newness look like for us? Certainly it means that we are no longer defeated by our past sins; that we have a living hope for the present and the future; that we have an abiding joy; that we know that Jesus is our life; that we have been resurrected from our old life and made new; that we are light; and that we will forever live even though we die. It means that we will have a little spring in our step, that we overcome all that’s wrong in the world, and that we are light bearers wherever we go. Let us be renewed in our hearts and minds and let us not lose the sheer joy of Jesus walking out of that cold tomb. Place yourself there with the women early that morning and once again marvel at His resurrection.
Mark 16:2-6 “And very early on that first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. 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 away, although it was extremely large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting at the right, wearing a white robe; and they were amazed. And he said to them, ‘Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen; He is not here; behold, here is the place where they laid Him.”
Blessings, Buddy
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