Gloriously Empty!
Matthew 28: 5 – 7A “The angel said to the women, ‘Don’t be afraid. I know you are looking for Jesus, the one who was killed on the cross. But he is not here. He has risen from death, as he said he would. Come and see the place where his body was. And go quickly and tell his followers Jesus has risen from death.’”
There are those universal phrases every parent dreads hearing. “I need a frog costume for school tomorrow,” or “My stomach hurts,” are words that can make even the strongest parents shudder. My personal words of distress are, “It’s Empty.” Almost daily in our home something is empty: the milk jug, the chip bag, or, heaven forbid, the toilet paper package! I fear hearing these words because it means I have to stop what I am doing and run to take care of it. In my world, empty is NOT A GOOD THING!
But in contrast, “It’s Empty,” floods believers with joy! These simple words offer incredible hope of a resurrection and eternal life with our loving Father. We can find this glorious “Empty Story,” in Matthew 28: 1 – 15.
Here, Jesus, whom many believed to be the Savior, has been crucified. With his death, all hope for a Messiah died, because no one could ever imagine this was the plan for the true Son of God! The evidence pointed to the fact that Jesus was not who he claimed to be.
In dealing with their sorrow, women, loyal to Jesus, arrived early at the tomb. They were startled by an angel. Their anticipation was to anoint a crucified Jesus. But, they were informed He was no longer in the tomb. He was risen, just as He said He would!
Seeing the look of confusion on the women’s faces, the angel instructed them, “Come and see.” (What a great angel this was! He was aware that humans want affirmation!) So, after observing for themselves, the angel instructed the women, “Go and tell.” Immediately, they stopped what they were doing and ran.
JESUS HAD RISEN! Behold this inconceivable event; After the horrendous death he endured on the cross, Jesus was alive again! In my mind, I picture our loving Father, the Great I AM, bending down over the lifeless body of His son in the tomb and lovingly breathing earthly life back into Him. (Acts 2:24) Another sacrifice from a father anxious to get his son home.
For all Christ followers, past, present, and future, that gloriously empty tomb defines our eternal hope. It confirmed that Jesus was indeed who He said He was: the Son of God, our Savior, our Redeemer, our Christ, our Lord, our King.
“Come and see,” now, “go and tell,” the women were told. Today, Christians are instructed to do the same. We come to the Word and see the Good News of the resurrected Christ. Without hesitation, we go and tell, because, like the women at the tomb, “It is Empty!” is too glorious to keep to ourselves.
Father, thank you for breathing human life back into your son allowing him to conquer death. Thank you for the assurance of eternal life this offers us. May we ever glory in the words, “It’s Empty!”
Blessings of Eternal Life,
Rita