The Tomb Is Empty

For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.

(1 Corinthians 15:16-17)

Meditation

There are many who say that the historical Jesus was just a good man but nothing more than that. They want everyone to believe he is someone we should all aspire to be like. They tell us, however; he was just a human and therefore still dead in the grave. If he is still dead, we who have put our trust and hope in him are still dead in our sins and therefore, believe a lie. If he is still dead, then our hope of life eternal in heaven is also a lie. If he is still dead, then everything about our faith is also a lie. If the author of this letter knew Jesus was still in the grave, why would he pen this scripture? He knew Jesus was alive because Jesus spoke to him on the road to Damascus.

Even though we do not know the exact location of the tomb Jesus was laid in surely the Romans, who crucified him, did and could have pointed to the tomb and body of Jesus. If not the Romans, then the Jewish officials, who insisted Jesus be crucified, would have done so. Neither the Romans nor the Jews could produce the body of Jesus because he wasn’t dead in the grave. If you think he wasn’t there because the Apostles took his body, just look at how they reacted to Jesus being arrested. They scattered like a bunch of scared children. The reactions of all three of these groups of people are proof Jesus is not still in the grave.

If you believe Jesus is still dead and we just don’t know where the grave is, look closely at the evidence. Jesus walked out of the grave on the Sunday morning after he was crucified. The first people to report that happy news were women. Women of that day were marginalized and had no standing. If the resurrection never happened, why wouldn’t the greatest lie of all time not have been reported by a man, to give it more credence? Why weren’t the Roman guards executed for letting the body of Christ be stolen? That was the punishment, in those days, for guards whose charges escaped. These are only a couple of the reasons to believe Jesus is alive. Your faith is secure. Jesus is not there because he was raised from the dead and he’s alive to this day at the Father’s right hand! He’s coming back one day very soon to execute judgment on this sin filled world.

Prayer Time

Father God it pains us to hear people we care about say the resurrection is a pipe dream. That no one is ever raised from the dead. Their words belie the fact that they fear death. Their boldness in repeating this often-parroted thought, is an attempt to cover their fear. We believe the tomb is empty! Our belief is bolstered by the testimony of many eyewitnesses. The historical record shows the failure of the Romans and Jews to present the body of Jesus after his followers proclaimed, he was alive. The devil whispers lies to us. He wants to plant the seeds of doubt in our minds. If he can block us from believing in the resurrection of Christ, he will have the victory, and a soul is lost. Lord help us to be a louder and more persistent voice for the unsaved. Give us the words that will draw them to you. Protect us from those whispers the devil spews out, whether they’re about the resurrection or anything else. We thank you, Lord Jesus, for taking away our sins and making us a new creation. It’s in your precious name, we pray. Amen!