The Hope of An Empty Tomb
For a moment, consider the perspective of the disciples and the people who walked with Jesus before this week. They had heard the prophesies from long ago stating that the Messiah would come and save them from their oppressors. While they thought that this Messiah would come to save them from the rule of Pilate, Ceasar, and Rome, the scope of Jesus’ work was far greater than they could have imagined. As Jesus entered into the city, there was triumph and celebrating thinking the oppressive rule had come to an end. Then, the unthinkable happened. Jesus, the one who would be King, had been handed over to the Kings, by the Priests, had been crucified and brutal and painful death. Undoubtedly, it probably seemed as if all hope had been lost and the ruling powers that exerted their dominion over the people of God would forever oppress them. Had the prophets been wrong? Was this not the Messiah?
They sat, in hiding, having aligned themselves with the traitorous Jesus Christ, who taught that the Kingdom of God had been at hand. He defied the Pharisees and talk about the establishment of His Kingdom. Until, on that third day, news began to spread about a disturbance at the tomb of Jesus. The women were the first to rush to find out what had happened to this man who took the time to love them and care for them. Then they saw it, the tomb was empty.
But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” And they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. (Luke 24:1-11)
The Savior had risen from the dead. The scope of His Kingdom became clearer. The empty tomb marked an end, not to any governmental rule of the day, but the ultimate and true plagues against humanity that we had brought upon ourselves, the rule of sin and death. An empty tomb gives hope for those whose faith is in Jesus Christ.
The Defeat of Death
With the victory of Christ over death itself, the Christian no longer needs to fear that which can do nothing to them. Death, in every sense of the word, had been defeated by Christ’s victory on the cross giving hope to those whose eyes are on the Lord. He bore the full weight of the wrath of God upon Himself for our sake. He took the punishment we deserved to give us the life He gives by grace. Then, when it appeared that all hope had been lost, He arose from the dead to bring us with Him into everlasting. “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.” (2 Timothy 1:8-10, ESV) The abolishment of the impact of death set people free from the entanglements and consequences of sin, restoring our relationship with our Heavenly Father.
We can share in the suffering of Christ because of the assurance of salvation from the empty tomb. We know that when we have died with Jesus Christ, then we also will live with Jesus Christ. Nothing can separate us from our right relationship with our Heavenly Father if we put our trust in Jesus Christ. The ultimate consequence of death can no longer hold down a Christian. Thus, anything we face has already been conquered and defeated by Jesus Christ on the cross. He reigns forevermore, over all things, for all eternity for His glory. We may face sickness and die a physical death one day, but we will not experience the eternal torment of death and the wrath of God. Through Jesus’ willful bearing of the cross, that payment has been satisfied.
The Hope of Eternity
Thus, the empty tomb represent hope for the Christian. We all had previously sinned and condemned ourselves to die. Now, through the newness of life given through the empty tomb, we no longer have to dive head first into the temptation of sin that we all face. “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” (Romans 6:1-4, ESV) We will continue to be tempted by our old self who seeks to cling to whatever pittance of a former self that it can maintain, but it will lose its flavor. The old self is dead, having being crucified with Jesus Christ on the cross. As we participate in the resurrection of Jesus Christ, we emerge a new person who longs to be with our Heavenly Father, in the hope that our victory has already been secured.
The person whose faith and trust is in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ has been set free from the grips of sin and their course has been set to pursue relationship with and obedience to Jesus Christ without hindrance. Obedience is not what we do so that God would love us, but the thing we do because we know that Christ already loves us. We find a profound joy in being able and willing to pursue holiness out of the abundance of God’s love for us. As we pursue holiness and obedience, in Christ, we will find a joy that emanates from pursuit of the pleasure and glory of God in all aspects of our lives knowing that, even in our failure to obey, the love of God still falls on us and we have our eternity secured. The empty tomb gives us hope beyond our ability to earn eternal life that Christ’s love reigns victorious. The distance between God and ourselves has been bridged by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross.
About The Author
Daniel Burton is the founder of The Gospel Outpost. He is passionate about discipleship and seeing people grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ. To find out more about him, check out his Author Page.
