Do you know the first thing Jesus said, when he exited the tomb?  “Ta-Da!”  Answered a third grader in a Sunday school class one Easter.  He probably didn’t, but should have.  Perhaps he said, “I told you!”  I don’t really know, but it doesn’t matter.  What does count is what he did for you and me by dying, being the perfect sacrifice for our wrong doing, and then defeating death at its own game.

Something I had never thought of before; the word “tombstone” probably came from Jesus’ tomb stone.  Although his never got engraved with something like:

Here lies Jesus Christ
Son of God, and Mary
0 – 33

Luke 24 ^1-3 At the crack of dawn on Sunday, the women came to the tomb carrying the burial spices they had prepared. They found the entrance stone rolled back from the tomb, so they walked in. But once inside, they couldn’t find the body of the Master Jesus.

^4-8 They were puzzled, wondering what to make of this. Then, out of nowhere it seemed, two men, light cascading over them, stood there. The women were awestruck and bowed down in worship. The men said, “Why are you looking for the Living One in a cemetery? He is not here, but raised up. Remember how he told you when you were still back in Galilee that he had to be handed over to sinners, be killed on a cross, and in three days rise up?” Then they remembered Jesus’ words.

^9-11 They left the tomb and broke the news of all this to the Eleven and the rest. Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them kept telling these things to the apostles, but the apostles didn’t believe a word of it, thought they were making it all up.

¹² But Peter jumped to his feet and ran to the tomb. He stooped to look in and saw a few grave clothes, that’s all. He walked away puzzled, shaking his head. (MSG)

I love when the angel said, “Why are you looking for the Living One in a cemetery?”  Are you still looking for answers to your life?  Are you looking for them in a cemetery?  Why?  Jesus, is the One you are searching for, or for more of, even if you don’t realize it.  Your spirit is crying out to be reunited with God and that is only possible through accepting Jesus.

So where is Jesus then?  He is right there with you now.  Waiting for you to turn to him either for the first time, or again.  Everything else in life, and every other place will be empty.  As empty as the tomb Jesus borrowed for three days.  Stop looking, and start accepting that Jesus Christ has risen, and is alive, and he’s been pursuing you, waiting for you to believe.

Copyright © 2019 Mark Brady.  All rights reserved.