Empty People
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, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. —1 Peter 1:3-4a NIV
Happy Eastertide, friends! Easter is more than just one day. Liturgically speaking, the Easter season spans the 50 days from Easter to Pentecost, when we celebrate God sending his Holy Spirit. Spiritually speaking, the meaning of Easter is never over! Thanks be to God! In the words of William M. James, “Every day to us is Easter, with its resurrection song. Even when life overwhelms us Easter people sing this song: Alleluia! Alleluia! Everlasting Sunday song.” The passage from 1 Peter above reminds us that we have a living hope through Jesus’ resurrection. While we may still experience times of struggle in our Christian journey, death has been defeated once and for all, and our inheritance as children of the living God lasts forever. Amen!
On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. —Luke 24:1-3 NIV
The empty tomb. Although it was foretold many times, it still took Jesus’ followers by surprise. They had already seen miracles, even the resurrection of Lazarus, yet Jesus’ resurrection was still unexpected for them. I’ve often wondered what I would have done if I were in their shoes; I have the benefit of knowing how the story ends. I hope I would’ve had enough faith to run to the tomb with expectation, believing, knowing I would find it empty. The angel said to the women, “He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay” (Matthew 28:6 NIV). Just as he said. That detail, and all the times Jesus foretold his death, went over my head when I was young. As I got older, I began to notice that Jesus really did say this would happen. And yet, we don’t read accounts of disciples running to see the empty tomb. They go there expecting to still find Jesus dead. Which begs the question: Am I living like I believe what Jesus said, or am I living like I still expect to find him dead in the tomb?
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. —Colossians 3:1-2 NIV
Jesus challenged the way people thought about a lot of things while he was on earth, and he still does today. Through his resurrection, Jesus gives us a new way to think about the word “empty.” In most cases, the word empty has a negative connotation, but, when referring to the tomb, empty has a positive connotation—empty becomes the best possible scenario. This new use of empty and new way of thinking changes everything. Ephesians 3:20 reminds us that God is able to do more than we could ask, think, or imagine, and the empty tomb is proof of that. The empty tomb shows us that we can hope in God and trust that he has a plan, even when it looks like all hope is buried in the ground. Before the Resurrection, empty equaled despair, need, and death, but the Resurrection gives us a new equation: empty equals hope, fulfillment, and life. I love Ann Voskamp’s perspective on the tomb being empty:
“If the tomb wasn’t empty, I would be.
If the tomb wasn’t empty, our hope would be.
If the tomb wasn’t empty, our hearts would be.
Only because the tomb is empty, can life be fulfilling.”
—Ann Voskamp
The empty tomb changes our perspective. It allows us to grieve with hope. It shows us that God can even use death to draw us to him. It’s proof that Death does not have the final say and that God uses everything for good. And the empty tomb means we can live. Jesus said in John 10:10 NLT: “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” Jesus came to give us life free from the grip of sin, shame, and death. He came to be the perfect sacrifice for us, so that we could never be separated from God’s love (Romans 8:39).
So, a few follow-up questions: Am I living like the tomb is still empty? When it seems like all hope is lost, do I see my circumstances through the lens of the empty tomb? Do I believe that the same God who had the power to raise Jesus from the dead, leaving that tomb empty for good, can resurrect and restore what seems lost in my life?
I hope so. I hope so. I hope so.
We often talk about “glass-half-full” people versus “glass-half-empty people.” I want to be an “empty” person, one who believes whole-heartedly that the empty tomb really changes things, rather than one who lives like Jesus still has one foot in the grave.
“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” —1 Corinthians 15:55 NIV
If Jesus really conquered death (and we have plenty of evidence that he did), then that should inform and change how we live. But oftentimes the trials and heartbreaks of life try to chip away at our “empty” living. The enemy who is sulking because the tomb turned out to be empty is trying to fill us with fear, doubt, and intimidation. He’s trying to get us to live like the Resurrection never happened. But remember, Jesus changed the equation. We can believe and trust that the tomb was, is, and will always be empty. Nothing can change that. Let us live each day emptied of all that tries to roll that stone back in place. Amen.
Would you pray with me?
Oh Great God of the Impossible, help us to be “empty” people. Reveal to us ways that fear and doubt are making us live like some things are too big for you. Help us remember that you have already done what seemed impossible to save us, and that nothing is or will ever be impossible with you. Help us remember that nothing can change what happened on Easter morning, and that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead lives in us. Help us live boldly in faith and hope because of the finished work of the cross. And thank you for saving us. We love you, Lord. Amen.
