Leaving the Tomb

“He said to them,

‘Do not be amazed! You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified. He has been raised; he is not here.’”

Mark 16:6

The idea of “resurrection” was still only a concept in the minds of many at the time of Jesus. It was something some Jews believed in, but perhaps they were not quite sure what that might look like or how it would happen. We still really do not know today, but as St. John tells us “we shall be like him” (1 Jn. 3:2). For Christians the Resurrection is not a concept, but a reality.

Furthermore, St. Paul tells us that “For if we have grown into union with him through a death like his, we shall also be united with him in the resurrection” (Rom. 6:5). And so, we have hope that we will share in Christ’s Resurrection, and what a joy it would be!

The women looked inside the tomb and saw that it was empty and the angel spoke with them. They are witnesses of Jesus’s Resurrection. Jesus has truly risen from the dead! The tomb could not contain Jesus. Jesus rose from the dead and dies no more. The Author of Life brings to us new life, life that never ends, life with God Himself. That is the joy of the Resurrection.

We know that sin and death have been defeated and that the final battle has already been won by Christ. This ought to give us hope, hope that even though sin still exists, it does not have the final say. Sin no longer weighs us down or chains us to the cave of darkness. Just as Jesus descended into hell, the Light of Christ dispels the darkness that dims our hearts.

He has been raised; he is not here. Neither should we stay in the tomb, brothers and sisters. Let us leave the tombs that prevent us from seeing the light. Jesus is waiting to pull us out, just as He rescued the righteous from hell.

What are those tombs that we have allowed to hold us back from living in the light and the hope of the Resurrection? Do we want Jesus to pull us out?

Lord, Jesus Christ, You are the Resurrection and the Life! Remove the darkness from my eyes so that I might come to see the light of your glory.

Entering the Kingdom

“Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is to come! Hosanna in the highest!”

Mark 11:9-10

When Jesus entered Jerusalem for the final time before His Passion, He did so triumphantly and received a king’s welcome. The people welcomed Him and laid down palm branches and their cloaks, rolling out their version of a red carpet for Him. They knew this was someone different, someone special, someone royal.

The people chanted, “Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is to come!” They saw Jesus as the heir to David, the promised One of God, but they misunderstood the role of this king. Perhaps they thought this king from the line of David would free the Jews from Roman Rule, conquering their foes and restoring the Kingdom. But Jesus was not that kind of King for His “kingdom was not of this world.” Throughout His public ministry, Jesus spoke of the “Kingdom of God” or the “Kingdom of heaven” so the people must have placed their hope in Him. But, Jesus also spoke of the prophets and of the Law and how the Son of Man must suffer greatly. He also spoke of how one must forgive, love their enemies, and that one must deny themselves and carry their crosses. If the people listened closely, they would have had some idea that this Kingdom that Jesus preached is not the earthly, temporal kingdom that the people expected to be restored, but one that transcends space and time, the Kingdom that is Jesus Himself.

To receive Jesus into our hearts is to receive the Kingdom. However, the journey to receiving this Kingdom is not always easy as we well know – the challenges of faithful, intentional discipleship. When Jesus preached, “Repent, the Kingdom is at hand,” He is saying, “Repent and believe in me. I have come to set you free, to bring you into the Kingdom of my Father. In me you will have life eternal.”

The same people who cried “Hosanna!” and welcomed Jesus with a kingly welcome into Jerusalem may very well be the same ones who cried, “Crucify him!” a few days later after seeing that instead of seizing the throne, He has become a criminal on trial.

Do we cry out “Hosanna!” today and vow to follow Him to the Cross, knowing that the same Cross He was nailed to is the same Cross through which we are saved?

Lord, Jesus Christ, You are the King of my life!

Life in Death

“‘I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’”

John 11:25-26

Death is never easy to accept, especially when it is untimely or could have been prevented. How sad it must be to believe that nothing exists beyond death. Could all there is to life be the decades we spend on earth? Could something so real, so good – our families, our friends, our experiences, the memories we create – really boil down to bones and flesh and ashes at the end? I am not convinced. There must be something more.

When Jesus heard that His good friend, Lazarus, was on the brink of death, He stayed where He was for a few more days. This makes Jesus seem heartless. Jesus healed others and could perform miracles, why wouldn’t He rush to Lazarus’s side and heal him? This brings us back to last Sunday. God permits bad things because He will bring great good out of it. (Reminder: God permits bad things, He does not cause them). When Jesus finally gets to the home of Lazarus, Lazarus had already been in the tomb for a few days. His sisters Martha and Mary have been grieving and mourning. Jesus asks Martha if she believes that her brother will rise again. She said “I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus responds with “I am the resurrection and the life.” Perhaps Martha did not fully understand what that meant, but when Jesus asked if she believes it, she said yes. Little did she know that Jesus was about to call Lazarus out of the tomb. In Christ, the dead will rise again.

The world tries to convince us that all there is to life is this earthly life we have so we must live it to the full, doing whatever pleases us. But for Christians, we know that is not the truth. The world does not offer life. Jesus says He is the resurrection and the life. If we choose to follow Him and believe in Him, even if we die, we will live. Just as Jesus died and rose from the dead, we who are baptized will also rise.

Death is never the end. A mother who tragically dies in labor preserves the life of her child. A father dies shielding his son when a car crashes into them. With death comes life. Those who die also live. They share in the eternal life God has prepared for them and that which Jesus came to give. The question He asked Martha, He asks us today, “Do you believe this?”

Jesus, You are the resurrection and the life. In you there is no death. Teach me to live for life in You and with You.