How difficult must Jesus’ death have been for Peter, after his denials and no opportunity to apologize to Jesus? What grief and confusion might have clouded Mary’s mind as she dragged herself to the tomb? What are the variety of emotions that defines your life over the past week that have taken up more room in your mind than you would like?
Just as disciples and crowds in Jerusalem, we all come to the empty tomb with different foods on our plates. Our greatest problem with Easter is that we have done it before, and it is easy to take today for granted or let traditions like dying eggs or buying new clothes get in the way of simply staring at the empty tomb and letting the enormity of that victory sink in! An empty tomb either means nothing or everything!
There were many surprises on Easter morning, and Mary was an important one. She represented everything wrong with the world (with all of her burdens and baggage.) At the same time, she represented the miracle of grace as Jesus changed her life forever with his love for a woman that many had called sinful.
She finally had her life given back, but as she headed to the graveyard, she (and all the disciples) felt they had lost their lives as Jesus lay buried in a tomb. They were convinced everything was lost, with no hope of moving on. We know the feeling!
Between Mary and Jesus, we see life’s extremes. No matter how high Mary had been lifted up, and no matter how far Jesus had fallen, each arrives at same tomb. That is the reality of this day. Much as we want to focus on bright dresses, Easter baskets, and the joy of family and spring, it is the tomb that this day forces us to face.
The only good news of any value is that Jesus triumphed death. No matter how much goodness or pain fills our lives, we all wind up facing the same tomb. Changes in Mary’s life would mean nothing if death continued to hold Jesus a captive. Despite her turnaround, her future was still colored by his death. And it is the same for us. No matter what death comes to all. But on this day, this tomb was empty!
Jesus changed Mary’s world, and now it was her turn to let that change others. She didn’t need to memorize a speech or sit in classes for weeks or months to do what she did next. She simply told what she had seen and shared the joy of a miracle. We live in a world where many have no clue or care about this joy. How will they know what an empty tomb means? How neat it would be if every day, for, could be like this first Easter! But why could that not be so?
The fact that we have questions that can’t be answered doesn’t take away from the gift of this day or show a lack of faith. Just like Peter’s denials or Mary’s belief that Jesus was still dead were not evidence of a lack of faith or love. But the tomb was empty for a reason, and that reason continues today.
Faith isn’t having all the answers but knowing that it is OK to wrestle with God. And the greatest gift comes with the awareness God always brings peace. It is a peace that comes when we let go of our control or anguish and just wait. That is the posture we call faith. And in faith, darkness always is transformed by light!
When I was in my own dark time of grief, after the death of my first wife, and before that her father, I had a dream. In that dream Suzie, was sitting in a chair behind her dad. She turned and said to me, “It’s OK.” That wasn’t as dramatic as an angel sitting at an empty tomb, but for me it was pretty close. Somehow faith inspired that dream and helped me to quit fighting and grieving so hard. When faith is our gift, even the tomb looks different.
Matthew has the most colorful imagery from that morning. Earthquake. Terrorized Roman soldiers. A massive stone rolled away. And angel sat there and preached the sermon. He is risen. Take a peek inside. Now go and tell the world! How many felt the earthquake and had no clue what it meant? (Just like today!) And yet many others put two and two together and discovered their lives had undergone a seismic shift! Most have never encountered what Mary did – a blinding light angelic messenger. But many have been touched in more subtle ways by the message of this empty tomb.
You might not think you have ever seen an angel like Mary did, or felt a dramatic shift of gravity, but I bet you have, and you simply need to look at God’s gifts through the lens of faith. You might be even more surprised to learn times you have been that messenger to someone else. For when the surrender of faith is our Easter gift, faith empowers daily miracles that feed off the energy of Easter’s empty tomb.
Faith is a matter of trusting that God will break through even into our tears, confusion, grief, and sorrow. He will open hearts and eyes to live into his grace. And whether we plan it or not, he will even use our living to tell others what it means that He is risen! Mary’s instructions were simple. First look at the empty tomb. And then, go and tell what you have seen so that the others can be changed – not by you, but by the empty tomb!
“Why seek the living among the dead?” Listen to the Easter Gospel as if you are hearing it for first time! He is risen! And realize, we are no different from the first Easter visitors. We have doubts, fears, guilt, and baggage of every shape and size. Yet when we take the time to realize the tomb is empty, how can our lives not be changed?
Because others have shared that good news, either in words, music, or simply through the love of their faith, an empty tomb has changed our lives. And now, we have a gift that must be shared for the same reason it was shared with us! The tomb is empty. Never forget what that means and allow the glow of such love to change who you are and how you live. It either means nothing, or everything, for there is nothing in between.