Is the Tomb Empty or Not?

(Read John 20)

Nearly ever world religion and Christian denomination believes in some form of salvation from God. Most also believe that this salvation is a gift from God. A major split happens when we dig deeper.

Very early in the morning on the first day of the week, the women went to the tomb, bringing the fragrant spices they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in, they didn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus. They didn’t know what to make of this.
Luke 24:1-3

A very close friend of mine, who was instrumental in leading me towards Jesus, once told me that he was worried about being judged by God. He added that it sometimes kept him up nights wondering if his past sins would block him from an eternity in Heaven. Another friend recently told me that he hoped to see his wife in God’s kingdom one day but he wasn’t sure if he deserved to be there. These two friends are not new to the Christian faith, they know the foundation of our belief — and yet they still doubt.

It was my responsibility to watch our son in the morning before I dropped him off at a friend’s house for daycare. He wasn’t quite a toddler yet and he would cruise around in this walker/bouncy thing on wheels. One morning he was busily distracted with a toy and I took my eyes off him for a minute to get a business document in the basement. Next thing I knew, I heard some bumping noises and him crying at the top of his lungs. He tumbled down a few stairs but thankfully, he was fine. Since he was so young he doesn’t remember the event, but I do. Even now, writing this 30 years later is difficult. I still kick myself for this. Many times after this event, I have felt that I didn’t deserve the blessings in my life. I don’t deserve my beautiful wife, my amazing family, my blessed friends, my home, and my nearly perfect son and daughter. But God says otherwise.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.
Ephesians 2:8–9

Followers of Jesus believe that we are saved by grace through faith. Period. We serve, we please others, we love our neighbors, and we worship because of God’s favor not to earn His favor. We are already loved and accepted so there is no more of His favor to be given. Lots of people believe something more is needed to earn a seat at God’s table. This might upset some readers who believe that sacraments and their works are also needed to be saved by God. What could we ever do that would ever be enough to cover our sins? When I think of the stupid things my children have done even after they were cautioned not to, that never took away one fiber of my love for them. As a father, I love them despite their wanderings. I love them despite temper tantrums, lack of respect, and disobedience. I love them unconditionally. So does God.

Through God’s generous, undeserved, and free grace, we receive faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior who died a death for a debt we cannot repay on our own. For most of my life, I have believed Jesus when He said that He would suffer death for me and ascend to Heaven. This is foundational to the Christian faith. It’s a cornerstone.

“‘And they will mock him and spit on him, and flog him and kill him. And after three days he will rise.'”
Mark 10:34

Jesus told us what was going to happen in Jerusalem. He kept trying to tell His apostles that He would be crucified and rise again. He repeated this three times not to scare them but to alert them and later to inform us. In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus introduced the apostles to the new Covenant, that His blood would be “‘poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.'” He continued by sharing what would happen next in His promise, “‘I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.'”

My friend who once endured sleepless nights worrying about God’s judgement doesn’t stress over that anymore. He stresses about plenty, but He knows that Christ’s work is complete and only Jesus carried the cross. We all go through periods in our life when we wonder if we’re good enough, worthy enough, clean enough. Here’s a hint… we’re not. We never will be. As children of earthly parents, we are programmed to seek approval. We look for reassurance in all we say, think, and do. When we don’t get this, it grows our fears. When we do receive praise from our parents, we embrace it momentarily and worry how long that will last.

“Tetelestai” is a greek word meaning finished, completed, done. It was used in business and accounting documents at that time to indicate a bill paid in full. The gospel of John used this word to describe what Jesus knew in his last moments on the cross.

So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen.
John 20:3-7

So, when you think about the empty tomb, are you reassured or comforted? All living things on earth have one thing in common. A death rate of 100%. When I think of that empty tomb, I feel there has been a reversal of all the bad in my life. I am given hope of seeing my family in Heaven. I am hopeful of a lifetime in God’s Kingdom. I am also reassured by everything, not some things, that Jesus said. He promised this. When I struggle with doubt, I need to remember to run to the empty tomb as a symbol for my hope.

Is the tomb empty or not? Is Jesus alive or is He dead? If His body was in the tomb, then Jesus is dead and He never finished His work. If the tomb was empty, then everything He said was true, His work on earth was finished, and we need to follow Him.

If you could only let your guard down
If you could learn to trust me somehow
Well I swear, that I won’t let you go
If you could only let go your doubts
If you could just believe in me now
I swear, that I won’t let you go
I won’t let you go
I Won’t Let You Go — Switchfoot

Key Application:

Does your life show the fruits of your faith?

• When given an opportunity to help or serve, do it out of love not for merit.
• Remember Christ’s empty tomb this week in your prayers.
• Try to make it your priority to share God’s love through you rather than to earn it.
• Lift others and be lifted.

Where else in your life can you live out the teachings of Christ? Look for next week’s Devotion.