The Easter Story: Because He Lives, We Will Live Also
Next to the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Easter Sunday is the most important holiday in Christendom. St. John’s gospel permits us to look back in time almost two thousand years to that garden tomb where our Lord was laid following his crucifixion. Here we learn that Mary Magdalene had come to the tomb to finish the preparation of the Lord’s body for burial. The beginning of the Sabbath observance had precluded her final efforts on his behalf.
There was concern in her heart over the removal of the great stone which was set over the entrance, and the Roman guard that had been placed there by the governor. When she arrived, she found the stone rolled away and the body missing. She likely witnessed the Roman guards lying on the ground as if dead themselves (Matthew 28). In the other gospel accounts (Matthew 28; Mark 16; Luke 24), she was accompanied by two other women when she encountered an angel who commanded her to go and tell the disciples of our Lord’s resurrection. Later, upon her return to the tomb, she met the risen Lord who comforted her.
The disciples at first did not believe Mary and the other women; but when they pressed their message, Peter and John went to the place only to discover that what they had said was in fact true, and were astonished beyond reason. The guard force had departed, the tomb had indeed been opened, the linen cloth in which our Lord was wrapped for burial was lying separate from the cloth that had been placed over his head. What had transpired would forever mark that moment as the most important event in human history.
And so, we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord, who took our place on the cross at Calvary, and secured for all true believers everlasting life in God’s kingdom.
What a gift we were given when his tomb was opened. St. Paul noted in his first letter to the Corinthians: “But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man, came man death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. (1 Corinthians 15:2022).
Before our coming to Christ, we were dead in our sins and trespasses (Ephesians 2:1). We were without hope (I Thessalonians 4:13). Then Christ Jesus came into the world to save that which was lost (Luke 19:10). He came that we might have life and have it more abundantly (John 10:10).
The agony and the terrible treatment of our Lord had been foretold in both prophecy and in the psalms (Isaiah 52 and 53; Psalm 22). At Calvary, the price for our redemption was paid (Romans 6:23), the Messiah was cut off (Daniel 9:26), he descended into the depths of the earth, and returned bringing with him a multitude of souls and fulfilling the promise of redemption to those of faith under the old covenant (Ephesians 4:8-10). With his resurrection came departed saints who were also seen by many in Jerusalem (St. Matthew 27:52, 53).
Hear again the words of St. Paul, “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief” (1Timothy 1:12-15). St. Paul was once a devout Jew known as Saul of Tarsus who had sought to round up as many Christians as he could find and then take them to Jerusalem for punishment at the hands of the Temple authorities.
What a shock it was for him to learn that the very God he thought he was serving, he was in fact persecuting. What agony of spirit he must have felt knowing that the very Messiah he had sought was Jesus of Nazareth: who had been crucified by the Romans; who had acknowledged that he is the Son of God (St. Mark 14:61-63). What pain he must have felt and guilt for his misdeeds. We know that St. Paul confessed his belief that Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God, and that he did indeed repent of his sins and trespasses. We also know that afterwards, he lived a new life of obedience: teaching others about God’s mercy, grace and love which came through the meritorious life, death and resurrection of his only begotten Son.
For Christians, the empty tomb provides hope for all who hear the gospel of Grace; the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. For the Christian, death is only the door to an eternity with God. The empty tomb sets forth our Lord’s power over death, hell and the grave as we have been ransomed; our debt paid in full so that we will not have to experience the darkness, gloom and torments of perdition.
No, Christ has closed that door and opened the way to a glorious life in the Kingdom of God for all who believe on his name and trust in his atoning work as the Messiah. If you or anyone you know have not made a commitment to accept the free gift of salvation from our Lord, now is the time. God has been calling on you to come to his throne of grace so answer the call. Believe in the truth of the empty tomb: that God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Believe on Jesus Christ as the Messiah, the Prince of Peace and the Author and finisher of your faith, who now sits in heaven at the right hand of the Father. Believe on his atoning sacrifice as the only means of your salvation. And if you believe and accept these things, then you must live in accordance with his will as found within the pages of Holy Scripture.
Let us all take comfort in the words of Jesus: “Because I live, you will live also”. Christ is Risen, He is Risen Indeed! Amen
The Most Rev. Dr. Rick Aaron Reid, Presiding Bishop Traditional Anglican Church of America Rector, St. Andrew’s Anglican Church, Newton, North Carolina 28658