Wednesday, April 25, 2007
1 Corinthians 15:57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
THE TOMB IS EMPTY -- SHALL WE MOURN?
Few would question that the cross is the commonly known and accepted symbol of Christianity. And well it might be. The strong statement of the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 2:2, "For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified", serves as a fitting foundation for this usage. It was on the cross that the words, "It is finished!" were said, and therewith was announced the completion of the sacrificial shedding of blood for sin, the end of paying the ransom for buying men back from the power and bondage of Satan.
But that isn't the end of the story. The suffering and death of Christ, foretold in the beginning as Satan's "bruising the heel" of the Seed of the woman, was admitted by Jesus Himself to be the hour of the "power of darkness." But this "obedience unto death" was only to "destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil." The simple but astonishing words, "He is risen!" complete the story. Paul can now triumphantly shout, "O death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory?" And this is brought down to us in the words, "Thanks be to God who gives us the victory." "We are more than conquerors through him who loved us."
This tells us something about the mood of Christianity. The cross as a symbol proclaims suffering and sorrow. Is this to characterize the child of God in Christ? Is the mournful face of the monastic life the essence of our existence? Are we but on a long, sorrowful, funeral-like procession to the grave?
The empty tomb preaches a different message. Not sorrow over sin, but "great joy," as Matthew speaks of the resurrection, over the forgiveness of sin. The Christian life is not a repeat performance of the "via doloroso," the way of sorrows. One Man went that way alone, and along the way said, "Weep not for me." Our life is rather a rejoicing, triumphant procession to the glory of eternal life. Let's not pretend that Easter didn't happen. Paul says, "Rejoice evermore!" This is the message of the empty tomb. It serves well as the symbol of the full and completed story.
