An Empty Tomb Full of Promise
Several years ago, I was privileged to visit Jerusalem. It had been a dream of mine to visit the Holy Land. Thanks to a seminary study tour, that dream came true!
I honestly did not know what to expect. You read the Gospel accounts of what Jesus and His disciples did. You watch the documentaries and catch glimpses of the city in other media outlets. It’s an entirely different experience when you’re on the ground. Granted, the current city of Jerusalem is not the same city in the New Testament. That city was burnt down by the Romans in A.D. 70 (The only part left of that city is what is now known as the Wailing Wall).
That fact did not diminish the awe that I felt. It was here, in this area of the world that Christianity was born. From a small, despised and persecuted group, the followers of Christ went forth from Jerusalem, to Samaria, to Judea and [almost] to the ends of the earth!
One of the places that I really wanted to visit was the tomb of Christ. To my surprise, I learned that there wasn’t a consensus of where Jesus’ tomb was located. One of the places that I visited was the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (pictured above).
It’s a beautiful building that’s rich in history. Pilgrims from all over the world flock to this building to pay homage to Jesus Christ. At the heart of the building is a small chapel that was built over the supposed tomb of Christ. I waited in line for 30 minutes for a quick peek inside. What drew my attention wasn’t the fact that it was an impressive shrine, but that it was…empty.
The other sites that I visited in Jerusalem that claimed that Jesus was buried there were also empty.
Empty.
That empty tomb was a foreshadowing of what was to come. Jesus was crucified not long after and laid in a grave. But death could not hold Him! Jesus broke the power of death and the grave when He resurrected.
I came to Jerusalem eager to see where Jesus was buried only to find out that no one knows for sure. And you know what? It doesn’t matter!
To the women who visited Jesus’ grave and discovered it empty, an angel told them, “He is not here! He is risen from death just as He said. Come and see the place where He lay.”⁴ They found an empty tomb, but full of promise!
“He is not here! He is risen from death just as He said.”
Because He is risen, I no longer have to fear death.
Because of the resurrection I have hope.
