We open our journey into the resurrection story this week as Matthew describes an empty tomb.
 
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary had arrived as dawn was just beginning to break. Despite what Jesus had told them, they weren’t there anticipating a victory; they’d come to the tomb carrying the grief of people who still believed death settled the matter, shattered their hopes.
 
Then, in one instant, the earth begins to shake … an angel descends from heaven … the stone is rolled away, and the Roman guards collapse in fear. The stone wasn’t rolled away so Jesus could escape; it was moved so they could see Jesus was already gone!

The angel’s announcement makes it perfectly clear, “He is not here; He has risen, just as He said.”

Don’t rush past those last words. The resurrection wasn’t an unexpected fix to a failed plan; Jesus had told His disciples He would suffer, die, and rise again. It seemed impossible … yet it was unfolding before their eyes.
 
The empty tomb changed the direction of the biblical story. Death entered God’s creation by way of rebellion and had claimed victims in every generation since. Kings died. Prophets died. Priests died. The righteous and the wicked alike all found their way to the grave. Even those resurrected had to once again enter the grave (except for Elijah and Enoch, but that’s a different story).

Jesus entered death and came out on the other side.
 
Jesus didn’t just live on in the memory of His people; He rose bodily. The grave may have received Him, but it could not hold Him. The Son had overcome the curse.
 
The resurrection does more than tell a story; it creates mission and witnesses. Immediately after encountering the women, Jesus sends them to tell the others what they had seen and heard. It gives His followers purpose.  

The resurrection is where our hope takes flight. We aren’t asked to pretend death is harmless or grief is easy, but we now know death has been invaded and defeated by the Life of the Messiah. Though the world still carries the marks of the grave, we know that isn’t our ultimate end. We are moving towards renewal!

This first day of the week became the morning everything changed … forever.

Where do you find you are most tempted to live as though death, loss, or failure still reigns? How does the bodily resurrection of Jesus change the story you believe you are in?

Father, we are grateful for Jesus conquering death and revealing the grave is no longer our final word. Help me when I’m surrounded by sorrow and uncertainty, to stay anchored in what you have already done. Help me remember that the resurrection was, and is, your decisive act in history, defeating the powers that so often bring us to fear. Teach me to live faithfully as a witness to the risen Christ, trusting Your work of renewal has already begun. Amen.

“Because Jesus has risen, my story is moving toward __________________.”