March 27 - The Empty Tomb.

Matthew 28:6                          
“He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.”
 
Outside the city walls of Jerusalem, near a hill called Calvary, there is a garden. In the depths of that garden there is a tomb. This tomb was hewn out in a rock, and never has a body ever decayed within its walls.
 
Joseph of Arimathaea had begged Pilate for the body of Jesus, and wrapped it in linen clothes before placing Him within his new tomb. Joseph rolled a great stone over the opening of the grave, and departed. We do not have record of his thoughts that day. Did he believe that Jesus would rise again as He said He would? He was a disciple of Jesus, but the Scripture is silent of his thoughts about Jesus after he placed His body in the tomb.
 
Christ Himself told how He would be placed in the tomb for three days:
“For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”
Matthew 12:40
 
Not only did Jesus foretell of His death and burial, He prophesied of His resurrection:
“And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death, And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again.” Matthew 20:17-19
 
Praise God that Jesus was Who He said He was! He died for our sins, spent three days and three nights in the tomb, and then raised victoriously on the third day defeating death, hell, and the grave.
 
His resurrection made the Gospel possible! Without the resurrection, our faith would be in vain. His resurrection provided us the free gift of salvation, if we would only believe.
 
“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” Romans 10:9
 
Crowds of people gather daily at the Garden Tomb outside of Jerusalem longing to see the fact that Christ is not in that grave. Some come searching for answers to believe, but many come already knowing the answer…”He is not here: for he is risen”.
 
We set aside a weekend every year to celebrate His sacrifice and resurrection, and we should. But the truth is…the Monday after Easter He is STILL our Risen Saviour!
 
Every day is Easter. Hallelujah for our Risen Saviour!
 
 
Bible Reading:
Deuteronomy 17-18  |  Mark 14  |  Psalm 56