What a great day this is! It is a day of celebration, a day of joy, a day of renewed hope for all believers in Christ. Today, is the great Festival of the Resurrection! It is the pinnacle celebration of the Church. In fact, every Sunday throughout the year echoes this celebration. The foundation for all our teachings and hopes is anchored in the truth of the empty tomb. As Saint Paul says, “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile, and you are still in your sins.” Your faith hinges on Christ walking out of the tomb. Your hope is built on a Lord who rose in victory on the third day. So, because the tomb is empty, we rightly celebrate.
Now, we are well acquainted with the broken reality of our world. Unfortunately, we are all too familiar with the suffering in our lives. It is painful and profound, but it is rarely unexpected. As we age, we feel the aches and pains of simply moving through life. We grow accustomed to visiting people we love in the hospital or praying for our friends as they struggle. Funerals move from a strange experience to familiar patterns, where we know what to expect and can plan accordingly. Death may come as a momentary shock, but dying becomes normalized. But today we are shocked, we are surprised, not by death, but by life. Today, the predictable patterns of our age are turned backward, and a new hope is born.
The angel sits on the rolled-away stone as if he knows death is defeated, as if this place of mourning and sorrow is finally done away with. And he says to the faithful women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, as He said. Come, see the place where He lay.” He has risen! Death does not get the final say over the Son of God. Our Lord is faithful to His mission. He is faithful to His promises. He was crucified for the sins of the world and raised on the third day, just as He said He would. This event says something profound about your situation today. The fact that Christ is risen changes everything about your standing before God. Which is why we gather, why we celebrate, why we lift high our “Alleluias” and sing the praises of God.
The empty tomb says something about your sin, about your failure to live as the children of God. Jesus did not deserve to die. He was sinless, perfect in every way to the will of the Father. He was the spotless Lamb who lived in perfect obedience in all His thoughts, words, and deeds. But our Lord is also the suffering servant, the faithful one who repents for sins that are not His own. He repents of your sins. He takes them upon himself, so all the punishment and terror you deserve would be met in His flesh. This means your sins, the ones that others know about and even the ones you keep locked away hoping no one will discover them, all your sins that you believe would keep you from the promises of God have already been paid for. A sacrifice has been made on your behalf, and the empty tomb is the proof that such a sacrifice has been received. The life of the sin bearer has been restored, and with Him, your life before God is restored.
But the empty tomb means even more than this. It means the very Law of God, the commands, and decrees for all humanity, has been fulfilled. The apostle Paul famously said, “The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the Law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” This victory is found in the empty tomb. In the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, the Law of God no longer rules over you with terror and judgment. Your Lord has died for you, so you have a new life in the resurrection of Christ. As a result, the Law now functions as a guide and direction for living as His faithful children. In Christ, your love, compassion, and sacrifice are focused not on your own salvation but on the care of others.
The empty tomb means God has received the work of His Son and declared it to be good, right, and salutary. Through the work of Christ alone, you have been reconciled to the Father, and you have been invited into the great wedding banquet of eternal life. Because the tomb is empty, when God looks out at His guests, He no longer sees your sin. He no longer sees all the things that should rightly separate you from eternal life. No, when He looks out, He sees the righteous garment of His Son. He sees His children restored by a sacrifice that left nothing incomplete, nothing uncovered by Christ’s bloody sacrifice. Your sin is buried in that tomb. Your sin has been separated from you as far as the East is from the West. Salvation itself is made concrete here in the resurrection of Christ our Lord.
Today, we celebrate the birth of a new hope. Today, we celebrate the assurance of our salvation. For it is not rooted in your ability, your strength, your wisdom, or your cleverness. No, it is built upon the death and resurrection of Christ. He alone has done what you could not. He has made the sacrifice, poured out the love, and fulfilled the requirements. And it is all given freely to you. The tomb is empty, and you stand forgiven. The tomb is empty, and you are called by name. The tomb is empty, and you are invited to the great celebration. The tomb is empty, and so the gates of Paradise open wide to all who believe in His name.
So, let us rejoice! Let us shout it from the rooftops. Let us declare the goodness of our God and the faithfulness of our Lord. Death has been defeated. Sin has been defeated. The Law has been fulfilled. It is finished! Alleluia, Christ is risen! He is risen indeed, Alleluia!
