A little girl came to her mother complaining that her stomach hurt. Mom said: "Oh, honey, your stomach is empty, you just need to get something in it and you'll be fine." About a week later, the pastor came by to visit. While conversing with the mother and her child, he happened to mention that he had a headache. The little girl piped up and said: "Oh pastor, my mommy says that your head is empty, you just need to get something in it and you'll be fine." (1)
One of the reasons we laugh is because our connotation for empty is negative isn't it. We don't like it when the popcorn bucket at the movies is empty. An empty potato chip bag or coke bottle isn't worth very much. When I was a kid we used to collect the empties. We got two cents apiece for them. We'd collect and carry in enough empty coke bottles so we could get a candy bar or bag of penny candy.
We don't like empty headed people. We don't like empty calories. Most of us don't like being in an empty room all by ourselves. And an empty creaky old house after dark makes the hair stand on the back of our neck. Most of us don't like empty conversations. None of us like an empty wallet or empty bank account. We certainly don't like it when the refrigerator or pantry is empty.
You can't get very far if your gas tank is empty or if your stomach is empty. We don't like that empty feeling that some emotions and situations make us feel. My son hates it when I tell him to empty the dishwasher.
My Dad used to say, "An empty barrel makes the most noise." I never really knew what that meant until I met an empty barrel or as they say in West Texas someone who was "all hat and no cattle."
The empty shoes and empty chair of a loved who has gone to be with God, saddens our hearts. With both joy and trepidation, we look forward to the day our children are gone and we can experience the empty nest syndrome. Though I think Mary and I will might actually cheer.
For the most part, all of that vast emptiness has a very negative connotation. And yet here we are gathered to worship on day that celebrates emptiness. Easter. We come to celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus from the tomb. Today we come to celebrate an empty tomb. That's kind of bizarre if you think about it. We have come hear to sing and rejoice because the Tomb of Jesus is empty.
Let's look at the passage from John 20:1-18 which describes that's first morning.
[1] Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb.
[2] So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him."
[3] Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb.
[4] The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.
[5] He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in.
[6] Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there,
[7] and the cloth that had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself.
[8] Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed;
[9] for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead.
[10] Then the disciples returned to their homes.
[11] But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb;
[12] and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet.
[13] They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him."
[14] When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus.
[15] Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?" Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away."
[16] Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rabbouni!" (which means Teacher).
[17] Jesus said to her, "Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.' "
[18] Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord"; and she told them that he had said these things to her.
This morning I want to look at this passage through two points: THE TOMB IS EMPTY, BUT NOT THE PROMISE.
I. The Tomb Is Empty
A. The Good News which Mary and the Disciple discovered, and the Good News for us, the Good News that brings us here today is: THE TOMB IS EMPTY.
There are four places that I know of which some claim to be the tomb of Christ. There is one on the Mount of Olives, the hill directly across from Jerusalem. One author claims that near the place known as Ascension Hill is the real place Jesus was buried.
Another claims that there is a tomb in the Garden of Gethsemane, the olive garden where Jesus spent so much time with the disciples. The Garden of Gethsemane was owned by Joseph of Arimathea and this person claims the tomb was there.
In Jerusalem itself, there are two places that are celebrated as the tomb of Christ. The first is within the current walls of the city, but was actually outside the walls of the city when Jesus walked among us. It's the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. This is the most likely spot and probably the most historical.
The other place is known as the Garden Tomb. It looks more like what we think it should look like. It's a garden and a tomb in the garden. But I'm not sure it's the most historically correct.
But you know what all of these four places have in common? They are empty.
And I've got to tell you how cool it was to stand in both the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and the Garden Tomb. There I was in the place where Jesus might have laid. It was cool to look around, and realize that all four of the places were empty because Jesus has been raised from the dead.
B. The passage says that the disciples didn't yet "understand the scripture, that [Jesus] must rise from the dead." (vs 9.) It was only after Mary encountered the Risen Christ and reported it to the disciples that they began to believe. It was only after her encounter that they began to remember what Jesus had taught.
We're here today to remember. We here today, like the disciples, to remember the promise.
II. But Not The Promise
A. And what we need to remember is: THE TOMB IS EMPTY, BUT NOT THE PROMISE.
The Promise is Forgiveness and Resurrection for all who believe in Christ Jesus and accept Him as their personal Savior.
Peter puts it this way in his first letter: 1 Peter 1:3-4 (NRSV)
[3] Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
[4] and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.
Our inheritance is Eternal Life. That's what the Promise is all about. And that Promise, our inheritance cannot be destroyed. It cannot be defiled in any way. Nor will it ever fade as long as we REMEMBER THE PROMISE because THE TOMB IS EMPTY, BUT NOT THE PROMISE.
So, what do we do with this Promise?
B. We're called to live BEYOND THE TOMB.
When we live BEYOND THE TOMB we live for Jesus. We live the new birth and the living hope given to us "through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." And we REMEMBER all the other promises. They give us hope and strength and guidance in how to live FOR JESUS, BEYOND THE TOMB.
And we remember and celebrate Jesus' presence in our everyday lives. The last words recorded by Matthew in Matthew 28:20 assure us of Christ's presence with us: "And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age" And that reminds us that we never have to face life alone. (2)
Knowing Jesus is alive gives us confidence to live our lives BEYOND THE TOMB, we no longer need to be frightened or afraid of what tomorrow might bring.
Even though Becky was born with birth defects, her faith helped carry her entire family through some difficult times. By the time she was four years old Becky already had several operations. Becky was in the hospital recovering from yet another operation when an eight year old girl was brought into her room. The older girl was scheduled for brain surgery and was very frightened. She began to cry and soon became hysterical. Her parents tried their best to comfort her but realized they could not.
Becky sat quietly with a serious look on her face. Then suddenly she smiled. "I know what to do," she whispered to her mother. She climbed off her mother's lap and walked slowly toward the wailing girl. "Don't cry," she said softly, rubbing the girl's cheek. "I was afraid too" she told the older girl. "But I'm not anymore."
The girl was quietly crying as Becky continued to stroke her cheek. "Why aren't you afraid now?" the older child asked between sobs. "Because I have my Jesus," Becky said. "No one has to be afraid if they have my Jesus." Becky raised both of her hands to her heart and held them like a cup, as if scooping water from a fountain to drink.
"Here," she said, "open your hands for me." The other girl had stopped sobbing and was totally involved in their conversation. Solemnly she reached out as Becky transferred her most treasured possession into the cupped hands of her friend. "Take my Jesus," she said. "If my Jesus is with you, you won't be afraid." (3)
The risen Lord Jesus gives us confidence to face all of our tomorrows. The risen Lord is with us and will never desert us.
BEYOND THE TOMB WE'RE CALLED TO REMEMBER THE PROMISES OF CHRIST. AND TO REMEMBER THAT THE TOMB IS EMPTY, BUT NOT THE PROMISE.
Conclusion
One of the series of movies that has intrigued me over the last couple of years has been "The Matrix." Not just because it's a good action flick and a good Sci-Fi flick, both of which I love. But I've been fascinated by the theology of the movie. It has all the makings of a Messiah story. And in the process of telling the story of how Neo, discovers he is "The One," Neo overcomes all kinds of odds to save the world and bring peace. It's really quite fascinating.
At the very conclusion of Matrix Revolutions, the last of the trilogy there is a wonderful scene where three of the characters are talking about what happened. Watch.
Without going into a lot of detail; one character asks the Oracle: "Did you always know."
I love the Oracle's answer. "Did I know? No, but I believed." That's what this day is all about. The disciples didn't know, but they believed. And then because they believed, they came to know. Jesus has been raised from the dead and that changes everything.
We're called to believe, too. REMEMBER THE TOMB IS EMPTY, BUT NOT THE PROMISE. REMEMBER THE PROMISES SO YOU CAN LIVE BEYOND THE TOMB.
1. Parables, Etc. (Saratoga Press, P.O. Box 8, Platteville, CO, 80651; 970-785-2990), May 1990
2. Homiletics, April 11, 2004 (Communications Resources, Inc., Canton, OH)
3. www.HolyLandPhotos.org