Have You Heard: The Cross and Empty Tomb

As this Easter weekend rolls around we come to a remembrance of two very significant events for Christians. Possibly the Easter bunny, colored eggs and the family lunch have veiled what the celebration is all about. But make no mistake about it the two events being remembered this weekend create the core of what Christianity is all about. These two events remember the death of Jesus Christ on the cross and His resurrection from the dead.

Christianity would have no substance or significance in the world today if it was not for the cross and the empty tomb. Jesus told us that His very reason for coming to the earth was to die and give his life as a ransom for many. The resurrection for the Apostle Paul was so vital that he declared without it the Christian faith was empty.

1 Corinthians 15:12-14   ¹² Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?  ¹³ But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen.  ¹⁴ And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty.

Good Friday is the traditional day for marking the death of Christ upon the cross. “Good?” Yes, in the sense that Jesus’ death on that cross was the needed sacrifice to remove man’s sin and reunite man into a relationship with God. Indeed the bloody cross of Jesus has brought a good result for those who receive Christ as Savior.

The Resurrection, which scripture makes clear happened on Sunday, is also a necessary component for the Christian faith to hold any substantial meaning.  Jesus had promised He would rise from the dead three days after His death. If He did not rise from the dead, as He had promised, then all of His other promises should be called into question as well.  C.S. Lewis put it this way, Jesus is either a liar, a lunatic or Lord. The empty tomb stands as a clear statement that Jesus is exactly who He declared Himself to be; Lord. If He did not rise then He was either a liar or a lunatic.

Further, the resurrection assures those who have put their faith in Christ that they too can have the hope of life after death. Some teach that it does not matter whether or not Jesus actually rose from the dead. They declare what is important is your belief and not the truthfulness of the resurrection. For them the opinion and belief is more important than the truth of what you believe. Yet these same people will go on to rejoice in the hope of eternal life. This is obviously inconsistent. If Jesus did not rise from the dead, then what meaningful hope do we have that we will rise from the dead to spend eternity in heaven?

So the cross of Christ and His empty tomb endure as two essential teachings of Christianity. They are among the non-negotiables of the faith. Today we have the hope of acceptance in heaven because Jesus is alive. Scripture offers this hope to all:

Romans 10:9  ⁹ that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

I pray you have a great weekend of worship as you remember the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.