Athanasius once wrote:
“A marvellous and mighty paradox has thus occurred, for the death which they thought to inflict on Him as dishonour and disgrace has become the glorious monument to death’s defeat.”
There is a reversal that occurs at the resurrection. Sadness turns into joy; weeping turns into feasting. But it should be noted that the effects of the resurrection do not occur all at once. They take time in the life of God’s people. Personal battles we face, the problem with addictions, the culture of death, and much more are not outside of the control of God. God is in charge, but his in-charge-ness does not mean that we find ourselves free from these evils by our own volition or our good intentions.
The Resurrection is the death of death, but from the time of the resurrection until now, we know that death has an incredible blood supply, because it keeps bleeding, but it does not ultimately die until the Second Coming. So, on this day we pray that God’s resurrection justice would come speedily on the ills of our time, the many sins that tempt and consume us at times. Come, Lord Jesus! Cause us to see the resurrection as you have taught us. Show us daily that the tomb is empty and deliver us from evil by the power of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! Let us prepare our hearts to worship our Risen Lord!
Prayer: Almighty God, who through your only-begotten Son Jesus Christ overcame death and opened to us the gate of everlasting life: Grant that we, who celebrate with joy the day of the Lord’s resurrection, may be raised from the death of sin by your life-giving Spirit; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
His tomb is empty daily symbolically speaking to remind us that he already paid the price for our sins but how does that apply wen tempted?
Didn’t quite get the whole analogy but understand the meaning of most of it.
Amen.
Good question.
There are lots of great applications: Part of the answer is that Christ has endured temptations and his resurrection is proof that temptations do not hold the same power of those in Christ. First, the empty tomb means that we have access to the holy of holies. Direct access to Christ, means daily access to the Father. Secondly, the empty tomb means the restoration of true community. We can now participate in communities where the gospel and hope are offered freely by and through one another. Third, the empty tomb also means that worship is now a gathered gift for the people of God. We come together as a way of confessing our sins and living faithfully to our Risen Lord. Fourth, the empty tomb says we can call on Christ in times of temptations. His tomb is empty because the world is full of his glory. Send me your e-mail and I will send you my sermon where I talk about how the empty tomb speaks to those who weep.