Things change at the tomb

TODAY'S READING: John 20:1-10
Can you imagine being Peter or John? My guess is that they were still hurting from the events that occurred a few days earlier. Their friend had been nailed to cross. The man who they followed had been defeated. Their Messiah had been killed. The closest thing I can imagine is how our nation must have felt when President Kennedywas killed. A great leader had been brought down in his prime.
Then to add insult to injury the body had been stolen. What?!?! Not only did they have to deal with this great loss, but now His body had been stolen. So Peter and John run to the scene of the crime.
They began to investigate. First the outside of the tomb. Then they looked inside. After that they moved inside. As they examined the evidence it suddenly dawned on them. Like Bruce Willis' character at the end of The Sixth Sense they realized they had missed something big.
Time and time again Jesus had said He would raise from the dead, but they didn't understand. Sure, they thought Jesus would be raised in the resurrection that many Jews believed in, but they didn't understand that it would be THE Resurrection. It wasn't until they saw the evidence in the tomb that all the pieces of the puzzle came together. Then the picture was clear. This was not just a man. This was not just another rabbi. This was the Messiah. This was the Son of God. He kept His promise. He completed His mission. He was the hope of all mankind.
Want to see the evidence that they believed? This same Peter who denied Jesus before the empty tomb stood before thousands and proclaimed His name after the tomb. The same John that was worried about what seat he would get in heaven was willing to be exiled to an island for preaching Jesus. These men were changed forever by the empty tomb. Are you?
Before the empty tomb popularity means everything, but after the empty tomb we live to serve God.
Before the empty tomb our possessions define us, but after the empty tomb Jesus is our identity.
Before the empty tomb our pleasure is found in the flesh, but after the empty tomb we find fulfillment in the Holy Spirit.
Before the empty tomb position brings power, but after the empty tomb power is found in humility.
Before the empty tomb we look out for "number one", but after the empty tomb we become the servant of all.
The empty tomb is a life-changing event. It was for the people who first found it 2,000 years ago. It still is for those who find it today. Don't leave the empty tomb unchanged. Leave it knowing that Jesus is risen and that nothing else in this world is more important than following Him.

shine!
Jason