The Conundrum of an Empty Tomb By Emmanuel Philor Sr.

Scripture: John 20:1-7

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. 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." Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself.

The Conundrum of an Empty Tomb

Holy Week has always been my favorite week of the year because of what it meant. Not the fact that it often coincided with Spring Break or that Easter Sunday would bring me more candy than I got on Halloween. I was excited about the grand reminder of the Jesus narrative. I love hearing the reminder of the things that die on Friday can rise again early on Sunday Morning. I would get to hear all my favorite Resurrection Sunday songs. All the songs highlighted the victory of the church from Jesus being raised from the dead. But the gift of the Easter Season is that it makes room for some uncomfortable and necessary conversations. But this year, we’re not talking about Judas betraying him or the disciples not showing up for the crucifixion. This year, we see how we as the believers of Christ have used our bible as a weapon. 

On Friday, March 26th, Lil Nas X released a song (and video) entitled Montero (call me by your name) which shook the believers of Christ and even caused some division amongst us. Some of us are offended by his actions, as he made a mockery of our beliefs and expressed enjoyment in pleasing Satan. While others of us can empathize with him, due to our own experiences with church hurt. The video and lyrics were unsettling for many, but the truth is the song exposed us to more than his former life. This song made us uncomfortable, partly, because it exposed how the church is responsible for hurting many people. Based on the responses and reactions of others, we (the church) saw how church hurt is a powerful wound that many people are dealing with. The ability to channel that pain allowed them to align themselves with what Lil Nas X was presenting to us. As much it made us uncomfortable, there was some truth to the idea that we have been judges that have inflicted pain on many. Whether we have done it ourselves or stood by as others have done it; we are still complicit. We, as believers in the Gospel, should be modeling the love of Christ rather than spewing hate and bigotry; because that is the Christian message. That’s the point of Easter!

It would be foolish of us to minimize this resurrection weekend to what once was in the tomb, without acknowledging the significance of Jesus's ministry before the tomb. Jesus, a known lover of all people, who went out of his way to make people from all walks of life feel loved by God, Would be irrelevant if the validity of his ministry would be diminished if we only saw the grandeur during his death and resurrection. Jesus isn’t the only thing that died on Good Friday. 

• Our condemnation died on Friday and Sunday He arose with our redemption.
• Our judgment died on Friday and Sunday He arose with our acceptance
• Our ridicule died on Friday and Sunday He arose with our restoration
• Our stronghold died on Friday and Sunday He arose with our freedom

I know that Jesus brought these things back with him because he modeled them throughout his life. The way that Jesus lived modeled for us the compassion and love that God requires of all of us. What Lil Nas X brings us to a conundrum in our text which still speaks to the modern age. Mary Magdalene runs to Simon Peter and the other disciple, whom Jesus loved; to them that they have “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him”. Anybody who has read the gospel story up to this point shouldn’t be alarmed because Jesus repeatedly shared that He was going die but on the third day He would be raised again. Why would we be alarmed that the tomb is empty? There would be no reason unless that’s where we wanted to keep him. This tomb is symbolic of the places in which we choose to keep Christ, the faith, and His church hostage. The issue is that some of our churches are as empty as the tomb. Our churches have proof that there was a time when Jesus was here, but we know for sure that’s He is no longer present. I am not arguing that the church is empty due to the pandemic because we have lost the very essence of Christ. In some sense, the church, which once served as a sanctuary or hospital has also been a place that delivers pain. 

Releasing Christ from the tomb in which we’ve put Him frees us of the obligation to be enforcers of His perfect will. That in some sense, we keep Him from the people who need Him most because we admire the access too much. For the record, all people; regardless of their lifestyle, habits, or choices; whether they are a believer, backslidden, or never knew God at all; all of the people of the world belong to God. Thus, if we say we believe in God, we ought to treat all of God’s children right (with decency and respect). There are people in our families, in our workplaces, in our schools, in our church, and the other places we frequent: who make it hard to show the love of Christ. But, when we let Christ out of the tomb and into our hearts, we allow Christ to penetrate and permeate our hearts to the point of transformation. 

Harder yet may be the fight,
Right may often yield to might,
Wickedness awhile may reign,
Satan's cause may seem to gain.
There is a God that rules above,
With hand of power and heart of love;
If I am right, He'll fight my battle,
I shall have peace someday.

I do not know how long 'twill be,
Nor what the future holds for me,
But this I know, if Jesus leads me,
I shall get home someday.