The Sign of the Empty Egg
READ:
Luke 24:1-8
He is not here; He has risen!
The women knew that Jesus was dead. Some of them had seen Him die. And they were sure His body was in the tomb; it had been there since Friday. But when they went to anoint the body on that Sunday morning, the tomb was empty!
What had happened? The body could not have been stolen. Nobody was playing tricks on them. They were not merely fooling themselves. They knew there had been a miracle! The tomb was empty because Jesus Christ had risen from the dead.
In a schoolroom was a boy with Down Syndrome. Some of the kids liked to make fun of him. One warm spring day the teacher gave each of the students a big empty plastic egg. Then she sent them outside to find signs of life and put them inside the egg.
Soon they returned. Inside one student's egg was a butterfly. In another was an ant. Others had collected flowers, twigs, blades of grass. But one egg had nothing in it. Everyone knew whose it was, and the kids laughed at the boy. The teacher asked him why he had not put anything inside his egg to show signs of life. Without a hint of embarrassment, he said, "Because the tomb was empty."
That boy understood a profound truth--a truth each of us should tell someone about. The empty tomb was a sign of life. It indicated that Jesus Christ had risen from the dead! It's a miracle that's even better than the return of life in spring.
On this Easter weekend, why not spend some time thanking God for this great miracle. And as you head back to classes, think about the boldness of the young boy who was willing to tell his whole class about Jesus' resurrection. He is risen! There's no point in keeping the good news to yourself. --DE
REFLECTION
We Win!
READ:
1 Corinthians
15:20-28
He has put everything under His feet.
The other day I overheard one of those annoying conversations where some pseudo-intellectuals were mocking Christians. They accused us of being so naive as to actually believe in the resurrection of Jesus. They felt sorry for us because we put so much confidence in a Book of myths and fables, and because we believe that the miracles it tells about actually happened. They especially scoffed at the empty tomb.
They said the early Christians were religious zealots who couldn't accept the fact that their hero had died. So they made up the resurrection story and came to believe their own fabrication. These "intellectuals" talked about us as if we were a bunch of losers. In fact, they even used that very word.
But we're not. Why? Because, in the end, we win!
How do we know? Because Jesus did rise from the dead, just as the Scriptures say. And one day we will fully experience "the power of His resurrection" (Philippians 3:10) when we are raised to be united with Him. We will see Him vanquish all His foes. He will "put everything under His feet," including those very people who claim that He is still in the grave, and who pity us for our simple-mindedness.
If the opposers of Christianity begin to get you down, remember that our victory is as certain as if it had already happened. It's like looking at reruns of the 2000 Olympics. You already know of the tremendous victory of diver Laura Wilkinson, who said "I can do all things through Christ" before every dive. You know that a Greco-Roman wrestler from Wyoming named Rulon Gardner defeated the previously unbeaten "Russian Bear." You know of the medals won by Marion Jones. Even so, you experience again the excitement. But you never doubt the outcome because you already know the winners.
Our victory in Christ is just as certain. Not that we gloat about it. Not that we turn our backs on our responsibility to tell the good news to everyone--even Christ's worst detractors.
We remain humble and obedient to Christ, even though in the final outcome, the fact remains--we win! --DE
REFLECTION