The Grace of the Empty

Maybe we focus on the Cross so much because it's easier to explain.

That goes all around- I mean, as a symbol, the Cross is much easier to recognize than an empty tomb. It is simplistic and easily recreated in image form. Then there is the idea of the Cross- that it is where a man died in our place. Sacrifice is an idea that every world culture understands- from pagan gods demanding human sacrifice to appease them, to the Jewish belief of animal sacrifice and giving of the first fruits from the Torah, to the samurai's sepuku (aka hari kari) which was sacrifice that could restore lost honor. We get that Jesus died for us because, even if we don't agree that we needed it, we understand why He would do it. And if you don't believe Jesus was the Son of God, then you can still grasp the weight of His death as a martyr.

But the Resurrection? That's another story. Quite literally.

See, Jesus coming back can seem almost superfluous. I mean, He died an unjust death for our sins- we are forgiven by the wounds He received (Isaiah 53:5). The separation we experience from God, as symbolized by the curtain in the Temple hiding the Holy of Holies, is gone (Mark 15:38). Jesus offers us forgiveness, even if we don't know what we are doing (Luke 23:34). And then, to cap it all off, Jesus says, "It is finished." (John 19:30) All that work is accomplished ON THE CROSS. So, why did Jesus rise?

I think the answer is simple. While the Cross was about the work needed to accomplish the Will of God, the empty tomb was about something else. We get the Cross because we get the idea of a system of justice- balance. Evil is punished by God, even if the punishment is given to a substitute. We may not get why Jesus chose to die for the wrongs done against God (actually, using that idea, Jesus died for the wrongs done against Jesus as well) in our place, but we can wrap our heads around the idea that a wrong had to be punished. The Cross was the fulfillment of the Law. Sin was punished. Slates were cleaned. "It is finished."

Then, if the Cross is about the work, then the empty tomb is about grace. And we do not understand grace.

Sure, the argument is valid that the Cross was about Grace as well- it was. But the Empty Tomb took it to a whole other level. Up until Jesus went into the tomb, Christianity had a figurehead that was not unlike any other religious leader in all of history. He had died for His people. In fact, had He not risen, the argument that Jesus is the only way would be rather deflated. The Resurrection was pure Grace. It could not be accomplished by the sheer will of man, nor his work, nor his schemes. No man- save for Jesus and a couple God fueled prophets- could bring another back from the dead, let alone bring themselves back. Every other person who died and was resurrected was brought back by another person.

Jesus just got up.

Unlike the spectacle of the Cross, the Empty Tomb was rather quiet- even with the angels and the earthquake and the terrified guards. No one saw Jesus walk out, but they saw Him later, ate with Him and touched His scars. Some of the people who saw Him didn't even recognize Him until He had gone. He was physically alive (eating and drinking and being touched) but appeared and disappeared at will.

The Cross, for all its horror, gore, and sacrifice makes sense to us. The Cross does not.

But then, Grace escapes us as well. Getting what we don't deserve (in the positive sense, at least) is not natural. Yet, this is Grace. Getting life when we deserve death is how Grace breathes into our lives. We understand working hard for rewards, but don't have any idea what to do with riches we get that are unearned. Google lottery winners sometime for validation of that theory.

Legalism is more comforting to us because it provides a way we can 'earn' our grace. Simply having Grace bestowed is counter to human rationale. But then, it was human rationale that made the Cross necessary wasn't it?

The Empty Tomb is what Grace does with the Cross. While the Work was done on the Cross, it is the Empty Tomb that takes our forgiven souls and gives them life- a second chance. No, the Empty Tomb is not superfluous, or a really cool after thought. It is essential to Will of God. If we deny that Jesus rose, then we deny the second chance we are given. If we accept all there is to know about Jesus from birth to Cross, but balk at the Resurrection, we deny Him as our Lord and Savior. We refuse our second chance.

And what a second chance it is. No longer based on working to meet a standard that we'll never reach, we live by Grace. Yes, we long to be a better person, to know Christ more, but we do it by Grace, not our own strength. And to be honest, even for me that doesn't make sense sometimes.

But I need only look at the Empty Tomb to be reminded that just because something doesn't make sense doesn't mean it isn't true.