The Open Door

One of the most inspiring moments Janice and I have experienced was the day in Jerusalem that we visited two historically acclaimed sites of the tomb of Jesus. One was a garden tomb, the other a tomb inside a church that had been erected over it.

Many believe that the latter has more historical significance and is the likely place where our crucified Lord was laid. The garden tomb, also known as Gordon’s tomb, named for the one who discovered it, seems to conform more perfectly to the scriptural account of a garden tomb. Further, it is only a short distance away from a massive rock that looks like a skull. We know that Christ was crucified at a location known as “Place of the Skull” and according to John was placed in a garden tomb near the place of crucifixion.

The victory that we celebrate at Easter is that these tombs are empty. As the angel said, “He is not here, He is risen!”

You are probably aware that there was a recent made-for-TV special in which some archaeologists and genetic scientists alleged that they had uncovered the “lost tomb of Jesus” which contained His bones as well as the bones of His family. Dr. Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, speaking on Larry King Live said, this “is nothing more than a made-for-television hoax that will not undermine the Christian faith.” Amen! Mohler commented that the archaeologists who actually unearthed the tomb in 1980 dismissed such claims.

The bones of Christ will never be found! Jesus was resurrected from the grave in a bodily resurrection. No bones remained. The only thing that remained was the cloth in which He had been wrapped by Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea.

The angel said, “Come, see the place where He lay.” In the power of the resurrection, Jesus vacated the funeral cloth and the tomb. We often refer to the tomb as the “borrowed tomb of Joseph of Arimathea.” Jesus only borrowed the tomb for a short period of time. Then it was empty again.

The resurrection of Christ is the promise to all who have received Him as Lord and Savior that we, too, will be raised from the dead. This life is not all there is. Christ died and was raised so that we might have the promise of sins forgiven and an eternity in heaven.

I agree with the Apostle Paul in his declaration of faith in 1 Corinthians 15:20-22: “But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead also comes through a man. For just as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.” Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!

What is to be our response to Easter? We should be filled with passion to tell others about the resurrected Jesus Christ. Our hearts should break for unbelievers who are running around trying to find the bones of Jesus, attempting through many means to denounce the Christian faith. The scoffers have always been with us. As brazen as they are, we have to know that this is not a new thing. There will be others who will attempt to disprove the Christian faith.

Knowing this should only cause us to sing the hymns of our faith this Easter with more zeal, rejoice in the pastor’s resurrection sermon with greater joy, and commit ourselves to be more effective evangelists so that others will come to the truth. That wonderful truth is that the bones of Jesus will not be found this side of heaven.