A Promise Kept

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” And they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.
Luke 24:1–12
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A Promise Kept
In a garden paradise thousands of years earlier, as creation was spiraling into chaos, our Lord made a promise to our first mother Eve and to the serpent. The serpent would strike the heel of Eve’s offspring and He would crush his head. Now all these years later this promise is fulfilled. The head of the serpent has been crushed. When the women find the stone has been rolled away from the tomb they are confused and scared. Expecting to find the body of Jesus, instead they encounter two angels who give them the most puzzling but wondrous news they would ever hear. Jesus is not there, He is alive. To often we fail to believe the things Jesus has told us because they are impossibly good? “He is not here, but has risen” means that someday the graves of all His followers will be opened, and they, too, will rise to live with Him. We take comfort and joy in this great news. In keeping with His Word, He fills our hearts with the knowledge and comfort of His empty tomb. Jesus lives!