He Was Not There!

Luke 24:6
As I read through the account of the resurrection, the words, "He is not here, but has risen… (Luke 24:6)," cry out for my attention. From them it has become clear to me that the biggest stumbling block for the disciples, as well as those who persecuted Christ, was his death; people simply could not understand that He had to die. They did not realize that His death was not the result of sinful man, but a necessary part of God's plan to reconcile the world to Himself. This is why one of the criminals on the cross mocked Christ by saying, "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us! (Luke 23:39)." This is why after looking into the open tomb and discovering that the body of the Lord was not there, Peter walked around wondering what had happened (Luke 24:12). For, it was inconceivable to the Jews that the Messiah had to suffer in this way; which is why the Jewish rulers put Him to death in the first place. It was also inconceivable that the Messiah would rise from the dead; which is why the disciples did not believe the women when they returned with the news of the empty tomb (Luke 24:11). No one could make the connection between what the prophets had written and what had just taken place. All they knew is what they could see, that being Christ could not be found. As a result, they lost heart.

You will find many people today that have no faith in God simply because they cannot see Him; they claim to have no faith in anything they cannot touch with their own hands. However, this is nothing more than an excuse to continue living a self-indulgent lifestyle. For, we read in Paul's letter to the Roman believers, "Since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse (Romans 1:19-20)." Still, to them an empty tomb is nothing more than a missing body; a question void of an answer. I, on the other hand, have completely put my faith in the God they could not find, and as a result it was I who was found. Therefore, if you do not know Him, or if you know Him and have wandered from His fellowship, do not allow another moment to pass without introducing yourself to the God who was not there, but is here now in our very midst. He is the priest the Jewish rulers could not silence; the king the Romans could not usurp; and He is the risen Lord the tomb could not hold, He is God and He is risen. [mp]

Copyright © 2006
Michael D'Urbano
All rights reserved
www.modernpapyrus.org