24 Now
upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came
unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and
certain others with them. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.
3 And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.
4 And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:
5 And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?
6 He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,
7 Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.
8 And they remembered his words,
9 And returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest.
10 It
was Mary Magdalene and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other
women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles.
11 And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not.
12 Then
arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulchre; and stooping down, he beheld
the linen clothes laid by themselves, and departed, wondering in himself
at that which was come to pass.
– Luke 24:1-12
Many wondrous things have come, and will come, to pass. But none is more wonderful than this, the empty tomb.
The everyday battles in which we find ourselves engaged are nothing more than ripples and reflections of this, the one true battle, the centuries-old war between the Prince of this world and the Son of Man. Contemplate how dark and hopeless everything must have looked to the apostles, and to women like Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary, after the Crucifixion. So when things seem dark and hopeless, when you feel outnumbered and alone, when you look at the barbarians rampaging inside the gates and despair at what the future will bring, remind yourself of two things.
The tomb is empty. He is risen.
Happy Easter.