So she (Mary) came running to Simon Peter and the other
disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the
Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put
him!†3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but
the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked
in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came along
behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there.
[John 20:2-6 NIV.]
“Have you heard the story of the auld empty barn?†Fans of the much-loved
BBC TV comedy series, Dads Army, will remember with fondness and laughter
Private Fraser’s dour question to captain Mainwaring and his hilarious sus-
pense laden quip about it…. “Well….there’s nothing in it!!†It still makes us
laugh decades later. But what about the Bible story of the auld empty tomb
and its significance as we approach Easter? Like Mainwaring and the rest of
the platoon discovered with Fraser’s story, Simon Peter, and John the be-
loved disciple, who had run to the tomb on that first Easter day because of
what Mary had told them, also discovered that there was nothing in it! It was
empty – Jesus’ broken and crucified body, laid there just three days earlier,
had gone! What had happened? As the disciples would come to understand,
the empty tomb and the strips of linen left inside, signified that Jesus had
risen from the dead and He had conquered death in three days just as He had
said. This is the reason for our Easter celebrations – Jesus died on the cross
and He rose again for us so that we may have the fullness of life now and the
promised future eternal life to come. In Jesus we are ransomed, healed,
restored, forgiven. Being beacons and telling others that Jesus is risen, lets
others know that Easter is not just about fluffy yellow chicks, cute Easter
bunnies or even yummy chocolate Easter eggs – it’s really about Jesus and
what He did for us.
Easter prayers, blessings, and love,
Robert