After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.” So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.” Matthew 28:1-10 (NIV)
Originally the word simply meant “above a tomb.” Today we know them as “epitaphs.” They are messages, in words or symbols, that have been inscribed on a grave marker. Some epitaphs tell us only the name and life dates of a grave’s occupant. Others provide additional information about the deceased and may even contain messages for the living. We are not told about any epitaphs inscribed over Jesus’ tomb. But its emptiness offered a number of messages for those who visited it. On the first Easter Sunday, the angel who sat on the stone door of Jesus’ tomb served as a living epitaph. He had this to say about the one who had been in the grave: “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.” Although Jesus had died on the previous Friday, he now lived forever. On Easter Sunday Jesus’ empty tomb served as an epitaph that proclaimed the fact that the grave had no power over him. Since Jesus had predicted his resurrection, there was another powerful epitaph behind the emptiness of his tomb. It proclaimed the fact that Jesus keeps his word. When he makes a promise, it will be done! What Jesus predicts always comes true! Just as modern epitaphs frequently carry more than just a message about the person who occupies the grave beneath them, so too the epitaph at Jesus’ tomb was meant for the living. Jesus’ resurrection declared that his sacrifice for the sins of the world had been accepted by his Father. Anyone peering into Jesus’ empty grave was witnessing the proof that their sins were forgiven. The fact that Jesus’ tomb was unoccupied also told the living that death had been defeated and that those who die will rise again.
Today as we read Matthew’s account of the early hours of Easter Sunday, he again gives us the opportunity to read and hear the “epitaphs” at Jesus’ grave. The word “empty” over Jesus’ tomb changes our perspective when we stand at the grave of another, or reflect on our own mortality. It tells us to set aside our fears and to believe the good news we have heard today. Now like the women who first visited Jesus’ empty tomb, we are also led to worship our living Lord Jesus. And today we too listen to him as he sends us on our way with a mission to go and share with others the good news of Easter.
Prayer
Dear Jesus, as I reflect on this day of joy and celebration, fill me with confidence that through your suffering, death, and resurrection my sins are forgiven and eternal life is mine. Amen.
Michael Otterstatter serves Martin Luther College as vice president for mission advancement.