Devotion Corner

Luke 24:1-2 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. And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.

How wonderful was that first Easter morning! The women had readied themselves to serve their Lord in preparing His body suitably for the tomb. That fearful house of death, hidden in heartbreaking misery behind the overwhelming great stone that shut off the tombs entrance. Making their way to that tomb through the darkness of the early morning, they stepped heavily as their eyes were filled with grief filled tears. Death had seemingly claimed the one whom their souls loved.

Yet when they arrived, the stone was already removed from its deeply entrenched position. The guards stationed to watch over the tomb were nowhere to be seen, as they had already fled in terror at seeing an angel come to roll the stone away. And so, they looked at a monument to death that had been vanquished of all its power by their dear Lord and Master. They could look into that fearsome house of death that was the tomb, and see it devoid of its claim to terror, for it was empty! The one whom that tomb had eagerly snatched away from the world, had been forced to surrender Him up, for death had no claim on His sinless life. 

And so it is for all those who believe on the risen Lord Jesus as their Saviour and Redeemer. We all can view death for what Christ Jesus has rendered it to be, an empty enemy denied its terror by His victory that first Easter morning! He who rose from the tomb to become the first fruits of the Resurrection, greeted those women with triumphant words of “Hail!” Those joy filled words that broke the darkness of that early morning hour, pulled the women’s eyes from the tomb and towards His risen glory! 

His invitation to each of us to enter His joy echoes His greeting to the women that Easter morning. It is an eternal heralding of His victory that bids us to delight in victory, His victory, so that we need not fear the tomb. Instead, we will be able to bid farewell to this life in anticipation of receiving our Lord’s joyful, “Hail!” when we enter into His eternal peace and joy.