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"He is risen, just as he said." 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." - Matthew 28:5-6 You may find this hard to believe, but I remember the first chocolate bunny I ever got for Easter. I remember it because it was one of the first times I ever experienced such profound disappointment. I had seen them on the store shelf for weeks and had made it known to my parents that I wanted a chocolate bunny for Easter. For weeks I anticipated waking up that Sunday morning, running into the living room and finding a chocolate bunny in my Easter basket. Finally, the day arrived. I woke up early and made my way to the living room, silently praying that I would, indeed, find a chocolate bunny waiting for me. And there it was! Sitting in the middle of my b a s - k e t , s u r - rounded by all kinds of other candy goodies, was my chocolate bunny! Everything else fell by the wayside as my attention focused on this newfound treasure! I tore open the packaging and carefully lifted the bunny out. It felt lighter than I expected, but that really didn't register - until I bit into it. And that was when I experienced a great emptiness - literally I looked down at the chocolate bunny in my hand, and saw that it was hollow inside. There was only a thin layer of chocolate which made up the bunny's shape, and the inside was nothing but air. I was so disappointed! I felt ripped off! What I t h o u g h t w o u l d be solid chocol a t e turned out to be b a r e l y any chocolate at all! But, I guess that's the way things go. When you think something is there but it isn't, it's disappointing. When you think something is full but it turns out to be empty, you're bound to be let down, right? Not necessarily. While the emptiness of the hollow bunny was a pretty big disappointment, the emptiness of the tomb was not. As the women made their way to the tomb on Sunday morning, their intentions were to prepare Jesus' body for proper burial. They fully expected His body to be there. Yet when they arrived, the angel told them the glorious news: He is risen! I'm sure it was hard for them to comprehend, but can you imagine the joy and relief that washed over them when they heard this? They expected Jesus to be dead, yet He was alive! They expected the tomb to be full, yet it was empty! I guarantee, there was no disappointment in their hearts that day! The empty tomb filled Jesus' followers with hope and excitement! What is your reaction to the empty tomb? Does it fill you with hope and excitement? Does it fill you with an awe and reverence for God? I pray it does. But perhaps there is someone reading this right now, for whom the empty tomb holds nothing. Maybe you've heard the Easter account so many times, it's become old and trite. Maybe for you the empty tomb holds no wonder. Maybe for you the empty tomb offers no hope for tomorrow and no peace for today. If so, then I beg you to think again. Because it is the empty tomb which assures us that Jesus was telling the truth when He said He would rise again. The angel told the women "He is risen, just as he said" (emphasis mine). And if Jesus was telling the truth about that, then He was telling the truth when he said we are forgiven of our sins. It also means He was telling the truth when He said that those who accept Him as Savior and Lord would live with Him in eternity in Heaven. Chocolate bunnies may be hollow, and the tomb may be empty, but Jesus' promises of forgiveness and salvation are full. And we will never be dissappointed by Him.
Parrish Myers is a former pastor of New Hope Baptist Church. He wrote this article for the News several years ago. He is presently pastor of Pinecrest Baptist Church in Gainesville, Ga. and a columnist for the Gainesville Times.
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