“If the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied." 1 Corinthians 15:16–19
Fifteen years ago Christ’s resurrection took on a new and a significant meaning in my life as my despair was turned into a living hope.
A phone call from Kerala urged me to leave Pune immediately, as my father had met with an accident there. On arrival at the airport a large number of known and unknown relatives surrounded me. I knew in my heart something was wrong. My grieving sister came over, held me and said the words I dreaded to hear “Dad died in the accident.”
For a moment, life came to a standstill. All my hopes, dreams and future collapsed in an instant. Through that season of grief and even now, the Scriptures revealing the reality of the resurrection of Christ became and still continue to be my greatest hope. The truth of the resurrection affirms to me that our losses are temporary, our separation is temporary and our grief is temporary.
All because of the empty tomb.
On the first Easter morning, a grieving woman went to the only place she knew – the grave where her beloved Saviour’s body was laid. Mary of Magdala, the main witness mentioned at the Lord's tomb on Resurrection morning, stayed on after the apostles' departure (John 20:10-18). A woman of courage and commitment, she stood outside the tomb crying.
She had witnessed the agony of her beloved Master on the cross and now she stood outside the tomb, crying silently, grieving over her loss. As she weeps, Jesus (whom she assumes to be a gardener) comes to her with great compassion and asks her the same question the angels asked her earlier, “Woman, why are you crying?”
The amazing part of this story is the depth of Christ’s amazing love. His tenderness and concern for this sorrow-filled woman, how tenderly He asked her why she was crying. It is on realisation that the man questioning her is indeed her beloved Master, that Mary of Magdala is filled with a new-found hope in Jesus, because she goes back declaring with confidence, “I have seen the Lord!”
The resurrection turned her despair into an eternal hope and victory. The truth of the resurrection did that for me too. It transformed my despair into a living hope and an experience of victory.
Are you grieving over the loss of a loved one? Are you in despair? Has grief overwhelmed you? Be encouraged to remember at such instances and seasons, that His heart is open to hear us like He heard Mary of Magdala, who went from grieving to rejoicing, and then to proclaiming that she had seen the risen Lord.
May we meet the risen Christ afresh this season and rush to tell others the life-changing reality of His love. Of the One who died and rose again that we may have an abundant life and a glorious salvation.
"No matter how devastating our struggles, disappointments, and troubles are, they are only temporary. No matter what happens to you, no matter the depth of tragedy or pain you face, no matter how death stalks you and your loved ones, the Resurrection promises you a future of immeasurable good.” Josh McDowell
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