“Easter says you can put truth in a grave, but it won’t stay there.”
The empty tomb changed everything. On the first day of the week, as dawn broke over Jerusalem, Mary Magdalene stood weeping outside the garden grave. Her grief turned to astonishment when she encountered the risen Jesus. “Mary,” He called her name, and in that single word, sorrow gave way to joy. She had met the living Christ.
This encounter was not meant to remain private. Jesus instructed her, “Go and tell my brothers.” The resurrection was never intended to be a secret miracle for a few; it was a world-altering reality to be proclaimed. From that moment, the followers of Jesus were commissioned to go, transformed by encounter and compelled to share the news.
The Gospels record multiple appearances of the risen Christ, each one purposeful. To the disciples hiding in fear behind locked doors, Jesus appeared, showing His wounds and breathing on them the Holy Spirit. “Peace be with you,” He declared, replacing terror with courage. Thomas, doubting the reports, demanded proof. When Jesus invited him to touch the scars, doubt dissolved into worship: “My Lord and my God!”
On the road to Emmaus, two discouraged followers poured out their shattered hopes to a stranger. As the risen Lord opened the Scriptures to them, their hearts burned within. Only when He broke bread did they recognise Him. Immediately, they returned to Jerusalem, their weariness replaced by urgency to share what they had seen.
Even by the Sea of Galilee, where Peter and the others had returned to fishing, Jesus revealed Himself again. After a miraculous catch, He restored Peter with three gentle questions of love, commissioning him to “feed my sheep.” Failure was not the end; encounter with the risen Christ brought restoration and renewed purpose.
These encounters followed a clear pattern: confrontation with the living Christ, transformation of heart and mind, and immediate commissioning to go. The disciples emerged from each meeting forever changed. Fear became boldness. Doubt became declaration. Grief became gospel proclamation.
The same pattern continues today. When men and women encounter the risen Jesus, through His Word, through prayer, through the testimony of others, their lives are radically altered. Addictions break. Bitterness melts. Purpose ignites. No one meets the living Christ and remains the same.
We are not called to hoard this resurrection power. Like Mary, the Emmaus travellers, and Peter, we are commissioned to go. The news is too good to keep silent: Christ is risen! Death has been defeated. Forgiveness is offered. New life is available.
In a world still gripped by despair, fear, and meaninglessness, the church must rise and reveal. We carry the same mandate the first witnesses received, emerge transformed and share the news. Tell your neighbor. Proclaim it in your workplace. Declare it to the nations.
The tomb is empty.
The Savior lives.
Now go!
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