Leave it in the Tomb

Peter saw, “ the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head, the cloth was still lying in it’s place, separate from the linen” (John 20:7 NIV)

When Jesus was laid in the tomb, they covered His face and body separately with burial linens as was the custom of the time. When Mary and the others came to the tomb on that Resurrection day morning, they found the stone rolled away and the tomb empty. I love the words of the angel that proclaimed, “He is not here, He has risen”.

I know that the Creator of the Universe did not need any help to roll that stone away. That stone had no bearing on Jesus coming out of that tomb. The rolled away stone was there not for Jesus, but for those who came to the tomb that morning. The stone was rolled away not so Jesus could come out, but so they could go in. They needed to see and understand who came out of the tomb and what was left in the tomb. It is very important to make that distinction! We know that Jesus came out… but the grave clothes were left inside. For us today, the resurrection of Jesus means that… new life came out with Him, the hope of our own resurrection was made so real, the truth of God’s Word was further established, every promise He ever spoke was confirmed and our future together with Him came out of that tomb that day!

But along with those grave clothes, what stayed in the tomb? In that place of death, the tomb, stayed our sin and iniquity, our past, our hopelessness, our doubts, our failures and mistakes, our fear of death and dying, our separation from God, our lonliness and our weaknesses.

As we celebrate the wonder and awesomeness of the Resurrection of our Lord… what do you have to leave in the tomb? Let it go and walk in the hope and joy of His resurrection!