Belief in the resurrection is essential to our faith, yet the account of Jesus’ resurrection, or rather the lack of it, leaves us as confused as the original disciples. We’ve been left with a puzzle with pieces missing, a story with an important part untold. As Christians we are reminded that religion is ultimately a faith not a science.
Our human search for certainty urges us to try and work out who moved the stone, but at this point all we can do is put the resurrection into the context of the rest of Jesus’ life and teachings. We have to trust that everything Jesus has told us is true, and that the resurrection is not just an invention to give a tragic story a happy ending, but the realisation of the promises Jesus made all along. Jesus promised all along that death couldn’t contain us, and the empty tomb points to this not necessarily as proof, but as truth.
So how do we find that trust that everything Jesus has told us is true? First of all we have to develop a toolbox of faith, trust, and intuition. Christians are accused of propping up impossible and improvable theories with blind faith. If this were true the accusers would have a point, but true faith runs deeper than this. We all use faith in every walk of life and we all need trust. People of faith are people who can push boundaries and take brave steps into the unknown. People of trust recognise possibilities in others and in themselves. People of intuition recognise integrity and truth. Anais Nin said,” We don’t see things as they are, we see things as we are.” “What you believe sets a course for your future and directs your daily activities. Consequently, when you believe only what you can see, a whole world of possibility is lost.”
The empty tomb gives our life purpose. Belief in the resurrection means we can live life boldly and well, looking forward to eternal life. The empty tomb gives us a means to deal with pain and suffering, it means that death is not a meaningless end of life, but the door to the fullness of life with the risen Christ.
