Volume 28, No. 15
April 20, 2003
MT
One Easter Sunday, members of a United Methodist Church in Pennsylvania
entered the sanctuary of their church to find two gigantic red letters behind
the altar. The letters were MT.
Empty. The tomb was empty. That’s all we need to know to find a fullness in
life that won’t be possible if we really don’t believe the resurrection story.
But it’s time to paint or get off the ladder.
Paul said it best. If Jesus wasn’t raised from the dead, “your trust in God
is useless“, you’ll still pay for your sins, and all that talk about living in
heaven is either a deliberate lie or a soft-headed delusion (1 Cor. 15:14-18).
If this life is as good as it gets, we Christians are “the most miserable people
in the world”, deserving of pity because our faith is founded on stupidity (v.
19).
But if the tomb really was empty, we can be sure of so much more: the
Bible’s true, God’s in control, He’s actively involved in our lives, and we’re
going to live with him forever if we respond to his free offer of forgiveness
and eternal life. But we can’t have it both ways.
Yet that’s precisely what most people want. I see it at funerals all the
time. When death claims those who’ve had no room for a real relationship with
Jesus and his church — and the Bible makes it clear it’s a package deal — the
grieving want the comfort of knowing their loved one has gone to heaven. I find
it harder and harder to give that reassurance when the Bible says no such
thing. We can leave some room for the grace and mercy of God, but He’s already
told us in his Word that heaven is reserved for those who not only believe Jesus
made a comeback, but act on that belief with a personal and consistent
commitment to both him and his people. For those who choose not to, even if
they live a “good” life, the Bible’s words of comfort are MT, addressed to
someone else. The time to think about eternity is now. Despite what you may’ve
heard, heaven can’t wait.
And what about those of us who say we believe? Too often, we send
conflicting messages. We believe the resurrection but doubt God’s ability to
bring our faith or dreams back to life. We believe He can raise his Son, but
not the money we need. We believe the Holy Spirit can breathe new life into a
cold corpse but not a cold heart, whether it’s ours or somebody else’s. When it
gets personal, the resurrection promise leaves us MT.
It reminds me of the Roman soldiers who ridicule Christ by giving him a
purple robe and a stick that serves as a scepter. They bow before him in mock
respect, then grab the stick out of his hand and beat him with it. Each time we
doubt the promise of Jesus to use his power in our lives, we make a mockery of
our trust in him. We take back the authority that rightfully belongs to him and
wound him with it as we go our own way, tired and MT.
Above all, the message of the resurrection is one of hope and possibility.
It cries out with the news that ours is a God of miracles, not bound by our tiny
expectations or faltering faith. The tomb teaches us that everything is not
always as it seems; that God’s power will ultimately be displayed in due time;
and that his glory is seen best when it works in what appears to be a hopeless
situation.
So let’s not make the same mistake as those on Easter morning who went
looking for Love in all the wrong places. You won’t find Jesus in a past that’s
dead and gone. You won’t find him in a cemetery of guilt and regret. On this,
the dawn of a new day, He’s gone ahead to get things ready for your future. No
sense hanging around the tomb. It’s MT.
By Rick Gamble, published in Cross Current, the weekly newsletter of the
Followers of Christ congregation in Brantford, Ontario, Canada. Reprint at will
in not-for-profit publications. To subscribe, contact
sgamble@bfree.on.ca