My heart raced as I held my breath. It happened so quickly, I’d had no warning to prepare my heart and head for where I was and what I was feeling. Our small tour group had been told we’d see the tomb where they were almost positive Jesus was placed in, but I never imagined I’d actually stand inside it!
Suddenly, I felt I was standing inside Scripture. Surrounded by my family, all I really saw was Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus laying Jesus’ dead body down. I looked around as if I might still see one of the linen strips that captured the attention of His disciples, John and Peter. I felt Mary Magdalene’s panic at His absence and realized I was holding my breath in anticipation of angels returning at any moment to tell us why Jesus was no longer there.
This garden tomb was so simple and unassuming. Just like the manger where He was first laid, this tomb was totally void of grandeur. Just a plain and small tomb, yet it marked the most life-altering, transformative event ever known to man.
“He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.” (Matthew 28:6)
I was standing inside the story that changed everything.
This is what will forevermore come to mind when I think of Easter: an empty tomb that could not hold my Savior.
This story is not the work of fiction. Resurrection Sunday is not some far-fetched, fantastical tale meant to enchant it’s readers. This is truth and love in its rawest, most beautiful form. Our Father loved us more than life itself. But, Hope is not dead. Jesus is not some mortal man still buried in a tomb. He is the Savior who came back to life for you and for me. He is ours to embrace in this life and the next. He is alive and He is forever for us.
“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”
-Jesus, John 10:10
This is what Easter means to me.
Meet the Author!
Bible teacher, author, inspirational speaker and disciple-maker, Vickey Banks is passionate about helping women connect the dots between God’s Word and their everyday lives. She loves serving as Women’s Ministry Director at Council Road, celebrating her people, playing with her puppy and getting lost in a good story.