On the first Easter Sunday, something unique happened. Several women came to Jesus’ tomb, hoping to finish the embalming task they had hastily started on Friday afternoon. When they reached the grave site, the stone was rolled away and Jesus was gone. He conquered death and rose from the grave under His own power. Now, graves are sometimes found to be empty, but never because the deceased left under his own power. That was unique.
The Jewish leaders, in a hastily called meeting, partnered with the Roman guards and decided to blame grave robbers – a logical possibility. But there was a problem – the Savior kept showing Himself alive to various people – Mary Magdalene, the 10 disciples (and a week later to Thomas), the two men on the Emmaus road, and about 500 others over a period of a few weeks. It’s hard to make a “grave robber” story stick when the deceased keeps showing up under His own power!
Jesus was alive…is alive. It’s the basis for our faith. The empty grave is what makes Christianity unique, and it’s the event that verifies Christianity as true. It really does change everything. Have you trusted the Risen Savior?