It’s funny isn’t it, the things we say when someone dies. We say that our loved one “didn’t make it.” But friends, they did make it, they got to exactly the place where they were meant to be and the place we are hoping to reach one day. We talk about “losing a loved one.” But we haven’t lost them. We know exactly where they are.
In Mark 16, the women have gone to Jesus’ tomb to try and anoint the body but they are unsure of how they will actually get into the tomb to do this because of the great stone rolled in front of it. When the women reach the tomb, they discover that the problem of the stone has been removed but there is a greater problem awaiting them (or so it seems).
The tomb is empty and their first thoughts are that someone for wicked purposes has stolen the body. Jesus appears to be missing. However, they are met by angels with great words of comfort and encouragement.
“You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’”
Jesus wasn’t in the tomb but nor was he missing. He had risen from the dead and was going ahead of them to meet them at the next point on the journey.
It may be that you feel right now that you have lost someone precious to you. It may well be that you feel completely lost yourself. In fact, the Bible tells us that if we don’t yet know Jesus that we are lost. Luke compares us to a lost sheep, a lost coin and a lost son.
The remedy to lostness in both cases, is knowing where Jesus is. For the believer, this means knowing that Jesus is exalted to the highest place in Heaven. It means knowing that we then are seated with Christ, that he is present with us through the Holy Spirit.
Faithroots 