Rays Of Light From The Empty Tomb
William Jennings Bryan said "Christ has made of death a starlit way between the companionships of yesterday and the reunions of tomorrow."
How we shudder at the thought of Death. It embraces all the tragedy of the ages. God said to Adam "Thou shalt surely die," and as the gate of the beautiful garden closed behind them forever, Adam and Eve looking down through the ages saw a stricken world try in vain to escape the blighting shadow of death. They saw the grim reaper go forth with his sickle keen to gather the golden grain and the flowers growing between.
Death is no respecter of persons. He will stand with hand upon the cradle and rock the innocent babe into dreamless sleep, taking from a mother's life the soft touch of a baby's hand, the matchless music of a baby's laughter. Death will invade the happy golden days of childhood, and beckoning to the fairest flower that blooms bid it slip away. Death comes to those in love with life and full of hope, standing this side of the meridian of the three score years and ten, while the shadows still are falling toward the west, and death stands at the end of the pathway where the sun goes down beneath the hills, waiting to bid you pass on into tongueless silence and pathetic dust. The thought of death may be dismissed for a time but ever and anon its shadow falls across our pathway and sometimes as we look into the fact of the silvery moon, we realize that in the stillness of some night its pale beams will kiss the dew drops upon the flowers that mark our grave.
But the Christian has a hope of life beyond this grave. We are not dismayed for we know when we come to the Vale of Silence and stand in the twilight of death's gathering shadows, we may be unafraid, and through eyes of faith look beyond the valley of the shadows and behold on the golden strings the city four-square, whose maker and builder is God. Why do say this? Because Christ hath made of deaths starlit way between the companionships of yesterday and the reunions of tomorrow.
Christianity is the only religion that bases its claim to acceptance upon the resurrection of its founder from the dead. It is unique in this respect. No other religion makes such a claim because it does not dare to. Mohammedanism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Mormonism, Christian Science - these professed religions do not make any such claim. Christianity along issues such a challenge, and dares to base its acceptance upon the resurrection of its Founder from the dead.
The sun had not yet risen on the day which for us is Sunday, or the first day of the week when the women once more drew near to the garden. In the half light I can see these women in my imagination advance, breathed upon by wandering air, lost in their sadness, under the spell of an emotion they could not have explained. Were they returning to weep upon the rocks? Or to see Him once more, Him who had captured their hearts without laying them waste? Or to put about the body of the Immaculate One spices stronger than those of Nicodemus? And what did they find? An angel of the Lord.
The angels that thronged the earth at the birth of Jesus again appeared at his resurrection. An earthquake shook the earth and the watch and the women were sore afraid. But they were told, the women, to fear not. Fear not, was the first note of the angels song at the birth of Jesus to the shepherds. And, it is the first note of the message at his empty tomb. It is the first note of John's vision on Patmos. Fear not.
So the tomb where they laid the crucified Jesus was found empty by the first visitors to it.
Tombs differ in significance. In some graves sleep dishonored dust, and over others angels keep watch. The great tombs of the world are centers of attraction and draw visitors from all lands for varying reasons. The world turns with peculiar reverence and love to Washington's tomb, but it stands around the marble work encircling Napoleon's tomb with feelings of awe tingled with a sense of dread. The graves of Shakespeare and Milton, of Dante and Michelangelo all have their special means. What is the distinctive mark upon the tomb that stood in Joseph's garden on that Sunday morning 1900 years ago? This tomb was empty!
Other graves are visited and cherished by sorrowing friends or honored with world wide distinction because of what they do contain; this grave is the center of the Christian world's faith and hope because of what it does not contain.
(These words by sister Jaquith appear in the notes she used in her Bible classes. They are only a small part of her writings on the same theme. -Ed.)