Pilgrim Place

Full and empty—empty and empty—empty and full. That’s the story of Easter.

We start with a full tomb and empty hearts. Jesus was dead and buried on Friday. His body lies in the tomb. Jesus’ followers, His disciples, had empty hearts. They were distraught. Their Lord and Master was dead.

They didn’t know what to do. They were lost and confused, having the look that you see in a lost preschool child who doesn’t know where her mom or dad is. Theirs were empty hearts.

Then comes empty tomb and empty hearts. The tomb was empty. Jesus was risen. He was no longer dead.

Yet His followers didn’t know. They thought His body was stolen. Their hearts were as empty as the tomb that confronted them.

Yet that reality was about to change!

Mary Magdalene stood outside the tomb, weeping. Her heart was broken. It was truly empty. That all changed when the Gardener she had the conversation with simply said, “Mary.”At that she recognized Jesus. She cried out, “Rabboni!” and clung to Him with all her might.

At that moment her heart changed from empty to full; it was filled with the most wonderful news of all time—Jesus was no longer dead. He is alive!

So, too, the Emmaus disciples. Walking the seven miles back to Emmaus from Jerusalem on that first Easter Sunday their hearts were empty; their spirits downcast. Until, that is, they, too, had an experience with Jesus. Something began to change in their hearts as He walked with them along that road, explaining from the scriptures concerning Himself.

That’s what they said; remember? “They asked each other, ‘Were not our hearts burning within us while He talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?’ ” (Luke 24:32).

Their empty hearts slowly filled, until they overflowed, through their experience of Jesus. So much so that they hurried back those seven miles to tell the other disciples the good news. What the women said was true! Jesus was risen from the dead!

That’s what happened to those who experienced Jesus that day: their empty hearts were slowly filled with such good news that their hearts overflowed and they had to share it with their friends.

We can experience that same amazing reality. We approach Jesus with empty hearts—emptied because of our sin—alone because we have abandoned Him through our prodigal ways. He comes to us so that, even more than just hearing the news, we can have that personal experience with Him. For true life now. For life for all eternity, too.

Empty and full. That’s the story of Easter. That’s the story of our lives too. Thank you for filling our emptiness with Your truly good news that we might have a restored relationship with You, Jesus, because You are risen!

Regards, in Christ,
PJKreft