The Tomb is Empty

Sometimes the most unlikely candidate can teach us a powerful lesson. I think the following story taken from Leadership magazine says it all. “Little Philip, born with Down’s syndrome, attended a third-grade Sunday school class with several eight-year-old boys and girls. Typical of that age, the children did not readily accept Philip with his differences. But because of a creative teacher, they began to care about the young man and accept him as part of the group, though not fully. The Sunday after Easter the teacher brought in Legg’s pantyhose containers--the kind that looks like large eggs. Each receiving one, the children were told to go outside on that lovely spring day find some symbol for new life, and put it in the egg-like container. Back in the classroom they would share their new-life symbols, opening the containers one by one in surprise fashion. After running about the church property in wild confusion, the students returned to the classroom and placed the containers on the table. Surrounded by the children, the teacher began to open them one by one. After each one was opened whether it be a flower, butterfly, or leaf, the class would ooh and ahh. Then one was opened revealing nothing inside. The children exclaimed, "That’s stupid. That’s not fair. Somebody didn’t do their assignment." Philip spoke up, "That’s mine." "Philip, you don’t ever do things right!" a student retorted. "There’s nothing there!" I did so do it," Philip insisted. "I did do it. It’s empty. The tomb was empty!" Silence followed. From then on Philip became a full member of the class. He died not long afterward from an infection most normal children would have shrugged off. At the funeral this class of eight-year-olds marched up to the altar not with flowers, but with their Sunday school teacher, each to lay on it an empty pantyhose egg.” Truly, out of the mouth of babes comes wisdom beyond our comprehension. I have been privileged to travel to Israel on multiple occasions and to observe the various places where Jesus supposedly was buried. The site changes according to the different faith traditions. However, there is one unique thing about every tomb. They are all empty.  Little Phillip got it right “The tomb was, is, and will forever be empty.”