The Voids That Fill Us
It seems nonsense to say that a void can fill. By definition, empty means: “containing nothing.” How can we justify our title: “The voids that fill us?”
I am referring to Christianity's two most significant symbols: the cross and the empty tomb. Both are empty. Mary Magdalene was desperate when she saw the empty tomb, thinking that someone would have taken the body of the Lord Jesus (John 20:2). The empty tomb still did not mean victory for her or for others, as they did not yet know that Jesus needed to rise from the dead (John 20:9). They still didn't realize that emptiness would flood and fill their sad and discouraged hearts. Yet, that empty, apparent defeat was, in fact, victory.
When Jesus appears to Mary with his resurrected and glorified body, she does not contain herself and wants to stop Him (John 20:17). But He commands her to go and tell the disciples that He is alive.
When Jesus died on the cross, many women who had followed him were there watching (Matthew 27:55). I can imagine that when the body of Jesus was removed from the cross, their sadness, when contemplating the empty cross, became even more significant. Little did they know that the empty cross would become the most important symbol of victory. Here was the most valid evidence of a victory that the world would come to know.
The empty cross, together with the empty tomb, became, over the centuries, indisputable marks of victory over death. These “voids” fill our hearts with the concrete hope of victory over death. The cross and the empty tomb enable us fearlessly to make the same challenge as the apostle Paul.
“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:55, 57
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