This is the fifth and final devotion in a five-Sunday devotional emphasis for Easter. In this final devotion, celebrate that Jesus has risen and Easter is here. This devotional was written by Benjie Shaw. The feature art was created by Jenna Shaw.
Much is known about how Abraham Lincoln died by an assassin’s bullet. However, according to historical writer Keith Veronese, what is less known is what happened to his body afterwards. Lincoln’s original burial tomb was breached in 1876 by a group of counterfeiters who wanted to hold the body for a monetary ransom and the release of a fellow counterfeiter. Rumors spread that Lincoln’s body was missing, so his tomb was reopened twice between 1876 and 1887. Lincoln’s son Robert Todd had his father’s coffin placed in a steel cage and covered in cement to prevent theft. Thirty-six years after Lincoln’s death, his body was exhumed and twenty-six people viewed the president’s body, finally putting to rest the allegations that his body had been stolen. Lincoln’s body was subjected to unnecessary attention because people highly valued maintaining possession of his corpse.
In John 20:11-18, John shared that when Mary Magdalene arrived at the tomb the morning after the Sabbath, she found the stone had been rolled away from the entrance and the tomb was empty. She jumped to what must have seemed the obvious conclusion . . . people had stolen Jesus’ body. There was nothing left in the tomb.
Possession of Jesus’ body had been important to the Jews and to the Romans. None of them wanted His missing body to become a source of rebellion for His followers, or a sign that the things He had said had come true. Yet, early that morning, His body was gone. Mary was devastated at what appeared to be the loss of His body, until she came face to face with her risen Lord. Her words, “I have seen the Lord,” are such a simple statement, but they carried with them the eternal promise of Christ.
People put value in holding the body of a slain president because of what it might mean to them. But the true value of Jesus’ death was found in the empty tomb and His missing body, because even death could not keep Him in the tomb. In the words of the hymn I Serve a Risen Savior, “He’s in the world today. I know that He is living, whatever men may say!”
Eight Days in Jerusalem: A 40-Day Easter Devotional was compiled by Margie Williamson and is available at amazon.com and christianbooks.com. This devotion was used by permission of New Hope Publishers.
