Blessed Absence – Anne Adams
“He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.” Matthew 28:6 KJV)
When I was in college our French instructor opened each class by calling the roll, and we were to respond in French: “ici” (here, or “present”). One day I decided to liven things up by saying something unusual – in French naturally. So, when she called my name I responded, “Je ne suis pas ici.” Which in English means “I am not here.”
Unusual to be sure, but even though it was certainly grammatically correct in English or French it was also completely illogical – for how could I say “I’m not here” when I was there? How could anyone say something so pointless! Yet the women spoken to in this passage (Mary Magdalene and another Mary) did encounter someone in their lives who certainly could say that.
So, let’s imagine Jesus Christ standing in front of his empty tomb and saying “I am not here” and it has an eternally profound meaning. The women had seen his death agonies, watched him die, and then seen his inert body removed from the cross, and tenderly placed in the empty tomb. In the ensuing gloom, they had forsaken that scene in their sorrow, but would soon encounter the living…..breathing… and triumphant figure of that same man. They would see him with their eyes, touch him with their hands and hear his words with their own ears.
Obviously, I can’t share their experiences that way, but like them, I can continue to leave the empty tomb and live my life in the light of the reality of his resurrection. “I am not here”? Of course, for me, that’s certainly an illogical and even ludicrous statement. But for our Savior and the empty tomb, it is an eternal reality and promise.
Anne lives in Texas. She has been featured in Christian and secular publications. Contact
