“And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.”
Matthew 28:5-6
The question hung in the air like a fragile hope—Where could He be? The women came early, carrying spices and sorrow, expecting to honour a lifeless body. Their steps were heavy with grief, their hearts still occupied in what they had witnessed—the crucifixion, the final breath, and the sealed tomb. But the angel’s words broke through their mourning: “He is not here: for he is risen, as he said.” The place they expected to find death became the very place where life declared its victory.
How often do we search for God in places marked by past pain, disappointment, or loss? We return to what once was, expecting the same outcome, forgetting that God is not confined to yesterday’s realities. The tomb represents every situation where hope seemed buried, every moment where silence felt like abandonment. Yet, the resurrection reminds us that God moves beyond what we can see.
The women sought Jesus among the dead, but He had already stepped into life. The question, then, is not just where could He be? But are we looking in the right place? “Come, see the place where the Lord lay.” There is an invitation in those words—not to dwell in the emptiness, but to witness the evidence of transformation. The stone was rolled away not just to let Jesus out, but to let them in—to see, to believe, and to carry the news. He is no longer in the grave; He is alive, active, and present.
Charge: Because He lives, our search does not end in despair. Wherever hope seems lost, wherever dreams appear buried, remember this: if He is not there, it is because He has already gone ahead—into resurrection, fulfilment, life and solution.
Further Study: Matthew 26:32; Mark 16:7; Luke 24:5-6; John 20:16; Acts 1:3; 1 Corinthians 15:6,14; Revelation 1:18.
