For most “Christians,” the celebration of the empty tomb is over, at least for this year. That, however, may be a mistake. Tradition elevated one day as a yearly memorial to Jesus’ resurrection, but Scripture marks no such holiday or “holy day.” The difficulty in singling out such a day is that it tends to diminish the importance of the empty tomb in the daily lives of believers.
The resurrection is the central belief of Christianity. It is the historical event that validated all Jesus said and did. Among other things, it confirmed him as Lord and God (John 20:28), Lord and Messiah (Acts 2:36), and the justifier of the faithful (Romans 4:25). Jesus’ resurrection gives substance to the hope of resurrection his disciples possess (Romans 6; 8). With no empty tomb, Christian faith is worthless; Christians remain in their sins and should be pitied for living the life to which Jesus called them; for, in the next life, they too will perish (1 Corinthians 15:12-19).
Believers should not only joyfully celebrate the empty tomb one day a year as a matter of rich tradition; they should humbly celebrate it every day as a matter of eternal life.