In recent years, it has become popular to think outside the box. This phrase is used to encourage folks to be creative and escape existing mindsets to embrace new ideas and solutions. Fast food companies have even employed this concept to tempt us to try their cuisine by thinking outside the bun.
I wonder what would happen if we started thinking outside the tomb. Throughout history, human beings have lived in death’s shadow. We’ve lived with the reality of our own approaching demise and this reality colors all that we do as well as the ways we think. Death is the ultimate limiting factor and one that intimidates us into small thinking, fear, and inaction.
Jesus, however, encouraged us to think outside the grave, outside the casket, and outside the tomb. Several times during His ministry, He told His disciples He would rise from the dead but because they were blinded by their own experiences, they couldn’t even entertain, much less understand how someone could live again. The box of human death sealed them in.
Even after Jesus’ resurrection, He had to appear in person for some of His own disciples to believe He’d done it. They disbelieved the women and other eyewitnesses and Thomas was so stubborn, Jesus had to show Him the nail prints in His hands to get him out of the box.
After becoming convinced, however, the disciples were unstoppable. Once fearing for their lives, they now became bold evangelists spreading the news of Jesus’ resurrection and what it meant with everyone everywhere. They did this in spite of threats, imprisonment, torture, and certain martyrdom. They didn’t care. They had seen One who had conquered death and they knew that this was game changing news that all should hear.
As the disciples learned to think outside the tomb, fear of their own demise no longer worried them or even slowed them down. It changed the way they spent their time and their money. And it transformed their outlook on life and on eternity.
Because Jesus’ resurrection has never been disproven, despite many earnest attempts, we too would be wise to do more thinking outside the tomb. When we begin to grasp the fact that death is not our end and that we shall live again, we begin to live differently. Instead of spending all our time and energy trying to avoid death, we will begin to invest all we have for the eternity that lies beyond it. Rather than seeking constant pleasure and earthly satisfaction, we will willingly endure pain and suffering if it advances the gospel.
It will also change the way we spend our money. Instead of collecting more and more earthly wealth that will eventually perish, we will invest in eternal assets of people’s souls. We will lay up treasures in heaven by investing in God’s Kingdom and by helping the poor and needy.
When we realize that Jesus has already conquered the worst that can happen to us, it inspires our faith to trust Him for lesser things like our daily needs, our health, our financial challenges, and our interpersonal relationships. We begin to live with an excitement and joy of holy expectation waiting to see what God will do next. If someone can rise from the dead, we now know that nothing else is impossible either. All negative bets are off and all opportunities are now in play!
Thinking outside the tomb will also change the way we pray. Instead of weak wimpy feeble prayers, we will come confidently before the throne of grace seeking bold audacious moves of God in our circumstances, our families, our churches, and our world.
As we allow the truth of the resurrection to sink into our hearts and minds this Easter, let’s allow it to permeate our faith and transform all that we do. Because He is risen, let’s learn to think outside the tomb! Resurrection blessings! George