IF WALLS COULD TALK . . .

the tale of jesus' tomb

There’s an old saying that goes something like this: “If these walls could talk, they’d have a tale to tell.” The idea, of course, is that things are happening, sometimes significant things, to which we are not privy. Of course, one of the most significant occurrences in human history concerns the events of the first Easter. Then, we are informed that Jesus of Nazareth overcame the destructive forces of death, defeated our worst enemy, and provided hope for all who are willing to believe.*

If Jesus has indeed conquered death, what must it have been like to see it occur? Though the disciples and others would encounter the alive-again Jesus, only God and heaven were immediate spectators to (and participants in) what occurred that day in the tomb. But, what if the walls of that sepulcher were able to report what they had observed? What if those walls could talk?

THE WORDS OF WALLS—

Sometimes it’s damp
In this place where they weep
For I am the walls where
Departed ones sleep

My turn then comes
A man laid to rest
Little is known
Of my tomb’s mystery guest

Men place him down
I can’t see his face
A stone rolled in front
That darkens this place

Hours pass to days
With my new silent friend
I guess this is death
For it seems not to end

But then, there’s a stir
At the dawn of day three
Grave clothes sink down
But what do I see?

The one they had set
On a ledge, as his bed
Was suddenly standing
And no longer dead

Radiance suddenly
Fills up the room
Angels appear
In my now joyful tomb

If walls could talk
These walls would then tell
Of Jesus’ great win
Over evil and hell

I was there on that day
And if walls could cry tears
I’d happily weep
For he’s conquered all fears

The grave couldn’t contain him
Nor darkness remain
These walls surely talk
And they shout out His name

Tombs, they’re a symbol
The victory of strife
My walls, though, are different
A chamber of life

So, come, make a visit
For here, death did fail
I saw it myself
My walls tell a tale

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* The historical support for the resurrection is substantial, and the evidence is quite compelling. Something strange took place on that first Easter, something miraculous, transformative, and life-altering.

Our faith, therefore, is not based on an empty wish but an empty tomb. Because of Jesus' conquest over death, we have genuine hope.