The Jack-in-the-Box

The Jack-in-the-Box has been around for hundreds of years and most children have either had one or played with one. The Jack-in-the-Box is always fun because you never knew when it was going to pop out. It was always a great surprise when you turned the crank, the music played and then Jack popped out of the box. There was even a little bit of fear that came along with the surprise.

The Jack-in-the-Box reminds me of a story in the Bible -- a story about a very special surprise.

Early in the morning, on the Sunday after Jesus was crucified, two women went to the grave where Jesus had been buried. They were expecting to find a stone in front of the tomb with a cold, dead corpse inside the grave.

However, they were surprised by what they found. First they were surprised to find the guards were gone and the stone had been rolled away. Next they were surprised to find that instead of Jesus’ lifeless body, there were two men in dazzling white apparel

Now they were not only surprised but they were also afraid. The men spoke to the women and told them they really had no reason to be surprised. “Why are you looking for the living among the dead? Jesus is not here, he has risen just as he told you he would.”

When the women heard these words, they remembered that Jesus had told them that he would be crucified, but that he would also rise again on the third day. Now they were no longer surprised at finding an empty grave. They rushed back to tell his disciples -- and everyone else what they had seen.

This is the reason why we celebrate Easter and continue to celebrate the Easter season for six more weeks. It is a continued emphasis on the surprises we find in the open grave. Jesus’ surprise on Easter Sunday reminds us that our resurrected Lord is with us, that our Christian loved ones will rise, and we, too, will enjoy the greatest surprise of all – seeing our risen Savior with our own eyes on the Last Day.

Jesus’ surprise on Easter Sunday gives every day a fun, enjoyable and full of blessings and surprises of grace. The Jack-in-the-Box has been around for centuries. But the surprise of the Easter tomb will last for an eternity.