He is Not Here! Where is He?

“He is not here; for He has risen just as He said. Come and see the place where the Lord was placed”, (Matt 28:6).

Jesus is the first among the dead who is risen. His resurrection is a guarantee and assurance of our own resurrection in His second coming. If He is not in the tomb; where is He? According to Matthew 28:20, He is with us and “behold I am with you always, to the close of the age”. By the power of resurrection Jesus is present in the hearts of all. Only one tomb is empty and that is the tomb of Jesus while all other tombs are closed. That is the uniqueness of Jesus.

What is He doing after his resurrection?

He is doing three things for us after His resurrection.

1. He is preaching the Word of God – “And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, He interpreted to them, in all the scriptures the things concerning Himself” – (Lk. 24:27)
2. He is breaking the bread – “When He was at the table with them He took the bread and blessed it and broke it and gave it to them” – (Lk. 24:30)
3. He is interceding for us – “... Christ Jesus who died, yes, who was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us” – (Rom. 8:34).

And now these are being carried on in the Church through the Priests. They are preaching the Word of God, breaking the bread and interceding for the people. The priest does everything through his ministry in the person of Christ (Persona Christie). He is another Christ. CCC 875 says “... From him, bishops and priests receive the mission and faculty ("the sacred power") to act in persona Christi Capitis”.

CCC 1348 – “... It is in representing him that the bishop or priest acting in the person of Christ the head (in persona Christi capitis) presides over the assembly, speaks after the readings, receives the offerings, and says the Eucharistic Prayer”.

CCC 1548 - “In the ecclesial service of the ordained minister, it is Christ himself who is present to his Church as Head of his Body, Shepherd of his flock, high priest of the redemptive sacrifice, Teacher of Truth. This is what the Church means by saying that the priest, by virtue of the sacrament of Holy Orders, acts in persona Christi Capitis”.

Where is He now?

The risen Christ is visibly present in an ordained minister:- He continues the five missions of Christ: preaching, healing, casting out demons, empowering the people with the power of the Holy Spirit and giving eternal life after death. Through the priestly ministry all these five missions of Christ are fulfilled in the Church.

He is present in His believers:- All people have a general priesthood that is the royal priesthood of Jesus Christ – “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, that you may declare the wonderful deeds of Him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light”, (1 Pet 2:9). Through this royal priesthood they also share the five ministries of Christ, not independently, but along with the ministerial priesthood of Christ which is seen in an ordained priest.

Therefore the risen Jesus is not in the tomb but by the power of His resurrection He is in you and me. He is acting through us in this world. In short He is Immanuel, He is with us – “Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a Son and his name shall be called Immanuel which means, God with us” - (Matt 1:23).

He is present in the Church:- No need to seek Jesus in the tomb but seek Him in the Assembly of His people, that is the Church. He is with the believers. Therefore all believers lay their hands on the sick and sick will recover. They will speak in tongues; they will take snakes in their hands and they will cast out demons (Mk. 16:17). This is the proof that the risen Lord is with the believers in the Church.

There is a man named Wilson Cardozo, who used to come to Logos daily. He once told me, that his father was admitted in Columbia Asia hospital for bypass surgery. I blessed his hands with the sign of the cross and asked him to go and pray over his father. He went and prayed over his father. Lo! His father was healed and discharged from the hospital without surgery. What is written in Mk 16:17 was fulfilled in his life. The Apostles went around and preached the word of God. Whatever they preached was confirmed by Jesus (Mk. 16:20). He is alive even after His death. Therefore whatever we say in the name of Jesus will be fulfilled and accomplished by Him. And by the power of his resurrection He is omnipresent. This power of resurrection is already over flowing in all the believers (Eph 1: 18-19). This is the reason for all the miracles and healings happening in the world through His name.

Jesus is present in the Blessed Sacrament:- How is He present in the Sacrament? The Church says in CCCc 281 “Jesus Christ is present in the Eucharist in a unique and incomparable way. He is present in a true, real and substantial way, with his Body and his Blood, with his Soul and his Divinity. In the Eucharist, therefore, there is present in a sacramental way, that is, under the Eucharistic species of bread and wine, Christ whole and entire, God and Man”.

Conclusion

All those who have seen and heard of the Risen Jesus, will not be in despair or in depression. Two of the disciples went to Emmaus on Easter Sunday. Jesus also joined with them as a stranger. They were depressed, fearful, confused and full of anger against the authorities. Also they had a guilt feeling, because they could not defend Jesus, and had instead run way from Him. Then Jesus shared the word of God and hearing the word of God concerning His crucifixion, death and resurrection, their hearts were burning within them with heavenly fire.

All those who are depressed having negative feelings, should listen to the World of God to make a difference in their lives. 

After seeing the risen Lord the Emmaus disciples’ lives were changed. They were filled with joy and returned to Jerusalem to proclaim the good news that Jesus is risen.

He will solve all your problems. Try to have an encounter with the risen Lord through His presence in this world. He comes wherever His word is proclaimed. Therefore preach the word of God to make His presence alive in this world. God showers all His blessings where His word is proclaimed (CCC 75).