“Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said” (Matthew 28:5,6).

Alfred Hitchcock once wrote a story about a woman who murdered her husband and was sentenced to life in prison. She was determined to escape.

As her prison bus approached the penitentiary, she saw an elderly prison groundskeeper filling up a grave in a cemetery outside the prison walls. Immediately, she plotted her escape.

Once inside, she befriended the groundskeeper. He was going blind and needed eye surgery. “I’ll give you the money for your surgery if you’ll help me escape,” she said. He agreed.

This was the plan. The next time she heard the death bell toll, she would sneak down to the workroom where the casket was prepared. She would slide inside with the body and pull the cover closed. The groundskeeper would wheel the casket out to the cemetery, lower it into the grave and cover it with dirt. But that night, when nobody was watching, he’d return and dig up the casket and set her free.

One night the death bell tolled. The plan was executed. The woman waited for the man to dig up the grave as planned. However, several hours passed, and no one showed up to rescue her.

In complete panic, she reached into her pocket for a match. Once lit, she glanced at the corpse beside her and saw that it was the old man himself.

Her only hope lay buried right next to her! This woman had placed her hope in another human being who she thought would be able to save her. But he went to his grave and ended up taking her with him.

Friends, every religious leader in history is in his grave right now except one, and that’s Jesus Christ. His tomb is empty. He is not there because he lives! Since Jesus is God, he has the power to overcome the grave.

That’s why Jesus’ resurrection is the ultimate miracle. You can place all your trust in him to rescue you from death. His death paid for your sins, and his resurrection guarantees that you will live with him forever!