What do Mary Poppins’s carpet bag, Hermione’s purse, and C.S. Lewis’ wardrobe all have in common? Let’s start with Mary Poppins. If you recall after she arrived at the Banks’ home, Mary starts to settle in and opens her carpet bag pulling out a very tall hat stand and a large potted plant; confounding Michael. Hermione has a small purse that houses all of the supplies needed for three protagonists to camp out; cots, tents, food and clothing. Finally Lucy stumbles upon a large wardrobe while playing hide-and-go-seek. This normal piece of furniture opens into the entire world of Narnia. They each present with a reasonable sized object, but all three are bigger on the inside. The term coined to express this anomaly of being “bigger on the inside” is “TARDIS-like”. A TARDIS can transport its occupants to any point in time and any place in the universe but the part that interests me the most is being bigger on the inside. It comes from the TV show Dr. Who which I have only seen once and which confused me. The TARDIS in the show presents as an ordinary London police box – if you’re not sure what that is, envision a red English phone booth and paint it blue and now you have the basic dimensions. Once you step inside the TARDIS, it becomes a gigantic room. It can also span space and time. All of these examples are fictitious, or fantasy but they help to stretch our minds beyond what we believe is possible, things beyond the laws of nature. A real life example of something bigger on the inside might be a small country library whose pages can take you places beyond its four walls. God creates many things that are bigger on the inside, because God’s reality is divine.
One commentator wrote, “David danced before the ark of God because it was bigger on the inside; the womb of the Virgin, the stable in Bethlehem, the world itself, are too small to contain the Redeemer incarnate within. The human mind, Augustine tells us, is bigger on the inside, and God is more interior than its innermost chamber. By contrast, hell is big on the outside-its ramparts span the power centers of our globe-yet… it is almost annihilating small on the inside” (Carol Zaleski, Christian Century, 3/18/15, pg. 37).
Christ’s tomb is small and is bigger on the inside. When Mary discovers the empty tomb she runs to the disciples. Peter and John have a footrace to get to the tomb. Once there, they both see only how it presented- the empty tomb, the linen burial cloths, they are unable to grasp the larger meaning. They don’t see the TARDIS-like reality of the empty tomb; how its meaning is larger on the inside. We are even told in verse 9, “they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead.” They could not see beyond the facts right in front of them, the empty tomb, nor its larger meaning. Without the meaning they simply return to their homes. Mary almost misses the grand meaning because she is so focused on finding Jesus’ body, an understandable desire. Three times she seeks an answer to where the body is laid. Once she is in the tomb the larger meaning starts to unfold. She encounters two messengers from God, their very presence say something bigger is happening. When she turns around, Jesus our risen Lord stands before her, but she does not recognize him. That is something beyond her comprehension. It is only when Jesus is calling her name, reclaiming their relationship, making a personal connection that she can go to the bigger place; let her mind see the bigger picture. The larger reality breaks through: Jesus is alive!!!
Her Lord is ALIVE! The horrible crucifixion of her Lord did not stand. Mary heard Him speak his final words from the cross, but somehow now Jesus is standing and speaking with her. God’s interruption of death for life is revealed to Mary- stretching her mind beyond- to the resurrection reality! Mary knew her Lord was alive and ran to tell the others; since that time the faithful have explored the larger meaning: Victory over death is bigger on the inside. First, Isaiah’s words are fulfilled, the Messiah will destroy the shroud cast over all people…and God will swallow up death forever. Paul later helps us understand the larger meaning, “Death has been swallowed up in victory… and the sting of death is sin” (1 Cor. 15:54-56).
We have eternal life, life with God, because of Christ’s victory over death.
We are forgiven of our sins because of Christ’s victory over death.
We live in the bigness of God’s love because of Christ’s victory over death.
That means when you mess up, do something wrong, and you ask God for forgiveness you will be granted grace and love. When your life draws to a close and you have accepted Jesus as your Savior you will be welcomed home. This divine truth spans all of time and to every place. Nothing can contain this reality: In Jesus Christ we have new life- new life now as we live in grace, and new life in our life eternal when we live with God claiming our victory over death.
This is the promise of Easter!!! Christ conquered death so that you can have eternal life. Resurrection is bigger on the inside. Paul tells us in Romans, “When we were baptized in Christ Jesus, we were baptized into his death…so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live new life. For if we have been united with Christ in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his” (Rms. 6:3-5). If you believe Christ was raised from the dead, but doubt that has any effect on your life or afterlife; this might be your transforming moment. The moment you know Christ’s resurrection belongs to YOU!
In that moment, my hope is that the communion meal we will share will be for you the banquet Isaiah proclaimed, where the fatted calves, the best wine and the best the Lord has to offer you meet to say welcome to the family of God. I pray that when we come to table you will have an Emmaus Road encounter with your Lord, that in the breaking of the bread you will see Your Risen Lord. I pray that Jesus will call you by name, making your Communion with Christ bigger on the inside.
Easter is bigger on the inside when it is on the inside of YOU! Easter is not simply a holiday or a tradition, an excuse to get a new spring dress, Easter is the reality of God’s love and Christ’s sacrifice and communion dwelling in you, changing you from the inside, making you a bigger person on the inside- one who like Mary, wants to share God’s love with the world, starting with your closest friends. He is risen; HE IS RISEN INDEED!
