The Empty Tomb the Women Found

THE Empty Tomb THE WOMEN FOUND EMPTY EXPLANATIONS

TODAY’S READING: MATTHEW 27:62–28:15

No element in the Easter story is more troubling to unbelievers than the report that the followers of Jesus found the tomb empty that Sunday morning.

Some simply deny it, saying that the women and others went to the wrong tomb. Others think that Jesus was not quite dead when He was buried, and somehow He revived and got out of the tomb—even though the Roman soldiers had declared Him dead (JOHN 19:33), an eyewitness saw blood and water flow from the pierced body (V. 34), and His body had been wrapped tightly with strips of linen containing 100 pounds of spices (V. 39).

In the first century, even Christ’s enemies agreed that He had died and the tomb was empty. They bribed the guards to say that the disciples stole His

DEATH HAS BEEN SWALLOWED UP IN VICTORY.

1 CORINTHIANS 15:54

body (MATTHEW 28:11-15).

Jesus rose from the grave in a real body, and that means everything to us. When a Christian friend or loved one dies, we can be confident that we will meet again. The body may turn to dust, but God will not forget it. It will be transformed into a body perfectly designed

for heaven (1 CORINTHIANS 15:35–50). This is not wishful thinking. It is an expectation based on solid evidence.

Thank You, Lord, for the empty tomb of Jesus. o

HERBERT VANDER LUGT

How is your life different today because of the empty tomb?

Lord Jesus, I praise You for the empty tomb! Death is defeated; the victory is Yours alone!

IS THERE HOPE?

TODAY’S READING: MATTHEW 28:1-7

Isat quietly at the graveside of my father, waiting for the private family burial of my mother to begin. The funeral director carried the urn that held her ashes. My heart felt numb and my head was in a fog. How can I handle losing them both within just 3 months? In my grief I felt loss and loneliness and a little hopeless facing a future without them.

Then the pastor read about another graveside. On the first day of the week, early in the morning, women went to Jesus’ tomb, carrying spices for His body

(MATTHEW 28:1; LUKE 24:1). There they were startled to find an open and empty tomb—and an angel. “Do not be afraid,” he said to them (MATTHEW 28:5). They didn’t need to be afraid of the empty tomb or of the angel, because he had good news for them.

Hope stirred when I heard the next words: “He is not here; he is risen, just as he said” (V. 6). Because Jesus had come back to life, death had been conquered! Jesus reminded His followers just a few days before His death: “Because I live, you also will live” (JOHN 14:19).

Even though we grieve at the loss of our loved ones, we find hope through the resurrection of Jesus and His promise that there is life after death. o

HE IS NOT HERE; FOR HE IS RISEN, JUST AS HE SAID.

MATTHEW 28:6

ANNE CETAS

What hope does Jesus’ resurrection give you in any grief you are experiencing? How does the empty tomb help calm your fears?

Thank You, Lord, for comfort and hope. What would I do without You? Your death and resurrection provide all I need for this life and the next.

RUNNING TO TELL

TODAY’S READING: MATTHEW 28:8–10

The modern-day marathon is based on the story of a Greek messenger, Pheidippides. According to legend, in 490 bc he ran approximately twenty-five miles from Marathon to Athens to announce the Greeks’ victory against their formidable foe, the invading Persians. Today, people run marathons for charitable causes and for the personal satisfaction of an athletic achievement. Pheidippides’ effort was also full of joy: each of his steps brought him closer to delivering good news to his kinsmen!

Some five hundred years later, two women also ran to deliver good news—the most pivotal news in all of history. When Mary and Mary Magdalene arrived at the tomb where Jesus had been placed after His crucifixion, they found it empty. An angel told them that Jesus had “risen from the dead” and to “go quickly and tell his disciples” (MATTHEW 28:7). The women, “afraid yet filled with joy,” ran to tell the disciples what they’d discovered (V. 8).

May we have the same joyful exuberance at the resurrection of Jesus, and may it invigorate us to share the good news with others. We may not even need to ‘run’ further than next door to find someone who needs to know about our Saviour. He won the battle against death so we might live victoriously with

SO THE WOMEN . . . RAN TO TELL HIS DISCIPLES.

MATTHEW 28:8

Him forever! o KIRSTEN HOLMBERG

Who shared the good news of Christ’s resurrection with you? How will you share it with others today?

God, I rejoice because of Your victory over death. Thank You for allowing me the privilege of sharing this good news with those You’ve put in my life.