The Tomb Is [Still] Empty

As the women came on Sunday morning to anoint the deceased body of Jesus, they were shocked to realize that the tomb was empty. All of our faith and purpose in life is wrapped up in the belief that the tomb is still empty today.

  • Our lives will be determined based upon what we believe about the resurrection of Jesus.
  • Is the resurrection of Jesus false, fiction, or fact?

Mark 16:1-8

16 When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him.And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb.And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?”And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large.And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed.And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him.But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.”And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

Explanations for the Resurrection

  • Opponents to Christianity have concocted numerous theories that sound more ridiculous than a powerful God being able to raise someone from the dead.
  • Their desperate efforts reveal their acceptance that Jesus’ body has never been located since that Easter morning.
  • If Jesus actually rose from the dead, then we must acknowledge His undisputed lordship.

Evidences of the Resurrection

  • If someone were creating a false resurrection narrative, no one would have scripted the details this way.
  • No one can deny that something significant happened on that morning that changed the course of history.
  • The fact that we are still talking about it two centuries later on the other side of the world proves that something made skeptical cowards transform into bold witnesses.

Effects of the Resurrection

  • We fail to understand the power of the first Easter if we lack astonishment as we remember it today.
  • Jesus’ resurrection should cause us to flee from the empty tombs into the promised life that Jesus offers.
  • If the tomb is still empty, it should awaken you from a spiritual slumber and save you from a meaningless life.