The Empty Tomb

April 2, 2023 Background Scripture: Luke 24: 1 - 12 Lesson Passage: Luke 24: 1 - 12 Congratulations! Welcome aboard! Your application has been approved! These expressions often change our mood from numbing fear to unspeakable joy. These expressions often mean that someone, or a committee, has reviewed our documented credentials and determined that we have met the threshold for approval. We waited to hear from them in the hope that what we submitted would be accepted. However, we braced ourselves for the prospect of a disappointing response hence the numbing fear. We want that moment of relief to last forever, but we know it won't. Yet, we never want to forget how we felt the moment it happened. Then after that moment of exhilaration comes the silent contemplation about what it all means. What happens next? What if this notice was sent in error? Perhaps I should read it again to be sure I'm not overlooking anything. We sometimes refer to this as having our emotions on a roller coaster. There were many emotional swings in today's lesson. A group of women had waited for two days to return to the tomb that held Jesus' corpse. They prepared spices and oils the first day to be used to properly anoint His body out of love and respect for the Jewish prophet, Jesus. There was not enough time to do it on the day of His death since the Sabbath commenced at sunset. They rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the Law. Their opportunity came early in the morning on the first day of the week, The Sabbath had ended, and they were again free to do the work of anointing the body with the spices and oils. As they traveled in grief to the tomb, they discussed among themselves who would roll the large stone away that was covering the entrance. They arrived at the tomb and saw that the stone was already removed from the entrance. They entered and saw that Jesus' body was not there. In their moment of confusion concerning what had happened to the body, they were frightened to see what they believed to be two men in shining clothes standing by them, The men told them that the body was not there because Jesus was alive. He had risen from the dead even as He had told them He would. The women rushed from the tomb to tell the disciples (the eleven and the others) what had happened. Their statement to the group was not received as good news, but rather nonsense. The group had witnessed Jesus' brutal and inhumane death. It was a public spectacle meant to discourage any prospective criminal It was the worst form of capital punishment because the victims were beaten and then nailed to a cross that was elevated along a well-traveled road while they were still alive. This caused them to suffer before losing consciousness and dying. The disciples had seen Jesus beaten beyond recognition and nailed to a cross. They saw His dead body before it was removed from the cross by two of the followers. His body had to be handled quickly to bury it before the onset of the Sabbath. There was not enough time to properly anoint it. If the body remained on the cross, or outside of a burial place, it would pollute the land according to the Law. They saw what happened, and two of them participated in removing the body and burying it. Peter left the group to go see for himself. When he arrived at the tomb and looked inside, indeed the body was not there. Peter was amazed and confused. The tomb was empty, but the resurrection made no sense. Only believing in the words of Jesus will cause the resurrection to make sense. Then, and only then, will the empty tomb cause one to celebrate. It was an emotional roller coaster. Stay tuned. Robert C. Hudson March 16, 2023