Why Are You Here?

Fact 1: The Tomb Was Empty (24:1-3, 12)

Luke 24:1–3 ESV

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

A note on “first day of the week” as Sunday, becomes “Lord’s Day.”

“Went to the tomb” - they knew where it was because they saw him laid in the tomb.

Luke 23:54–56 ESV

It was the day of Preparation, and the Sabbath was beginning. The women who had come with him from Galilee followed and saw the tomb and how his body was laid. Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments. On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.

The first to discover the empty tomb (told in v.10): Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and some other women who were with them. From Mark 16:1 we find that one of the other women was Salome; Luke 8:3 we find Susanna.

Mary Magdalene: 7 demons; Salome, wife of Chuza, Kind Herod’s steward (Luke 8:3), also demon possessed along with Susanna.

Luke 24:12 ESV

But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.

Why these accounts must be true (first three points taken from William L. Craig, RF).

First: The claim of resurrection makes no sense without an empty tomb.

“The disciples could not have believed in Jesus’ resurrection if his corpse still lay in the tomb” (RF, 361).

Second: No one would have believed the disciples’ claim without an empty tomb.

“Even if the disciples had preached Jesus’ resurrection despite his occupied tomb, scarcely anybody else would have believed them” (ibid.).

Third: If the tomb was still occupied, the Jewish authorities could have easily proved it.

Even if the tomb was sill occupied and some people believed the disciples that Jesus had been raised, “the Jewish authorities would have exposed the whole affair by pointing to Jesus’ tomb or perhaps even exhuming the body as decisive proof that Jesus had not been raised” (ibid.).

Fourth: The Religious Leaders Knew the Tomb was Empty

Matthew 28:11–15 ESV

While they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers and said, “Tell people, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story has been spread among the Jews to this day.

Fact 2: He Told You Beforehand (24:4-8)

Luke 24:4–8 ESV

While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” And they remembered his words,

Fulfillment of Prediction is a Tell-tale Sign of Truth

Jesus consistently told his disciples that he would be crucified and then be raised on the third day. He also used parables and metaphors to describe it to others.

Matthew 16:21 “From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.” (Also in Mk 8:31-32; Lk 9:21-22)

Matthew 17:22–23 “As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.” And they were greatly distressed.” (Also in Mk 9:30-32; Lk 9:43-45)

Matthew 20:17–19

John 2:18–22 “So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking about the temple of his body. When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.”

Multiple Attestation by Independent Witnesses

Majority of Scholars Agree that Jesus’ Words are Authentic

Fact 3: The Women Testified (24:9-11)

Luke 24:9–11 ESV

and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them.

In their book, The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus, Gary Habermas and Mike Licona summarize how foolish it would be to make up something that would lend your story to be unbelievable:

“If someone concocted a story in an attempt to deceive others, we presume that they would not knowingly invent data that could hurt the credibility of their story. For example, we have heard of those who, in attempting to promote themselves, have made up stories about their heroism in the military or of having an education they really did not possess. However, is it normal to invent and spread a story about oneself as a thief or habitual liar?”

[Habermas and Licona, The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus (pp. 71-72). Kregel Publications. Kindle Edition.]

In other words, if the resurrection was made up, you certainly would not have used women to be the ones claiming it. That would have hurt their story given the cultural context.

Jewish Tradition Viewed Testimony of Women Inferior

“But let not the testimony of women be admitted, on account of the levity and boldness of their sex, nor let servants be admitted to give testimony on account of the ignobility of their soul; since it is probable that they may not speak truth, either out of hope of gain, or fear of punishment.” (Josephus, Antiquities 4.8.15)

“Any evidence which a woman [gives] is not valid (to offer), also they are not valid to offer. This is equivalent to saying that one who is Rabbinically accounted a robber is qualified to give the same evidence as a woman.” (Talmud, Rosh Hashannah 1.8)

Roman Tradition Viewed Testimony of Women Inferior

Whereas men and women had hitherto always sat together, Augustus confined women to the back rows even at gladiatorial shows: the only ones exempt from this rule being the Vestal Virgins, for whom separate accommodation was provided, facing the praetor's tribunal. No women at all were allowed to witness the athletic contests.” [Gaius Suetonius, The Twelve Caesars, Augustus 44, trans. Robert Graves (New York: Penguin, 1989), 80 quoted in The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus (p. 73). Kregel Publications. Kindle Edition.]

“If the account of the empty tomb had been invented, it would most likely not have listed the women as the primary witnesses, since in that day a woman's testimony was not nearly as credible as a man's. Thus, the empty tomb appears to be historically credible in light of the principle of embarrassment.”

Habermas and Licona, The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus (p. 73). Kregel Publications. Kindle Edition.

Former Oxford University church historian William Wand writes, "All the strictly historical evidence we have is in favor of [the empty tomb], and those scholars who reject it ought to recognize that they do so on some other ground than that of scientific history."

William Wand, Christianity: A Historical Religion? (Valley Forge, Pa.: Judson, 1972), 93–94, in Habermas and Licona, The Case for the Resurrection of Jesus (p. 73). Kregel Publications. Kindle Edition.

Fact 4: The Disciples Claimed Jesus Was Alive

Mary Magdalene Claimed to See Him (John 20:1-18)

John 20:11–18 “But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the …”

More Than 500 People Claimed to See Him (1 Cor. 15:3-8)

1 Corinthians 15:3–8 “For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.”

What’s the Best Explanation?

Did the Disciples Lie?

Did They All Hallucinate?

Was It Like the Telephone Game?

Conclusion

Mary was asked by the angel, “Why are you here?”

=> The tomb was empty; the women were told beforehand

The question for us: why are we here? Why are you here? What did you expect to see? Are you searching Jesus? Are you expecting to find him dead in a tomb?

His body is no longer there. Hundreds and hundreds of people saw him alive, including some unlikely people for the time: women. And they were the first.