The Hope of the Empty Tomb
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Opening Comments:
Opening Comments:
Please journey with me in your copy of God’s word to Mark 15:42-16:8. If you’re using one of our church provided Bibles, you can find your place on page number 801-802. This is God’s Holy Word.
42 And when evening had come, since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath,
43 Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.
44 Pilate was surprised to hear that he should have already died. And summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead.
45 And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the corpse to Joseph.
46 And Joseph bought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud and laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. And he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.
47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.
1 When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him.
2 And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb.
3 And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?”
4 And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large.
5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed.
6 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.
7 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.”
8 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.
Introduction:
Introduction:
Today is Easter Sunday – the day that Christians all over the globe lift our voices in unison to shout, "He is risen!" – We do this because the resurrection of Jesus is the heartbeat of our faith. It is more than just the triumphant end to the gospel narrative; it's the foundation of everything we believe. Without the resurrection our faith collapses in on itself.
17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.
The fact is, Christ did rise—and the evidence is compelling. The tomb was empty, and no one could offer a credible explanation. The first eyewitnesses were women, whose testimony held little weight in that culture, yet their accounts stood uncontested. And those same disciples who fled in fear at the crucifixion became bold proclaimers of the risen Christ, willing to die for what they had seen.
The resurrection isn't a legend—it’s history that turned the world upside down.
Mark 15:42-16:8 Is a raw, powerful account that carries us from the crushing despair of good Friday to the glorious victory of Easter Sunday. It's a story packed full of emotion; picture with me:
Joseph of Arimathea's trembling courage as he buries the Lord,
the women's tearful devotion as they approach a sealed tomb,
and the heart pounding are when an angel declares “He has risen; he is not here.”
This passage is about what happened two thousand years ago on that first Easter morning but it's also about us, our struggles, our doubts, how are desperate need for a living Savior.
This morning, let's walk through the timeline to feel the weight of these pivotal days. On Thursday night, Jesus shared the pass over with his disciples, washing their feet in humble service, teaching about his coming death, and instituting the Lord supper as a new covenant meal to remember his sacrifice.
In Gethsemane, he prayed in agony, sweat like blood falling to the ground.
44 And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
Pleading
Matthew 26:39 (ESV)
…“My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”
Betrayed by Judas’ kiss, Arrested by the temple guard, He faced trials before the Sanhedrin and Pontious Pilate by Friday morning.
At 9 AM, he was nailed to a Roman cross.
25 And it was the third hour when they crucified him.
By 3 PM, after six hours of unimaginable agony – physical, emotional, and spiritual – Jesus cried out "It is finished,” and dies (Mark 15:34-37; John 19:30). Darkness covered the land, the temple veil tour top to bottom, and a hardened Roman centurion confessed:
Mark 15:39 (ESV)
… “Truly this man was the Son of God!”
By Friday evening, with the sabbath approaching, Joseph of Arimathea buried Jesus before sundown to obey the Jewish law.
23 his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God. You shall not defile your land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance.
Saturday was a silent, sorrowful Sabbath, the disciples scattered, hiding in fear, with their hopes completely shattered.
Then, early Sunday morning, before dawn, the women went to the tomb – and everything changed.
Now, some might wonder: how do we get “three days” from Friday to Sunday?
By our modern Western way of counting, it doesn’t seem to add up. But in Jewish reckoning, any part of a day was considered a full day. So Friday—the day of Jesus’ crucifixion and burial—counts as day one. Saturday, the Sabbath, is day two. And Sunday, the day of His resurrection, is day three. This kind of inclusive counting is seen throughout Scripture, including in Esther 4:16–5:1.
Jesus had said plainly,
Luke 18:33 (ESV)
…on the third day he will rise.”
and that’s exactly what happened. As Paul affirms in 1 Corinthians 15:4,
4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
God’s timing was no accident. It was perfect—fulfilling His promises and proving His power beyond any doubt.
Why does this matter? The resurrections validity is the cornerstone of our faith. If Jesus rose, everything he claimed is true – his deity, his power to forgive sins, and his promise of eternal life. This truth empowers us to live with Hope and purpose in a world full of brokenness that often feels as if there is no meaning.
Today, we'll feel the despair of Good Friday, the uncertainty at dawn, and the overwhelming joy of the empty tomb, because this narrative speaks to our lives – our losses, our fears, and our need for Jesus.
We're going to examine Mark's account of the Resurrection in three movements.
Despair in Deaths Shadow. (15:42-47)
Dilemmas at Dawn. (16:1-4)
Discovery of the Divine. (16:5-8)
Let's dive into the text this morning.
1.) Despair in Deaths Shadow. (15:42-47)
1.) Despair in Deaths Shadow. (15:42-47)
The text begins with the sun setting on Good Friday.
42 And when evening had come, since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath,
A.) The “day of Preparation”
The "day of preparation" are the urgent hours before the Sabbath when Jews prepared to rest. The clock was ticking – Jesus' body had to be buried before sundown to keep from violating the law. The air is thick with sorrow, and the sting of the cross is still raw.
We need to focus on the cross, because Jesus burial only makes sense in the shadow cast by it.
Crucifixion was Rome’s Cruelest execution, it was reserved for rebels and slaves and designed to maximize pain and shame.
Jesus was scourged first, His back shredded by a whip laced with bone and metal, leaving him bloodied and weak.
He then carried his cross beam to Golgotha, collapsing under its wait until Simon of Cyrene was forced to help. (Mark 15:21)
When he arrived to the hill where he was crucified soldiers drove iron spikes through his wrists and feet, pinning him to the cross.
Every breath was agony – he had to push against the nails to exhale, tearing his wounds further.
Dehydration, blood loss, and asphyxiation intensified the torment.
For six hours, from 9 AM to 3 PM, he hung, mocked by passersby (Mark 15:29-30), abandoned by his disciples, and forsaken by the Father as he bore our sins.
His cry,
Mark 15:34 (ESV)
…“Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
was an echo of
1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?
This was a gut wrenching plea in Aramaic that revealed the spiritual agony of God's wrath poured out for us on Jesus.
One theologian writes, “The physical pain paled beside the spiritual horror of the sinless Son bearing our guilt."
This was Jesus, sacrificed for our salvation.
B.) Joseph of Arimathea steps into this darkness. (15:43-47)
43 Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.
Joseph was a respected Sanhedrin member waiting for God's kingdom, he risks everything – his status, safety – to honor Jesus.
“took courage”- A word meaning bold action despite fear.
You can picture Joseph with his heart pounding, standing before Pilate, the Roman governor of Jerusalem known for his cruelty, requesting Jesus' body.
Body-dead body, corpse.
This underscores the reality of Jesus death- this was no swoon and no mistake, He was truly dead.
Pilot confirms this fact.
44 Pilate was surprised to hear that he should have already died. And summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead.
45 And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the corpse to Joseph.
Joseph wraps the body of Jesus in a linen shroud, which would have been a very costly act of devotion, and lays it in his own limestone tomb hewn into a hillside.
Cave tombs were common among your day is elite, and work hard into Rocky Hills. A low entrance was sealed my heavy, disc shaped stone rolled in a groove, often weighing a ton. Inside of these tombs were shelves that held bodies, wrapped in spices to mask the decay.
Jesus being placed in Joseph's new unused tomb actually fulfilled a prophecy found in Isaiah 53:9.
To those watching Jesus being placed in the tomb and the stone being rolled at the entrance and sealed this seemed like the end. All Jesus had said and done ended in a cold, silent grave.
Verse 47 of Mark 15 tells us that Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of Joses, stood watching, filled with grief. They had followed Jesus, seen him cast out demons, heal the sick, and proclaim his kingdom. But now he was gone.
Their despair is palpable, a grief most know – when a loved one dies, when a dream shatters, when life feels hopeless. Here these women stood with their faith hanging on by a thread staring at the tomb that held their only hope.
But even in this darkness, God was at work. Joseph’s courageous act fulfills prophecy, setting the stage for God's victory. The sealing of the grave was not permanent.
Application: All of this tells us that when life feels like a sealed grave – when you're overwhelmed by loss or trial – God is moving in ways you can't see. His plan is unfolding, even in the silence.
If you're not a believer, know that Jesus entered the depths of human suffering and death for you. If you feel crushed by loss or abandonment, He understands – He bore the cross to pay for your sins. Choose to trust him today; his death offers you salvation.
Believers, when you're grieving at- a loved ones passing, a broken dream – or facing trials, trust God is working. Keep praying through the pain, like Joseph acted in sorrow. Hold fast to God’s promise:
28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
2. Dilemmas at Dawn. (16:1-4)
2. Dilemmas at Dawn. (16:1-4)
1 When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him.
The Sabbath passes and now it's Sunday. These ladies bought spices, and costly ointments to anoint Jesus' body, a tender act to honor the dead and slow decomposition.
You can almost picture them walking in the pre-dawn chill, their sandals crunching on the rocky path, hearts heavy with grief, tears staining their faces. It's their love for Jesus driving them to the tomb, despite the pain of revisiting the place where Hope had died.
As they walk, a dilemma surfaces:
3 And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?”
The stone seemed like an impossible barrier – too heavy for three women to move, likely requiring several men. The question is honest, human, and filled with anxiety. Their acting in love, but the obstacle looms large. Very large (v.4)
In first century Judea, tombs were sealed tightly to protect against grave robbers and wild animals. The women know the stones weight, but they keep walking, driven by devotion. Their question isn't a lack of faith but a reflection of their humanity – they're doing what they can, trusting God for what they cannot. Imagine their hearts racing as they near the tomb, wandering if their mission will fail.
Then, they look up and see the stone “had been rolled back.”
“had been rolled back”- Is one word in the greek that means “to cause to roll away from a particular point.”
This was an act of God's power, not human effort. The stone wasn't moved for Jesus – he didn't need an open door to rise – but for the women, so they could see the empty tomb and believe. The barrier they feared was gone before they arrived.
Application: This moment speaks powerfully to us. The women didn't have all the answers, but they kept moving in love and obedience. God met them where they were, removing the obstacle. How often do we hesitate because we can't see you the next step? God's grace often goes before us, making a way where there seems to be none.
The resurrection declares that no barrier is too great for God – not death, not despair, not our deepest struggles.
If you're not a Christian, the gospel may seem impossible – too much sin, too much brokenness to overcome. But the resurrection shows God does the impossible. Choose to trust Christ today; he's already open the way to salvation through his death and resurrection. Come as you are, and let him make you knew.
Christian, when you face challenges – health scare, financial strain, a task that feels too big - keep moving in obedience. Pray daily for God's guidance and trust he's working ahead of you provide and what you need.
19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
Don't let fear stop you end step forward in faith, and watch God move.
3. Discovery of the Divine. (16:5-8)
3. Discovery of the Divine. (16:5-8)
5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed.
Matthew and Luke’s gospels tell us this was an angel.
Why was he here?
Angels are messengers sent from God and in the Bible appear at pivotal moments (Gabriel announced the birth of Christ in Luke 1); this angel was there to proclaim Jesus victory of death and the grave.
The women were scared, Angelic appearances didn't happen every day, it makes sense they would be afraid.
The angel speaks:
6 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.
“He has Risen”-to cause someone to live again after having once died.
This points to God's mighty act in raising Jesus. The emphatic "he is not here" declares the tomb to be empty. The angel shows them the place where Jesus had been laid, the linen shroud folded, the shelf empty.
Then he gives them a commission:
7 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.”
Peter, who denied Jesus three times, is singled out for Grace – a reminder that the resurrection restores even the broken.
The women are the first witnesses, a radical choice in a first century culture that dismissed women's testimony in court. God chose these faithful followers to carry the greatest news in history, elevating their role and shattering cultural norms.
Their commission is our commission – to go and tell the world that Jesus is alive!
Verse 8 details their response:
8 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.
Their fear wasn't disbelief – it was awe, The kind we feel when God's power breaks into our lives.
8 So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.
Their transformation – from grief to fear to bold proclamation – shows the resurrections power to change hearts. These women, once paralyzed by despair, became the first evangelist, sparking of movement that spread from Jerusalem to the ends of the Earth.
Their story challenges us to move past fear and share the good news, trusting the risen Christ to empower us.
The resurrection of Jesus is history's turning point. It proves Jesus is the very Son of God, that what he taught is true, and that His sacrifice is sufficient for the remission of sin.
It fulfills prophecy's like Psalm 16:10
10 For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.
11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.
Application: The empty tomb declares that death is defeated, sin is atoned, and eternal life is available to all who believe. For us, it's a call to respond – to trust, to proclaim, to live differently. The women's Journey from fear to proclamation is yours. When you're afraid to share your faith – at work, with a friend, or in a tough conversation – pray for boldness.
The risen Christ empowers you to speak, just as he did for the women. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you the words as you share the gospel with the lost.
If you're not a follower of Jesus, the resurrection validates Jesus' claims. He's the Savior who died for your sins and rose to give you life. Repent (turn from your sin) and follow Him today— your eternity depends on it.
Don't wait to "clean up" your life; come as you are, and let Christ make you knew.
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
Church, the resurrection changes everything!
It's the corner stone of our faith, validated by an empty tomb, courageous women, and transformed disciples.
From Friday’s cross two Sunday’s dawn, God’s three-day triumph fulfilled Scripture and rewrote history. The timeline – Friday’s agony, Saturday’s silence Sunday's victory – shows God's perfect plan, counted as three days in Jewish reckoning, proving Jesus is the Messiah.
The resurrection power is this: Jesus defeated sin and death, proving He's the Savior. On the cross, he took your sin, enduring God's wrath so you could be forgiven.
8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
His resurrection guarantees that his sacrifice was accepted, death is defeated, and eternal life is yours through faith.
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
If you're not a Christian, the empty tomb calls you to act. Choose to repent, trust Christ who died and rose for you, and receive new life – not just for heaven, but for purpose and peace today.
Christian, the resurrection is your power source. It means you can forgive those who hurt you, because Christ forgave you.
13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
You can persevere through trials because Jesus lives to strengthen you.
13 I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
You can share your faith boldly, even in a skeptical world, because the risen Christ goes with you.
20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Don't sit on this truth – let it ripple out. Like the women's testimony sparked a movement, your witness can touch lives. Invite a friend to church, share your faith at work, pray for the lost in Winchester. The ripple of resurrection power started 2000 years ago and hasn't stopped.
Be part of it – live with hope, purpose, and courage. The tomb is empty. Christ is risen. Let's live like it.
Prayer:
Prayer:
Father, thank you for the resurrection of Jesus. For the lost, open their hearts to choose him today. For believers, fill us with the resurrection power to forgive, persevere, and proclaim Jesus. Make us a church that ripples your gospel to Winchester and beyond. In our risen King's name, amen.
