The Empty Tomb (Easter)
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Intro
Intro
Good morning, Gateway Chapel!
Scripture
Pray
Intro
Jim Gaffigan
Easter spending—projected to break records at more than 17 billion dollars this year—is also significant, though not necessarily religiously motivated. Americans even spend more on candy for Easter than for Halloween. The average American celebrating Easter is expected to spend $28.11 on candy this year.
What is the true symbol of Easter? The empty tomb!
Reference the series we’re in, reference the year of biblical literacy.
Our scene begins outside the tomb.
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.
If you were with us on Good Friday, we read the texts leading up to this, which give an account of Jesus’ crucifixion. Not just his crucifixion but his dark hour of suffering in the garden, where his friends deserted him in prayer. The people closest to Jesus fail him. They fall asleep when he needed their prayers, Judas betrays him for a few pieces of silver, and three times Peter denies he even knew him.
Jesus is wrongfully convicted on the basis of false witnesses, he is delivered over to Pilate who like a coward hands Jesus over to be crucified, the worst death imaginable in much of human history. Jesus is mocked, hit, stripped, and led to be crucified like a criminal alongside two robbers. With his last breath Jesus quotes Psalm 22, “My God My God why have you forsaken me?” and breaths his last.
All of this happening on that dreadful Friday of Passover week. The one we thought was the Son of God, sent to save us, is dead. What a start to the weekend.
Some of the people on hand to watch Jesus’ crucifixion are Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome, who show up again here in chapter 16. It says they were looking on from a distance. Fear kept them from being with Jesus, but distance is better than absence…Jesus’ male disciples were nowhere to be found.
These women loved Jesus. It says in Mark 15:41 that these and many other women followed and served him. Imagine they’re conversations about him, “Have you ever met a man like Jesus?” But this man died.
You can’t do much on the Sabbath which is Friday evening to Saturday evening, so Mary, Mary and Salome wait until after the Sabbath to go buy spices for Jesus. Why? Not to embalm, but to symbolically perfume the corpse in an act of devotion. These women loved Jesus.
Sunday morning, before they’ve even had their coffee, the sun rises and they’re off to see Jesus’ body. And it says they’re having this conversation with each other, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?”
GARDEN TOMB PICTURE
This is a picture of The Garden Tomb outside of Jerusalem. It’s a tomb carved out of the rock, it was discovered in 1867, and some believe if it’s not the tomb where Jesus was laid, it is very similar to what it would look like. These tombs had no doors, just entrances as it says in verse 3. In front of the entrance was a groove, and in the groove ran a circular stone as big as cartwheel (Steve Jordan go ahead and stand up and do a cartwheel). But when that stone got down in the groove, it was really really really hard to move.
But like you or I ask our friends with a truck to help us move, why didn’t they ask their strong guy friends to help move the rock?
19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
It is likely all the guys are too afraid to even go outside.
Perhaps they’ve been too grieved to raise their eyes, or too despondent to notice their surroundings, but all of the sudden they look up and ‘Huh?’ the stone isn’t in the groove, it’s been rolled back. And guys, it was a big stone.
First point: The empty tomb is a symbol of surprise.
It is incredibly surprising that the women go to the tomb rather than the men. Jesus’ 12 disciples are all men. Where are they? Hiding in a locked room! The ones who should have been devoted and caring to Jesus after his death are nowhere to be found.
It’s incredibly surprising that Mark uses the testimony of women to establish Jesus’ resurrection. Jewish opinion of women in religious matters was suspect at best. Women’s testimony couldn’t be used in court. Two centuries after Mark was written, an atheist named Celsus would needle Christians by saying the resurrection was “gossip of women about the empty tomb.”
If you were going to make up a story, and you needed a star witness, it would not be formerly demon possessed Mary Magdalene, and a couple moms Mary and Salome.
And isn’t it surprising that the living are consumed with death - going to a tomb to put spices on a corpse - but the one who was crucified is now consumed with life.
Are there areas in your life that look like death, but God is asking you to look up and see life?
Do you feel like because of who you are or what you’ve done, you’re not worth the love of God or others? The empty tomb is a symbol of surprise
The empty tomb is a symbol of surprise. You thought after another failure
Following Jesus is life turned upside down. The people you think are worthless, are the ones worth the highest honor. The ones visiting the food bank, the refugee, the divorced mom of three, the pregnant teenager, the unemployed..are the ones who are most likely to receive the kingdom.
Being a Christian means even things that look like death can surprise us and turn to life. Anxiety, family dysfunction, worries about finances, lust...
Our story moves from outside the tomb to now inside...
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.
Unexpected surprises continue as the women are greeted by a young man…Mark doesn’t say an angel, but this man is dressed in a white robe, and they are alarmed. In Matthew’s account, this person’s appearance is like lightning and his clothing is white as snow…but in true Mark fashion Mark just keeps it simple…they’re alarmed by a young man in a white robe. What more do you need to know?
It says they were alarmed. If you haven’t been to church in a while and you grabbed a dusty King James Bible off the shelf for church today, your Bible says they were affrighted. This word is only used in Mark and it’s used to describe Jesus being troubled in the garden before his death, or crowds being amazed by Jesus after his miracles. It’s like if you were home schooled and you visited a public school dance. You’d be alarmed.
But the angel says, “Do not be alarmed! You're looking for Jesus, right? From a distance you watched him be crucified. But guess what, he’s not dead anymore. And his body isn’t in a tomb. Don’t you see?”
Second point: the empty tomb is a symbol of the gospel.
The gospel is a fancy church word for good news. And the good news is that Jesus, the humble carpenter turned traveling preacher from a small town up north, was actually the God of the universe in the flesh, and he was crucified for the sake of the world and for the forgiveness of sins, but his love was more powerful than the grave, and God resurrected him and now he’s king of the universe and he’s busy making all things new.
The gospel is good news because something happened and life is no longer the same. Maybe your perception of Christianity is it’s kind of like the rotary club…it’s an organization that used to be more popular, they gather regularly and try to do nice things, which is fine as long as they stay over there and don’t come into my space. Christianity is a response…something has happened and the world is not the same!
Easter is good news because it’s all about something God has done and not something you need to do. Christianity is not about trying harder, but trusting that Jesus is alive.
But you might say…well that’s just it! How can I trust he’s alive when the empty tomb doesn’t prove anything? Have you even seen Jesus, Chris? You claim to know him, have you even heard his voice?
You’re right. The empty tomb is not meant to be a symbol of proof. Immediately after this people started saying Jesus wasn’t alive but his body was robbed.
But for Mark, the empty tomb is not primarily about proof its about a person. Jesus is alive, have you met him? Do you want to? All it requires is faith. Trust. Life with Jesus is not a series of hard facts and cold certainties…its about trust.
The empty tomb is only one of several facts attending the resurrection. It is not the empty tomb that proves the resurrection, but the resurrection that makes the empty tomb meaningful. The empty tomb testifies that the Jesus who died as a bodily being was raised as a bodily being, and it is the historical place and point in time that marks the transition between his two orders of existence. Along with early Christianity as a whole, Mark is interested in faith in the resurrected Jesus, not in proofs of his existence. It is an encounter with the resurrected Lord, not the empty tomb, that produces faith. (The Gospel according to Mark (Faithfulness versus Fearfulness (15:40–16:8))
Imagine if at their wedding, Doug and Dorraine look lovingly into each other’s eyes, and Doug says, “I will love you forever.” And Dorraine says, “Prove it.”
You can’t prove love. Love requires trust. The empty tomb is a symbol of the gospel. God has done it all through the death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, do you trust him?
You might say, “Chris, I’m happy you have Jesus.” I’ve got Crossfit, playing Wordle gives me meaning in life, or I’m on the Metaverse now.
The message of the resurrection is that this world matters! That the injustices and pains of this present world must now be addressed with the news that healing, justice, and love have won. If Easter means Jesus Christ is only raised in a spiritual sense—[then] it is only about me, and finding a new dimension in my personal spiritual life. But if Jesus Christ is truly risen from the dead, Christianity becomes good news for the whole world—news which warms our hearts precisely because it isn't just about warming hearts. Easter means that in a world where injustice, violence and degradation are endemic, God is not prepared to tolerate such things—and that we will work and plan, with all the energy of God, to implement victory of Jesus over them all. - NT Wright
Our story shifts as the women are sent out from the tomb
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.”
In verse 7 we see two words that don’t show up in any other gospel...”go tell his disciples AND PETER.”
Why AND PETER? We know he’s one of the disciples.
Peter - the one who failed Jesus more than just about anyone in human history. Peter - the one who lied. Peter - the one who’s pride led to his downfall. Think of the torture Peter must’ve experienced knowing that he abandoned his friend Jesus. Judas betrayed Jesus, but Peter denied he even knew him.
But the angel’s message is GO TELL PETER! Imagine Peter receiving those words, “Peter, Jesus is going to Galilee and he wants to be with you.”
The empty tomb is a symbol of grace.
I resonate with Peter.
Story of getting a haircut
It’s a symbol that following Jesus is not avoiding failure, but that when we fail, we trust that Jesus forgives us and loves us and calls us to follow him to our Galilee. One of the most amazing things about Jesus is he does not give up on you.
The very thing you are most ashamed of can be the very thing Jesus says, “I know. And I still want 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.
A strange way to end your book. If you’ve got your Bible out you see there are 12 more verses…the Bible is awesome.
It’s an abrupt ending…but I think for Mark that’s kind of the point. It’s not the end.
Our final point is
The empty tomb is a symbol of hope.
When you hear Jesus is alive and you trust him, you
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 8: Matthew, Mark, Luke (O. The Resurrection (16:1–8))
8 The confrontation with the angel proved to be too much for the women. They fled “trembling and bewildered.” It was a natural and to-be-expected reaction. Only Mark tells us, “They said nothing to anyone,” which probably means that they were so frightened and confused that they were at first silent. After they had collected their wits, they did a lot of talking (cf. Matt 28:8; Luke 24:9).If the Gospel of Mark ends with 16:8, as some believe, Mark intentionally emphasizes the mystery and awesomeness of the Resurrection. The women were afraid because God’s eschatological action in the resurrection of his Son had been revealed to them, an event Mark understood to be the climax of all God’s saying acts and the inauguration of the time of the End.
For most of America, the symbol of easter is a bunny. Or an egg. Or ham. And those are fun parts of today. But consider how the Bible puts forth this symbol of an empty tomb.
It symbolizes that everything you thought about the world is upside down…just as Jesus didn’t stay dead, one day death will be defeated and we will be surprised by Jesus’ return and he will wipe every tear from our eyes.
It symbolizes the good news of Christianity that life is not about doing more for God, but trusting that Jesus did it all for us.
It symbolizes the grace of God, who forgives those like Peter and you and me who betray God, loves us in our failures and still wants to be with us.
It symbolizes new beginnings…I’m not a finished product yet, and neither are you. This is not the end. But the day is coming when Jesus is going to finish the work he started on Easter morning. He’s going to return and we will see him. And those who trust him will be made whole and like him and will reign with him for all eternity. And those who don’t…won’t.
Do you trust him?