Sunday, April 8, 2007
Easter Sunday
Luke 24:1-3 Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
THE FACTS OF THE RESURRECTION -- THE EMPTY TOMB
Fact or fiction? Many theories and lies concerning the death and the resurrection of Jesus have been advanced throughout the centuries. You may have heard the recent publicity that has been given to a tomb near Jerusalem that was discovered many years ago, which has been supposed to contain the remains of the body of Jesus. What is fact, and what is fiction?
When we are dealing with matters that have implications for our eternity we had better be confident that our faith is resting on more than theory. We want to rest our faith and the hope of our salvation on the rock of fact. So lets look at the facts of the resurrection.
We begin with the empty tomb. The women who followed and ministered to Jesus during His ministry had observed the crucifixion of Jesus. They had seen Joseph and Nicodemus take the body of Jesus down from the cross, followed them to the tomb where they had placed the lifeless body of Jesus in the grave, and watched as they rolled a large stone over the entrance. Now on Sunday morning when they returned after the Sabbath day to finish the preparations of Jesus burial, the body of Jesus was gone! The tomb was empty.
The empty tomb was the first fact of the resurrection of Jesus, but there would be many more. Death could not contain the Lord of Life! Look on His deserted grave!
Morning breaks upon the tomb; Jesus scatters all its gloom.
Day of triumph thro' the skies; see the glorious Savior rise.
Christian, dry your flowing tears, chase your unbelieving fears;
Look on His deserted grave, doubt no more His pow'r to save.
(The Lutheran Hymnal, 203:1, 3)
