Behold the Empty Tomb
Easter

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Good morning, church! We say, “He has risen” to each other and then, we say, “He has risen indeed!” because the resurrection is the central fact of Christianity. The truth is, it’s the central fact of all history, or history itself, even the date is divided, based on Christ’s coming. There would be no Christianity without the resurrection. The resurrection is the central fact of Christianity.

As the apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:17-20 (ESV) “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. …If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead…”

“He has risen; He has risen indeed!” We say this to one another. One of the main proofs, one of the main evidences of His resurrection is the empty tomb. Today, this is what we want to talk about. “Behold the empty tomb.” It’s one of the most important proofs of His resurrection .

Dr. Norman Anderson, a British lawyer, professor at Harvard, and missionary to Muslims, who died in 1994, wrote this, “The empty tomb stands, a veritable rock, as an essential element in the evidence for the resurrection.” William Lane Craig, a theologian and Christian apologist, wrote this, “The simple fact that the Christian fellowship, founded on belief in Jesus’ resurrection, came into existence and flourished in the very city where he was executed and buried is powerful evidence for the historicity of the empty tomb.” Pressense´ says this, “The empty tomb of Christ has been the cradle of the Church.”

The empty tomb points to the risen Savior. We’re going to consider the empty tomb today. We’re going to peer past all the Easter traditions and look closely at what the gospel writers say about it. As we look at the gospel of Matthew today, we’ll notice that, in those first ten verses of chapter 28, it uses the word, “behold,” three times.

Those of you that have been attending our church for a while, you know that I’m trying to bring that word back into modern English. “Behold,” I am preaching to you now. “Behold,” you have arrived on Easter Sunday. It’s one of my favorite bible words; “behold.” It means to look at something closely with understanding; to engage, not just with the eyes, but to engage with the intellect and even the heart. To look with eyes of faith. To “behold” something is to not just give it a brief glance but to look deeply for spiritual perception.

Let’s “behold” the empty tomb today. Let’s “behold” it rightly, spiritually and deeply because there’s some implications if He has risen. Some of us are here today and we are bowed down heavily with guilt, sin, some addiction or some failure. We are so beat up by it. We constantly hear in our heads that we are a loser and that we can’t overcome our problems.

If you look closely at the empty tomb, you can empty yourself of that burden and recognize that Jesus isn’t alive; He is risen. He says, “Come unto me, you that are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.”

Some of you are here today and you’ve recently lost a loved one or you’ve heard bad news from the doctor and you’re facing a terrible physical ailment or disease. You’re grieving and there’s no hope. If you’re just left with that, because death seems to be the end of all things, but if the tomb is empty and Christ is risen, then we do not grieve as those who have no hope. We can have hope. Today, the tomb is empty. Christ has risen.

We live in an age today when I would say anxiety and fear is at an all time high around the world. There is an international pandemic, war and rumors of war. We hear more and more people talking about how people are scared; they’re anxious and afraid. But, if the tomb is empty and Jesus has risen, we can hear His voice say, “Fear not, for I am with you.”

The empty tomb is worth “beholding.” Let’s look closely; follow with me, if you will, to the gospel of Matthew, chapter 28. We’re going to look here and see three instructions that the Lord gave to the women who came and saw the empty tomb. I believe today that those same three instructions are relevant for us as we “behold” the empty tomb. Let’s read.

Matthew 28:1-10 (ESV) 1 “Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. 5 But the angel said to the women,”Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” 8 So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” This is God’s word.

We’re looking for these three instructions on how to rightly behold the empty tomb. When we rightly behold it, when we look at it for spiritual meaning and significance, we can live fearlessly.

Rightly beholding Christ’s empty tomb we can… 1. Live fearlessly by faith in the risen Lord Jesus.

This is the first instruction. We can live fearlessly by faith in the risen Lord Jesus. Take note of verse five and then, again, in verse 11. Verse 5, “But the angel said to the women, ”Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.” The first thing they say is “Do not be afraid.”

Let’s give the women some “slack;” let’s “cut them some slack.” They arrived before sunrise; notice in verse one, 1 “Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb.” The Sabbath is on Saturday; the dawn hasn’t come yet. They’re traveling by night to a graveyard. Okay, that’s already a spooky movie before we even get started; traveling at night to a graveyard. Their Savior was crucified by the Romans; He was betrayed by the Jewish leaders. The women are in the minority, coming at night doing that thing that families do for the loss of a loved one. Today, we pay a funeral home to do such things. But, in those days and, really, for centuries up until recent days people would do those last things for a loved one; they would prepare the body. So they were carrying spices to anoint the body.

The gospel of Mark says that they were worried. They didn’t think of this part; they headed out and and they looked at each other and said, “Who’s going to move the stone?” They were worried about that; that thing is heavy. Who is going to move it; who is going to move the stone? So, here they are. The first thing they see is this angel sitting on the stone. They are afraid.

Let’s cover the facts of the story: It’s the first day of the week; it’s just before dawn. This is why we celebrate on Sundays. This is why Christians worship on Sundays because Jesus rose from the grave on the first day of the week. It’s not just Easter Sunday that we celebrate this , it’s every Sunday. Every first day of the week, we remember that Jesus is risen and He is alive.

The women came on the first day of the week. Now, remember that word, “behold,” that I was telling you about. Three times it occurred. In verse one, it says that they went to see the tomb. Then, it concludes in verse 10. We see the word, “see,” over and over again; it’s in there four times. The word, “behold,” is in there three times. That’s seven times that the scriptures tell us we need to look closely at something. There’s something for us to see. Not only that, it’s letting us know that the people who saw this are eyewitnesses; in legal terms, they are eyewitnesses. That’s the best evidence you can get for something, an eyewitness.The Lord wanted them to see, to behold, that He’s alive and He’s risen.

All four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, record the empty tomb. They all make a big deal about the fact that the women came to anoint the body. They didn’t come, by the way, to see the risen Jesus. He had told them, over and over again, that He was going to be beaten, mocked,crucified and buried for three days. But, on the third day, He would rise again. Now, either you’re a lunatic, going around telling people something like that, or you’re the Lord, because who else had predicted something such as this? He told them over and over again, but it’s as if they couldn’t perceive it.

Here the women go. They go to see the tomb, it says in verse one. Whenever the angel is talking to them, he says in verse six, 6 “He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.” He’s remind them that Jesus told them all of this. Jesus had told them that He wasn’t going to be here on the third day. The angel reminded them because they forgot; they think He’s still going to be in the tomb. They’re not looking for a risen Christ; they’re looking for a corpse.

Verse six says, “He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.” The women were seeking the dead Jesus, but He’s the alive Jesus; they were looking in the wrong place. They don’t need to be looking in the “graveyard” for Jesus. He is not there. This is the news that they get and they’re told to not be afraid.

By the way, this has got to be on the list of top ten coolest angels. This is one of them. This angel here might be the number one coolest angel in the bible.Some of you keep up with things like this. Iwould like to meet this angel someday; this guy lands like an earthquake and he moves the stone.

Why does the angel move the stone? Is it to let Jesus out? No; Jesus has no trouble getting out. The angel moved the stone because he overheard that the women were on their way. They are wondering, Who’s going to move the stone? The angel moved the stone so that they could look into the empty tomb. It wasn’t for Jesus to get out. It was so that the women could get in.

Jesus doesn’t have any trouble opening doors. He appears later, that evening, where the disciples are gathered in a house with the door locked because they’re so afraid. He appears without using the door. He doesn’t have any trouble opening doors. Jesus is a door opener.

Suleiman the Great rebuilt the walls around Jerusalem that you can see today. When he got to the Eastern Gate, he bricked it closed because he had some delusion that that would keep the Messiah out when He returned. I don’t think He is going to have any trouble passing through the Eastern Gate. As the prophets have proclaimed, Jesus doesn’t have any trouble with doors.

The women came to see the crucified Jesus; they came to see the tomb. They’re not going to be disappointed, though, because they’re going to see the empty tomb and the risen Jesus.

There’s another crowd there that we shouldn’t miss; we don’t want to overlook them. In verse four, just a bare mention, “And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men.” In the Greek, it says, for “phobeō” they became “nekros.” They didn’t literally die, but they became unable to respond and do their guard duty. In another gospel, we read that they went and reported to the Jewish leaders what happened and the Jewish leaders said, ‘Wait a minute, let’s come up with a better story. We can’t let this story get out.’ They came up with a story that the disciples had stolen the body. Yeah, right. The disciples, who were afraid to even be present at the crucifixion, got gutsy all of a sudden and stole Jesus’ body. No way. The Jewish leaders came up with this story and said, ‘We’ll cover for you so you don’t get killed for not doing your guard duty.’ That’s later in the book of Matthew.

Let me get back to the “coolest angel” idea that I had because he sat on the stone after he rolled it away. I just think that’s cool. It’s like he rolls the stone back and then he sits on it like he’s waiting. Here come the women. The guards fall out. That’s so cool. He doesn’t say, “Fear not,” to the guards. He wants them to be afraid; to be very afraid. To the women, he tells them to not be afraid. Don’t be afraid; I know why you’re here. This is why I’m here. I’m here to tell you that I’m the “doorman.” Jesus is not here. You’ll see Him, but don’t be afraid. Don’t be afraid of the “graveyard” anymore; don’t be afraid of the tomb. Don’t be afraid of death. Fear not. Jesus has defeated sin, death and the grave. The tomb is empty.

Verse 6, “He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.” Come get a good look at the place where He lay. The tomb is unoccupied. It’s very important that the tomb was empty.

There was a synagogue ruler, named Jairus; it was politically incorrect for him to go to Jesus because most of the Jewish leaders were against Him. It’s funny how, when someone in your family is in trouble, you don’t care so much about politics and theology. You just want help. Jairus goes to Jesus and tells Him that his little daughter is sick unto death and will He come to his house. Jesus said ‘Certainly. Go ahead; I’ll follow you.’ Before Jesus could go and be with Jairus’ daughter, a servant came running from the house and said to Jairus, ‘Don’t trouble the Master. It’s too late. She’s already dead.’ We read this response from Jesus in Mark 5:36 (ESV) “But overhearing what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not fear, only believe.” Jesus goes into that house and He takes that little girl by the hand and He says to her, “Little girl, get up.” She gets up and Jesus turns to the parents and says to them, “Give her something to eat.” She’s probably hungry. This is the Jesus that says, “Do not fear.” You don’t have to be afraid anymore.

By the way, I’ve been to a place called, “The Garden Tomb,” in Jerusalem. I want to let you know a little bit about what it looks like. This is one of the places that they suggest may have been the tomb; we’re not really sure. There’s another location that has a church built on top of it. In fact, most of the places that you go to in Israel, where they think that Jesus did something, they built a church on top of it. This particular place is in a garden. I will show you a couple of photos. Here’s what it looks like as you approach it, just to give you an idea . It’s carved out of stone. It would have been Joseph of Arimathea’s family tomb. It had a stone that would roll along a pathway and lock into place as it would drop into a little slot in front of the hole. It would be very heavy and hard to move.

I’ve gone inside and here’s the proof (picture) that there was no one there but me. When I went in there, to the left, there’s a bed-like chamber that’s carved in stone where the body would lay. To the right side, there’s a room where the ossuaries would be. “Ossuary” is a word meaning “bone box.” They would lay the body out, wrap it in linen and cover it with spices. Then, over a period of about a year, they would revisit the tomb. When the body had decayed and it was only bones, they would put the bones in a smaller stone box, carved with their name on the end and place it in the family tomb to the right. Then, the bed was available for the next family member who would pass away.

Jesus was laid in an empty tomb that had never been used before; the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, a wealthy Pharisee who had built it for his family. Jesus only needed it for a couple of days; He just borrowed it for a couple of days. When you go to look at Jesus’ tomb, it’s empty.

Rightly beholding Christ’s empty tomb we can… 2. Go and tell others about the living Lord Jesus.

Look again at verses seven and ten. You’ll see the instruction, repeated from both the angel and Jesus, to the women. Both of them said, “Do not be afraid.” You see it in verse seven, where the angel said this to the women. Then again, in verse ten, it’s the first thing that Jesus says, “Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” The angel says to them in verse seven to go and tell the disciples that He has risen from the dead. Then, Jesus says to go and tell My brothers. So, first, “don’t be afraid.”

Then, “go and tell.” Go and tell others about the living Lord Jesus. That’s the second instruction. In fact, the angel has a sense of urgency about it. Verse 7, “Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead.” Get moving! Have a sense of urgency about it. Go and tell others about Jesus.

I like this mixture they have as they leave. So, they’ve seen an angel, they’ve seen an empty tomb, but they haven’t seen the Lord Jesus yet. Verse eight says, “So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.” They have a mixture of fear and great joy.

Have you ever been like that? You are really happy but you are, also, scared to death. I think my wife and I felt like that three times with the birth of each child. You’re really happy that the day has come for the birth, but you’re also scared to death. Maybe, there have been other times that you felt like that; you have had this mixture of emotions.

The women were afraid, but they were also very happy. Then, they see Jesus. He says, don’t be afraid, go and tell. I don’t think they’re afraid anymore after seeing Jesus. I think they’re running to tell the disciples now. They’re ready to “go and tell.”

What are they supposed to go and tell? Are they supposed to go share the doctrine of justification? Are they supposed to go give them the six theories of atonement? Are they supposed to go to seminary first and study? No. They are supposed to go and tell that Jesus is alive. The tomb is empty and He is risen. That’s what they’re supposed to go and tell. ‘We saw Him. We saw the tomb and it’s empty. We saw the angel, but more than that, we saw the risen Lord Jesus.’ That’s what they were supposed to go and tell.

Sometimes people will ask me, ‘Pastor, can you go talk to ________ for me?’ I would ask them who they were and have they talked to them. They would reply, ‘No, but they really need Jesus.’ I would tell them, ‘Who’s the worldwide expert on what Jesus has done for you? It’s you, not me. You’re the expert on your encounter with Jesus.’

Has Jesus come into your life and changed your life? At the first service today, we had four people come and say that Jesus has changed their lives. They have received Jesus as their Lord and Savior and were baptized today. At the end of this second service, we’re going to show a video of the baptism. These four came and said that they wanted to identify with Jesus. That’s what it means to “go and tell” others.

What do you “go and tell” others? You “go and tell’ others that Jesus has changed your life. How are they going to argue with that? You’re the worldwide expert on your experience. Go and tell them that Jesus is alive in you and what He’s done for you. It’s hard to argue with that if you’re an eyewitness. Sometimes you can be afraid, but here is what Jesus says, ‘Don’t be afraid; go and tell others.’

Here’s what Jesus says in His great commission in Mark 16:15 (GW) “Then Jesus said to them, “So wherever you go in the world, tell everyone the Good News.” Tell everyone the good news. What’s the good news? The good news is that Jesus is alive and He’s changed my life. Don’t you want to know Him?

I think it’s the best explanation for the changed lives that you see in the disciples. In fact, I don’t think there’s any other explanation for what happens to them because on the night that Jesus was betrayed, they scattered. The shepherd was struck and the sheep scattered just as the prophet proclaimed. They all ran. Even Peter who said, ‘Lord, I will die for You.’ Jesus said, ‘Peter, I tell you the truth; before the rooster crows in the morning, you will deny Me three times.’ Sure enough, that next morning after the betrayal in the garden, Peter followed from a distance and he’s in the courtyard of the high priest. Three times Peter denies knowing Jesus. The third time Peter denies Jesus, someone said, ‘I recognize your accent. You’re one of those “rednecks” from over in Galilee, aren’t you?’ Peter replies, ‘I am not,’ with a curse. Right then, the rooster crows and Jesus, whose body is already beaten and bloody, comes walking out of the home of Caiaphas, the high priest. Jesus and Peter make eye contact and Peter runs off into the darkness crying. These disciples were a mess but then something clicked and so they were even willing to die for their witness for Jesus. What happened? They saw the empty tomb; they saw the risen Jesus, They received Him into their lives through the Holy Spirit. They were never the same. Every disciple, except for John, died a martyr’s death. Who would die for a lie? No one, but they died for the truth. They were eyewitnesses; they knew the living Jesus.

Peter, who denied Jesus, later was crucified according to early church fathers upside down by the Roman emperor Nero. When they went to take him to the cross, he told them, ‘I’m not worthy to be crucified as my Lord.’ So, they crucified him upside down. Peter didn’t start out being “the rock,” but he turned out to be the “original rock.” He turned out to be “the rock” before we ever had “the rock” these days. He’s the one who finally had a changed life. It’s the best example of the truth of the resurrection. These men’s lives were changed. They went out and told people about Jesus. Don’t be afraid; go and tell.

Rightly beholding Christ’s empty tomb we can… 3. Be ready for the returning Lord Jesus.

Verse 10, “Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” The word, “see,” just keeps cropping up. It’s so important to look at this. Don’t leave here without really looking at this and examining your life and “see.” “See” why the empty tomb and the risen Jesus matter.

The final instruction is from Jesus. He says, “and there they will see me,” and they did. They saw Him around the Sea of Galilee; they actually had a fish fry with Him. They had a fish fry on the beach there; Jesus cooked the first part of the bread and the fish and had them bring in the rest. He spent many times with them. In fact, Paul says He appeared to over five hundred people at one time; He made many appearances after His resurrection. He says, “and there they will see me” and so they did. Many times they saw Him.

For us today, it’s important for us to hear that one day we will see Him. One day we will see Him. Some of us will see Him as Lord and Savior and we will be with Him and He will catch us up to Himself. Others will not see Him that way. Everyone will see Him, but others will not see Him as Lord and Savior; they’ll see Him as judge. They’ll see Him as the one they rejected. But, all will see Him. Every knee will bow and every tongue confess one day. Are you ready to see Him?

Notice, in verse nine, when the women saw Him, they took hold of His feet and worshiped Him. They fell on their faces. Have you ever done that? Have you ever decided to make Him Lord and Savior and worshiped Him? That’s what they did when they saw Him. We’re all looking at what Jesus has done. We see it. Are you ready? What will you do with this risen Jesus? What will you do with Him?

I think the “cool angel” actually makes another appearance later; he and one of his buddies, on the day of Jesus’ ascension. He’s the one, I think, who, when the disciples are all looking up when Jesus ascends into the clouds, he’s the one who says this, Acts 1:11 (ESV) “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” He’s still the coolest angel. don’t you think, if he’s the same guy? He asks them why they are wasting your time looking up; Jesus is coming back later.

Get busy. Go tell others. Get ready. He’s coming again. He has come and He is coming again. Just as surely as He has come, He is coming again. Are you ready? How do you get ready? Well, if I’m getting ready to go somewhere on planet Earth, I will need to get my passport and I will need to get my ticket. There’s some “hoops” that I have to jump through.

It’s much easier to get that “ticket” to heaven; it’s already been paid in full. All you have to do is go to the Lord, who bought it for you, and say, ‘I want to be part of what You’re doing. I want You to forgive me of my sins. I know that You died for me and I want You to come live in me. I want you to make me right with the Father.’

Think about that story on the hill called Golgotha. There were three crosses up there. There was one on the right and one on the left of Jesus. They were there, hanging as criminals; Jesus was hanging in the middle. There was a time where both of them were mocking Jesus, but then, finally, the one on the right side came to his senses. He began to defend Jesus. He said, ‘You know that He’s innocent and we’re criminals. We deserve this, but He is innocent.’ After a time, when he’s observing the way Jesus talks to people and the way He handles his suffering, he looks to Him with eyes of faith. He sees Him; he beholds Him. He says, “Lord, when You come into Your kingdom, will you remember me?” Jesus says to him, “I tell you the truth, this very day, you’ll be with me in paradise.”

What did the criminal do to earn that spot, to get that “ticket?” How did he get ready? Did he live a perfect life? No. He was a criminal. Did he go to seminary and pass some tests? No. He was hanging on a cross. When he got to heaven, they just asked him one question,’Why are you here?’ He says to them, ‘I’m not really sure, but that Man on the middle cross, He said I could come.’ He said I could come. That’s all that matters. That Man on the middle Cross is also the Man who died and defeated sin, death and the grave, so that the tomb is empty.

If you come to Him, and that’s the invitation, “Come unto me,” He says that He’s paid it all for you. Do you know Him? Are you ready?

Three instructions that He’s given us: (1) Live fearlessly in the in the risen Lord Jesus. (2) Go and tell with a sense of urgency and (3) Be ready because He’s coming again.

Let’s pray. Lord, thank You for Your word. Thank You for this good news that Jesus is alive. I pray right now, for that person that’s here today, that’s never received You as Lord and Savior. Would you pray with me right now, right in your seat? ‘Dear Lord Jesus, I’m a sinner. I believe You died on the cross for me, You were raised from the grave on the third day and that You live today. Come and live in me. I invite You to forgive me of my sins and to be my Lord and Savior. I want to follow You. I give You my life; make me a child of God. Adopt me into Your family. I want to follow You, Jesus.’ If you’re praying a prayer like that, by faith, He will save you. Your “ticket” is already paid for. Get ready. Others are here and you have received Jesus. You know Him as your Lord and Savior. Maybe, you need to be baptized; maybe, that’s the next step for you. You know Jesus, but you’ve never been baptized. Maybe, you’ve been baptized, you know Jesus, but you’ve been afraid or you’ve been hesitant about telling others. Would you hear the instruction from the Word and pray like this? ‘Dear Jesus, empower me and strengthen me now to be ready, to stay awake and to tell others about You. I want to always put You first in my life and not just on Easter Sunday, but everyday.’ We pray now in Jesus’ name, amen.