SOME WORDS FROM THE EMPTY TOMB
(By Emerson Blythe)

HAVE YOU EVER STOPPED TO THINK THAT CHRISTIANITY HAS SOMETHING THAT NO OTHER RELIGION HAS: AN EMPTY TOMB!

This "something" may sound like "nothing" (an empty tomb, nothing there!) But it is very significant.

The founders of all other religions and social movements died, and their bones remain in their tombs. Christianity is different, because all we have to show for the resting place of this Founder is: AN EMPTY TOMB.

When the Soviet Union was still a super-power, a current hit on sale in record shops in Moscow was "Lenin lives in my heart". A student was asked if he believed the song. "How can I?" he replied. "The tomb of Lenin is one of the showpieces in Russia. And it is not an Empty Tomb!" There you have the great difference between the Christian faith and all other religions and philosophies. Someone put it like this: "The bones of Lenin are in Moscow. The bones of Mohammed are in Medina. The bones of Buddha are in India. But in Jerusalem there is the empty tomb."

In the early dawn of that resurrection morning, some women who loved Jesus came to the tomb. To their great astonishment the stone had been rolled away. 

They rush into the tomb filled with fear that someone had defiled the grave of their Savior and stolen away His body. They found two angels with a very important message! It was the message of the empty tomb. "Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when He was yet in Galilee?" (Lk. 24:6)

The message of the empty tomb is the greatest message ever delivered to the world!

And thus it became the greatest task of the opponents of Christianity to try to discredit the story of the empty tomb.

"...Some of the watch came into the city, and showed unto the chief priests all the things that were done. {12} And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers, {13} Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept. {14} And if this come to the governor's ears, we will persuade him, and secure you. {15} So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day." (Mat 28:11-15) 

The irony of this fallicy is that most of the disciples themselves had not brought themselves to genuinely believe in the resurrestion... otherwise Jesus would not have said to them after the resurrection,   "...O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken"  (Luke 24:25)

As for the resurrection, we know it was referred to by first and second century Jews because of the writings of the early church father, Justin Martyr. He details how the Jews in the dispersion were fomenting the story that the empty tomb was caused by the disciples of Jesus who stole the body. The point is: They wouldn't need the story if the tomb hadn't been empty. 

The Empty Tomb Provides Us With Evidence

This in itself is the greatest evidence which we can point to: the empty tomb. What is as clear today as it has been for almost two thousand years, is that NO BODY HAS EVER BEEN PRODUCED! Only some empty grave-clothes. There has never been any dispute by the Jews, or the Romans or the Christians over the fact that the tomb was empty. Everyone is agreed on this point. The alternative would have been too difficult to try and prove. What is so amazing about this simple fact are the implications behind the empty tomb. In order to understand these implications, it might be good to remind ourselves of the scenario surrounding the tomb. Consider this:

1. According to archaeological evidence a two-ton STONE would have been used as a doorway for the tomb. This would have been wedged into a slanted groove above and to the left of the entrance to the tomb. Once the body had been placed inside the tomb, the wedge would have been removed and the stone would have been rolled over the doorway to block any potential grave robbers. Yet this enormous stone was found laying up and away from the entrance of the tomb (see Mark 16, and John 20). It has been suggested that it would have taken almost twenty men to have accomplished such a feat.

2. A Roman SEAL (made up of a rope slung across the surface of the stone, and attached to the sides of the tomb wall) would have been fastened, to warn away robbers (Mat 27:66)  "So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch." The punishment for defacing a Roman Seal was death, carried out by being crucified upside-down. This seal was missing when the empty tomb was discovered.

3. Sixteen GUARDS would have been stationed at the sepulchre. Four immediately in front of the tomb, and the remaining twelve in groups of four fanning out in a semi-circle. These were not Jewish temple guards, but Roman legionnaires; the most disciplined fighting force of their era; the "creme-de-la-creme!" They would have all known that the penalty for sleeping on the job was execution, by being burned to death with their own clothes. The scriptures tell us that these guards, upon realizing that the tomb was empty, did not go back to their barracks, but went to the Jewish priests. Why? Because they knew they would not be believed by their own superiors, and would have been executed for sleeping on the job. They went to the temple priests to have them plead their case for them. And we know that the temple priests bribed the soldiers to tell the people that the disciples stole the body (as we are told in Matthew 28:11-15).

The Empty Tomb Was the Foundation for a New Faith

This resurrection became the foundation for the Christian faith today. That is why we worship on Sundays and not on Fridays (like the Muslims), nor on Saturdays (like the Jews). For it was on the first day of the week that the tomb was found empty. That is why we participate in the baptismal ceremony (symbolizing the death, burial and resurrection of Christ). And that is why we observe communion, to commemorate not only the death on the cross but the joy of resurrection from the grave.  The empty tomb is what makes what you and I believe distinct from all of the other religions in the world! 

  SOME WORDS FROM THE EMPTY TOMB

But, as the title of our lesson today suggests, we want to look at: SOME WORDS FROM THE EMPTY TOMB.

The phrase itself is paradoxical.  An empty tomb is a silent tomb.  There is no stir, no sound, no vibration.  And yet the empty tomb of Jesus SCREAMS GREAT CRESCENDOS OF VIBRANT TRUTH THAT IS STILL HEARD AND IS CHANGING THE WORLD SOME TWO THOUSAND YEARS LATER!

BUT WHAT DOES THE EMPTY TOMB SAY???

1. THE EMPTY TOMB SAYS JESUS IS THE SON OF GOD.
(Rom 1:1-4)  "Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, {2} (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) {3} Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; {4} And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead."

Jesus had CLAIMED to be the Son of God... Now He has proven it!

2. THE EMPTY TOMB SAYS THAT JESUS WAS A MAN WHOM DEATH COULD NOT HOLD.  (And that has not happened before nor since!)

(Acts 2:23-24)  "Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: {24} Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it."

3. THE EMPTY TOMB SAYS JESUS IS REIGNING!

(Acts 2:32-33)  "This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. {33} Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear."

(Acts 5:30-32)  "The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. {31} Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. {32} And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him."

If the body of Jesus was never found, then where is it? BY THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD ON HIGH. (Heb 10:12-13)  "But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; {13} From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool."

4. THE EMPTY TOMB SAYS ALL WILL BE RESURRECTED.

Without a precedent, a thing is hard to envision. Jesus' Resurrection is a precedent for us all!

(1 Cor 15:19-22)  "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. {20} But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. {21} For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. {22} For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive."

3. THE EMPTY TOMB SAYS WE WILL STAND BEFORE GOD IN JUDGMENT.

(Acts 17:30-31)  "And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: {31} Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead."

(Acts 10:40-43)  "Him God raised up the third day, and showed him openly; {41} Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead. {42} And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead. {43} To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins."

4. THE EMPTY TOMB SAYS SALVATION IS IN CHRIST.

(Luke 24:46-47)  "And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: {47} And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem."

(Acts 13:34-39)  "And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David. {35} Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. {36} For David, after he had served his own generation by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption: {37} But he, whom God raised again, saw no corruption. {38} Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: {39} And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses."

(Rom 4:25)  "Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification."

(1 Pet 3:21)  "The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ."

(1 Pet 1:3-4)  "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, {4} To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you."

5. THE EMPTY TOMB SAYS THERE IS HOPE IN DEATH.

(1 Th 4:13-14)  "But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. {14} For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him."

AREN'T YOU THANKFUL FOR THAT EMPTY TOMB?  IT IS SOMETHING THE LIKES OF WHICH NO OTHER MAJOR RELIGION CAN BOAST.  THE EMPTY TOMB SHOULD CAUSE EVERYONE TO WANT TO BE CHRISTIANS. 

CAN WE ASSIST YOU IN MAKING THAT COMMITMENT TODAY?