An Empty Grave

It’s a glorious day!

Enjoy the account of the empty grave in Luke 24:1-12 (NLT).

God reserved the discovery of the resurrection for women.

1But very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance.

I love getting up before dark on Easter morning and thinking about a group of women that were doing the same thing so many years ago. Women got to be the ones to discover an empty grave.

Resurrection is puzzling.

3So they went in, but they didn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4As they stood there puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes.

5The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the men asked, “Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive?

These women had been in relationship with Jesus as a flesh and blood man. They knew him. They knew the contours of his face and which teeth were a little crooked that made his smile unique;  they knew the appearance of his hands and the sound of his signature voice. Like the women on Easter morning, how would our minds and bodies bridge the gap between having physical contact with a living person to grasping that a lifeless body is no longer in a grave? We would struggle.

But puzzling can be true.

6He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what he told you back in Galilee, 7that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that he would rise again on the third day.”

Jesus had said this would happen.

8Then they remembered that he had said this.

Our Savior was the great communicator. He had told everyone the plan. He had repeatedly described the events leading up to and including the resurrection. His ability to communicate with people challenges me. He was so kind and thorough. I want to be that proficient and Spirit-led.

We can’t know and not tell.

9So they rushed back from the tomb to tell his eleven disciples—and everyone else—what had happened.

One of the litmus tests I use to determine how well I am doing in my relationship with God, is to consider how often my faith in God the Father, Son and Spirit is infusing my conversations. If not, I conclude that I am losing the joy of my salvation celebrated at Easter — the risen Savior and all that means for us — listed HERE last week. We can turn the Resurrection story into nothing more than words on a page and stop experiencing our day-to-day human existence as the miracle it is. We can forget that we get to enjoy a relationship with God and the promise of eternal life!

Some people won’t believe.

10It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and several other women who told the apostles what had happened. 11But the story sounded like nonsense to the men, so they didn’t believe it.

We could see this interaction as a frustrating example of men not believing women. Though that may be an element in this scene, I think there is something more notable to consider. Just like the women were puzzled at first, it is now the men’s turn to be puzzled. Like the women, these men had also known Jesus as a flesh-and-blood man. They, too, knew the contours of His face and his exact smile; they knew his hands and His signature voice. They knew what made Him laugh and what his favorite meal was. As people, they knew Him, like He knew them. Resurrection is a hard concept. Let’s go easy on those who struggle with the concept.

Really? Now the grave is empty?

12However, Peter jumped up and ran to the tomb to look. Stooping, he peered in and saw the empty linen wrappings; then he went home again, wondering what had happened.

Yes, Peter, the grave was really empty.

Yes, everyone in the entire world, the grave was really empty.

Happy Easter.

Picture Explanation: No pictures today. “Empty” is beautiful today.

Speaking of living out the joy of our salvation:  

The evening study April 4-May 9 is now underway! If you are interested in being contacted to participate in a One Gritty Blink Bible study in 2023, click on the Oaks Ministries link below and contact me by email. The next opportunity for a face-to-face study starts June 7. Let’s focus on things that count for eternity!

© 2023 by Oaks Ministries. All rights reserved.

18 Responses

  1. Beautiful summary. I especially love the line that says we should take it easy on people who struggle to believe the Resurrection. It is a puzzling concept indeed. Praying for those that believe and for those struggling to believe. May we all experience a taste of resurrection power of Christ.

    1. Sharita, I

      I loved your comment and Laurie your gift is reframing the story. I loved that you highlighted the women and then the men as well as putting a positive spin on the word “empty.”

      Because He lives, we can all face tomorrow❣️

      Thank you both for taking the time to share your thoughts.

  2. Such beautiful truths so wonderfully summarized – reminding us how we, ourselves, can respond to the reality of our saviors’s act of love. Thank you Laurie for consistently pointing us to God’s Word.🤍

  3. Two other remarkable things about the women: 1) they went even though they knew there was an obstacle (the heavy stone) and NOT knowing there were supposed to be other obstacles (Roman soldiers and an officially sealed tomb). God cleared all the obstacles but they had to go in faith not knowing how they’d get in. 2) The women went with one intention (to serve the body of Jesus with spices and perfumes) and ended up serving as first witnesses of the resurrection, first witnesses of the risen Jesus, and first messengers of the good news of the resurrection. Another example of God “redirecting” someone(s) who are out intending to serve God into another area of serving “as they go”. How much better to be “on the move” so God can redirect than for God to have to get us up off our chairs of complacency.

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Planting and Watering

I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes growth.

1 Corinthians 3:6

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