Standing At The Empty Tomb

Did you know that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is one of the most examined claims in all of history?  As a result, we have considerable evidence, including historical documentation, eyewitness testimony, circumstantial evidence, supportive archaeological discoveries, and countless changed lives.  If this were a courtroom, the evidence would not be dismissed; it would demand a verdict, and the people standing at the empty tomb on that first Easter Sunday would agree!

First, consider Mary Magdalene and Jesus' Aunt Mary, who were first on the scene at the empty tomb. Matthew 28:1 says, "After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb."
Mark and Luke's accounts reveal that the women came to anoint the Lord's body with spices and oils, a practice of the Jewish burial process. However, their devotion quickly turned to fear when they discovered the empty tomb and initially thought that the body had been stolen. Seeing their distress—with the pain of Jesus' death compounded by the thought of someone taking His body—the angel reassured them, saying, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay." (Matthew 28:5-6)
We are told in John's account that after telling the disciples about what the angel said, Mary Magdalene went back and saw Jesus herself!

John 20:11-18 says, “Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. 13 They asked her, ‘Woman, why are you crying?’ ‘They have taken my Lord away,’ she said, ‘and I don’t know where they have put him.’ 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. 15 He asked her, ‘Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?’ Thinking he was the gardener, she said, ‘Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.’ 16 Jesus said to her, ‘Mary.’ She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, ‘Rabboni!’ (which means teacher). 17 Jesus said, ‘Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ 18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: ‘I have seen the Lord!’ And she told them that he had said these things to her."

Mary Magdalene's despair turned into hope on that first Easter Sunday because of the Resurrection. We can discover that same hope if we are willing to stand before the empty tomb as well. Let us examine the record, consider its implications, and reaffirm our trust in the resurrected Lord.