Jesus Rolls Away The Stone Series

We gather here this morning to remember and celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The gospel writers put a great amount of time into sharing the details of our Lord’s trial and crucifixion; however, the account of the resurrection is contained in only a few short passages; and yet the resurrection is the basis of the Christian faith, the very event upon which our faith is founded.

In 1 Corinthians 15:16-17, the Apostle Paul declared, “If the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen; and if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!” But Jesus has arisen! And because Christ has arisen from the grave, those who put their faith and trust in Him will be released from the bondage of sin; and we are going to discover and celebrate this morning how Jesus Christ, through the resurrection, has rolled away the enormous stone of sin in our life.

A Stone Must Be Removed (vv. 1-3)

1 Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him. 2 Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. 3 And they said among themselves, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?”

On the third day after the crucifixion – which was Sunday, “the first day of the week,” according to verse 2 – these women set out to anoint the body of Jesus. He was buried on Friday afternoon; and then arose on Sunday morning.(1) A.T. Robertson notes that “some people are greatly disturbed over the fact that Jesus did not remain in the grave a full seventy-two hours,” because He had said on numerous occasions that He would rise after three days (cf. John 2:19-21).(2) But the phrase “after three days” (cf. Matthew 27:63; Mark 8:31 KJV) is merely an idiom and not meant to represent an exact measure of time.(3) If He had remained in the tomb a full three days, or for seventy-two hours, and then arose after that, it would have been on the fourth day, not the third day.(4)

This Scripture says that this attempt at anointing His body took place “when the Sabbath was past” (v. 1). These women were not allowed to purchase spices or even travel on the Sabbath;(5) and so, as a result, there had not been time to render the last services to the body of Jesus. So, immediately after the Sabbath had passed, as early as possible, they set out for their difficult task.(6) So, how early was it? Well, John tells us that “it was still dark” (John 20:1). Thayer’s Greek Lexicon states that the original word here (proi) “was used of the fourth watch of the night; the time from 3 o’clock in the morning until 6 [o’clock].”(7) Robertson comments that “probably they started while it was still dark, and the sun was coming up when they arrived at the tomb.”(8)

These women awoke to the darkness or night and great sorrow, for they had perceived that Jesus lay cold and lifeless in the tomb. You see, death represents darkness. It also represents loss and separation from our loved ones and from our mortal life; and for those who do not have salvation from their sins, it represents the loss of heaven and eternal separation from God. Death can lead to feelings of hopelessness, despair, and darkness; but the dawning of this Sunday morning was a new and glorious day that would leave these women filled with joy and excitement; and the beginning of this week was to mark the dawning of a new beginning and hope for all humanity.(9)

These women were still grief-stricken as they set out, preoccupied with sorrow, as they gave no forethought as to how they would remove the stone once they arrived. As they made their way to the tomb it finally dawned on them, and they asked among themselves, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?” (v. 3). When the word “door” is mentioned, it literally means “an opening.” In front of the opening there ran a groove which was downward sloping, and in the groove, there was a large circular stone that rolled in this track. The women knew it was quite beyond their strength to move a stone like that – one that was so large and heavy, that had to be rolled back uphill.(10) But its size and weight paled in comparison to its spiritual counterpart.

“Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?” (v. 3). There are many people all across the world – and perhaps even in this sanctuary – asking this very same question. The Bible is clear in stating the fact that we are all sinners. Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” We have all fallen short of God’s standard of holiness, or the Law; and according to Isaiah 59:2, our sin results in separation from God. In fact, it is even worse than that, for our sin leads to an eternity in hell, which is spiritual death. Romans 6:23 tells us, “The wages of sin is death.”