The Stone Has Been Rolled Away
By Pastor Jim May
On Thursday evening Jesus gathered with his disciples for the last meal that he would eat with them. Jesus, the very Son of God, God in human form, had come down from the glory of Heaven for one single great purpose – to shed his blood for the sins of man. And now the hour of his sacrifice was getting close. It was at this final meal that Jesus taught us to observe the Communion Supper.
Everything that happened was according to God’s preset plan. Sitting among these men who had become Jesus’ closest friends, was one who he already knew would betray him. Judas Iscariot, the man who carried the money for the group, would soon run from the room in shame, straight to the High Priest in the temple and sell Jesus for 30 pieces of silver.
Immediately after the meal was over Jesus and the remaining disciples went to the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus would agonize in prayer for the rest of the night. The man called Jesus didn’t want to suffer and die anymore than you or I would want to, but He had never surrendered to the desires of the flesh. Jesus, the Son of God, had come to die and there was no stopping now. The price of not going to the cross was too great.
God had created man in the beginning and then lost man to the power of sin and death when Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden. In the mind of God a plan of redemption had already been formulated. Nothing catches God by surprise so he set his plan in motion and the central focus of God’s plan for redeeming the eternal souls of men was the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, his only son, upon a cross for the whole world to see.
In the early morning hours of Friday, Jesus knew that the time had come. He stood from the altar of prayer, woke up the sleeping disciples and began walking toward Jerusalem – walking willfully into the trap set by Judas.
Matthew 26:47-53, "And while he yet spake, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and elders of the people. Now he that betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast. And forthwith he came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him. And Jesus said unto him, Friend, wherefore art thou come? Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him. And, behold, one of them which were with Jesus stretched out his hand, and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest’s, and smote off his ear. Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword. Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?"
Jesus knew that he had to die, but he also had the choice not to die. At any moment Jesus could have called down the angels of Heaven and destroyed the entire human race if he had chosen to do so. There was no power on earth that could hold him, no governor, king, emperor, military power or priest that could touch him without his consent. The puny powers of men were allowed to run their course as the Almighty God took upon himself the punishment for our sin – all because God loved you and me more than he loved Heaven itself.
During those early hours, before daylight, from 3 AM to around 6 AM, Jesus was tried in a kangaroo court, appearing before the High Priest of Israel and the priests of the temple. He was already judged as guilty and deserving to die before he was arrested. This trial was only a formality to give the appearance of following the law. False accusers were brought in, one after another, chosen from the criminal element and paid to lie against Jesus. Of course the verdict was guilty and the sentence was death.
But they could not carry out the sentence of death, so around 6 AM Jesus was brought before Pilate, the Roman governor for sentencing. I can just imagine that the Roman ruler didn’t appreciate these pesky Jews coming at such an early hour. Pilate questioned Jesus but when he learned that Jesus was from Galilee, he sent him on to the ruler of that area, to a man named Herod.
Herod was really glad to see Jesus. He had heard of all the miracles and the works that Jesus had done and Herod wanted to see a miracle, but this wasn’t the time for a miracle like Herod expected. Little did Herod know that he was witnessing the greatest miracle that Jesus ever performed – the redemption of the souls of men. After being disappointed, Herod sent Jesus back to Pilate for sentencing.
At 7 AM Jesus was back in Pilate’s court once again. This time the trial took a more deadly turn. With the Jews screaming for Jesus’ death, and with thoughts of his own political future in mind, Pilate condemned Jesus to be scourged, tortured and then executed as common criminal. What was the death of one man if it meant keeping peace? Jesus didn’t mean anything to Pilate.
For the next hour Jesus was beaten nearly to death with a whip that cut and bruised his body from head to toe. His beard was pulled out; they spit on him, mocked him and beat him beyond recognition.
Then, at 8 AM Pilate commanded that Jesus must be crucified so they led him out. For 5 hours Jesus had withstood all of the mocking, the beating and the torture. Now he was forced to carry his own cross to a place called Golgotha, the skull, where he would be executed according to Roman law.
It took Jesus an hour to struggle and drag the cross. At 9 AM the soldiers took huge spikes and a hammer and nailed Jesus’ hands and feet to the cross, then raised it up and dropped it into the ground. Then they gambled and stood around waiting for him to die.
The time passed slowly as Jesus hung there suffering. The pain of the nails was constantly tearing at his feet as he tried to lift himself to breath and relieve a little of the pain in his hands but then it would only be worse as he could not stand for long. During the next hour of suffering, the crowds began to mock him even more. “If you are really the Son of God, come down from the cross”. They didn’t understand that because Jesus was the Son of God, he couldn’t come down for their sakes.
At around 11 AM one of the two thieves that hung there with him, asked for mercy. Just moments before the thief died, he was forgiven, his soul redeemed by Jesus’ shed blood. It is frightening to realize just how close that thief came to spending eternity in the Lake of Fire. And yet today there are many who still hang in that balance, only moments to live and they still reject Jesus, their only hope.
At Noon, the sky becomes dark and for the next three hours Israel is cast into darkness as Jesus takes upon himself the weight of sin for the whole world. In the midst of the darkness those around heard Jesus as he cried out, Matthew 27:46, "… My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" In the darkness they heard Jesus say that he was thirsty and watched by the light of a torch as the soldiers offered him something to ease his pain.
Then around 3 PM Jesus shouted in the darkness, “It is finished”. Then he bowed his head and allowed his Spirit to leave his body.
At that moment the earth shook, the thunder rolled and lightning filled the sky as God’s power was revealed. The price had been paid.
It was getting late now and the Sabbath was soon coming. The Sabbath began at 6 PM on Friday and lasted until 6 PM on Saturday. It was unlawful to bury on the Sabbath and they couldn’t allow Jesus to hang there until it was over so they quickly buried him in a tomb and sealed the door until they could come a properly prepare his body after the Sabbath was ended.
He was place in the tomb late on Friday evening marking the first day, stayed there Saturday, marking the second day, and then arose early on the third day, the first day of the week. Thus he fulfilled the prophecies of his death and resurrection. Any part of a day in ancient reckoning of time was considered a whole day.
Mark 16:1-4, "And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him. And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre? And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great."
“The Stone was very great” but it was rolled away and the tomb was empty. You can go to the tomb of Buddha and his bones are still there. You can go to the tomb of Muhammad and his bones are still there. You can go to the tomb of any other man that men call gods and their bones are still there. But Jesus’ tomb is empty today because He is Alive. He is the only Living God, the only one that has the power to Rise Again and to roll away the stone from His own grave.
What does that stone represent? There’s nothing so final as to go to a funeral and watch as they place the stone cover over the casket and seal the crack with mortar mix. It’s a final seal and one that says, “There’s no coming back. The one inside will never be seen again.”
That was the hopeless situation of all men. One day we will all die if Jesus tarries. One day each of us will have that stone lid placed over us for the last time. What hopelessness there would be if that was all?
You can walk out back of the church and go through the cemetery and nearly every one of the graves has a stone above it. That stone marks the finality of death.
But Jesus rolled away the stone. It wasn’t rolled away by men, but by the power of God, who lay in that tomb until, through the power of the Holy Spirit within, was raised from the dead to live forever more. In fact, the soul and spirit of Jesus never died, only the flesh. At the moment he gave up the Spirit, his spirit went to work with the redemption process, going down into paradise and setting the captives free who had waited there for the fulfillment of God’s plan.
He then took the power of death and broke the chains of hell that bound men to eternal death (the keys of death and hell), and he shattered the power of the grave to hold his body down. Satan’s claim on the redeemed was forever destroyed and we are given a new chance for eternal life.
That stone represents not only the finality of the power of death upon man, but it can also represent anything in your life that stands between you and God and keeps you from obtaining eternal life. Whatever is there stands as a stone keeping you in eternal death, but by the resurrection power of God, that stone can be rolled away.
Jesus loves you right now. He chose to die for you and for me. He chose to give his life, suffering and dying upon a cross, then rising from the dead, just for you. What more can Jesus do to convince you that He loves you and wants you to spend eternity with him?
Are you still held in sin by a stone? Jesus can roll it away this morning and set you free. You can have eternal life right now.
The day is coming when every grave in this cemetery that holds the body of a Born Again Christian will break open. The stones that cover them will be shattered and cast aside. The old songs says, “Ain’t No Grave, Gonna’ Hold My Body Down”. Every one of them will arise with a brand new glorified body and we shall all arise with them to meet Jesus in the air. That’s the power of the Resurrection and it won’t be long until it happens. Jesus is coming soon.
What a great hope we have in Jesus. He broke the power of sin and death. He has made a way for each of us to have eternal life.
Has your stone been rolled away? Have you obtained eternal life? If you die before Jesus comes, will the stone that covers your grave be one that is broken, or will you stay sealed in that tomb, forever condemned to death? Yes, every one of us must stand before God, whether to be judged and condemned for sin, or to be rewarded as an heir with Jesus.
Won’t you allow Jesus to roll your stone away today?
