The empty tomb
John 20: 1-20
What Is the Importance of the Empty Tomb?
From the earliest apostolic period, the reality of the empty tomb—the biblical truth that the tomb of Jesus of Nazareth was found empty by His disciples—has been at the center of the Christian proclamation. All four Gospels describe, to varying degrees, the circumstances surrounding the discovery of the empty tomb (Matthew 28:1–6; Mark 16:1–7; Luke 24:1–12; John 20:1–12).
But are there any good reasons to think that these claims are historically accurate? Could a fair-minded investigator conclude that Jesus’ tomb was found empty on that first Easter morning?
First, the location of Jesus’ tomb would have been known to Christians and non-Christians alike. While it is true that most victims of crucifixion were either thrown in a graveyard reserved for common criminals or simply left on the cross for birds and other scavengers to feed upon, the case of Jesus was different. The historical record indicates that Jesus was buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the Sanhedrin, the very group that had orchestrated Jesus’ execution. Many have been convinced that Jesus’ burial by Joseph of Arimathea is unlikely to have been a Christian fabrication. Given the understandable hostility of the earliest Christians toward the Sanhedrin, whom they felt were largely responsible for their Master’s death, it is unlikely that Jesus’ followers would have invented a tradition about a member of the Sanhedrin using his own tomb to provide Jesus with a respectable burial.
In addition, recent archaeological discoveries have demonstrated that the style of tomb described in the burial accounts in the Gospels (an acrosolia or bench tomb) was largely used by the wealthy and other people of prominence.
Second, the empty tomb is implied in the early creed quoted by the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 15.
While all four Gospels attest to the vacancy of Jesus’ tomb, our earliest hint at the empty tomb comes from the Apostle Paul. Writing to the church at Corinth in approximately AD 55, Paul quotes an oral formula (or creed) that he received from the apostles Peter and James just a few years after Jesus’ crucifixion (Galatians 1:18–19). Paul states, “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve” (1 Corinthians 15:3–5).
This creed represents what was on the lips of the early disciples after the first Easter. In other words, this creed is nearly as old as Christianity itself. Creeds provide an interpretative function in communicating, defending, and disseminating our beliefs. In this way, the creeds also offer a helpful example of faithful apologetics.
This creed in 1 Cor. 15 includes the reference to eyewitnesses. Such a reference does not establish the event itself, but rather illustrates that it was indeed a real event that happened in real time and space. The statement that most of the eyewitnesses were still alive seems to be an invitation for the inquiring first-century skeptics to investigate for themselves.
When Paul writes “…that he was buried, that he was raised…” it is strongly implied that the tomb in which Jesus was buried was empty. The fact that the formula recounts, according to Paul, the content of the earliest apostolic preaching (1 Corinthians 15:11-21), a fact confirmed by its agreement with the sermons reproduced by Luke in Acts, strongly suggests that the formula originated in the Jerusalem church. As a former Pharisee, Paul would have naturally understood that what goes down in burial comes up in resurrection. He accepted the idea of physical resurrection even before his encounter with Christ. Given that Paul’s source for this creed was most likely the Jerusalem apostles and their proximity to the events in question, Paul’s citation of this creed provides strong evidence that Jesus’ tomb had been found empty and that this fact was widely known in the early Christian community. The oft-repeated objection that Paul was unaware of an empty tomb is answered when we see that elsewhere Paul taught that Jesus’ resurrection was bodily in nature (Romans 8:11; Philippians 3:21). For Paul, a resurrection that did not produce a vacant tomb would have been a contradiction in terms.
But while the resurrection and the empty tomb are bound together, they are distinct. In the resurrection, Jesus demonstrated his mastery over death and it holds promise for believers as well; that we also will have victory over death.
But, unlike the resurrection, the empty tomb tells us something different. When the angel appeared to the women at the empty grave, he told them, “He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.” The empty tomb told them that Jesus had indeed been raised. It was evidence of the resurrection.
Third, there appears to be strong enemy attestation of the existence of an empty tomb. The first of these comes from within the pages of the Gospel of Matthew itself where Matthew reports that there was an acknowledgment of the empty tomb by the Jewish leaders themselves (Matthew 28:13–15). They were claiming that the disciples had come and stolen away Jesus’ body. Given the proximity of the writing of Matthew’s Gospel to the event in question, such a claim would have been easy to disprove if untrue. For if Matthew were lying, his report of the Jewish response to the empty tomb proclamation could have easily been discredited as many of the contemporaries of the events in question would still have been alive when Matthew’s Gospel was initially circulating. But why would they accuse the disciples of stealing Jesus’ body if the tomb still contained the dead body of Jesus? The counter-accusation made by the Jews presupposes that the tomb was empty.
Fourth, all four Gospels report that the tomb of Jesus was discovered empty by women. This point is especially significant given the patriarchal nature of first-century Israel. While it is true that, under very limited circumstances, women were allowed to testify in a court of law, it is also the case that, in first-century Jewish society, a woman’s testimony was worth far less than that of a man. If you were making up a story in an attempt to persuade others that Jesus had been resurrected, you would never have used women as your primary witnesses. Any made-up story would have featured male disciples like Peter, John, or Andrew as the discoverers of the empty tomb, as the testimony of men would have provided much-needed credibility to the story.
Yet the Gospels report that, while Jesus’ male disciples were cowering in fear, hiding from the authorities (John 20:19) it was women who were the earliest witnesses of the empty tomb. There would simply be no reason for the early church to concoct such a scenario unless it was true. Why would the early Christians portray their male leadership as cowards and place females in the role of primary witnesses? One of these named female witnesses (Mary Magdalene) was said to have been possessed of seven devils earlier in her life (Mark 16:9), thus making her an even less reliable witness in the eyes of many. And yet, despite these handicaps, the earliest Christians insisted that the first witnesses to the empty tomb were, in fact, women. The most likely explanation of this insistence is that these women were the initial witnesses of the empty tomb and that the earliest Christians were unwilling to lie about it despite its potentially embarrassing nature.
All four of these arguments help to provide cumulative proof that the tomb of Jesus Christ was empty on the first Easter.
Of course, there is more to the story than merely an empty tomb. The reason the tomb was found empty was that the man who was buried there had risen from the dead. Jesus would not only vacate His grave but appear to numerous people individually (Luke 24:34) and in groups (Matthew 28:9; John 20:26–30; 21:1–14; Acts 1:3–6; 1 Corinthians 15:3–7). And His resurrection from the dead would be the sure proof that He was who He claimed to be (Matthew 12:38–40; 16:1–4)—the risen Son of God, our only hope of salvation.
Different traditions within Christianity have their own symbols that represent significant events or teachings within the Christian faith. One that is universal is the cross. The cross itself has no saving power. But it symbolizes what Jesus did for us. Jesus’ death on the cross was as an atoning sacrifice for our sin. And the cross is a symbol of that. When we see the cross, we are reminded of what Jesus did.
In the same way, the empty tomb is a symbol of the resurrection. When we see or hear of the empty tomb, it should point us to Jesus’ resurrection. And to our own upcoming resurrection as well. It symbolizes victory over death.
But, while the cross is an easy symbol to put on a chain and hang around your neck, the empty tomb is not. I can’t recall ever seeing an empty tomb on a chain or at the front of a sanctuary. Instead, we might see an empty cross as representing both. Jesus is no longer on the cross, he is not dead, he has risen!
John in chapter 20: 1-20 presents us with the narrative that lies at the heart of the Gospel. Jesus, who was crucified, has been raised. We watch as Mary, Peter, and an unnamed disciple discover that Jesus' tomb is now empty; the outward and visible sign that Jesus has conquered death and a new creation has begun. And we are witnesses to the moment when Mary meets her risen Lord. Her grief turns to joy and she brings to us the good news that has been proclaimed throughout the ages since then , "I have seen the Lord." This portion of John's gospel is a play that unfolds in three distinctive acts; a story about people searching, about sadness and fear, about action, surprise, and joy. And it is a story that takes us full circle back to the opening of the gospel.
The scene opens on a solitary figure walking through the darkness. Mary Magdalene was in the garden in order to tend to the body of her teacher and Lord. All the gospel accounts of this moment vary on some points. But what is consistent is that it is Mary Magdalene who is the first to go to the tomb.
When Mary finds that the stone has been removed she jumps to conclusions. Her perception of what has happened is that someone has entered and stolen the body. But the author does not tell us if she entered or even looked in the tomb. Did she really know that the body of Jesus was not there? Nevertheless, she runs back to tell Peter what she believes has happened.
Act two shifts to the experiences of Peter and the unnamed disciple intriguingly identified only as "the one whom Jesus loved." Like Mary they run. The unnamed disciple, perhaps younger, arrives first. Since he could be the junior partner, he waits until the senior partner, Peter, arrives. He allows Peter to be the first to enter. Inside, Peter discovers that the tomb is, indeed, empty. And unlike the four-day dead Lazarus, who stumbled out of his tomb hindered by his burial wrappings (John 11:44), the cloths are still in the tomb. The details are intriguing. John describes the placement of the wrappings, but also notes that the cloth that had covered Jesus' head has been rolled up and put in another part of the tomb. We should note that the tomb is truly empty - there is no angel; no the tomb was empty except for the neatly folded grave clothes.
John tells us that the beloved disciple "saw and believed." But what did he believe? Was it that he believed Mary was correct -- someone had stolen the body of Jesus? Or did he believe what he saw – the head dress neatly folded in one place and the linen strips also neatly folded separate from the head dress ( John 20:6-7 ) This could not be the work of robbers or an action done in a hurry.
Act two ends as the two go home. There are no shouts of joy, no celebration. The emptiness of the tomb does not seem yet to have made a difference.
The focus returns to Mary standing outside of the tomb. Weeping, she does, this time, enter the tomb. It would seem that neither Peter nor the disciple have offered any words of comfort or encouragement to Mary. But Mary does not find an empty tomb. While the body of Jesus is not there, like the synoptic gospel accounts, there are two angels. In response to their almost ridiculous question, (of course she should be weeping,) Mary repeats her interpretation of the situation; the theft of the body of her dead Lord.
Now there is another person entering the scene. She heard his voice asking her “ Woman why are you weeping? Whom do you seek? Thinking that he is the gardener she repeats the question once again (John 20: 15) This may not be as ridiculous as it seems. It could be that John is giving us clues on how we might understand what has happened. Two things drive us back to the beginning of John's gospel encouraging us to view this, not as the end of the story, but a new beginning.
First, in the opening of John's gospel, Jesus' first words are a question directed at the disciples of John the Baptizer. "What are you looking for?" (John 1:38) And here, in this beginning, this new creation, Jesus asks Mary a similar question, "Whom are you looking for?" (John 20:15) A new ministry is beginning, a new story. Is Jesus asking the same question of us this Easter morning? What are we looking for? It was when Jesus called her by name that Mary recognized her beloved Rabbouni. Is Jesus calling our name? And when John's disciples asked “ where are you staying?”, he invited them to "Come and see" (John 1:39). And there began a brand new journey for the two disciples. Are we being called to see the new things that God is doing in the lives of the people and in our world?
Second John's tale begins in the dark, the absence of light. John, at the opening of his gospel took us not to a stable, but to the very opening of creation, "In the beginning." Could it be that John is taking us back, once more, to that darkness when "the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep" (Genesis 1:2). The author is probably echoing Paul's declaration that in the death and resurrection of Jesus we are experiencing a new creation, "everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!" (2 Corinthians 5:17)
And where are we? In a garden. "All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it" (John 1:3-5).
In the Genesis story God drove Eve and Adam out of the garden in disgrace. But in this new creation Jesus sends Mary out of the garden rejoicing. She is sent out to tell the disciples that “ darkness has not overcome the Word made Flesh who had lived among us.” (John 1:3-5) She had seen her beloved teacher, and she now understood that she has seen "the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth." (John 1:14) - "I have seen the Lord." (John 20:18) Her message declares to us the new beginning that God has prepared for all of us.
Here are a few things that we need to know about efforts on the part of unbelievers to account for the empty tomb of Jesus.
(1) Even the most skeptical, cynical, and unbelieving historians, philosophers, and theologians agree that a man named Jesus died on a Roman cross on Friday and was later buried in a tomb that was empty on Sunday morning. They also agree that countless individuals, both men and women, testified that they saw Jesus alive on multiple occasions after he had died, included among whom were James, his half-brother, who initially did not believe Jesus was the Messiah, but later came to faith and held so tenaciously to that belief that he was willing to be stoned to death, and also Saul of Tarsus, who for quite some time hated and persecuted those who claimed that Jesus was alive, who also came to faith and devoted his life to spreading that message and was eventually beheaded for his belief and devotion to Jesus. The question for all such unbelievers is this: What is the best explanation of how the tomb came to be empty?
(2) There is no evidence anywhere in the ancient world that anyone disputed that the tomb of Jesus was empty on Sunday morning, not even those who crucified Jesus. And they were the ones who stood most to gain by simply hauling out the body of Jesus, pointing to it, confirming his identity, and forever putting Christianity in the grave as well. But they didn’t.
(3) Some argue that the disciples of Jesus stole the body and created the story that he rose from the dead. Then again how do you steal a body from a tomb that is well guarded by a group of seasoned Roman soldiers. ( Matt 27:63-66 ) They had to roll back the heavy stone and then steal the body while these Roman soldiers were guarding the tomb. It would have been suicidal. And stealing a dead body is one thing, but how then do you make it appear to be alive? We aren’t dealing merely with the fact that the tomb was empty but also with the fact that hundreds of people testified to seeing Jesus alive with their own eyes. How did they make the dead body of Jesus appear to Paul on the road to Damascus a year later? And if the risen Jesus didn’t appear to Paul, why did he turn from a career as a Pharisee to one of a hunted outlaw, destined to be stoned and beaten and jailed and ridiculed and eventually decapitated? Did Paul abandon everything he had worked and sacrificed to achieve on the basis of a fabrication?
(4) If the disciples stole the body they obviously knew that Jesus didn’t rise again. And if they knew the resurrection was a myth that they themselves had concocted, why did they so willingly and joyfully endure such persecution and eventual martyrdom? People don’t typically die horrible deaths for something they know isn’t true, unless, of course, they are certified as insane.
So, the evidence is strongly against the notion that the disciples stole the body.
(1) They were fearful men who had fled in terror and self-protection when Jesus was arrested and crucified (Mark 14:50).
(2) It is psychologically implausible. As previously noted, if they had stolen the body they obviously knew that Jesus was dead. Yet they preached courageously that he was alive and then were willing to be beaten, stoned, imprisoned, and martyred for that message, a message that all of them knew to be a fraud.
(3) These were pious, godly Jewish men who fled to Bethany after Gethsemane. They would not have defiled themselves and the Sabbath by traveling to Jerusalem and robbing a grave.
(5) Stealing the body cannot account for the radical change in their lives and their willingness to endure horrific oppression and rejection for their beliefs. What did they stand to gain by stealing the body and lying about it?
So, tell me the significance of the empty tomb? What does this mean to me?
To begin, the tomb is connected to the dead body of Jesus. The tomb signifies that truly Jesus had a physical body of flesh and blood. That Jesus, a divine person, already possessing a divine nature, united to his divine person, a complete human nature, including body and soul. That this body was placed in a tomb signifies that truly Jesus had died.
That the tomb was found empty three days later points to Jesus’ resurrection. The empty tomb in itself is not enough to prove the resurrection. We have looked into this earlier in our study.
Our faith in the resurrection comes from those who witnessed the resurrected Lord; Mary of Magdalene, Peter, the two on the road to Emmaus, the 11 and the others. That it was the same Jesus who had died is verified by his bodily wounds. That Jesus was not a ghost is understood by Jesus being able to be touched and to eat. That Jesus’ body was different is perceived by his not being recognized immediately and his appearing suddenly.
Again, Jesus, referring to his sacrifice, stated that the Son of Man had come to give his life for the redemption of many (cf. Mk 10:45). By his cross and resurrection, Jesus has gained for us the forgiveness of our sins. Sins being forgiven, death is overcome, for the “wage of sin is death” (Rom 6:23). Sin causes death within us by decaying the image of the Word, through whom we were created (cf. Gn 1:26-27). Sin and death being defeated, we are now able to live a new life, sharing in the life of the Word.
The resurrection of Jesus is the cause of our resurrection on the last day. The hope of resurrection ought to inspire us to do great things for the glory of God. It is the hope of the resurrection that allows us to suffer anything here on earth with patience, especially when we are persecuted for our faith in Jesus. It is the hope of the resurrection that motivates us to go beyond our own self-interests and so love our neighbor.
Reflecting upon the significance of the empty tomb, it is important to call to mind chapter 15:3-5 of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. The creed of the 1st century church. We have touched on this at the beginning of this study. Here is found a profession of faith, which has been handed on to us: “that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures; that he was buried; that he was raised on the third day, in accord with the scriptures; that he was seen by Cephas and then by the Twelve” (1 Cor 15:3-5).
It is the resurrection that is key to our faith and hope, for “if Christ be not risen, in vain is our preaching and in vain too is your faith” (1 Cors 15:14).
"The empty tomb is a necessary condition for the Resurrection ," The other element is Jesus' appearances to the Apostles. "They needed to see in the flesh that he was alive again in his body, but in a transformed and glorified state," he added, citing the account in Chapter 24 of Luke's Gospel in which the Apostles initially think "they saw a spirit—which shows you the Apostles believed in ghosts." But Jesus tells them, "Look at my hands and my feet," which had been pierced with nails when he was crucified, "for a spirit does not have flesh and bones, but I have."
The Apostles at first "met with opposition, mockery and even doubt on the part of the disciples,"
Even as Christianity spread throughout the Roman Empire, the Resurrection was one of the stumbling blocks. Paul preaching about Christ in Athens to the Greeks had his audience listening to him "until he says Christ was raised from the dead". They mock him. It's impossible; even ancient people knew that dead people stayed dead."(Acts 17:31-32)
The epistles build upon the certainty of the Resurrection of Christ. From this evidence we can be assured that if we as Christians die we will rise again. More important in our modern day is the assurance that if we believe that Christ died and rose again we also can believe that He might come before we die, that we might be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. "If we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep ( 1 Thess. 4:14). When this occurs, the Lord will descend from heaven with a shout: the dead in Christ shall rise and those believers in Christ who are alive and remain will be raptured, caught up to be with the Lord forever.
He has given us new birth into a living hope
