The Empty Tomb

(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.