“But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb” (Luke 24:1-2).
Imagine that you are one of those who visits the grave of a loved one in a cemetery. But one day you find a hole in front of the tombstone. Right next to it you see an excavator and a pile of dirt. The vault is open, the coffin is overturned, and the lid is open. The corpse is gone.
How would you react? Shock. Anger. Confusion. What in the world is going on here? How could this happen? Who would do this?
That’s the situation at dawn on Sunday morning. The stone has been rolled from the tomb. Scholars believe it was at least four feet in diameter, weighing between one and two tons.
The women didn’t think it through. In Mark’s gospel, they ask, “Who’s going to roll the stone away?” But it wasn’t a problem. In Matthew’s gospel, the stone is moved by an earthquake and an angel. Here in Luke’s gospel, it’s not supposed to be open. What happened? Who would do this? Who could do this?
When Jesus died, the curtain in the temple was torn in two, and that restricted space was suddenly open. On the third day, the tomb is open. Now it’s time to open hearts and minds to the new reality of resurrection.
Waite for it... 