November 27, 2023

Returning To The Rented Grave

(Some information may be too graphic for small children)

“Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came early to the tomb, while it was still dark, and saw the stone already taken away from the tomb.” John 20:1 (NASB)

            This morning there was fog outside. It obscured my view to a few dozen feet. It looked so peaceful and serene. I couldn’t tell if the world had changed since darkness. When the fog lifted, it was apparent a new day had begun. When darkness lifted this day, history changed forever.

             “Now on the first day of the week…” From this day on, Christians would celebrate this day to celebrate and meet for the day Jesus was resurrected from the dead (Mark 16:2; Luke 24:1; Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2). It became what today is known as the “Lord’s Day.” Then, “Mary Magdalene came early to the tomb, while it was still dark.” Mark 16:2, indicates “… they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.” This would probably mean Mary left her home when it was dark and arrived at sunrise. She and others would have been carrying more spices and oils to anoint the body which may have slowed her progress through the streets to the burial site. Matthew 28:1 indicates Mary was accompanied by “the other Mary came to look at the grave.” Hughes says, “Shortly after He was resurrected, certain women came from the city to the tomb to anoint Christ’s body with spices (cf. Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:1; Luke 24:1; John 20:1). At least four women were there, probably more. Matthew mentions Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of Jesus. Mark tells us Salome was present. Luke includes Joanna (Luke 24:10). These devoted women evidently reached the tomb at daybreak, a time when it was difficult to clearly see. But what they could see shook them: the stone had been removed from the entrance! Had someone broken into the tomb? Had Joseph of Arimathea decided upon another tomb? Where were the soldiers?”[1] Then they looked “… and saw the stone already taken away from the tomb.” Throughout history, many excavations have been made in Palestine. Many record openings of about 3 feet in diameter. These were normally found at ground level accessible through a small entryway. “Hence, to enter the tomb, an adult would have to bend over and crawl in (note verse 5: He bent over). The entrance may be expressed in some languages as ‘the hole that led into the tomb’ or ‘the hole by which a person could go into the tomb.’ The use of such a term as ‘hole’ may be necessary to indicate that the tomb was entered by a small opening, rather than an ordinary door.”[2] Several types of tombs were in use in Palestine in Jesus’ day. Mark 16:3-4, discusses the size of Joseph’s tomb (a well-off member of the Sanhedrin), “They were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb? Looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away, although it was extremely large.” Tombs of this size would have normally been from a rich family or one that would have entombed families. The larger the cash flow or family size, the larger the tomb.

            I can’t imagine what the doorway looked like when the stone was removed. What took the strength of 7-10 men to place was removed by the Word of God. No explanation other than what Scripture records can explain how the tomb was opened. No matter how much the Pharisees wanted to change the story, the fact was the Savior of the world was alive!

[1] Hughes, R. K. (1999). (p. 452). Crossway Books.

[2] Newman, B. M., & Nida, E. A. (1993). (p. 603). United Bible Societies.