He is risen! He is risen, indeed! Hallelujah!
Happy Easter. I pray you will consider with me WHY the stone was rolled away from the tomb. Was it so Jesus could come out after being raised to life? Was it so the angels seated at the head and the foot of where Jesus laid could get in to take their place? Was it to scare the guards at the tomb? Was it to add questions as to whether Jesus’ body had been stolen?
To address those questions, remember: Jesus didn’t need the tomb opened to get out (remember he appeared to his disciples in a room twice in the next few days)…and neither did the angels; the guards at the tomb would have been scared just to see Jesus alive; and Jesus appeared to people shortly after being alive, so there was no need to worry about His body being stolen.
The gospel of Mark gives a great insight into why the stone was rolled away: “He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. Mark 16:6b
The stone was rolled away to allow people in to see proof that Jesus was not there. Only His burial garments remained because He was alive!! The stone was rolled away so people could bear witness to the truth: He is risen! He is risen, indeed! Hallelujah!
Happy Easter!
Julian Petzold, Ph.D.
Executive Director