The Stone Rolled Away for Us

Posted on April 9, 2023

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Jeremiah 31:1-6

Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24

Acts 10:34-43

John 20:1-18

He is Risen! This day is the most exciting time of the church year. It is a day of victory over sin. It is a day that represents our salvation being made complete. It marks a new era for the lives of humanity. It fulfills a promise God made through the prophets so long ago. Through the prophet of Jeremiah, the Lord promises a restoration of Israel. For the Lord has loved with an everlasting love and has drawn with unfailing kindness. This means that his Love does not last for only a moment and neither does his kindness towards his people. It does not wither away like feelings that may change and die within a single moment. His love lasts through trials and suffering. His love even sacrifices to save. His love shows no partiality just as Peter learned in Acts 10.

We read from John 20 that early in the morning on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb. It was so early that morning that the sky was still dark. It was probably the safest time of the day go as it would be harder for people to see her as she was headed for the tomb and most of the people would probably still be asleep. However, when she arrives, she is in for a shock. The stone has been rolled away and Jesus’ body is not there. She fears that someone has taken his body away. This was exactly what the Pharisees feared as well and was the reason why they asked the Romans to seal the tomb in fear that his followers would try to make it seem like the prophecies were being fulfilled and out of fear that Jesus had told everyone that he would rise again. However, Jesus’ followers were hiding in fear and believed that all of their hopes had been destroyed. However, Mary runs back to them and tells them that his body has been taken away. They still do not believe or understand at this point. However, Peter in John feel the urge to run to the tomb to check it out and they see that his body is not there. They saw that Jesus was gone but still did not understand what had happened.

Mary is then in the garden and crying when a man appears before her and asks her why she is crying. Until he says her name, she does not recognize who he is. She begins to try to cling to him but he refuses to let her. He tells her that he has not yet ascended to the father. He tells her to tell the others to go to galilee where they will see him. There has been a lot of commentators and thoughts shared about this verse as the interpretations of the other Gospels make this statement confusing. He tells her not to cling on him because his mission is not yet complete. It can be inferred that once she sees him, she would not want to let him go. However, he has more to fulfill and now was not the time to keep him from the next part of his mission. However, the question comes then why does he appear to the others in the upper room and allow them to touch him? Had he already ascended and then descended at that point. I personally do not think so. I would tend to lean on the side that he only asked Mary to not cling on to him because he had more to do and he had more for her to do as well.

The thing that really jumped out to me this year though is the stone that was rolled away and the reason why it was rolled away. You see Jesus did not need the stone to be rolled away. When he appeared before the disciples in the upper room the doors were locked and yet he was able to appear where ever he desired and no locked door would keep him. Therefore, it is reasonable to believe that he would not need the stone rolled away for him to leave the tomb either. So then why was the stone rolled away if Jesus did not need it to be? The answer is that it was rolled away for us and not for him. It was rolled away so that we would see and believe. It was to show us that a dead body no longer rests there but a living body has been restored. The empty tomb is there for the whole world to see and believe that he conquered death.

If you think about it, it would be difficult to believe that it was really Jesus appearing before you if you could not see that there is no longer a dead body. If it were me and Jesus was appearing before me alive again and I didn’t know about the empty tomb then I would be running back to that tomb just to double check that he was not there. That is why the stone was rolled away for us and not for him. Every year that passes now since I first believed I believe even more. I was not there in person to see the empty tomb but there were so many more witnesses that did see and that saw Jesus as well that it is impossible to deny. So many were willing to give their lives for the truth as well that it would be impossible for it all to be a made-up lie.

I would say that the hardest part in living this life is seeing that things do not always go the way that we desire. We see loved one pass away too soon. Some of us fall into poverty or lose our jobs. Some of us lose good health to our body. Believing in Jesus does not take all of these things away. However, He is risen, and because he is risen we can trust and believe in him even though things do not always go our way. We can be set free from all of the misery in this world that comes to destroy our joy. We can find joy in our risen savior. It is not always easy. However, we must remember that the stone was rolled away and it was rolled away for us. It was rolled away for all of us. For God shows no favoritism but has died for all that all may believe and be saved. He is Risen! Amen!