The Surprise of the Empty Tomb

REFLECTION QUOTES

“No rational person can die without uneasy apprehension.”

~Samuel Johnson (1709-1784), famed English writer

“…the historian…cannot justifiably deny the empty tomb… The evidence is firm and plausible enough to necessitate the conclusion that the tomb was indeed found empty.”

~British Scholar Michael Grant in his book Jesus: An Historian’s Review of the Gospels (1992)

“The evidence for the resurrection is better than for claimed miracles in any other religion. It’s outstandingly different in quality and quantity…from the evidence offered for the occurrence of most other supposedly miraculous events.”

~Antony Flew (1923-2010), British philosopher and arguably the foremost academic atheist in the latter half of the 20th century

“God…did not regard us with hatred, nor thrust us away, nor remember our iniquity against us. He showed great patience and bore with us. Then he took the burden of our iniquities on himself…the Holy One for transgressors; the Blameless One for the wicked…the Immortal One for those that are mortal.”

~“Letter to Diognetus”, an early church letter (c. A.D. 130)

“The only real prison is fear, and the only real freedom is freedom from fear.”

~Aung San Suu Kyi, Burmese dissident and politician

露の世は露の世ながらさりながら

“This dewdrop world—
Is a dewdrop world,
And yet, and yet…”

~Kobayashi Issa (1763-1828), Japanese poet and lay Buddhist priest, at the death of his daughter

SERMON PASSAGE

Mark 15:37-16:8 (ESV)

37 And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. 38 And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. 39 And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”

40 There were also women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. 41 When he was in Galilee, they followed him and ministered to him, and there were also many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem.

42 And when evening had come, since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the Sabbath, 43 Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself looking for the kingdom of God, took courage and went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 44 Pilate was surprised to hear that he should have already died. And summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he was already dead. 45 And when he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the corpse to Joseph. 46 And Josephbought a linen shroud, and taking him down, wrapped him in the linen shroud and laid him in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. And he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.

Chapter 16

1 When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. 2 And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. 3 And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” 4 And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. 5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. 6 And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.” 8 And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.