He Lives — The Empty Tomb and the Glory of the Resurrection
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The silence of Saturday was broken by a trembling earth.
"There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it." (Matthew 28:2)
The guards were paralyzed by fear. The women who came to the tomb were greeted not with death, but with glory. An angel, radiant like lightning, delivered the most hope-filled news humanity would ever hear: "He is not here. He has risen."
But the angel didn’t stop there. He invited them in: "Come and see the place where he lay." (Matthew 28:6)
Why? Because seeing changes everything.
Inside the tomb, linen cloths lay where His body had been. And then — something curious: "The cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head was folded up, separate from the linen." (John 20:7)
This was not the scene of a rushed escape. This was order. This was intentional. According to Jewish tradition, a folded napkin left by the master at the table was a sign: “I am coming back.”
Even in the details, Jesus was communicating.
In John 20:12, two angels appear inside the tomb, sitting where Jesus' body had been. While Matthew 28 focuses on the angel outside who rolled the stone, John reveals a fuller picture — heaven marked this moment from every angle.
The women saw. The disciples came and saw. And today, we are still invited to look — not into a tomb filled with death, but into a space where death was defeated.
He lives. And because He lives, hope lives too.
What does the resurrection mean to you today? In your ordinary Sunday morning, in your silence, your doubts — the tomb is still empty. The promise still stands. Take a moment to thank Him. To rejoice. To live like the stone has been rolled away.