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Why was the Stone Rolled Away?
by Peter Tyrrell
Have you ever wondered why the stone was rolled away from Jesus’ tomb?
Was it to release Jesus? Well, of course not. Being God, Jesus could move freely from one place to another without being encumbered with worldly limitations. In the days after the resurrection Mary Magdalene thought Jesus was a gardener (John 20:14). He appeared to the women on the way to tell the disciples in Matthew 28: 9. “Suddenly Jesus met them. ‘Greetings,’ he said.” And He supernaturally appeared next to the two disciples on the way to Emmaus. (Luke 24:18-24)
While the stone covering the entrance to the tomb was there for many reasons, we know its existence wasn't to contain Christ.
Don’t underestimate the Guards’ role
Before we answer the question about the stone, let’s visit the importance of the guards on resurrection Sunday. They had been placed there as an integral part in God’s plan to communicate the resurrection. They were special soldiers, hand picked for being strong, skilful, alert and loyal to death. Their posting was made the day after Jesus’ burial as a last minute decision to ensure that these zealots who followed Jesus would not kidnap the body (Matthew 27:63). Both the authorities and Disciples had something to prove here. The Pharisees wanted Jesus to rot in that tomb as a public demonstration that their motives were correct. The Disciples, proof that Jesus was in fact the risen Messiah.
As the guards awoke from their God induced slumber, they saw the empty tomb and the angel sent by God. Matthew 28: 4 records that they were ‘as dead men’ because they met a heavenly being. The impact was so significant an event that they froze. I’m sure these handpicked soldiers were in a situation that they had not encountered before. They certainly weren’t trained for it. So they quickly ran off to their commanders, and then to Pilate, to report on what had happened. I wouldn’t have wanted to be in their shoes. Their superiors would not have been happy, and although they would discipline them for failing in their duty, they couldn’t deny the truth of what had been relayed by these trained professionals. The authorities knew that they spoke the truth so they paid the guards for their silence, as we are told in Matthew 28.
It was a brilliant, God inspired strategy to use professional, loyal soldiers to share the truth of the resurrection with those who denied Christ. Who better to challenge a sceptic than two of their own!
The empty tomb showed that God was at work
The tomb was opened to show that something tangible, something real, had happened. Who’d have believed the resurrection if the stone was in place and the seal unbroken? It was an open, public statement of the divine. The stone had been rolled away, the guards had seen the Angel of the Lord and the tomb was empty. Each of these incidents confirms what had become public knowledge about Christ’s prophesy of His own resurrection. The rolling away of the stone became a symbol to all that Christ was the real Messiah.
The empty tomb initiated the spread of the news of the resurrection
You have to wonder what the disciples would have done if the stone hadn’t been rolled away. Would they have locked themselves away, frightened that what they believed was false? I’m sure those 35 or so hours after Jesus’ death on the cross would have been filled with nervous anticipation, waiting and not knowing what to expect. “(They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)” John 20: 9 (NIV).
But on seeing the empty tomb, the scene that Sunday morning was one of action. There was disbelief, fear of Jesus’ being taken by the authorities, then heavenly beings speaking to the women and then Peter. People were running to tell others as the Angels gave instructions to GO TELL. (Matt 28: 7 and Mark 16:7-8). You can almost see those who loved Jesus sprinting to see his open and vacant tomb.
The empty tomb was the time of first belief. It is from here that the news spread that the prophesy of the resurrection had indeed occurred. This was a real event, that all that was foretold was being fulfilled. The news could not be contained.
The empty tomb is there for our curiosity
There is nothing more interesting to people than a hole. Our imagination causes us to ask what’s there. Our curiosity invites us in, as we want to explore what’s inside. What lived there and where is it now?
The empty tomb beckons us to know the truth. Did Jesus really die and rise from the dead? Our human curiosity is what causes us to find Christ for the first time. The tomb is open, just as God’s love is open for us to accept. If you believe and walk inside you can accept the gift of eternal life.
As the annual celebration of Easter approaches each of us has the opportunity to peer into the empty tomb once again. The stone has been rolled back as both a symbol of God’s omnipotent power and as an offer to believe. We can peer into the tomb once more and see that Jesus is who He said He is, the Son of the Most High, raised from the dead.
The stone was rolled away for you. Are you curious? Walk inside.
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Peter Tyrrell is the Executive Director of Insight for Living Australia based in Melbourne
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