The disciples walked the streets of Jerusalem with their friend Jesus on Thursday. That night they ate together, prayed together, and sang together. On Friday afternoon He was dead. His lifeless body was removed from the cross and carried away. Friday night it was in the tomb, undisturbed. All day Saturday it was there, and placed under guard. But when Sunday dawned, the tomb was empty.

Jesus Christ met death face-to-face, and defeated it! The tomb was empty Sunday morning because He was alive. By His resurrection, every claim Jesus made about His divine nature was confirmed "with power" (Romans 1:4). He not only kept His word that He would be raised, but He fulfilled a thousand-year-old prophecy by David (see Psalm 16:9-11 and Acts 2:24-36). In our modern, skeptical age, people often wonder if such a claim can be proved. The answer is "Yes!" A believable case for the resurrection of Jesus can be made from the information contained in the Gospel records.

The Empty Tomb

Was Jesus raised from the dead? The first place to look for evidence is the tomb. Christ's bodily resurrection cannot be defended if He remained in the tomb even one hour of day four. If the tomb was occupied Monday, Jesus is not divine and there is no hope in Him as Savior.

A consideration of the tomb gives us solid evidence of Jesus' resurrection. In the first place, it was impossible for Jesus to escape from the tomb without being detected. This can be seen in various ways.

• All four of the Gospel records plainly declare that the Lord was dead prior to entering the tomb (Matthew 27:50; Mark 15:44-45; Luke 23:46; John 19:32-34).
• Tombs, like caskets, were not equipped with back doors. The cave opening was blocked by a massive stone door (Matthew 27:60).
• The tomb was sealed and watched by soldiers (Matthew 27:66).

• At least six of Jesus' followers saw the empty tomb: Mary Magdalene (Matthew 28:1-10); Mary (the mother of James) and Salome (Mark 16:1-8); Joanna (Luke 24:10); and Peter and John (John 20:2-8).
• Some of the Roman guards, no doubt, saw that the tomb was empty (Matthew 28:2,11-15).
• Jesus' enemies never denied that the tomb was empty; they merely attempted to explain why it was empty.
• Peter proclaimed that the tomb was empty on the day of Pentecost in the presence of literally thousands of Jews who would have denied it if they could (Acts 2:24-36).

Who Moved the Stone?

Let's think about the actual tomb for a moment. The Bible tells us that it was cut out of solid rock (Matthew 27:60). One of the tomb's most impressive features was the immense stone that acted as its door. Matthew used the Greek phrase lithon megan to describe the stone (27:60). This two-word combination is the source of our modern term, "megalith" (meaning "large stone"). Mark tells us that the four women who came to the tomb wondered who would move the stone for them (Mark 16:2-4; see also Luke 24:10). While we will never know how large the stone was, it is safe to assume that four women could move a fairly large stone without help. Apparently the force needed to move this stone exceeded their combined strength.

If these women didn't move it, who did? Is it reasonable to think that it was moved by a brutally-beaten, crucified, and allegedly dead man? No, and in fact, Matthew indicates that an angel of the Lord was sent from heaven to do the job (Matthew 28:2).

Further, according to John, the stone was not just nudged aside to allow a single man to slip through, but it was "taken away from the tomb" (John 20:1). The moving of the great stone by the angel was an event of such proportions that the war-hardened soldiers "shook for fear of him, and became as dead men" (Matthew 28:4). It is no wonder they left their post and returned to the city to make a report to the chief priests. Adding to their fear of this supernatural sighting was the fact that the tomb they were guarding was now opened and empty. Maybe they thought that if the Jews knew the circumstances, they would not press charges against them for losing custody of the body.

Why Bribe the Guards?

While we are discussing the guards, it is important to remember why they were there in the first place. Although the Jews did not believe Him, they did recognize the importance of Jesus' prediction that He would be raised from the dead. They had to do something to prevent the disciples from claiming that such had happened. So they devised a plan. They went to Pilate and persuaded him to grant them a guard to watch the tomb (Matthew 27:62-66). Much to the disappointment of the Jewish leaders, however, the guards witnessed the resurrection. As mentioned above, the soldiers were so terrified that they left their post. Some of them, no doubt fearful of what would become of them, returned to the Jewish leaders to report the incredible event. Matthew told the story in these words:

"When they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, saying, Tell them, His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept. And if this comes to the governor's ears, we will appease him and make you secure. So they took the money and did as they were instructed; and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day" (Matthew 28:12-15).

Conclusion of the Evidence

The evidence from the tomb and its stone door may be summarized like this. On Friday, at least four witnesses saw Jesus' dead body placed into an empty tomb. The tomb was sealed with a stone too large for four women to move. Jesus' presence in the tomb was acknowledged alike by friend and foe on Saturday, when the guard was posted. On Sunday the stone was miraculously moved, and Jesus' body was gone.

Does It Matter?

What does it matter if the evidence leads us to believe in the resurrection? It matters a lot! In the first place, the resurrection is the strongest single argument for the deity of Jesus (Romans 1:4). If Jesus was raised from the dead as David prophesied, and as He promised, then He must have been divine! If He were not raised, Jesus was a liar.

In the second place, the resurrection is the basis upon which Christianity is built. The reality of salvation is linked to the fact of the resurrection; refute that fact, and you have destroyed Christianity. Without the resurrection, Christians are truly pathetic people (1 Corinthians 15). Christianity is either the true religion of God, or it is a lie. The truth of Jesus' resurrection determines which.