(#18) the Tomb Would Have Been Empty

 If Jesus Rose from the Dead, then (#18) the Tomb Would Have Been Empty [audio]

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. (Mark 16:6)

Apart from the actual appearances of Jesus, the empty tomb is probably the greatest physical evidence of the resurrection of Christ that we have. Lee Strobel, the former legal editor for the Chicago Tribune, journeyed from atheist to believer after a rigorous investigation of the evidence for Christ. Here is what he said concerning the empty tomb:

I was reminded of the assessment by one of the towering legal intellects of all time, the Cambridge-educated Sir Norman Anderson, who lectured at Princeton University, was offered a professorship for life at Harvard University, and served as dean of the Faculty of Laws at the University of London. His conclusion, after a lifetime of analyzing this issue from a legal perspective, was summed up in one sentence: “The empty tomb, then, forms a veritable rock on which all rationalistic theories of the resurrection dash themselves in vain.”

This should be stunning to those who doubt the resurrection. Is there really evidence so solid that it would evoke such a statement from one of the most daunting legal minds of all time? Even the skeptical Michael Grant concluded that though there are differences in the accounts, applying the same criteria as one would to any other ancient literary source, the evidence is “firm and plausible enough to necessitate the conclusion that the tomb was, indeed, found empty.”

Okay, so what is that “veritable rock” of evidence? Our task for today is to review it so that we might be found “always prepared to give a defense” as Peter says (1 Peter 3:15). We will take two days to do so, looking at six pieces of evidence today and the seventh tomorrow, so that we will be better prepared to handle the “rationalistic theories" that have “dashed themselves in vain” against the evidence of the empty tomb.

So, here we go with that “veritable rock” of evidence:

1. The Guards. When the guards reported to the elders, it is apparent that they had made a thorough search of the tomb, otherwise, there would have been no subsequent bribing of them to spread the lie that the disciples had stolen the body while they slept. It is also interesting to ask the simple question: “Why are the guards no longer at the tomb”? If they have abandoned their post, it can be for only one reason: the body they were guarding is no longer there.

2. The Women. We have multiple visits to the tomb early that morning by the women who found the tomb empty. Additionally, this provides strong evidence against the argument that the resurrection story is a legend. No Jewish male would create a legend in which the women are the primary witness in the story, for women didn’t have that kind of status in those days.

3. The Angels. It is hard to deny the testimony of an angel! Unless, of course, you want to deny the veracity of the record itself or one is a proponent of naturalism, where the notion of supernatural events and beings are automatically thrown out. Those are issues we have already addressed. But, finding the historical records to be reliable, it is difficult not to take note of an angel or two making the statement that Jesus had risen and His body was no longer there. And, by the way, come and take a look.

4. Peter and John. Both Peter and John ran to the tomb after Magdalene’s report to them. They both saw the tomb was empty just as she said. Peter returned for a second visit after the other women testified to speaking with angels saying that Jesus had risen. No doubt this second visit by Peter was a more thorough and contemplative one.

5. Other disciples. We don’t have foolproof evidence of this, but it seems there is both a strong implication and a common-sense conclusion that most, if not all, of the disciples at some point visited the tomb. When Cleopas returned from seeing Jesus on the road to Emmaus, this is what was said to him:

Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.” (Luke 24:22-24)

If "some" of the disciples had gone to see the tomb after the women’s report of seeing angels, then that would have to be a separate event from Peter and John running to the tomb after Magdalene’s report, for Magdalene saw no angel on her first visit to the tomb. 

And it would just make sense. Can you imagine being a disciple in the Upper Room and having the women burst in talking about angels and an empty tomb, and not going? I would have been running there in a heartbeat to check it out.

6. A body was never produced. The authorities had to bribe the guards to spread a lie that the disciples had stolen the body. If, in fact, the tomb was not empty, they merely had to produce the body and put an end to the whole nonsense. But, it wasn’t nonsense. The tomb was really empty and, for them, the dead body of Jesus was nowhere to be found. We know this because Matthew states that the bribery lie to counter the Resurrection was still around “to this day” (Matthew 28:15). That means the Resurrection story was still uncontested because there was no dead body produced to refute it.

But beyond all of this, one must contemplate the situation that must have existed in Jerusalem because of the empty tomb. We have already noted that the record tells us the “entire city” was “stirred up” because of Jesus. His reputation preceded Him. He had healed innumerable people and the news about Him had spread throughout all Syria. The Scripture tells us that “great multitudes” followed Him from Galilee and Decapolis, from Jerusalem and Judea and from beyond the Jordon. And now, following His crucifixion and burial with a guarded tomb, there is a rumor spreading around the entire city that Jesus had risen. And if you wanted, you could go to the tomb and see for yourself. 

“The Roman soldiers that had been guarding it are gone! They wouldn’t be gone if the body were still there! The stone is rolled away and the tomb is empty. All the authorities are desperate to find the body and they haven’t. Let’s go check it out!” 

I think it is reasonable to assume that of the twenty to thirty thousand people in Jerusalem, thousands visited the empty tomb. There could well have been a long line leading up to the tomb of the risen Jesus of Nazareth.

And, as we have mentioned before as well, it is impossible to think that the chief priests and the elders and the entire Sanhedrin didn’t go to see it for themselves. I don’t think you could have kept Pilate away either.  

Now, just how long the tomb sat there in its empty state is anyone’s guess. But, for sure, there were a lot of people that saw it and no one came up with a counter except the lie by the bribed guards.

7. The grave clothes. This requires some study, so we will leave this until tomorrow. But the fact that the grave clothes were still in the tomb is probably the most difficult thing for skeptics to explain. It is hard to imagine the thief taking time to unwrap the sticky linen before stealing the body, let alone coming up with a reasonable motive for why in the world he would do such a thing.

There are more indirect evidences, such as the appearance of Jesus (no small matter) and the radical change in His followers. But these are seven evidences that should be understood and wielded by the Christian in the defense of why we are a people of hope. Something we must not lose sight of in our current times. 

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