And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. Luke 24:2
One of the impossible theories that enemies of Jesus Christ have proposed concerning His death and subsequent resurrection is called the swoon theory. According to this theory, Jesus did not die on the cross, but merely fainted. This theory goes on to propose that after being in the tomb for three days, Jesus revived from His faint, and came forth from the tomb. This is of course impossible for several reasons, not the least of which is the fact that no one ever survived crucifixion. In fact, Roman soldiers were under a death penalty if they should allow a living prisoner to be removed from a cross. The soldiers verified that He was actually dead by declining to break His legs as they had done to the malefactors (John 19:33). They knew He was dead. And John confirmed His death by his eye witness account of the flow of blood and water from the thrust of the soldier’s spear (John 19:34,35). And of course, the theory falls apart badly with its supposition that a man beaten almost to death and lying unattended in a tomb, wrapped tightly in grave clothes, could have revived and have enough strength to move a massive stone weighing almost half a tonne. But the stone was moved. Who moved it? And why?
It is Matthew’s Gospel that tells us that the angel of the Lord rolled back the stone from the door to the tomb (Matthew 28:2). The same Gospel also tells us that the angel told the women who came to the sepulchre to look inside and verify that Jesus was not there because He is risen from the dead (Matthew 28:6). The terrified and disheartened disciples could not have stolen the body, nor could any other of Jesus followers, not with the Roman guard present and the Roman seal on the door. The angel did not bring the body forth, either, because he stayed there and sat on the door. No, the only possible explanation is that Jesus obeyed His Father’s commandment to take up His life again (John 10:18). No stone on earth was large enough to hold Him in a tomb. The opened sepulchre is our proof of the resurrection, and the source of our hope of eternal life.
If the stone had not been rolled away, we would have no reason to believe that Jesus had come forth in triumph over death. But today we peer into the open, empty tomb and rejoice in the victory that it represents. The first Adam was assured death by his disobedience, and we must also all die because we have sinned. But the Last Adam, who was exempt from death because of His obedience, took our death upon Himself. By dying, He defeated death, not only for Himself but for all who have trusted in Him.
As Christians, we live in hope and victory, rejoicing that the stone was rolled away from the sepulchre. – Jim MacIntosh