Luke 24:1–12 (ESV)
The Resurrection
24 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from
the tomb, 3 but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. 5 And
as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee,
7 that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.” 8 And they remembered his words, 9 and
returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles,
11 but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. 12 But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went
home marveling at what had happened.
The women find the stone has been rolled away from the tomb. They find not the body of Jesus but two angels who say that Jesus is alive. Do
we ever fail to believe the things Jesus has told us because they are impossibly good? “He is not here, but has risen” means that someday the graves of all His followers will be opened, and they, too, will rise to live with Him. Take comfort and
joy!
I pray: In keeping with Your Word, fill our hearts, dear Lord Jesus, with the knowledge and comfort of Your empty tomb. Amen.
Edward A. Engelbrecht, The Lutheran Study Bible (St. Louis, MO: Concordia
Publishing House, 2009), 1771.