Grace Lutheran
Easter 2025 Updated
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      • 1 Corinthians 15:17ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 15:17ESV

      • Isaiah 65:17–25ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 15:19–26ESV

      • Luke 24:1–12ESV

      • Psalm 16ESV

      • Isaiah 65:17–25ESV

      • Isaiah 65:17–25ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 15:19–26ESV

      • 1 Corinthians 15:19–26ESV

      • Luke 24:1–12ESV

      • Luke 24:1–12ESV

  • Sermon Title: “You’ve Got to Be Kidding: The Empty Tomb and the Full Truth”
    Memory Verse:
    1 Corinthians 15:17 – “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.”

    The Ridiculousness of Unbelief:

    It was early one Sunday morning—still dark. The dew hadn’t dried, and the birds weren’t even warmed up yet. A few women were walking quietly toward a grave.
    They weren’t smiling. They weren’t humming Easter hymns. They weren’t shouting, “He is risen!” because, frankly, they weren’t expecting that.
    Nope. They were carrying spices. Not because they were preparing brunch, but because they expected to find a dead man. Jesus, their teacher, the miracle-worker, the one who had raised other people from the dead—had Himself been beaten, crucified, stabbed, and sealed in a tomb.
    And as far as they were concerned, that was that.
    Now pause with me for a second, because I need to rant just a little.
    You know what’s crazy?
    People will believe that the moon landing was faked, that lizard people run the government, that Elvis is working at a gas station in Nevada—but they won’t believe that Jesus rose from the dead.
    Seriously?
    People will trust their phones to know their location, a psychic to tell them their future, and their car’s GPS to direct them off a cliff—but they won’t trust Jesus when He says, “I will rise again on the third day.”
    Even Jesus' closest followers—His ride-or-die disciples—didn’t believe it.
    But let’s get back to the women.

    I. The Women Came Looking for the Dead (vv. 1–3)

    Let’s set the scene. It’s Sunday morning. The air still carries the chill of night. The streets of Jerusalem are quiet. The city that just days ago roared with angry cries of “Crucify Him!” is now eerily still.
    A few faithful women—Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James—are walking toward a tomb just outside the city walls. They’re not skipping or smiling. Their hearts are heavy. Their eyes are swollen. Their hands hold burial spices, not celebration streamers.
    They’re not on a hope-filled pilgrimage. They’re on a grief-filled errand. They are walking toward a sealed tomb expecting to see death, not life.
    Let’s be real—they had no plan for the stone. The thing was massive. This was not a dainty little grave marker you could nudge with your foot. This was a multi-hundred-pound, rolling-seal security device. Maybe they were hoping some gardener or Roman soldier would take pity on them.
    And then—they arrive.
    And the stone… is already rolled away.
    Their breath catches.
    Their hands tremble.
    They inch closer. Maybe their first thought was grave robbers. Maybe this was just another cruel twist in an already nightmarish weekend.
    They step inside. Their eyes adjust to the dim light. They look where they had last seen His lifeless body…
    And it hits them.
    Not the stone. Not some thief.
    But the truth.
    He’s. Not. There.
    The tomb is empty. Death is defeated, but they don’t know it yet. They came expecting a corpse, and now they’re standing in the shock of absence.

    II. The Angels Delivered a Divine Reminder (vv. 4–7)

    Cue the confusion. Cue the chaos. Cue two angelic figures dressed like they just walked off a holy runway—dazzling, radiant, otherworldly.
    And what do these messengers from heaven say?
    “Why do you look for the living among the dead?”
    Which is Bible-speak for: “Ladies, what are you doing in a graveyard with burial spices for a living Savior?”
    It’s like frantically searching for your phone in the fridge—while you’re talking on it. It makes no sense.
    And the angels continue: “He is not here. He has risen.”
    Then they go full heavenly TED Talk: “Remember what He told you? That the Son of Man must be handed over, crucified, and on the third day be raised again?”
    This wasn’t some divine detour. This was the plan. This was the script. This was exactly what Jesus said would happen—but their grief had fogged their memory.
    So the angels remind them: The cross wasn’t the end—it was the path. The tomb wasn’t a dead end—it was a doorway.

    III. The Women Ran to Share the News (vv. 8–10)

    And then it clicks.
    Like a light switch flipping on in a dark room, the women remember.
    “He did say that! Wait… He said it multiple times!”
    The words of Jesus rush back into their hearts like a flood. And suddenly, they’re not grief-stricken mourners anymore—they’re eye-witnesses to a miracle.
    And what do they do?
    They run.
    They don’t wait. They don’t debate. They don’t say, “Let’s double-check the linen cloths one more time.”
    They run—something very un-funeral-like—to tell the others.
    And what do they say?
    “The tomb is empty! Jesus did exactly what He said He would do! He is alive!”
    Let’s pause here and marvel at this:
    The first gospel preachers of the resurrection weren’t apostles.
    They weren’t priests.
    They weren’t men.
    They were faithful women, whose love kept them near Jesus in death and whose faithfulness made them the first to witness the truth of life.
    And now? They are the first resurrection evangelists.
    They bring the greatest news the world has ever heard: Jesus has risen. Just. Like. He. Said.
    Now you'd think the disciples would leap up, shout “Hallelujah!”, start making resurrection banners, maybe even organize a potluck and balloon release, right?
    Nope. Not yet, at least.

    IV. The Disciples Called It Nonsense (v. 11)

    So here come the women, hearts pounding, eyes wide with wonder, proclaiming the best news the world has ever heard: “The tomb is empty! Jesus is alive!”
    And how do the disciples respond?
    “But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them.”
    An idle tale. In the Greek, the word is lēros—a medical term sometimes used to describe the ramblings of someone delirious. It’s where we get the word delirium. Basically, they thought the women were babbling nonsense—like they’d stayed up too late watching History Channel conspiracies.
    “You ladies have been up too early and had too much strong coffee.”
    Now pause with me for a holy facepalm. These guys had seen Jesus walk on water. They had seen Him calm a storm with a word. They watched Him raise Lazarus from the dead, for goodness’ sake!
    And now… when He does exactly what He said He would do, they say: “Nah. Too far-fetched.”
    Do you see the irony? They had no problem believing in miracles when they saw them— but now, they’re being asked to believe based on a promise and a testimony. And suddenly that feels like too much?
    It sounds familiar, doesn’t it?
    Our world says the same thing today:
    “Jesus rising from the dead? Cute story. Inspiring. But scientifically implausible.”
    They want forensic evidence. Drone footage. A video from inside the tomb showing the linen cloths unwrapping themselves.
    But friends, the resurrection has never been something proven by a microscope. It is received by faith. Not blind faith—but reasonable faith rooted in witness, history, and the Word of God.
    Paul says it this way in Acts 26:25:
    “I am not out of my mind… but I am speaking true and rational words.”
    What’s truly irrational is the alternative:
    That life is random. That death is final. That good loses. That evil wins. That we are cosmic accidents careening toward the grave.
    Now that’s nonsense.
    The resurrection of Jesus isn’t just credible—it’s the only hope that makes sense of the human heart, the ache for eternity, the cry for justice, and the hunger for grace.

    V. Peter Investigated and Walked Away Amazed (v. 12)

    But there’s one disciple who just has to check it out for himself. Peter.
    Always Peter. Impulsive, emotional, big-hearted Peter.
    He hears the women’s words and bolts out the door like a man on a mission. Luke says he ran to the tomb. John’s Gospel says he and John had a footrace (John won—he made sure we knew).
    Peter gets there, bends down, and sees the linen cloths lying by themselves. No angel. No body. Just emptiness.
    And he walks away—amazed.
    Now this word "amazed"—thaumazō in Greek—means more than "impressed." It means he was left in awe-struck wonder. Mind blown. Head spinning.
    But here's the thing: Peter didn’t fully understand what had happened yet. What amazed him wasn’t that he could solve the mystery. What amazed him was that the tomb was empty, just as Jesus said it would be.
    He saw enough to keep following. Enough to keep hoping. Enough to get ready—for Jesus would soon appear to him, face to face.
    And that’s the invitation for us today. The empty tomb is not a puzzle to figure out—it’s a promise to believe.

    VI. The Resurrection Is Ridiculous—If It’s Not True

    Let’s be honest. The idea that a dead man got up, folded His grave clothes, and walked out of the tomb seem utterly ridiculous…
    Except it’s true. Every part of it.
    That’s why Paul pulls no punches in 1 Corinthians 15:17:
    “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.”
    In other words: If Jesus didn’t rise, Christianity is a hoax. The cross was a failure. You and I are just religious hobbyists wasting our Sundays, or for some this Easter Sunday.
    But here’s the good news:
    “But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead…” (1 Corinthians 15:20)
    And because of that:
    Your faith is not futile.
    Your sins are forgiven.
    Death is defeated.
    The devil is crushed.
    And heaven is wide open.
    It is simple, people you do not die for a lie you made up.
    The apostles didn’t invent a story to boost their status or build an empire. They were beaten, stoned, imprisoned, crucified, exiled—all for one reason:
    “He is risen. We saw Him. We touched Him. We ate fish with Him.”
    They didn’t spread a myth. They bore witness to a miracle.

    VII. The Empty Tomb Is Full of Grace

    And that brings us here—now—today.
    You don’t need to bring spices. You don’t need to solve the mystery. You don’t need to earn the grace.
    You just need to believe what they saw:
    The tomb is empty.
    And that empty tomb is full of good news:
    For the doubter—there’s evidence. Jesus body is simply not there.
    For the broken—there’s healing.
    For the sinner—there’s forgiveness.
    For the grieving—there’s hope.
    For the dying—there’s life.
    The angel's question still echoes:
    “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here. He has risen.”
    So let me ask you:
    Are you still searching for life among dead things? Chasing hope in what the world offers—only to find more fear, more emptiness?
    The tomb is empty.
    Which means your heart can be full.
    Full of grace. Full of peace. Full of joy. Full of hope.
    So believe it.
    Don’t just hear it—believe it.
    Cling to it, because it’s the only thing that will never fail you.
    Cling to it when life is hard, when the world feels like it’s falling apart, when your heart is heavy and the future seems uncertain.
    Build your life on it, because everything else—every plan, every dream, every hope—will one day fade away.
    But the resurrection?
    The resurrection is forever.
    Because Christ is risen.
    He is risen indeed. Alleluia!
    And that changes everything.
    He is risen! He is risen indeed. Alleluia!
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