Hi ,
The empty tomb is the most powerful portion of the events of
the Easter weekend because it proved that God accepted the sacrifice made at the cross. So, how do we know that Jesus in fact rose from the dead?
In Part 1, we saw briefly how secure the tomb actually was. In Part 2 we considered that nobody argues that the tomb was indeed empty. The testimonies of eyewitnesses on that morning were
astounding! But, where was the body?
One of the big questions to ask is this: Why were the grave clothes still there? If the body had been stolen, whether by the disciples or the religious leaders, they would have taken everything. It's unreasonable to imagine that they would have completely unwrapped the body and left all of the grave clothes
lying there. Consider also that the linens were still lying in place (John 20:3-8), but the material that had been wrapped around Jesus' head was folded up in a place by itself. Who would have bothered to do that? And, why?
The real shock to the disciples, it seems, was not just the empty tomb, but the empty grave clothes!
(continued...)
