They Did Not Find the Body

Luke 23:50–24:12 – Holy Week
Easter Sunday – April 5th, 2026 (am)     

Do you believe in the resurrection? To some, it just seems like a cool fairy tale that can’t really be taken seriously. I mean, no one in his right mind could believe Jesus came back from the dead, right? Resurrection is more like a metaphor—a spiritual description of the fact that Jesus’ moral teaching and courageous life lived on after Him in the hearts of those who believe in Him.

To others, it’s quite different. The resurrection generates suspicion. Or at very least it seems like a distraction. They think Jesus’ first followers were just trying to create some significance to His life that wasn’t really there in the first place. Or, even if Jesus did say and do some good things during His life, we just compromise His credibility when we introduce such a foolish idea as resurrection. It’s like those who think Elvis is still alive! He lived a notable life. He really made his mark. So just appreciate him for all he achieved and let him go! He’s dead!

But honestly, I’d say there’s not really any great difference between these two groups. Whether you doubt the resurrection of Jesus as an idealist or as a skeptic, you’re still doubting the reality of the resurrection, the reliability of it. And you know what? If that’s where you find yourself, you’re in good company. Jesus’ own followers had a hard time believing it. They just couldn’t wrap their minds around it! Let’s explore the experiences of those we just read about, one individual and two small groups, and see how their eyes, hearts, minds were opened to believe in the resurrection.

Joseph of Arimathea – 23:50-53

Luke introduces us to 23:50 … a man named Joseph… of Arimathea. He was a member of the council, the Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling council, but he had not consented to their decision (51) to crucify Jesus. Matthew tells us he was rich (Mat.27:57). And Matthew and Mark agree with Luke that he was a good and righteous man (50), looking for the kingdom of God (51). So, Joseph was part of the faithful remnant in Israel, like Zechariah and Elizabeth (1:6), Simeon (2:25), and Anna (2:37). But John adds that Joseph followed Jesus secretly for fear of the Jews (Joh.19:38).

Once Jesus died, though, Mark records that Joseph took courage and went to Pilate and asked for [His] body… (Mar.15:43). I’m sure that was difficult. Coming out of hiding to act on our faith always is. It can cost us a lot! But Joseph couldn’t bear the thought of Jesus’ body being thrown in a common grave, as almost certainly would’ve happened. So, 53 … he took it down from the cross and wrapped it in a linen shroud and laid him in a tomb cut in stone, where no one had ever yet been laid. Matthew tells us it was Joseph’s own new tomb (Mat.27:60). Is it possible he bought it just for Jesus?

There’s much we could ponder about this wealthy, influential, devout-yet-timid man. But most important today: it seems like he expected Jesus’ body to remain in that tomb. Devout though he was—looking for the kingdom though he was; disciple of Jesus though he was—it doesn’t appear he was looking for a resurrection! He gave up his newly carved tomb for the body of his Lord (53). And every indication was that he expected it to stay there.

The Women from Galilee – 23:54-24:9

Next came [t]he women (55). And this was quite a group of them! They had followed Jesus all the way from Galilee (55), which speaks more about dedication than distance. They were a long way from home, and they’d been gone a long time, since early in Jesus’ ministry. These were the sort of women you’d want to have on your side in times of need.

Some of them are named for us (24:10). There was Mary Magdalene, the woman from whom seven demons had gone out (8:2). There was Joanna whom Luke has already told us was the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household manager (8:3). Then there was Mary the mother of James—probably not Jesus’ mother, but the other Mary (Mat.28:1) Matthew mentions. These faithful, loyal, resilient women were determined Jesus would have a proper burial, so they noted the place where He was laid (55), then went home and prepared spices and ointments (23:56).

Many kind things could be said about these women, but it seems just as clear with them as it did with Joseph that they weren’t looking for a resurrection. They expected that Jesus’ body would remain in that tomb. He was dead! They’d seen him die (23:49). And even though He’d told them three times that He would die and rise again (9:22, 44 [cf. Mar.9:30; Mat.17:22-23]; 18:33), they just had no mental category for resurrection!

They must have felt confused and disoriented at His death. They were likely discouraged, perhaps even despondent. I’m sure they wondered what could they possibly do next?  And into that void almost surely came the thought: Well, at least we can dress His body for burial—but, not [o]n the Sabbath (56). Awash in a sea of grief, they still honored God’s Word.

At the soonest possible moment, however, 24:1 … 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. They expected to, but they didn’t. What were they to make of this? Well, they didn’t have to wonder long. 4 While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. Angels! 5 And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, these men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? Great question! 6 He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you while he was 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. These women were starting to get it!

The Closest Disciples – 24:10-12

Then they 9 … [returned] from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest, just as they should! … 11 but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. So, even the disciples who were with Jesus from the start had no concept of resurrection! This is one of the biggest reasons why it makes no sense to say they staged it. They didn’t even believe in the resurrection when they first heard about it themselves! They certainly wouldn’t have given their lives trying to convince others of it! (That’s the oldest of lies about the resurrection [cf. Mat.28:11-15]).

But, what if…? You can almost feel that question rising in Peter’s heart as he began to remember what Jesus said, and how they’d all wondered what this rising from the dead might mean (Mar.9:10). 12 … 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—marveling, just as he’d done so many times before when Jesus performed some miracle (this is the eighth of nine times Luke used this word [2:33; 4:22; 7:9; 8:25; 9:43; 11:14; 20:26; 24:12; 24:41]).

Conclusion

So, the question for us today is, do we have any concept of the resurrection, and room for it—do you? What must we do to know the joy and power of the resurrection?Let me suggest three things.

Remember (6).

Listen to the angels at the tomb! 6 … Remember how he told you… 7 that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise. Remember what is written. Remember the Scriptures. Hear the resurrected Jesus’ rebuke of the two men traveling the road to Emmaus later in this chapter. 25 … He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And later He said to His disciples: 45 … everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled. That’s where we learn who Jesus is, what happened to Him, and why. 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, just as He said, 47 and more, that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations…. This is where you find out the truth about God, and about Jesus Christ. You find it in Scripture, proclaimed, heard, and embraced!

There are many people these days who claim to speak with authority about God and how He operates, what He’s like, what He expects of us. They’ve seen Him in a dream or met Him in a near-death-experience. But, if what they say disagrees with Scripture, it can’t be trusted. Listen to the resurrected Jesus! He directed His followers to Scripture and reminded them that all that is written there reliably points to Him!

Marvel (12).

As Peter remembered God’s Word, it moved him to action. He ran to the tomb to check out the scene. And he marveled! (12) How could you not? If you’ve looked into the story of Jesus and haven’t marveled, you haven’t understood it! My main point to drive home today is that the resurrection is real! It really did happen! There’s just no way to fake such an event successfully! Jesus’ followers were in no shape to dream up a tale like that after just seeing what they’d seen. And Jesus Himself surely couldn’t have convinced anyone that He was resurrected if He didn’t have a resurrection body—think of what awful shape He’d have been in just a couple days after the beating He endured.

No, however marvelous it may be, resurrection is the only real option that accounts for all the recorded details. Also, one of the key outcomes of all those miracles Jesus did during His life and ministry is the undergirding of our confidence that resurrection is not beyond His capabilities! At the tomb of Lazarus Jesus Himself had said: Joh.11:25 … I am the resurrection and the life…. Remember, and marvel!

However, one of the most tragic mistakes you can make in this life is to confuse marveling with believing. Peter marveled here (12), but it is not at all certain whether he had yet truly believed. Simon Magus marveled at the power given to Peter and John in Act.8:18-19. But he didn’t believe. Benjamin Franklin marveled at the powerful evangelistic preaching of George Whitefield. But, as far as we know, he never believed. You may have marveled from time to time at the beautiful stories of Jesus’ birth, life, death. But have you ever truly, savingly believed?

Believe (11).

So, part three of our challenge, and the bottom line call of the resurrection, is: Believe it! Accept not only the truth of the resurrection but it’s implications for your life personally. Remember. Marvel. Believe!

The word for believe that the NT writers used means much more than we generally mean when we use it. For us, believe just means that you agree with something; you accept it as essentially true. But for the NT writers, comimmitment was as much a part of the meaning of believe as was accepting the facts. For the biblical writers, belief produces commitment. It changes us. It moves us to action. Belief includes trust that produces commitment to the truths we accept and trust. I can accept that a moving sidewalk, like the ones in long concourses at the airport, can move me from point A to point B without my taking a step. I can marvel that it’s possible. But until I step on in order to reach point B, my belief hasn’t made any difference in my life.

To believe in Jesus means to respond to Him in faith, to trust in Him—who He is, what He’s said, what He’s done—such that we enter into relationship with Him, we begin to follow Him, to obey His teaching, compelled by a settled confidence in His death on our behalf reconciles us to God and His resurrection assures us of eternal life with Him. This is what genuine belief looks like, such that, if this is not what has happened in us, we’ve not yet entered into the blessings of knowing Jesus as Savior.

So, I urge you today: remember what Scripture teaches about Jesus; marvel at how He’s fulfilled it all; then believe in Him—Act.16:31 … Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved…!

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Resources

Beale, G. K., & D. A. Carson, eds. 2007. Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament. Luke, by David W. Pao & Eckhard J. Schnabel, 251-414. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic.

Calvin, John. 1610. Commentary on a Harmony of the Evangelists Matthew, Mark, and Luke, trans. by, William Pringle, 1845. Logos.

Dockery, David S, ed. 1992. New American Commentary. Vol. 24, Luke, by Robert H. Stein. Nashville: Broadman & Holman.

Hughes, R. Kent. 1998. Preaching the Word. Luke: That You May Know the Truth. Wheaton: Crossway.

Longman III, Tremper, & David E. Garland, eds. 2007. Revised Expositor’s Bible Commentary. Vol. 10, Luke-Acts. Luke, by Walter L. Leifeld & David W. Pao, 19-355. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

Morris, Leon, gen. ed. 1988. Tyndale New Testament Commentary. Vol. 13, Luke, by Leon Morris. Downers Grove: InterVarsity.

Muck, Terry, ed. 1996. The NIV Application Commentary. Luke, by Darrell Bock. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.

NEXT SUNDAY: Hebrews 10:19–25, Kipp Soncek