Key Passage
The women said to each other, "There is a large stone covering the entrance of the tomb. Who will move the stone for us?" Then the women looked and saw that the stone was moved. The stone was very large, but it was moved away from the entrance.
— Mark 16:3-4 ERV (Read Full Text)
Key Thought
The question about moving the stone is such a practical one for the women as they approach the tomb. The grave of Jesus has been sealed with a heavy stone. They couldn't manage it—they needed help to move the stone away. Little did they know that God had already taken care of this problem in a far bigger way than they could ever imagine. At the same time, the question about who will figuratively move the stone from our graves is one that each human being really faces in his or her own life. If we view our own death as a problem because we don't have the answer for what happens next, then efforts to preserve our physical lives may become unreasonably important to us. Of course, those efforts will ultimately fail. So our Father in Heaven gives us the greatest present we could ever receive: he raised his Son from the dead and gives life to us through Jesus. God has rolled away the stone—Jesus' stone at the tomb and ours as well.
Prayer
Gracious Father, thank you for rolling the stone of death away and for promising us eternal life. What a great gift! In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Related Scriptures
Those children are people with physical bodies. So Jesus himself became like those people and had the same experiences people have. Jesus did this so that, by dying, he could destroy the one who has the power of death. That one is the devil. Jesus became like those people and died so that he could free them. They were like slaves all their lives because of their fear of death. Clearly, it is not angels that Jesus helps. Jesus helps the people who are from Abraham. For this reason Jesus had to be made like us his brothers and sisters in every way. Jesus became like people so that he could be their merciful and faithful high priest in service to God. Then Jesus could bring forgiveness for the people's sins. And now Jesus can help those people who are tempted. Jesus is able to help because he himself suffered and was tempted.
— Hebrews 2:14-18
So this body that ruins will clothe itself with that which never ruins. And this body that dies will clothe itself with that which never dies. When this happens, then the Scriptures will be made true: “Death is swallowed (defeated) in victory.”
“Death, where is your victory? Grave, where is your power to hurt?”
— 1 Corinthians 15:54-55
God raised Jesus from death. And if God's Spirit is living in you, then he will also give life to your bodies that die. God is the One who raised Christ from death. And he will give life to your bodies through his Spirit that lives in you.
— Romans 8:11
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