The empty tomb

THE EMPTY TOMB

Isaiah 53:3 (ESV) He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Ps 22:6 (NKJV) But I am a worm [tola'at], and no man; A reproach of men, and despised by the people.

The primary meaning of Psalm 22:6 is that David was despised. The secondary meaning is that – as this is a messianic psalm – Jesus (the Son of David) was despised (i.e., regarded as a worm).

One word used for worm in Hebrew is “rimmah,” which also means maggot.

A different word “tola’at” is used in Psalm 22:6.

Some who dislike what they call “worm theology” say that this refers to a different kind of worm and not to a maggot.

NOT TRUE: “Tola” is often used in conjunction with “rimmah” and refers to normal worms and even maggots. E.g. it is used of maggots of the type that devour corpses (Isa 14:11, 66:24)

It describes the worm God used to destroy Jonah's shade (Jonah 4:7).

The same word is used of maggots in the stale manna.

Ex 16:20 (NIV) However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots [tola-im] and began to smell…

ONE WHO IS INSIGNIFICANT

“Tola at” is figuratively used as a symbol of one who is insignificant:

Isaiah 41:14 (NKJV) “Fear not, you worm [tola'at] Jacob, You men of Israel! I will help you,” says the LORD And your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

Job 25:4-6 (NKJV) How then can man be righteous before God? Or how can he be pure who is born of a woman? … How much less man, who is a maggot [rimmah], And a son of man, who is a worm? [tola'at]”

Again note how it is used in conjunction with “rimmah”.

According to the Theological Wordbook Of The Old Testament, while all three forms of this word mean “worm, maggot, larva”; two forms (tôlā and tôla'at) also mean scarlet or crimson.

They note that in ancient times a brilliant scarlet or crimson dye obtained from the bodies of the Coccus ilicis insect “was employed to colour cloth used in the tabernacle and by those who worshiped there; tôla'at is attested 26 times in Exodus with the meaning “scarlet (stuff).”

In Isaiah 1:18 it is translated “crimson” and used as a figurative description of our sin.

(NKJV) “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson [tola], They shall be as wool.

So in Isaiah 1:18 “tola” describes our sin, while in Psalm 22:6 it refers to the Sin Bearer, Jesus.

PRIESTLY ASSOCIATIONS

The word “tola” has additional connotations. It means worm in some contexts but most OT uses refer to a colour - scarlet or crimson.

In Leviticus 14 “tola” describes the scarlet string used in the purification ceremony for leprosy.

It was used of the scarlet thread in the red heifer purification ceremony (Num 19:6).

Tola was the word used for the scarlet yarn used in the ten curtains of the Tabernacle.

Ex 26:1 (NIV) “Make the tabernacle with ten curtains of finely twisted linen and blue, purple and scarlet yarn, with cherubim woven into them by a skilled worker.”

It was used in reference to the curtain for the one doorway of the Tabernacle.

Ex 26:36 (NIV) “For the entrance to the tent make a curtain of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen—the work of an embroiderer.”

Notably it was used regarding the Veil separating the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies (Ex 26:31).

Remember how when Jesus died, this veil of the Temple was torn from top to bottom (Mattt 27:50-51)

Heb 10:19-20 (NIV) Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body.

The same word which portrays the despised Messiah (a worm) in Psalm 22:6 is used in 33 other OT passages referring to the blood-red scarlet material which foreshadowed the blood of Christ which accomplished the redemptive work on the cross.

In Exodus 28:5-6 “tola” is used as one of the colours in the “ephod” which was worn by the high priest. Jesus became our “merciful and faithful high priest” (Heb 2:17).

Christian apologist, Henry Morris, wrote:

When the female of the scarlet worm species was ready to give birth to her young, she would attach her body to the trunk of a tree, fixing herself so firmly and permanently that she would never leave again.

The eggs deposited beneath her body were thus protected until the larvae were hatched and able to enter their own life cycle. 

 As the mother died, the crimson fluid stained her body and the surrounding wood.

From the dead bodies of such female scarlet worms, the commercial scarlet dyes of antiquity were extracted.

What a picture this gives of Christ, dying on the tree, shedding His precious blood that He might "bring many sons unto glory" (Heb. 2:9) *

* pg. 73, "Biblical Basis for Modern Science", 1985

WHY DID JESUS HAVE TO SUFFER?

Nik Ripken is the author of “The Insanity of God.”

While in Kenya his 16-year-old son as a result of a severe asthma attack on an Easter morning.

People asked Nik, “How can God allow your son to die on Easter?

“You were only seeking to serve and praise Him among peoples unreached and untouched with the Gospel.

“How can a father handle watching his son die long before his child’s dreams could be realized?”

Nik imagines God’s thoughts when Jesus died on the cross could have been similar to this:

“My Son was a skilled carpenter, but I knew that He was made for something more than shaping wood with His hands.

“He was made for shaping lives with His words, with a touch or even with His tears. 

 “His life’s work was that of doing the miraculous — He healed the sick, fed thousands, allowed those without worth and unclean to touch Him and to be touched by Him.

“He could weep over the death of a friend and almost in the midst of a sob call him from the grave to life again.

“People were enamoured with the miraculous things He said and did. 

 “A few people began to discern that it wasn’t what He did that was miraculous.

“The real truth, they began to discover, was not that He did miracles but that He was The Miracle.

“Others feared what they did not understand. I saw my Son arrested and ridiculed. 

 “Their spit ran down His face, their jeers rang in His ears and their tools of torture caused blood to disfigure His countenance. 

 “Cheers from the days before when He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey turned to the jeering of a mob as they watched my Son drag His own cross up to a hill of death, where they raised His mutilated body, nailed upon a wooden cross, to the sky.

“Today, I watched my son die. 

 “The political and religious leaders of His day thought this was the end of the threat.

“Those who had followed Him believed their hope was dead, so they denied they had ever known Him.

“Both sides deeply believed this was the end of the story, this death, this killing of My son — once praised, now once and for all, crucified to death. 

 “And here was everyone’s mistake, their misunderstanding.

“They believed that crucifixion was the end of the story, that death ended all things — the threat to the reigning government and the people’s hopes for an earthly Messiah.

“Everyone was wrong. My Son was not to be defined by the waving palm leaves of the adoring multitude or by the shouts of the jeering crowd.

“Neither would He be defined by a crucifixion. 

 “There was more to come — more to the story. This was my plan. The crucifixion by man was a prelude to the resurrection by the Father.

“I allowed and watched my Son die, to be crucified, to demonstrate my love and forgiveness for all people, for all times. 

 “But I am not only a Father of love, I am a Father of power.

“And while my love allowed for the crucifixion of my Son, my power would not allow Him to stay dead because I had determined that crucifixion was just the prelude to the resurrection.” 

 For my family, the anniversary of my son’s death at Easter brings this bittersweet reminder

— There is no shortcut, no easy way out, no way to avoid wounds made inevitable by living in a broken, imperfect world.

Like God’s Son, my son died way too young and, at least for a season, for unacceptable reasons.

But my family knows that this earthly life is just a prelude to the eternal life we can have through and with Christ. Jesus’ crucifixion was for a moment in time. His resurrection is forever. *

* https:// nikripken.com/ the-death-of-a-son

THE RESURRECTION

The resurrection of Jesus is the pivotal teaching of the Christian faith.

1 Cor 15:14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.

What is the significance of Jesus leaving an empty tomb?

Crucial for Salvation

Credentials of Jesus affirmed

Contrast of a living hope with dead heroes

Courage of disciples

Creation’s goodness affirmed

Confident expectation

IMPORTANCE OF THE RESURRECTION

1) CRUCIAL FOR SALVATION

In 1 Corinthians 15 (a chapter dedicated to the resurrection) Paul shows that the resurrection of Jesus is one of the 3 key components of the gospel.

1 Cor 15:1-3 Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand.

By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance:

that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,

that he was buried,

that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures…

Belief in the resurrection is crucial for salvation:

Rom 10:9 That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

And so the resurrection is necessary for our justification:

Rom 4:25 He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.

Without the resurrection our faith is useless and futile:

1 Cor 15:13-19 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised.

And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.

More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead.

But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either.

And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.

Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost.

If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.

AS SON OF GOD: Jesus' resurrection signifies victory over sin and death. It was evidence that he was the Son of God.

Rom 1:4 (ESV) and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.

2) CREDENTIALS OF JESUS AFFIRMED

AS SAVIOUR: The empty tomb of Jesus was God’s sign of approval on the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus.

John 10:15-18 “… and I lay down my life for the sheep…

The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again.

No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord.

I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”

AS THE PROMISED MESSIAH: The empty tomb affirms Jesus’ credentials as the Son of David (Messiah) as he fulfils the Old Testament prophecies, such as Psalm 16:10, where it is prophesied that God's Holy One would not see decay.

David, in one of his many Messianic Psalms which speak of the future “Son of David”, says the following:

Ps 16:9-10 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.

Speaking to the crowd on the Day of Pentecost, Peter shows that this Psalm is prophetic of Jesus’ resurrection:

Acts 2:23-32 “… you, with the help of wicked men, put him (Jesus) to death by nailing him to the cross.

“But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. 

 “David said about him: ‘… my body also will live in hope, because you will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay...’

“Brothers, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day.

“But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne.

“Seeing what was ahead, he spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to the grave, nor did his body see decay.

“God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact.”

Speaking in Pisidian Antioch, Paul uses this same passage in Psalms when he, like Peter, proclaims the resurrection of Jesus:

Acts 13:28-31 “… they asked Pilate to have him executed. When they had carried out all that was written about him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb.

“But God raised him from the dead, and for many days he was seen by those who had travelled with him from Galilee to Jerusalem. They are now his witnesses to our people. 

 “We tell you the good news: What God promised our fathers he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus…

“The fact that God raised him from the dead, never to decay, is stated in these words: ‘I will give you the holy and sure blessings promised to David.’ So it is stated elsewhere: ‘You will not let your Holy One see decay.’

“For when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his fathers and his body decayed. But the one whom God raised from the dead did not see decay.”

Paul first quotes Isaiah 55:3 to show that the blessings promised to David are given to Jesus and then applies the passage from Psalm 16 to his resurrection.

The resurrection was the only sign Jesus would give to a wicked generation.

John 2:18-22 (NIV) The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?”

Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”

They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?”

But the temple he had spoken of was his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said.

The Muslim prophet Muhammad died on 8th June 632 AD in Medina, Saudi Arabia.

This picture shows Al-Masjid al-Nabawi (the Mosque of the Prophet) in Medina, with the Green Dome built over Muhammad’s tomb in the centre.

3) CONTRAST OF A LIVING HOPE WITH DEAD HEROES

Gautam Buddha died in the 5th century BC at Kushinagar. His body was cremated and the relics placed in monuments.

For example, the Temple of the Tooth or Dalada Maligawa in Sri Lanka is the place where the right tooth relic of Buddha is kept at present. *

* en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/ Burial_ places_ of_ founders_ of_ world_ religions

The Chinese teacher and philosopher Confucius died in 479 BC.

The grave of Confucius, founder of Confucianism, is in his home town of Qufu, Shandong Province, China … located in a large cemetery where more than 100,000 of his descendants are also buried. *

* Ibid.

Bahá'u'lláh, founder of the Bahá'í Faith, died on 29th May 1892 in Acre, Israel.

Located in Bahji near Acre, Israel, the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh is the most holy place for Bahá'ís and their Qiblih, or direction of prayer. It contains the remains of Bahá'u'lláh… *

* Ibid.

And here are the embalmed bodies of the dead Communist dictators:

Mao Zedong (China)

Vladimir Lenin (USSR)

Ho Chi Minh (Vietnam)

Kim Il-Sung (North Korea)

All the previously mentioned people have one thing in common.

What do Muhammad, Buddha, Confucius, Bahá'u'lláh, Vladimir Lenin, Mao Zedong, Ho Chi Minh and Kim II Sung all have in common?

The answer is: THEY ARE ALL DEAD!

This is the tomb in Jerusalem that many Protestants believe Jesus’ body was laid in – but the tomb is empty because Jesus Christ is alive!

The resurrection is what differentiates Jesus from other founders of religious movements.

They have tombs people visit to pay homage to their remains - but Jesus has an empty tomb.

Unlike the Communists, we don’t follow a dead “hero”– we serve a living Saviour.

If Jesus had not been resurrected, he would have been just another failed Messiah and Christianity would have died with its founder.

It would have been no different from other false religions and cults who venerate their dead prophets.

Animists pray to their dead ancestors for guidance. In November 2012, SA President Jacob Zuma slaughtered 12 cows at his Nkandla homestead.

While dancing in his leopard skin, he asked his dead ancestors for help in his embattled political career, which had been dogged by repeated corruption allegations.

Some people believe that they can consult their dead relatives and friends using a medium – and that they can get guidance for their life from the dead.

Isaiah 8:19 When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God?

Why consult the dead on behalf of the living?

Can your dead ancestors help you? The Bible says that there is no knowledge or wisdom in the grave.

Eccl 9:10b … for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.

Deut 18:10-12 Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead.

Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD.

If you needed directions to get somewhere and you meet two people in the street…

One is dead

The other is alive

Which one would you ask?

False religions and cults follow people who are dead, or who will be dead one day.

Communists revere and follow dead dictators who murdered millions when they were alive.

Animists pray to their dead ancestors for guidance.

Those who are involved in the occult ask mediums to consult dead relatives on their behalf to give them guidance.

But 1 Peter 1:3-4 tells us that because of the resurrection, we serve a living Saviour and thus have a “living hope”.

1 Pet 1:3-4 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!

In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you.

4) COURAGE OF DISCIPLES

The empty tomb played a significant role in transforming the disciples from fearful and disheartened individuals to bold proclaimers of the Gospel.

Their belief in Jesus' resurrection was strengthened by the empty tomb.

One of the criteria used for an apostle was that they had to be a witness of the resurrection.

The apostles were the first witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus:

Acts 4:2 … the apostles were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead.

Acts 4:33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus…

Acts 17:18 … Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection.

When the apostles replace Judas with another apostle the stated criteria is as follows:

Acts 1:21-22 (NIV) “Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time… For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.”

The physical resurrection of Jesus and his eternal possession of a physical resurrection body gives clear affirmation of the goodness of the material creation that God originally made.

In other words, with the empty tomb, God is once again proclaiming over his creation that it is good! *

* https:// pruittcares.org/ articles/ the-message-of-the-empty-tomb

5) CREATION’S GOODNESS AFFIRMED

The empty tomb is a symbol of hope for believers, demonstrating that death is not the end but rather the beginning of eternal life for those who follow Jesus.

The empty tomb of Jesus assures us of the truthfulness of his promise that one day we too will leave an empty tomb.

I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die… (John 11:25)

6) CONFIDENT EXPECTATION

John 5:25-26 I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.

For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself.

As our resurrection occurs when we hear the voice of the Son of God, if Jesus wasn’t raised from the dead, we too will never be resurrected.

Rom 6:5 If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.

AUTHOR: Gavin Paynter

For more sermon downloads: https://agfbrakpan.com

For more sermon downloads by Gavin Paynter: https:// agfbrakpan.com/free-sermon-downloads-by-speaker/Gavin%20Paynter

COPYRIGHT INFORMATION

Illustrations from https:// freebibleimages.org

Unless otherwise stated, Scripture quotations are taken from the NIV: THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations taken from the NASB: New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (http:// Lockman.org)

Scripture quotations are taken from the ESV: Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.