ESOCS Devotional 27 March 2025 – Stone Rolled Away
MEMORY VERSE: “And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb.” Luke 24:2 ESV
TEXT: LUKE 24:1-31
Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. 2 But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. 3 Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. 5 Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, 7 saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’ ”
8 And they remembered His words. 9 Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles. 11 And their words seemed to them like [c]idle tales, and they did not believe them. 12 But Peter arose and ran to the tomb; and stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying by themselves; and he departed, marveling to himself at what had happened.
13 Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened. 15 So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them. 16 But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.
17 And He said to them, “What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?”
18 Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, “Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?”
19 And He said to them, “What things?”
So they said to Him, “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. 21 But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened. 22 Yes, and certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us. 23 When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive. 24 And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see.”
25 Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” 27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.
28 Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and He indicated that He would have gone farther. 29 But they constrained Him, saying, “Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.” And He went in to stay with them.
30 Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.
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Our text informs us about the women who went to the Sepulchre with spices to embalm the body of Christ. The question about moving the stone is such a practical one for the women as they approached the tomb. The grave of Jesus has been sealed with a heavy stone (Matthew 27:60-66).
When they arrived, the women found an unexpected sight—the stone was rolled away (Luke 24: 2). Mark’s brief description invites us to conclude that God rolled the stone away; and Matthew’s gospel makes it clear that our Creator sent an angel to remove the stone and give the women access to Jesus’ grave (Matthew 28:2). Jesus’ prediction that He would rise from the dead after three days had been fulfilled, as the women would soon find out (Luke 24:4-7).
The angelic announcement to the women who had brought spices to embalm a corpse provoked a radical reassessment of what the believers had witnessed on the Friday and a complete change in their view of their lives and futures. When the Messiah reappeared among them, as alive as ever, these previously sad, sorrowful, defeated, and broken-hearted disciples were transformed into bold, joyful witnesses. They now bore testimony to the reality that Christ resurrected with a body that could be seen, handled, and touched; and yet, possessing capacities to do what His pre-resurrection body had not done. His work of salvation was finished; His life and His reign were most certainly not.
Only in the disciples’ recognition of His risen presence did Christ’s messiah-ship finally make sense. Indeed, what the early Jewish believers discovered when they “found the stone rolled away from the tomb” (vs. 2) and saw that “Jesus himself stood among them” (v 36) was that an eternal hope, joy, and power ignited within their hearts. And these remain available to all who put their trust in Jesus, the resurrected Messiah. It is the resurrection, and only the resurrection, that changes sadness, sorrow, and defeat into hope, joy, and power. It is the resurrection, and only the resurrection, that declares that our Messiah will defeat His enemies, will restore His people, and will rule from sea to sea. The resurrection of Jesus will change everything about how you go about your day today.
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. Every stone of hardship, sickness, failure, death and disappointments has been rolled away. Our victory is as sure as His.
CHALLENGES
- Our Father in heaven has rolled away every stumbling block that hinders our success. Do you believe?
PRAYER POINT
- Gracious Father, thank you for rolling the stone of death away and for promising us eternal life. What a great gift! Accept our thanksgiving, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
FURTHER READING: Exodus 21: 22–36; 12:15-30; 1 Corinthians 5:1–end
ESOCS Devotional 27 March 2025
