And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.
Early on Sunday morning after Jesus's crucifixion, a group of women came to the tomb where his body had been placed. They expected to find a corpse — they brought spices to anoint it, a Jewish burial custom. Instead, they found the tomb empty and a young man (understood to be an angel) sitting inside. His words are among the most stunning in all of Scripture: the one they came looking for was not dead. Jesus of Nazareth, who had been publicly executed on a Roman cross just days before, had risen. This single announcement is the hinge on which all of Christian faith turns.
Lord, you are not where the dead are. Forgive me for the times I've treated you like something finished, something past. Remind me today that the empty tomb is not just ancient history — it is the ground beneath everything I am still hoping for. Amen.
They came with spices. With grief in their hands and exhaustion in their feet, the women walked to a tomb at dawn expecting to do the last, loving thing you can do for someone — prepare their body properly for burial. Nobody brings burial spices expecting a conversation. They came to mourn, not to be shocked. And yet that's exactly what happened. The angel's words didn't open with comfort — they opened with a correction: *You're looking in the wrong place.* The one you're seeking isn't where the dead go. There's something quietly important in the angel's invitation: "See the place where they laid him." He's not asking the women to take his word for it. He's asking them to look — to let the empty stone and the folded linen speak. Maybe you've been standing at a tomb of your own — a dream that collapsed, a relationship that didn't survive, a version of yourself you thought was gone forever. The resurrection doesn't erase the grief that brought those women to the garden that morning. But it does mean that "finished" is never the final word. Whatever you're carrying to the grave today, you serve a God who has very specific business with tombs.
What do you think the women expected to find that morning, and how does the angel's announcement completely reframe the grief they had been carrying?
Have you ever had a moment where something you had written off as over — a hope, a relationship, a part of yourself — turned out not to be? What happened?
The resurrection is the cornerstone of Christian faith, yet many people — including believers — wrestle with it intellectually. How do you engage with that tension honestly rather than just pushing the doubt aside?
How might a genuine belief in resurrection change the way you show up for someone in your life who is hopeless or grieving right now?
Is there a 'tomb' in your life — something you've written off as dead and done — that you need to bring before God this week?
For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;
1 Corinthians 15:3
And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.
Matthew 28:7
And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?
Luke 24:5
And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them.
2 Kings 6:16
And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:
Revelation 1:17
After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.
1 Corinthians 15:7
He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
Matthew 28:6
I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore , Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
Revelation 1:18
And he said to them, "Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen; He is not here. See, [here is] the place where they laid Him.
AMP
And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him.
ESV
And he said to them, 'Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen; He is not here; behold, [here is] the place where they laid Him.
NASB
“Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.
NIV
But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him.
NKJV
but the angel said, “Don’t be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Look, this is where they laid his body.
NLT
He said, "Don't be afraid. I know you're looking for Jesus the Nazarene, the One they nailed on the cross. He's been raised up; he's here no longer. You can see for yourselves that the place is empty.
MSG