RESURRECTION MORNING
On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came to the tomb, bringing the spices they had prepared.2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb. 3 They went in but did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men stood by them in dazzling clothes. 5 So the women were terrified and bowed down to the ground.
Luke 24:1-5
Joanna, Witness to the Empty Tomb
Today is our third day looking at the life of Joanna as recorded in Luke 8:1-3 and Luke 24:9-10.Joanna's name is mentioned twice in the Library of Scripture, both times in Luke's gospel. There are five things that we know about Joanna from the testimony of Scripture:
- Joanna was healed of evil spirits or sickness by Jesus (Luke 8:2)
- Joanna helped fund Jesus' ministry (Luke 8:3)
- Joanna assisted in the burial of Jesus (Luke 23:55-56)
- Joanna witnessed Jesus' empty tomb (Luke 24:1-5)
- Joanna was one of the first ever to proclaim Jesus' resurrection from the dead. (Luke 24:9-10)
Today let's dig a little deeper into the reality that Joanna witnessed Jesus' empty tomb (Luke 23:55-56).Joanna and the women returned to Jesus's tomb on the first day of the week to bring the spices and perfume they had prepared, but what they found was an empty tomb. On Friday, they watched and assisted in a dead body being placed in a tomb and watched it being sealed and protected by a guard. Now on Sunday, they come upon an open, bodiless tomb. What does this mean? It means that Jesus Christ had risen from the dead, just as he had said (Luke 24:7).This empty tomb declares that Jesus has the final say over death. This is terrific news because if we are united to Christ by faith, then death doesn't have the final say over us. JC Ryle says it this way,"Let us cling firmly to the resurrection of Christ, as one of the pillars of the Gospel. It ought to produce in our minds a settled conviction of the truth of Christianity. Our faith does not depend merely on a set of texts and doctrines. It is founded on a mighty fact which the sceptic has never been able to overturn. It ought to assure us of the certainty of the resurrection of our own bodies after death. If our Master has risen from the grave, we need not doubt that His disciples shall rise again at the last day. Above all it ought to fill our hearts with a joyful sense of the fulness of Gospel salvation, Who is he that shall condemn us? Our Great Surety has not only died for us but risen again."Joanna witnessed an empty tomb, and eventually, she will witness a resurrected Savior who defeated death on our behalf! Today may we cling firmly to the empty tomb as our hope.
D.A Carson said it best, "You are not suffering from anything that a good resurrection can't fix."
