The Rolled Away Stone

Title:  THE ROLLED AWAY STONE

Text:  Matthew 27:57-60

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            Tombs have a way of finalizing things.  Tombs seal in the dead, yet seal out hope.

            Joseph took his friend and laid Him to rest in a tomb.  He rolled a large stone against the entrance so that no one would desecrate the body beyond what already had been done.  Then the last three words of Matthew 27:60 are, “…and went away.”  Joseph finished the burial duties…and went away.  Hope for a Messiah was gone…life was gone…his friend was gone…so he went away.

            The last few verses of chapter 27 say something about the fear of those who did away with Jesus.  They didn’t want someone to steal His body and then say He rose from the dead.  So they made sure that wasn’t going to happen.  Matt. 27:65-66     Guards and a seal on the stone finalize the idea of any fanatics tampering with the body.

            But I’m here to tell you that God laughs at tombs, large stones, guards and a seal!  It God wants to quicken the dead and set captives free…nothing is going to stop Him!  To conquer death and give hope for all who believe, God dispatched an angel from heaven to roll away the stone.  Matt. 28:1-2

            The angel rolled away the stone because the One inside was not dead.  Tombs are for the dead.  Jesus was alive…so the angel rolled away the stone.  The last four words of Matt. 28:2 are, “…and sat upon it.”  It’s as if the angel was saying, “This stone isn’t too big for me!  You can’t seal in my Master with this stone!  I moved it, and I’m sitting on it as a conqueror!  This rolled-away stone means He’s alive!”

            What does the rolled away stone mean to you?!  What stone do you need rolled away in your life?

            Tombs remind us of death.  Rolled away stones remind us of life…and hope!

            And this bread and juice we are about to partake remind us of the One who is alive, and has the power to roll away stones!