Day 22: The Stone Rolled Away – God Moves First
Sue Ward (Matt 28:1–4; Mark 16:1–4)
They had come to tend to the dead.
Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome arose as soon as the Sabbath released them in the early dawn, carrying burial spices to say their final goodbyes, grieving and confused.
They had stood close to witness Jesus take His final breath as He surrendered His spirit and gave up His life. God Himself — the one they loved. Three years of following Him, leaving everything behind, just seemed to have gone into the grave with Him.
They just had one question as they approached the grave: “Who will roll away the stone for us?”
Hewn out of rock and sealed with a heavy stone near the entrance, the tomb was closely guarded by Roman guards. Moving the stone was humanly impossible.
And yet, even as the women approached, miraculously the stone had been rolled away, and an angel of the Lord was sitting on it. The trained Roman soldiers — men who had watched people die without flinching — fell like dead men.
The angel broke the news: Jesus wasn’t in there. He had risen.
Jesus had plainly told them again and again — the Son of Man must suffer, die, and on the third day rise. They had heard the words but never truly believed them — till now. With the stone rolled away and the tomb emptied, every claim He had ever made about Himself stood vindicated.
I recall a time many years ago at a concert.
I sat and listened, captivated, as the singer powerfully brought the story of the resurrection to life — describing vividly the fear, grief, and confusion as the events unfolded.
Suddenly the song shifted into a crescendo:
“He’s Alive, He’s Alive, and I’m forgiven, Heaven’s gates are opened wide.” (Don Francisco — ‘He’s Alive’, 1977).
The atmosphere in the room shifted. The air grew thick with God’s presence. I wasn’t listening to a song about Jesus anymore — I was aware of Him. I fully expected Jesus to physically walk into the room. My heart burned.
It is real. He really is alive.
The resurrection does not ask us to believe that Jesus is merely a story, words in a book, or that His teachings survived death.
No — it makes a far more scandalous claim: that on the first day of the week, in a garden outside Jerusalem, the Son of God got up from the dead.
That the One who said, “I am the resurrection and the life,” proved it. That the grave, which has swallowed every human being without exception, could not hold Him.
This Easter, don’t let familiarity steal the wonder of the resurrection. Whether you’ve walked with Jesus for decades or just begun — see it with fresh eyes. Let your heart burn with the truth. The tomb is empty. An angel sat on the rolled-away stone like a victor resting after a finished fight. The guards were flat on the ground. Death didn’t just lose — it’s been destroyed forever.
Activation
Ask the Holy Spirit to show you one area of your life where there is a stone that needs to be rolled away – acknowledge it to Him – knowing that as you surrender it to Him, it is swallowed up in victory as you align your heart to the truth of the resurrection.
Ask the Holy Spirit for fresh eyes to see the wonder and power of the resurrection and all that it has achieved for you, and everyone around you. Play this song as you lean into Jesus – what he has done, and the victory over death. Worship Him.
https://youtu.be/Kf9ed6qwlaI?si=cKulUljp4H4Swo32