On November 4, 1922, Howard Carter discovered the entrance to King Tut's tomb. He had been looking for six years and his patron, George Herbert, the 5th Earl of Carnarvon, was about ready to call it off. But then, in the debris of the tomb of Ramses VI in the Valley of the Kings, Carter and his crew found it—the burial place of the eighteen year old Pharaoh Tutankhamen. Carter closed off the entrance and cabled his benefactor, waiting for his arrival before finally entering the tomb with him on November 26, 1922.
And what a tomb it was, full of all sorts of earthly treasures, including a stone sarcophagus containing three nested coffins. Inside the final one of solid gold lay the embalmed mummy of the boy king. The interior rooms also contained life-size gold figures of animals and gods, a large golden bed, alabaster cups, chariots, and an ornate throne. The pictures show items thrown or shoved in, and stacked against walls willy-nilly, as if no one really ever expected to use them again, either here or in the world beyond.
All of this brought to mind another tomb. Unlike King Tut's tomb, the one the disciples found was empty, even though well guarded. It was not full of earthly treasure, just burial clothes. Things were not thrown in helter-skelter, but Simon Peter therefore also came, following him, and entered into the tomb; and he beheld the linen cloths lying, and the napkin, that was upon his head, not lying with the linen cloths, but rolled up in a place by itself. (John 20:6-7)
And why does any of that matter?
First, the empty tomb was in Jerusalem, right where Christianity began, right where anyone could go and look for themselves and see that it was indeed empty.
Second, the first witnesses were women. While that does not strike a chord with us particularly, in those days, if you were planting witnesses and paying them off, the last people you would choose would be women. Here are some of the prevailing views of women in first century Palestine:
But let not the testimony of women be admitted, on account of the levity and boldness of their sex, nor let servants be admitted to give testimony on account of the ignobility of their soul; since it is probable that they may not speak truth, --Josephus
Any evidence which a woman [gives] is not valid (to offer), also they are not valid to offer. This is equivalent to saying that one who is Rabbinically accounted a robber is qualified to give the same evidence as a woman. — Talmud (Rosh Hashannah)
Sooner let the words of the Law be burnt than delivered to women. — Talmud (Sotah)
It may set my teeth on edge, but that is the way it was, and that fact strongly argues for the reality of the empty tomb.
Third, all those carefully recorded details given by John about the burial clothes speak of an eyewitness account. Anyone who has dealt with witnesses before—attorneys, judges, policemen, even my probation officer husband—recognizes that the more details are given, the more likely the truth is being told.
Fourth, the authorities had to make up a story to cover up what really happened. Now while they were going, behold, some of the guard came into the city, and told unto the chief priests all the things that were come to pass. And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave much money unto the soldiers, saying, Say, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept. And if this comes to the governor's ears, we will persuade him, and rid you of care. So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying was spread abroad among the Jews, and continues until this day. (Matt 28:11-15)
This isn't even half the evidence. The facts about the stone over the tomb would take up two or three pages, and another few for the couple hundred pounds of spices those burial clothes were wrapped and wrapped and wrapped in. But let this little history nugget be a reminder to you of a tomb that really matters. Not the magnificent tomb of a king that people forgot for centuries, but the one you have your hope set on, the one that means that you, too, will someday live forever with the very King who lay in that tomb, and rose again to reign over a more magnificent kingdom than ancient Egyptians ever even imagined.
Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. (1Cor 15:12-21).
Dene Ward
And what a tomb it was, full of all sorts of earthly treasures, including a stone sarcophagus containing three nested coffins. Inside the final one of solid gold lay the embalmed mummy of the boy king. The interior rooms also contained life-size gold figures of animals and gods, a large golden bed, alabaster cups, chariots, and an ornate throne. The pictures show items thrown or shoved in, and stacked against walls willy-nilly, as if no one really ever expected to use them again, either here or in the world beyond.
All of this brought to mind another tomb. Unlike King Tut's tomb, the one the disciples found was empty, even though well guarded. It was not full of earthly treasure, just burial clothes. Things were not thrown in helter-skelter, but Simon Peter therefore also came, following him, and entered into the tomb; and he beheld the linen cloths lying, and the napkin, that was upon his head, not lying with the linen cloths, but rolled up in a place by itself. (John 20:6-7)
And why does any of that matter?
First, the empty tomb was in Jerusalem, right where Christianity began, right where anyone could go and look for themselves and see that it was indeed empty.
Second, the first witnesses were women. While that does not strike a chord with us particularly, in those days, if you were planting witnesses and paying them off, the last people you would choose would be women. Here are some of the prevailing views of women in first century Palestine:
But let not the testimony of women be admitted, on account of the levity and boldness of their sex, nor let servants be admitted to give testimony on account of the ignobility of their soul; since it is probable that they may not speak truth, --Josephus
Any evidence which a woman [gives] is not valid (to offer), also they are not valid to offer. This is equivalent to saying that one who is Rabbinically accounted a robber is qualified to give the same evidence as a woman. — Talmud (Rosh Hashannah)
Sooner let the words of the Law be burnt than delivered to women. — Talmud (Sotah)
It may set my teeth on edge, but that is the way it was, and that fact strongly argues for the reality of the empty tomb.
Third, all those carefully recorded details given by John about the burial clothes speak of an eyewitness account. Anyone who has dealt with witnesses before—attorneys, judges, policemen, even my probation officer husband—recognizes that the more details are given, the more likely the truth is being told.
Fourth, the authorities had to make up a story to cover up what really happened. Now while they were going, behold, some of the guard came into the city, and told unto the chief priests all the things that were come to pass. And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave much money unto the soldiers, saying, Say, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept. And if this comes to the governor's ears, we will persuade him, and rid you of care. So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying was spread abroad among the Jews, and continues until this day. (Matt 28:11-15)
This isn't even half the evidence. The facts about the stone over the tomb would take up two or three pages, and another few for the couple hundred pounds of spices those burial clothes were wrapped and wrapped and wrapped in. But let this little history nugget be a reminder to you of a tomb that really matters. Not the magnificent tomb of a king that people forgot for centuries, but the one you have your hope set on, the one that means that you, too, will someday live forever with the very King who lay in that tomb, and rose again to reign over a more magnificent kingdom than ancient Egyptians ever even imagined.
Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. (1Cor 15:12-21).
Dene Ward
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