Daily Devotional For Wednesday, March 25, 2026
Good morning Southside! Today’s devotional comes from Matthew 28:1-7:
“Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the tomb. (2) And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone, and sat upon it. (3) And his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. (4) The guards shook from fear of him and became like dead men. (5) And the angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. (6) He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. (7) And go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going ahead of you to Galilee. There you will see Him; behold, I have told you’” (NASB).
When we come to Matthew 28, we come to the climax of this Gospel and the Gospel itself. Without the Resurrection, we have no Gospel. We have no hope. We have no life here or in eternity. The rest of the New Testament is built on the Resurrection of Jesus Christ (see Acts 2:22-26; Acts 26:6-8; 1 Corinthians 15; Ephesians 1:15-2:10; Colossians 3:1-4; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Hebrews 4:1-4; 1 Peter 3:18-22 and Revelation 5. If Jesus is still dead, so are we spiritually. If the Resurrection had not occurred, then all of us would die and go to Hell.
The Resurrection is the single most important historical event ever. It literally split history into 2 parts: BC and AD. Our calendar today is dated from the Resurrection. Oh, I know liberals hate this and they have come up with their new enlightened and intellectual replacements: BCE (before common era) and CE (common era). But did the calendar change? No. If you use their BCE and CE, the calendar is still based on the date of the Resurrection.
The Resurrection is God the Father’s vindication and victory over sin, death and hell. Christ’s Resurrection establishes and secures His role as King of kings and Lord of lords. If the Resurrection is a hoax or a lie, then we are all in trouble and the most to be pitied (1 Cor. 15:19). Since the Resurrection is true, then it guarantees our own bodily resurrection (1 Cor. 15:20-28; 2 Cor. 5:1-10; and 1 John 3:1-3). If you want to read some books that discuss the historical accuracy and validity of the Resurrection, here are some books you can read:
- The Reconstruction of Resurrection Belief by Peter Carnley.
- The Resurrection Narratives: A Redactional Study, by Grant R. Osborne.
- Historical Reliability, by Craig Bloomberg.
- The Resurrection of Jesus, Vol. 1-3, by Gary Habermas.
- I Believe In The Resurrection of Jesus, by George Eldon Ladd.
- Raised Immortal & From Grave To Glory, by Murray J. Harris.
- Resurrection, by Pheme Perkins.
We have two Mary’s who come to the tomb on Easter morning. It had to be startling to see these Roman soldiers unconscious. They may have been fearful if another earthquake occurred. If you remember, there had been an earlier earthquake that tore the curtain in the Temple from top to bottom. Maybe this was an aftershock, we do not know, but it must have been frightening to be walking across the ground to the tomb and feel the earth shaking beneath your feet. If another earthquake occurred, they would be injured and unable to get away if trees fell or the ground opened up. When I read Scripture, I try to put myself in their shoes and imagine what that person or people are experiencing.
We know from sites studies and research that for these women to get to the tomb located in the Garden of Gethsemane, they would have had to pass by the Gennath Gate where the crucifixion took place. There was no other way to get there but that way. So, on their way to the tomb, they would have a very emotional, visual experience reminding them of Jesus’ crucifixion and death. Once there, these women would have had this thought on their minds, “How do we move a 1-2 ton stone to prepare the body of Jesus?” (Mark 16:3).
As they made their way to the tomb, there was going to be such a surprise that would rock and shake their world. We know about the Roman soldiers but Matthew tells what caused their fright and unconsciousness (Matt. 28:2-3). The Roman seal was broken and this huge 1-2 ton stone had been rolled away a great distance from the tomb. Pastor and author Chuck Swindoll writes this:
“The Roman seal placed on the tomb had been broken, not by a disciple, not by a grave robber, but by a terrifying supernatural being. Then, as if to say to the armed soldiers, “I dare you to close it,” the angel had sat on top of the stone. Heaven had claimed that place as holy ground. The guards had trembled in absolute terror. They had fallen down to the ground like dead men (vs. 4). But then, apparently, as soon as they’d had the opportunity, they had picked themselves up off the ground, rushed out the garden gate, and hightailed it back to the city. It’s possible that as they fled, they’d passed an unremarkable group of women of Galilee heading in the opposite direction—the two Marys and Salome” (Source: Charles R. Swindoll, Swindoll’s Living Insights New Testament Bible Commentary, “Matthew 16-28,” Vol. 1B, p. 310).
If you put yourself in their shoes, what the angel said to them had to be both alarming and joyful. Maybe they thought, “Did the angel really say Jesus was alive and resurrected? Are we imagining this? Is this real? Is this even possible?” The angel told them to give a message to the remaining 11 disciples and they hurried out quickly. When we compare Matthew’s account with the other other Gospels, we learn this occurred later in the day. We know from John 20:1-10 that Mary Magdalene had come to the empty tomb between 3-6 AM and told the disciples that the stone had been rolled away and Jesus’ body was missing.
Reflection Assignment: If you had gone to the tomb on Easter morning and discovered the stone had been rolled away, the Roman seal had been broken and Jesus’ body was missing, what would have been your thoughts and why? If you had to pass by the site of the crucifixion on your way to the tomb, what do you think would have been your feelings and why? What do you think kept Jesus’ remaining 11 disciples from going to the tomb on Easter? He had told them several times He was going to be crucified and then rise on the third day.
Scripture To Meditate On: 1 Corinthians 14:13-14, "But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised; (14) and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain, your faith also is in vain” (NASB).
Prayer To Pray: “Dear Lord, I praise You that the Resurrection is a reality. I praise You for coming out of that tomb and grave. I praise You for giving me life here and eternal life after my death. I praise You that my faith is not in vain. I praise You loving me enough to die in my place. You are great and worthy of all praise. I love you Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”
I love you Southside! – Pastor Kelly