The Empty Tomb: Where Is the Body?
Month 7: He Is Risen! — Why We Believe · Why We Believe
Today's Scripture
Read together: Matthew 28:11-15
11 While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests all that had happened. 12 And after the chief priests had met with the elders and formed a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money 13 and instructed them: “You are to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were asleep.’ 14 If this report reaches the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” 15 So the guards took the money and did as they were instructed. And this account has been circulated among the Jews to this very day.
Memory Verse
“He is not here; He has risen, just as He said! Come, see the place where He lay.”— Matthew 28:6 (BSB)
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: Hosea 10–14
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (Hosea ends with a promise of healing and life — a fitting note beside the empty tomb.)The Heart of It
Here is one of the most surprising little passages in the whole Easter story. And it's powerful proof. The Roman guards who had watched the tomb went into the city and told the chief priests everything that had happened. So what did Jesus' enemies do? They paid the soldiers a large sum of money to spread a story: "His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept." Stop and think about that. The leaders who hated Jesus did not say, "Go open the tomb; the body is still there!" They couldn't. The tomb was empty. Even Jesus' enemies admitted the body was gone. Their only move was to invent an excuse for how it got gone.
But the excuse falls apart the moment you poke it. If the soldiers were truly asleep, how could they possibly know it was the disciples who took Him? And these were the same frightened disciples who had run away and hidden. Would they really overpower a Roman guard and steal a body? And then go on to suffer and die for what they knew was a lie? It doesn't add up. The much simpler explanation is the one the angel gave: He is risen. When even your opponents have to make up a story to explain away the empty grave, you are standing on very solid ground. The body was never produced, because the Lord was no longer dead.
Around the Table
Some grumpy men were sad that Jesus was alive, so they made up a silly story. But you can't hide an empty tomb! Jesus really did rise!
Let's do it: Cover your eyes and pretend to sleep. Then ask, "Could you see who took something while you slept?" No way!
The guards said they were asleep. But sleeping people can't see who did anything! The story doesn't make sense.
Let's talk: What's wrong with the soldiers' excuse? How many problems can you find in it?
This is called a "hostile witness." Even Jesus' enemies admitted the tomb was empty. That is strong evidence that it really was empty.
Let's go deeper: The leaders could have ended Christianity by showing the body. Why didn't they? What does their silence tell us?
💬 Conversation Starter
Have you ever made up an excuse that fell apart the second someone asked one good question? The guards' story was exactly like that.
🛡️ Defending the Faith
When someone says, "The disciples just stole the body," kindly point out three things. First, the tomb was sealed and guarded by trained Roman soldiers. It was not easy to slip past. Second, the official story itself admits the tomb was empty. That is the real question, not who took the body. Third, sleeping witnesses can't identify a thief. And terrified disciples don't die proclaiming a corpse they hid. Then add gently that dozens of people said they saw Jesus alive afterward. A stolen body explains none of that. We do this "with gentleness and respect" (). We are not trying to win an argument. We are pointing a friend toward a living Savior.
For Dad · Go Deeper
The "stolen body" theory is the oldest objection to the resurrection. Matthew tells us it was still circulating "to this very day" when he wrote. That's worth noticing. Matthew names the rumor and answers it, in a document read by people who could have fact-checked him. Equip your older kids to spot how this objection actually gives away the key point. Every man-made theory has to account for an empty tomb and appearances to many witnesses. Think of the stolen body, the wrong tomb, the swoon, the hallucination. The resurrection itself explains those facts best and most simply. Teach your children that following the evidence honestly is not the enemy of faith. It is a friend of it. We are not afraid of hard questions, because Jesus really did rise.
Draws on: McDowell & Wallace, The New Evidence That Demands a Verdict.
Let's Pray Together
"Father, thank You that the empty tomb is real. Even Jesus' enemies couldn't deny it. Give us confidence to trust You. Give us kindness to answer those who doubt. Help us point people to our living Savior. In Jesus' name, amen."
When even His enemies can't produce the body, my faith stands on solid ground.