Easter • The Passion and Resurrection
And the Stone Rolled Away
Gethsemane • Cross • Tomb • Resurrection
From the garden to the empty tomb
The Resurrection cannot be separated from the cross that came before it.
This study follows the Passion-to-Resurrection story through the Gospel accounts: Jesus' prayer and arrest, His trials and crucifixion, His burial in a guarded tomb, the women's discovery on the first day of the week and the risen Lord's victory over death.
Not as I will, but as Thou wilt
38 Then saith he vnto them, My soule is exceeding sorrowfull, euen vnto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.
39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup passe from me: neuerthelesse, not as I will, but as thou wilt.
After the Last Supper, Jesus goes with His disciples to Gethsemane. He knows what is approaching. His anguish is real, yet His obedience is complete. He submits to the Father's will.
The disciples repeatedly fall asleep. Jesus stands alone in the decisive obedience that will carry Him to the cross.
The innocent One is condemned
Judas arrives with an armed company and identifies Jesus with a kiss. Jesus is arrested. The disciples flee, and Peter later denies Him three times.
Jesus is examined before Jewish leaders and brought before Pilate. False accusations, mockery and political pressure surround the proceedings. Pilate releases Barabbas and delivers Jesus to be crucified. The Gospels are clear: Jesus is not overtaken by events beyond His knowledge; He gives Himself according to God's saving purpose.
It is finished
45 Now from the sixt houre there was darknesse ouer all the land, vnto the ninth houre.
46 And about the ninth houre Iesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
50 Iesus, when he had cried againe with a loud voice, yeelded vp the ghost.
Jesus is crucified at Golgotha between criminals. The soldiers cast lots for His garments, passersby mock Him and darkness covers the land. John records Jesus' declaration, “It is finished.”
At His death the temple veil is torn from top to bottom. The centurion confesses that He is the Son of God. The cross is not an accidental prelude to Easter; it is the place where Christ bears sin and gives His life.
A real death and a known tomb
59 And when Ioseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a cleane linnen cloth,
60 And laid it in his owne new tombe, which hee had hewen out in the rocke: and he rolled a great stone to the doore of the sepulchre, and departed.
Joseph of Arimathaea asks Pilate for Jesus' body. With Nicodemus, he prepares the body for burial. Jesus is placed in Joseph's new tomb, and women observe where He is laid.
The stone is rolled into place. Matthew also records the tomb being secured and guarded. The burial confirms the reality of Jesus' death and identifies the tomb later found empty.
The stone rolled away
5 And the Angel answered, and said vnto the women, Feare not ye: for I know that ye seeke Iesus, which was crucified.
6 He is not here: for he is risen, as he said: Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
Early on the first day of the week, women come to the tomb. The stone has been rolled away—not to release Jesus, but to reveal the empty place. The angel announces that the crucified Jesus has risen.
The Gospel accounts preserve different perspectives and details: Mary Magdalene's encounter, the women carrying spices, angelic messengers, the disciples running to the tomb and appearances of the risen Christ. Together they proclaim one truth: Jesus who was crucified is alive.
The risen Lord commissions His followers to make disciples of all nations. Resurrection is not merely the ending of a tragic story; it is God's victory and the foundation of Christian hope.
The crucified and risen Savior
Death does not have the final word
Jesus willingly gives Himself for sinners, is truly buried and bodily raised. The empty tomb declares that His saving work is victorious.
“He is not here: for he is risen, as he said.”Matthew 28:6 • KJV 1611
Because Christ is risen, forgiveness is real, death is defeated and those who belong to Him have a living hope. Easter calls us not only to admire the empty tomb but to trust and follow the risen Lord.
Living in Resurrection hope
Closing Prayer
Lord of the cross and empty tomb
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for the love revealed in Jesus Christ. Thank You that He obeyed in Gethsemane, endured betrayal and injustice, bore the cross, entered the grave and rose in victory.
Forgive my sin and teach me to live in the freedom Christ purchased. When grief or fear surrounds me, anchor my heart in the truth that the tomb is empty and Jesus is alive.
Give me courage to follow the risen Lord, proclaim His grace and carry Resurrection hope into a world still wounded by sin and death.
In Jesus' name, Amen.