Luke 24:3 Commentary: The Empty Tomb's Witness

First-century Jewish tombs were often hewn from rock and large enough for a person to enter, as Gill notes: 'the Jews' sepulchres were built large enough for persons to go into.' The women came 'at early dawn' (Luke 24:1) carrying spices to anoint a body that had been hurriedly buried before Sabbath. They expected to find a corpse, so the opened tomb would have alarmed them.

The title 'the Lord Jesus' appears here for the first time in Luke's Gospel (Cambridge Bible notes a variant in some manuscripts omits 'Lord'). This phrase, common in Acts and the Epistles, signals a shift: the Jesus who died is now confessed as Lord. The empty tomb thus prepares the way for the angelic question in verse 5, 'Why do you seek the living among the dead?'

Culturally, women's testimony was considered less reliable in first-century Judaism, yet all Gospels highlight women as the first witnesses, a detail early Christians would not have invented. Luke, writing for a Gentile audience, emphasizes the historical reality: the tomb was verifiably empty. The perplexity of the women ('they were greatly perplexed,' v.4) is a natural human reaction to a miracle, anchoring the narrative in real experience.

Literarily, this verse is the turning point in Luke's passion narrative. From the cross to the tomb, Jesus is passive, acted upon. Here the absence begins the proclamation of the resurrection, which the rest of the chapter expands through appearances and Scripture interpretation.

The manuscript tradition for Luke 24:3 is stable. One variant noted in the supplied commentaries: Codex D (Bezae) omits the word 'Lord' (κυρίου), reading 'the body of Jesus' instead of 'the body of the Lord Jesus.' This omission does not change the sense of the verse but may reflect a scribal preference for a simpler title. The combination 'Lord Jesus' is common in Acts and the Epistles and may be original here, marking the post-resurrection confession of Jesus’ lordship.

From the earliest preaching in Acts, the empty tomb was proclaimed as God's vindication of Jesus (Acts 2:24-32). Church fathers like Chrysostom and Augustine used this verse to argue for the bodily resurrection against docetic and gnostic denials. Medieval art and liturgy frequently depicted the women at the tomb, the empty grave clothes, and the angelic announcement. The Reformation saw a renewed emphasis on the historical reality of the resurrection as a ground for justification by faith. Modern apologetics continues to cite Luke 24:3 as a key piece of evidence: the tomb was empty, and no one ever produced a competing body.

Three-point outline

1. An Expected Absence, The women came expecting to find a body; what they found instead was an empty space that forced them to reorient everything they thought they knew.
2. An Unwitnessed Miracle, No one saw the resurrection itself; the empty tomb is a sign that points beyond itself, inviting faith.
3. A Transformative Witness, The women went from perplexed to proclaiming; the same absence that troubled them became the basis of hope.

Five-point outline

1. The Preparation, The women bring spices, expecting to care for a dead body.
2. The Surprise, The stone is already rolled away (v.2).
3. The Discovery, They enter and find no body.
4. The Perplexity, They are “greatly perplexed” (v.4), a human response to divine action.
5. The Explanation, Angels interpret the absence: “He is not here, but is risen” (v.6).

Illustration hooks

• Wrong address, right outcome. A delivery driver arrives at a house where the package should be, only to find no one home. The absence isn't a failure, it means the person already received it elsewhere. The tomb is empty because Jesus isn't bound by death.
• Expected visitor. Think of arriving at a friend's house and finding the door unlocked but no one inside. Your first thought isn't “the house is robbed”, you wait for an explanation. The empty tomb demands interpretation: the angels provide it.
• Lost and found. You search high and low for something important (keys, a phone) until you realize you're already holding it. The women were looking for Jesus in a grave; he was already alive. The search shifted from place to person.

Questions your congregation is asking

• If the tomb was empty, why didn't everyone instantly believe in the resurrection? (The disciples thought it was an “idle tale” at first, v.11; faith often comes through perplexity, not proof alone.)
• How do we know the body wasn't stolen or moved? (The Gospels record that neither friends nor enemies could produce a body; the stone was rolled away, and grave clothes were left undisturbed, John 20:6-7.)
• Does the empty tomb prove the resurrection, or is it just a sign? (Historically, it's a necessary but insufficient proof; the resurrection is confirmed by appearances and fulfilled Scripture.)

This verse is the hinge of the resurrection narrative: the women move from an expected act of devotion (anointing a dead body) to an unexpected encounter with absence. The empty tomb confronts them, and us, with a choice: dismiss it or let it reshape everything.

Discussion questions

1. What expectations did the women bring to the tomb? How did those expectations affect their initial reaction?
2. Why do you think Luke notes that they “entered in” and then “found not”? What does the sequence of actions reveal?
3. The text says they did not find “the body of the Lord Jesus.” Why is the phrase “Lord Jesus” significant here, especially since it’s a new expression in Luke?
4. How does this verse challenge a purely symbolic or spiritual understanding of the resurrection? What does it insist on?
5. What does the women’s perplexity (v.4) teach us about the relationship between experience and faith?
6. How does the empty tomb prepare the way for the angels’ announcement in verse 6? What would be lost if Luke had left out verse 3?
7. In what ways does the empty tomb call you to re-evaluate where you are “looking for Jesus” in your own life, are you looking among the dead or the living?