I Can't, But He Can: The Empty Tomb

Matthew 28 unfolds as a raw, gritty scene of people who reached the end of their own strength and discovered a power beyond human control. Two Marys approach a tomb before dawn carrying burial spices—expecting a corpse, not a miracle—and grief propels them forward. An angel descends, rolls the stone away, and sits casually as if to say the grave no longer matters; the stone moves not to free the risen one but to invite sight and access for those who come. Roman guards collapse in terror, not because a body might walk out, but because a world view that death wins collapses. The empty tomb exposes the cost of guarding finished stories and the risk required to unseal buried places of life inside people.

The narrative reframes failure and helplessness as entry points rather than endpoints. Lists of “I can’t”—from addiction and shame to broken relationships and lost hope—become honest confessions that open the way downstairs, where true healing and change often begin. Resurrection proves decisive: if Christ rose, then death does not have the final word and the many “I can’t” in life lose their ultimate authority. Witness testimony, the empty grave, and transformed followers who moved from hiding to bold proclamation build a cumulative case that demands investigation, not mere dismissal.

The text compels a response: a step. Faith does not require all explanations before movement; it asks for an honest approach, a willingness to enter the open door and test the claim that what is dead can live again. Practical pathways follow—acknowledging pain, seeking community, embracing humility, and repeatedly returning to the posture of “I can’t, but he can.” The invitation remains ongoing: keep coming downstairs, keep confessing inability, and keep stepping toward a power that rolls away stones, reopens closed rooms, and makes the tomb a doorway to new life.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Admit the honest “I can’t” Honest confession dislodges pretenses and ends performance-driven survival. Saying “I can’t” stops the exhausting theater of self-sufficiency and creates room for real help to enter. Such admission functions as a spiritual hinge: it doesn’t solve everything instantly, but it opens pathways for healing and community to do its work. [41:44]
• 2. Empty tomb uproots death’s claim The resurrection confronts the deepest human assumption—that endings are final—and offers a radical alternative: death’s verdict does not hold. That fact reframes disappointments, failures, and losses as temporary chapters, not immovable monuments. Living in the light of an empty tomb changes ethical urgency, risk-taking, and hope. [46:14]
• 3. God rolls away stones for sight Stones come off not for divine benefit but so people can see and enter what God intends to resurrect. The movement invites inspection and participation: grief, buried dreams, and sealed relationships require unsealing before life returns. Accepting the invitation risks vulnerability but enables transformation. [51:12]
• 4. Faith requires one step forward Belief often begins with a tentative move, not with exhaustive proof; investigation and presence can follow that first step. A small act—walking toward the open door, joining a conversation, admitting need—creates space for evidence and experience to accumulate. Repeated steps cultivate humility and perseverance, not perfection. [64:39]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [40:23] - The litany of “I can’t”
• [41:44] - Basement honesty and AA analogy
• [45:37] - Rock bottom and new beginnings
• [46:14] - Resurrection changes everything
• [48:30] - Women arrive with burial spices
• [50:48] - The angel moves the stone
• [51:43] - Guards, angels, and fear
• [55:21] - Tombs guarded inside us
• [64:39] - Take one step of faith

Bible reading
Matthew 28:1–10 (ESV)
Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.

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Observation questions

1. What were the two Marys carrying with them when they went to the tomb, and what does this reveal about their expectations? [48:30]
2. According to the passage, why did the angel roll away the stone? Was it to let Jesus out? [51:12]
3. How did the Roman guards react when they saw the angel, and what does their reaction suggest about what they were really guarding? [54:10]
4. What specific instruction did the angel give to the women after telling them Jesus had risen?

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Interpretation questions

1. The angel didn’t begin with a proclamation but with an acknowledgment: “I know you are looking for Jesus.” Why is it significant that God meets people in their grief and doubt before declaring truth? [57:13]
2. The resurrection confronts the idea that “death wins.” How does an empty tomb change the way we view personal failure, loss, or areas where we’ve said “I can’t”? [46:14]
3. The women were the first to witness the resurrection and were entrusted with the message. What does this say about God’s use of those who feel weak, unprepared, or overcome by grief?
4. The guards “became like dead men” out of fear. In what ways do people today “guard tombs” inside themselves—sealing off pain, disappointment, or broken dreams—because they’re afraid of what might happen if those things came back to life? [55:21]

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Application questions

1. Where in your life are you carrying “burial spices”—approaching a situation with no expectation that God can bring life? What would it look like to approach that same situation with the hope of resurrection? [48:30]
2. What is one “I can’t” you’ve been holding onto—something you’ve tried to manage, perform, or fix on your own? What would it mean to bring that honestly before God and others in a “downstairs” moment of humility? [41:44]
3. Is there a “stone” in your life that God may be rolling away not for His benefit, but for yours—so you can see what He is doing? Are you willing to look inside, even if it feels vulnerable or uncertain? [51:12]
4. The resurrection wasn’t just a one-time event; it became the foundation for a transformed life. How can you “keep coming downstairs”—continually returning to a place of honest dependence rather than self-sufficiency? [01:07:52]
5. Who in your life needs to hear the message, “He is not here; he is risen”? How can you “go quickly and tell” with both fear and great joy, like the women at the tomb?
6. The guards were protecting a worldview. What false beliefs about God, yourself, or your circumstances are you “guarding” that the resurrection directly challenges? [54:57]
7. Faith often begins with one step, not full understanding. What is one practical step you can take this week to move toward the open door of resurrection hope—whether it’s joining a group, starting a prayer, or simply saying, “I can’t, but You can”? [01:04:39]