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Volume 19, Number 2 April Spring 2024

The Resurrection

Matt. 27:55-28:20

“And many women were there beholding afar off, which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him: Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's children. When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple: He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered. And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed. And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre. Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again. Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first. Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can. So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch. In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you. And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word. And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him. Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me. Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done. And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers, Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept. And if this come to the governor's ears, we will persuade him, and secure you. So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day. Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

Introduction

The “resurrection” (27:53) of Jesus Christ is not only proof of His sufficiency to save from sin but is central to the doctrine of salvation (I Cor. 15:14, 17, 20). Forgiveness of “sins” depends on whether God accepted the sacrifice of Christ on the “cross.” The “resurrection” (Acts 1:22) of the Lord Jesus Christ is God’s affirmation that His payment for sin was sufficient to save from the penalty of our sin. He Who knew no sin became sin for us. In other words, Christ took the penalty of our sin upon Himself and became God’s Divine Substitute in suffering that which we mortal sinners deserved (II Cor 5:21).

Apart from the “resurrection” (Phil. 3:10), there would be no “gospel” message to proclaim to the “world.” The “resurrection” (Rom. 6:5) of Jesus Christ did more than just divide history into BC and AD, which in itself proved that He was a historical Person. It proved that His death was a divine substitutioinary payment for the sins of those who would “believe” on His name (Jh. 1:12) unto the saving of their eternal souls. The “gospel” of Jesus Christ doesn’t end at the “cross” (27:32), but includes His bodily burial and glorious “resurrection” (I Cor. 15:1-4). To help us better understand the “gospel” and our role in sharing it, let’s look at an EMPTY CROSS, an EMPTY TOMB, and an EMPTY WORLD.

An Empty Cross (Matt. 27:55-66)

When “Jesus … yielded up the ghost” (Matt. 27:50), He literally dismissed His spirit from His body. None of the gospel writers say that God died, simply because “no man” (Jh. 10:18) could take His life from Him. The Triune God (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) has always been and always will be. God is One in Essence, but Three in Person. When Christ died on the cruel cross of Calvary that did not put an end to Christ. He merely transitioned from His mortal body of flesh into His glorified body of eternal habitation. This is what the “resurrection” proves! On the cross, Christ voluntarily “gave himself for our sins” (Gal. 1:4) in bodily death. When Jesus died, He did so being in full control and command of both His life and death. God did not die, but the body in which Christ lived died after which he took on His new body like unto that which believers will someday have (I Cor. 15).

Although most of Jesus’ disciples had probably fled in fear with the exception of John (Jh. 19:26-27), there were several “women” who stood with Jesus in His dying hours on the cross. From that text, it appears where four different “women” are mentioned. Two of them are named and two are unnamed. First to be mentioned is the “mother” of Jesus who we know to be “Mary” (Matt. 1:14-25). At this point, we discover from Scripture that “Mary,” or at least the English equivalent of that name, was popular in biblical days. The second woman, who is also unnamed, is Jesus’ “mother’s sister” who is probably “Salome” (Mk. 15:40) mother of “James and John the sons of Zebedee” (Mk. 10:35). This of course makes her the aunt and her sons cousins of Jesus. The third “woman” listed in John’s gospel is also named “Mary” and is identified in that passage as “the wife of Cleophas.” In Matthew’s account (Matt. 27:56) there is a “Mary the mother of James and Joses” mentioned causing room for speculation and possibility that “Cleophas” and “Alphaeus” (Mk.3:18) is the same person with two different names and also being the father of one of the apostles, “James the less” (Mk. 16:40). He is called “the less” not because he is less important, but is often translated as “younger” to differentiate him from James the brother of John. The fourth woman listed in this verse is “Mary Magdalene” (Lk. 8:2-3), the woman in Galilee out of whom Jesus had cast seven devils (demons). As you can tell with so many people having same or similar names, it can get confusing trying to correctly sorth them out.

Ordinarily, it would take longer to die by crucifixion than what it did for Jesus. Since the Passover “sabbath” was quickly approaching and no “bodies” were to “remain on the cross,” Pilate ordered the breaking of the “legs” to speed up their deaths (Jh. 19:31-37). After breaking the “legs” of the “two thieves” (27:38), the soldiers came to Jesus and “saw that he was dead already.” Therefore, they “brake not his legs,” but “with a spear pierced his side.” Once again, all this perfectly fulfilled the prophecy of the Old Testment Scriptures (Ps. 22:16-17, Ps. 34:20). Trying to give the “body of Jesus” a decent burial, “Joseph … of Arimathea … begged” to do so from Pilate. All we know about this particular “Joseph” is that he was “rich,” he was a “disciple” of Jesus, and he took care of the burial arrangements along with “Nicodemus” (Jh. 19:39). John’s account of this story lets us know that this is the same “Nicodemus” who “came to Jesus by night” (Jh. 3:1-13) and was “born again.”

Once the burial of Jesus had taken place, “the chief priests and Pharisees” began thinking that the “disciples” of Christ might “steal” is body and make a claim of “resurrection.” After Jesus’ burial, they persuaded Pilate to seal the “stone” of His “sepulcher” and set a “watch” of Roman “soldiers.” Christ’s claim of rising on the “third day” left such an impression that the rulers wanted to take no chances. The cross of Jesus stood empty and every human precaution was taken to prevent His “body” from being stolen. The “three days” that followed Jesus’ death must have been some bleak hours of despair for the “disciples” because, as of yet, they still didn’t understand the truth about His “resurrection.” When Jesus was arrested in the garden, His “disciples” forsook Him and “fled” (Matt. 26:47-56). While Jesus was being tried, “Peter” denied Him three times (Jh. 18:15-18, 25-27). Even on the “first day of the week,” on the same day of Christ’s “resurrection,” the “disciples” met behind closed “doors” in “fear of the Jews” (Jh. 20:19). They must have felt defeated and discourged until they personally “saw” their resurrected “Lord” (Jh. 20:20).

An Empty Tomb (Matt. 28:1-10)

We must remember that during this particular week, there were two sabbaths, a special “passover … sabbath”, called a “high day” in Jh. 19:31, also known as a “holy convocation” (Lev. 23:1-8), along with a regular “seventh day” Saturday “sabbath.” Following the “three days and three nights” (Matt. 12:40) in the “tomb,” it was the “seventh day” Saturday “sabbath” that drew to an “end” when the “women” went to the “sepulcher” of Jesus and found it empty. With the blast of a “great earthquake” and the decent of an “angel,” the “stone” had been “rolled” away. You can rest assured that it was not “rolled back” to let Jesus out, but to let the “disciples” in. The “soldiers” who had been commissioned as “keepers,” were stricken powerless and shook in “fear.” In this day and time, “women” were looked upon as second class citizens, but God gave “women” the privilege of being the first followers of Jesus to discover the empty “tomb.” The “angel” announced to them that Jesus was “risen” and for them to “go quickly and tell his disciples.” Before the day was over, Jesus made a personal appearance to these “women,” even before He appeared to His “eleven” remaining “disciples.” Of all the people to ever make a spiritual claim, establish a following, or rule a group, Jesus is the ONLY Person to ever come forth out of the grave never to die again.

Before Jesus ascended into heaven for the last time, He made several appearances to reinforce the proof of His “resurrection.” On the “evening” of His “resurrection,” He showed His “disciples” His “hands and his side” (Jh. 20:20). He even ate “a piece of broiled fish and an honeycomb” with “them” (Lk. 24:42-43). Then, “eight days later,” Jesus invited “Thomas” to feel His “hands” and “side” (Jh. 20:27). On another occasion, Jesus miraculousy multiplied Peter’s catch of fish and had dinner ready when the “disciples” arrived on shore (Jh. 21:1-14). Most of Jesus’ post “resurrection” appearances were to groups, except to “Mary Magdalene … Peter” and “James”. The largest group to see Jesus at one time is recorded with “above five hundred brethren” (I Cor. 15:3-8).

An Empty World (Matt. 28:11-20)

The “soldiers” who were stationed as guards to “watch” the “tomb” of Jesus immediately reported to the “chief priests” what had happened. Bribing these guards with “large” sums of “money” to alter their story, lies were concocted telling that the “disciples” had stolen the body of “Jesus … by night while they slept.” If you stop to think about their lie, it’s a rather stupid one to begin with. If they had really been asleep, then how could they have known who, if anyone, had stollen His “body?” It appears that they had rather take the “money” and risk punishment by their superiors for saying they had fallen asleep, than to face up to the “Truth” (Jh. 14:6) of the “resurrection.”

Instead of believing the “Truth” of God, the “world” for the most part, has always chosen to believe and follow a “lie” whose instigator is the “devil” (Jh. 8:44). This can be traced all the way back to the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve led the human race into the pits of depravity (Gen. 2-3). When the dead “body” of Jesus was taken from Mount Calvary, the “soldiers” knew that the “cross” was empty. Three days later they also knew that the “tomb” was empty. But, what they didn’t realize is that the “world” is empty without the “Truth” of the glorious “resurrection.” The same lie that was started over 2,000 years ago is still prevalent today as we see so many among us who disbelieve and reject the Gospel (Good News) Message of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The “resurrection” of Jesus Christ not only proved His death and power to save from the penalty of sin, but it gave His “disciples” a “gospel” to proclaim to a lost “world.” Such a task can only be accomplished through the supernatural “power” of the “Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:8). From this point on, Jesus would not be leading His “disciples” visibly as He had done in the past, but He would equip and enable them through the indwelling “Holy Spirit.” His commission to the church was to evangelize the lost and disciple those who are saved. Rather than sending His “disciples” back to the House of Israel, Jesus sent them into “all nations” of the “world” (Mk. 16:15). Unless the “world” receives the Good News of Jesus Christ, it will remain lost and spiritually empty.

Closing

After the “resurrection” of Jesus Christ, the “disciples” were “filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:11) and became bold “witnesses” (Acts 1:8) of the Gospel Message. They were not liars, but proclaimers of “Truth” and they unashamedly preached the glorious “resurrection” of Jesus Christ (Acts 2:22-24). After Peter’s Pentecostal message, which was probably the first public discourse that was made by a disciple following the “resurrection,” it’s recorded that “3,000 souls” (Acts 2:41) were converted to Christ. Ever since, the “Holy Spirit” has been calling sinners out of the “world” unto the saving “grace” (Eph. 2:8-9) of God, granting Faith to believe and Repentance to turn from sin to the Savior (Jh. 11:25-26). Only in Christ, can one discover the assurance of our sins being forgiven and the hope of having a glorious future “resurrection” yet to come (I Cor. 15:50-57).