STORY SETTING AND BACKGROUND

28

Jesus Rises from the Dead

Early Sunday morning the women find the tomb empty and hear the message of the angels, "He is Risen". Peter and John also find the tomb empty.

Matthew 27:61-28:15; Mark-15:47-16:8;  Luke 23:55-24:12; John 20:1-10

 TOMB

It was probably soon after 3 P.M. when Jesus died. Very likely soon there­after members of the Jewish Council asked Pilate to hasten the death of the crucified so that their bodies could be removed from the cross before the Sab­bath began. In Deut. 21:22-23 God had directed that the bodies of those executed should be buried on the day of execution.

After receiving official confirmation that Jesus had died, Pilate gladly gave Jesus' body to Joseph. After all, Joseph was a prominent man and a member of the Council.

Little time remained before sunset and the beginning of the Sabbath. Joined by Nicodemus, Joseph hurriedly prepared Jesus' body for burial. Joseph had brought linen with which to wrap the body of Jesus. Nicodemus had brought about 75 pounds of a mixture of myrrh and aloes. This was sprinkled between the strips of cloth as the body was wrap­ped.

Myrrh is an oily, yellowish-brown res­in made from the gum which drips from the stems and branches of a low shrubby tree. Seemingly Nicodemus had it in powdered form which was mixed with aloes. Aloes is an aromatic substance made from the inner core of the trunk and branches of a tree growing in south­east Asia. This tree was probably either sandalwood or a tree known as eagle­wood. Both myrrh and aloes were costly.

The tomb very likely had an ante­chamber where the body was prepared. Then the body was taken to an inner chamber. The description of the tomb as found in the Gospels suggests that the body was lowered into a stone box and covered with a stone lid. The lid was usually sealed with mortar to keep the decay and odor of death inside. Jesus' body did not see corruption (Psalm 16:10; Acts 2:27; 13:35).

THE GUARD

On Saturday evening as soon as sun­set came and the Sabbath ended, mem­bers of the Council asked Pilate to per­mit them to seal Jesus' tomb and place a guard of Roman soldiers. They re­called that Jesus had spoken of His res­urrection on the third day (Matt. 16:21; Mark 8: 31; Luke 9: 22). Pilate granted their request. They sealed the tomb and set a guard. The Sabbath ended at sun­set. Shops were opened. Mary Magda­lene, Mary the Mother of Joses, and Salome went out to buy spices for the final anointing of His body.

Jesus had risen from the dead. At early dawn on the third day, God sent an angel to roll away the stone from the empty tomb. When the guards saw him and what he did, they became so frightened that they fell down as if they were dead.

When the guards recovered, they hur­ried to tell the high priests. These con­sulted with other members of the Coun­cil. As a result the Council gave the soldiers a heavy bribe, telling them to say that Jesus' body had been stolen while they slept. Normally this would result in the death penalty for negligence. But the Council assured the soldiers that they would take care of Pilate so that he would not trouble them.

THE WOMEN

At early dawn Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of Joses, Salome and other women walked out to the tomb to give Jesus' body the final anointing. They had forgotten about the heavy stone which closed the tomb; when they looked up they saw it had been rolled away. Mary Magdalene assumed that the body of Jesus had been removed. She hurried away to tell Peter and John.

The other women entered the tomb and found it empty. As they wondered what happened, they saw two angels who told them, "He has risen from the dead." They reminded them that what Jesus had foretold had happened. The angels in­structed them to tell the disciples to meet Jesus in Galilee.

The women hurried away to tell the disciples. On the way Jesus met them and greeted them. They knew Him at once. Jesus was the risen Lord! They had just seen His empty tomb, and now He was with them. The women fell down at His feet, clung to them and worship­ped Him as their risen Lord. Jesus told them to tell His brothers (His disciples) to meet Him in Galilee.

The Garden of Gethsemane and the Mount of Olives as seen from the belfry of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, traditional burial site of Jesus.

PETER AND JOHN

In the meantime Mary Magdalene had told Peter and John about the empty tomb. They hurried to see for themselves. - Note that John doesn't give his name but describes himself as "the disciple whom Jesus loved." -John outran Peter but stayed outside to look in the tomb. True to his nature, Peter ran in to see for himself. John, too, came in.

Note how carefully John records in 20:5-7 what he and Peter saw. The lin­en wrappings, as it were, lay as they had been when they had been wound around the body of Jesus, but now the body was gone. The linen wrappings lay in an orderly fashion in the stone box. But the cloth in which the head had been wrapped had been carefully folded or rolled up and put in a separate place.

The message of what they saw seem­ingly did not reach Peter and John. That the body was gone was plainly evident. What had happened they did not know. Although Jesus had told them a number of times that He would suffer, die, and rise again from the dead, the full impli­cation of this did not reach them. They didn't know as yet what the Bible meant when it had said that Jesus had to rise from the dead (John 20:9).

Perplexed and sad Peter and John left the grave to go back home again.

Photo credits: Matson Photo Service