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The
Empty Tomb
INTRODUCTION
Our lesson today Jesus
deals with a most important matter, that of the resurrection from the
dead. This is a question that
Christians and others during the ages have struggled with, for this is the
issue of what happens after one dies. When we honestly and
directly confront this issue, it makes us realize how deeply we love life
and how deeply we hate death, but no matter how deeply we hate death we
cannot remove its power over us. We
watch our friends, family, and those we love die and we are grief
stricken, shocked, but powerless in the face of this reality of life. The early church members
also faced the same struggle, for they were immersed in the Greek culture,
which did not believe in the resurrection from the dead, and Paul had to
write to the Corinthian Christians to change their pagan way of thinking
to a more biblical way of thinking. We
today are also immersed in pagan cultures that do not really accept the
biblical way of thinking. Our passage today poses
the question for us, and note that most tried to avoid this question: Is
the source or foundation of the Christian faith natural or is it
supernatural? The world wants to
eliminate the possibility that there is anything like the supernatural and
therefore they do not want to accept that Jesus Christ has risen from the
grave, for the implications of this are absolutely stupendous. Neither do many in the
church cease to struggle with this foundation stone of the Christian
faith, for if the resurrection is as the Apostle Paul states, is at the
heart of the gospel of Jesus Christ, it faces them with the terrible
consequences that they would live with if Christ had not been raised from
the dead, and on the other hand of the total, complete, unquestionable,
and undeniable claims of Christ on them and on their lifestyles if the
resurrection of Christ is an accomplished fact. The death and
resurrection of Christ from the dead, does in fact alter everything and
this puts human history in proper prospective.
The silence that we faced at death has now gone, and the sorrow,
pain, and confusion are now replaced with joy and hope for all who believe
in the empty tomb. For as the Apostle Peter
wrote in 1 Peter 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to
a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead”. We
know, and have this living hope that without doubt all those who place
their faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour shall also be raised from
the dead. Every
event recorded in the Scripture concerning Jesus is of profound
significance, the spiritual truth revealed in his teachings is of eternal
import. Therefore the empty
tomb carries the utmost significance for every believer; it displays the
power of God over everything including death, and comforts every believer
with the assurance of eternal life in his kingdom. We
must first set the stage for our lesson today, by examining briefly the
latter part of Psalm 22, for as Jesus himself told the disciples on the
road to Emmaus (Luke 24), they were quite foolish not to believe what
Moses and the prophets had carefully explained, namely, that it was
necessary for ‘the Christ’ to suffer many things preliminary to enter
into His glory. It was
written. This
psalm tells us about the shame of the Cross and the terrible suffering of
the six hours that Jesus hung on the Cross at Golgotha.
It tells us what Jesus thought, how He suffered, and how He prayed
when He was on the Cross. The
maniacal, devouring, monstrous beasts tore at his soul, trying to shred
his confidence in his Father, but He was sure that this Father would be
faithful to him, hear, and save him. From
verse 22 on, we see this Song of Messiah's resurrection.
One writer speaks of the climactic triumph as this psalm of
Messiah's passion continues: “
At the heart of this affirmation of faith is the divine, powerful work of
God. Five different times in
these ten verses Jesus says that this God will accomplishes it all.
In
verse 23: “ You who fear the LORD, praise him…” Verse
26: “…Those who seek him (Jesus) will praise the LORD.” Verse
27: “ All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the LORD”. Verse
28: “ For the Kingdom is the LORD’s….” Verse
30: “ It will be told of the LORD to the coming generation.” Jesus'
lament on the Cross therefore, according to Psalm 22, became a song of
praise and worship. Hebrews
2:10-13 has Jesus quoting from Psalm 22:22; declaring that it was God's
purpose that he bring many people to glory, and therefore it was right
that he was made the Captain of our salvation, perfect through suffering
and through resurrection. As
this Psalm spoken by Jesus and Isaiah 8 therefore reveals, as one writer
puts it: “the
results of the resurrection: the calling out of a people of God who belong
to him, who are one with him, who can share the very life of Jesus!
There is a sense in which we are brothers and sisters of Jesus
Christ. He is our older
brother who has gone on ahead, paved the way, fought the battle for us.
We are joint heirs with him, members as he is of the family of
God.” When Jesus entered
Jerusalem he knew that he had come to die, but he also knew that the
Scriptures had stated and promised that his life would be restored.
His crucifixion was inevitable and hope of the resurrection was
sure. This
is a testimonial to the unstoppable work of Yahweh, God, who hears, acts,
and makes a profound difference in all of life and all of history. Over
the last few weeks we have been studying the events in the last week of
Jesus’ earthly ministry. After
returning to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover with his disciples, Jesus
instituted the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, the observance of which
is of great significance. Following the institution of the Lord’s
Supper, that same night the betrayal of Jesus moved into high gear.
Judas left the assembly of the disciples and busied himself
orchestrating the betrayal. Jesus
was at this time in the garden of Gethsemane, where he would face the most
vehement spiritual battle. God
the Father was withdrawing his presence from the Son, for Jesus alone
would have to bear the full force of God’s wrath against sin.
This bitter cup was his alone to drink. We
have no details of Jesus’ travails in Gethsemane, but we know He
prevailed after an intense struggle (Hebrews 5:7), after which angels came
and strengthened Him. Shortly after Judas arrived with a mob of vigilantes and
proceeded to betray Jesus with a kiss. The mob took Jesus into custody,
then held a complete mockery of a trial, fabricating a cause to put not
only an innocent man, but the Messiah to death.
(Review the lesson ‘Prayer and Arrest’ March 20, 2004). We then turned our attention to the crucifixion (April 03), widely regarded as the most inhumane and cruel form of execution. It
must be said however that others have endured brutal and excruciating
pain, thus it is clear that there was something else that made Jesus’
crucifixion different - that would be the inability of all others to atone
for sin, as opposed to what Jesus accomplished by His crucifixion. No
man can atone for his own sins, though he forfeit his own life, let alone
the sins of the world. This
would take the blood of the sinless Son of God, a selfless sacrifice of
such magnitude, that we cannot begin to estimate its height or depth.
This will likely be a delightful topic of investigation for the
saints throughout eternity. (Review
last weeks lesson ‘Jesus’ Crucifixion’) This
week we take a brief survey of another event of overwhelming magnitude, an
event that the Scripture says would have rendered the Christian faith a
waste of time, if it had not taken place. “…And
if Christ be not risen, then [is] our preaching vain, and your faith [is]
also vain…”
1 Cor. 15:13-19 Thus
the empty tomb is infinitely more significant in the demonstration of
God’s power and promise to the elect; than the restoration of life to
Lazaruz (John 11:1-14), Eutychus (Acts 20:9), Jairus’ Daughter (Luke
8:41-56 ) or the Son of the Shunammite woman (2 Kings 4:32-35). Those
events pale in comparison, as Jesus alone has the power to raise himself
from the dead. “Therefore
doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it
again.” John
10:17 The
empty tomb marks the certainty of the redemption and bodily resurrection
of every believer to everlasting life in the Kingdom of Heaven. Note
that all who are not found in the Lamb’s Book of Life will not
participate in the first resurrection, but will be raised after the
millennial reign of Christ, to face condemnation.
As the saints are fitted with a body suitable for heaven – so too
will all those who rejected Him be fitted with a body suitable for
everlasting life in hell. There
the wrath of God will be continually poured out.
There is no hope in hell nor redemption from it! “Where
their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched..” The
Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his
kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; Mat
13:42 And shall cast them
into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. This
lesson will also bring to light the obstinate nature of unregenerate man,
the effect that the empty tomb had on the soldier’s that guarded it, the
priest that were instrumental in the trial of Christ and those believers
who first encountered the risen Saviour. THE
TEXT
Verse
1
In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first
day of the week …This
verse has been one of the most frequently misapplied verse in all the
Scriptures; it has persistently been used to support a view that purports
that Christ was raised on Sunday, and thus the birth of a new tradition
– the celebration of the resurrection.
What
is completely overlooked for the most part, is that this verse and the
parallel passages (Mark Luke
John ) speaks only of the women’s coming to the tomb, which they find
empty. Jesus was already
risen! And at the same time,
it is by no means certain that the first visit was not on what we would
call Saturday evening, coming to the close of the Sabbath, which ended at
sunset on Saturday evening. The
first day of the week would then begin. The
phrase “ in the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the
first day of the week” would very logically have been referring to a
visit around sunset on Saturday evening.
When Mary Magdalene and the other Mary then went to the tomb “to see the sepulchre”, the tomb was already empty. This
fact is unmistakable and no twisting and contradictory attempts at
harmonizing the visit of the women can change this fact, that the two
Marys went first and saw an empty tomb. It
is important to note that while the resurrection is worthy of such a
celebration, so too was the birth of Christ, but neither of these events
Scripture commands us to observe or to use as the basis for taking
biblically mandated worship days. What
is clearly laid out with great detail from the Master himself is the
celebration of the Lord’s Supper – this is what Jesus wanted his
followers to do in remembrance of him. This
new non-mandated tradition has given birth to serious error – it has in
a very literal sense made null the commandment of God. Most Protestants
claim that the seventh day Sabbath has been substituted by this new
celebration, ‘Sunday Worship’, on the alleged authority of Scripture
alone. But careful examination shows the Scriptures are completely void of
such support. The
Catholic Church and its predecessors, which had been significantly
paganized under the Emperor Constantine, and who are responsible for the
establishment and preservation of this serious error, do not hold that the
Bible alone is the guide to doctrine, and make the claim of Sunday worship
valid on the basis of being the true church, the bride of Christ, thus
they have the authority to change as they did, the historically recorded
Seventh day Sabbath to Sunday. Of
course, we know from the Book of Genesis that the seventh day Sabbath was
established in the Garden of Eden, even before sin entered the world.
We also know that even when sin entered the world and the first
promise of the Messiah Redeemer was made, in Genesis 3, there was
absolutely no indication that the seventh day Sabbath was voided. The
Scriptures have always pointed to the coming of the Redeemer, and also
consistently pointed to the necessity of observing the seventh day
Sabbath. The people of God, the nation of Israel, had been warned over and
over again of the grave nature of the disobedience in the breaking of this
worship rule, and the associated following of pagan practices.
Indeed the prophet Isaiah, in the last chapters of his Book, warned
the people of God that when Jesus Christ the Messiah returned he would
destroy those who had followed idolatry, pagan practices and had
desecrated His Sabbath. We
know therefore that the Sabbath commandment, instituted at creation has
never been changed by God, and will still be observed during the
Millennium. In
eternity, when time will be no more, the saints will be in perpetual
Sabbath rest, since the throne of God we be ever with us. There
are many articles available that deal with the Sabbath topic in detail,
but we cannot delve any further in this study.
We
know that many of the women that followed Jesus, were present at the
crucifixion, while the disciples hid themselves because of fear.
The women however had the courage to follow Joseph of Arimathea and
Nicodemus to see where the body of Jesus was buried.
Now
Matthew mentions two of them that came to the tomb; Mary Magdalene and the
other Mary, not the mother of Jesus, but the mother of James and Joses.
Mark
notes that Salome, the wife of Zebedee and the mother of James and John
was also there. Luke also
mentions Joanna, wife of Chusa, Herod’s steward (Lk 8:3) other women may
have been present (Lk 24:1). There is some controversy as to whether or
not there were different parties and visits consisting of different groups
of women, with some women included in different groups. The
purpose for which they came, was to anoint the body or possibly the
bandages. It is evident that
the women knew that the way to the tomb was sealed, it is quite possible
that they also knew that Roman guards stood watch, but this did not deter
them in the least. By their
intentions it is apparent that they had forgotten the prophecies and had
not yet believed what the prophets and Jesus had told them of the
Messiah’s life, death, and resurrection. If they believed it, they did
not understand. They were like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, and
the unbelieving Eleven. On their way to the cemetery, they were
grief-stricken and disappointed. Note that if we do not believe in Christ, we too will be stuck in sorrow, pain and grief, and will persist in doing the meaningless things for Christ, such as anointing his dead body, ignoring the meaningful things that Christ wants from us. In other words, we will be going into cemeteries of the society and of dead churches looking for life, doing things which appear to be pious and ‘spiritual’, but which will lead only to spiritual and emotional death, since they resist the true doctrines of Christ. Verse
2. The
birth of Jesus was announced by a great host of angels. At the cross a
miraculous darkness covered the region, there was an earthquake, graves
were opened and many who had died, lived and the veil of the temple was
torn completely in two. Having
seen such signs, the centurion at the foot of the cross cried out; surely
this was the Son of God. This
was merely a prelude to what the empty tomb would represent, as the
preaching of the gospel would soon turn the whole world upside down and
the finale would be the opening of every tomb as the dead in Christ are
raised to everlasting life. The
incomprehensibly great unimaginable power of God now shows itself
physically. The violent
earthquake and removal of the great stone guarding the tomb was a sign of
the dynamic power of God. As
miraculous signs accompanied the previous events, now there is a great
earthquake, which accompanies the opening of the tomb; it is not
responsible for the removing the stone, this is credited to the angel
which now sat up on the stone. Neither
was the stone removed to let Jesus out, but to allow the women and the
disciples access to see that He was risen. The
angel would ensure that no attempt to place another corpse in the tomb
could succeed, and so that the priests may say that Jesus had not risen.
It is quite possible that Gabriel was the angel that brought the good news
of the resurrection as he did the birth of Jesus. Verse
3.
The sight of the angel was an awesome and terrifying sight – his
countenance, which refers to his face, glittered and shone like lightening
and his clothes were as white as snow.
The white garment represents purity and holiness. Throughout
the scriptures these celestial beings are usually represented as clothed
in white (Acts 1:10; Dan 7:7; Rev 3:4-5; Rev 4:4; Rev 7:13-14) Verse
4.
The soldiers guarding the tomb were certainly alert, if any of them
were asleep, they would surely have been awakened by the earthquake.
Although the earthquake might have been quite frightening, it was
nothing in comparison to the sudden appearance of the angel who proceeded
to roll the stone away. In
fact these hardened men of war were so terrified that they shook
uncontrollably and then looked as though they were dead, their faces pale
and their limbs numb. They
were scared stiff, as we would say, unable to run or move for a time. They
may have thought this to be punishment for their part in the crucifixion-
divine retribution. Some
commentators believe that the soldiers were not permitted to be the first
to see the risen Lord as he left the tomb – they were probably still in
a state of paralysis and possibly blinded by the countenance of the angel. This power of resurrection is unique, unrivalled, works without great public ostentation, but is irresistible. Verse
5.
The earthquake having ended and the stone already removed, the
angel awaits the arrival of the women. At the sight of the angel the women
were also frightened, but the angel quickly puts them at peace – saying “do
not fear”. The
angel knew who they were and why they had come. The scripture speaks of
familiar spirits, which are demons, who acquaint themselves with the
comings and goings of people; spirits that have been chronicling families
for generations. But it is also clear that God’s ministering angels are
also ever present with us, on assignment to aid us as the Father directs.
It is comforting to know that when faced with insurmountable
obstacles, that moving in faith as these women did, God ensured that the
stone was already removed for them. Though
their faith did not as yet, quite extend to the fact of the resurrection,
the Lord knows how to grow the faith of those who trust him – he did
bless those women by first appearing to them, as they exercised more faith
than the fearful and unbelieving disciples. Mary
Magdalene and other Mary were told that the tomb was empty.
Jesus who had been crucified was now risen Verse
6.
The invitation of the angel was extended to the women for God
wanted them to confirm for themselves that the tomb was empty.
These women could look for themselves into the empty tomb and so be
able to witness to others, that Jesus had already left the tomb. We
too are called on to examine it, to hear the voice of truth. What lessons
would the women have learnt when the angel invited them to view the empty
tomb? First,
Note that this type of invitation is not given to carnal persons who do
not want to know the truth, for they would not understand it, but it was
given to those who are pure of heart and who loved Jesus. Note
also, the angel invites us, as he invited the two Marys, to inspect where
his Lord and our Lord had lain. Angels are most happy to help us as well
as to looking to the matter of salvation. Note
also that this tomb to which the woman went was a costly tomb, certainly
not a common grave. Jesus had been poor during his life and had no place
to lay his head. He had been
shamed, beaten, despised of men, rejected and reproached. But now that his
work had been finished, his Father had laid his body to rest in a
honorable grave. It
was indeed finished and his exaltation had begun. We too know that when our work is finished our rest and
exaltation begins. We
are told in other gospels that when the woman accepted the invitation to
see where the Lord lay, they saw the grave clothes neatly wrapped and
folded, and the napkin folded up by itself.
Certainly it is clear that Jesus did not awake in any haste, but
was in leisurely rest, and at the precisely decreed moment awoke, took off
the costly garments befitting the costly grave, unhurriedly folding them
up neatly, and leaving these ‘badges of our sin’ behind. He
had drunken of the cup of God's wrath.
Our deeds had slain him, but now we could rejoice with joy and
gladness since his own righteousness and power had restored him to life. We
and the women at the tomb learn several things from this viewing of the
empty place where the Lord lay. We
see that He is God, the Lord. Death had no dominion over him, and the
grave could not hold him. He rose first at the resurrection so that we can
arise by his imparted power. Next
the woman would have realized that Jesus had paid the full debt for them,
and that they had been acquitted and discharged from the penalty of sin.
If Jesus had not paid the full debt, he could never have been risen
from the dead. They
would also have realized that if Jesus, their Lord and Savoir rose, his
followers would all arise. Mary
Magdalene seems to be the first woman to see the open tomb. She was
certainly the first to react. Leaving the other women to examine the tomb,
Mary Magdalene ran to find Peter and John, having concluded that someone
had stolen the body of Jesus, (John 20:1).
Peter and John were not with the other disciples at this time, but
at John’s home, which was in running distance of the tomb, and where he
and Peter were comforting Mary the mother of Jesus. (John19:26,27) The
Angel then revealed to the remaining women, that Jesus whom they sought,
was not there. For a brief
moment they may have thought that Mary Magdalene was right, but the angel
told them: he is risen – that is the reason he is not here, his
body had not be stolen. It
would seem reasonable to think that the memories of Jesus’ prediction
about his resurrection came flooding back (Luke 24:6) at this time. They
were then invited to enter the tomb and see where the Lord was laid.
The evidence was an empty tomb with the grave clothes resting
precisely where he laid. It
is amazing how some of those who believed and who had seen the miracle
working power of God, often displayed a primary reaction of disbelief and
required more proof. We are
no better, for when God does answer our prayers, we often act surprised
and astonished, as if we do not believe that God could or would answer us
– how many time we uttered those four little words “I can’t believe
it!” Let
us trust God more. Two
reasons we do no not have what we need: – because we do not
ask or we ask but do not believe. “He
that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he
not with him also freely give us all things?” Rom 8:32
Verse
7.
Who can tell the overwhelming joy of the women, whatever doubt they
had was now vanquished and the angel commands them to go as quickly as
possible and tell the disciples that the Lord had risen from the dead,
just as he said he would. The
instruction for the disciples to meet him in Galilee, for there you
shall see him; this Jesus had promised before his death (Matt 26:32).
This is most likely a reference to future post resurrection public
appearances, aside from those private encounters that Mary Magdalene first
and then the other women had while leaving the tomb, the disciples on the
road to Emeus and the encounter with the disciples while hiding behind
locked doors. Verse
8.
Having entered the tomb, they now left in a hurry to deliver the
message to the disciples. Their
hearts were probably pounding with a mixture of fear, perhaps because of a
confused state of mind, but also of great joy because of what they had
witnessed, the angel, the stone rolled away and an empty tomb. Jesus is
alive. Mark
says that they fled from the tomb and such was their urgency to deliver
the message to the disciples they dared not stop to speak to anyone
because of fear. (Mark 16:8) Verse
9.
John 20:14 records a encounter Mary Magdalene had with the risen
Lord . This might have occurred at this time. Some
however believe that Mary had this separate meeting, after Peter and John
had seen the empty tomb and had now returned home, leaving Mary weeping at
the tomb. She had not
previously entered the tomb, for she ran to alert Peter and John presuming
the body to be stolen, It is now that Jesus appeared to her. (John
20:10-18) Jesus then told Mary to go and tell the disciples, not Peter and
John for they were just with her, but the remaining disciples that he was
risen and that he would ascend to his Father. It
is quite possible then that Mary Magdalene caught up with the other women,
who had some time prior to Peter and John arriving at the tomb, fled from
the tomb; but now Jesus meets the entire band of women on the way. Jesus
greets them, the term ‘All Hail’ was supplied by the translator
and is not in the original – the salutation given really mean rejoice.
Some
commentators say that it could also mean ‘peace be onto you’ which was
a common greeting that Jesus used. ‘And
they came and held him by the feet’
This phrase does not mean that they physically took hold of his feet, but
rather they cast themselves down, prostrate before him and worshipped him.
This was the position of greatest reverence, and doing homage as
onto God. Verse
10.
It is apparent that in the presence of an angelic being or one who
possess divine power, that we experience great fear and a great sense of
unworthiness. So it was when
Jesus now appeared to the women, as they hurried to the apostles.
Remember that Mark says they did not stop to talk to any man
because of fear – rather Jesus had stopped them and told them not to
fear. Though
now risen from the dead and about to be exalted again to heaven, Jesus
showed no disdain toward them, in that he sent them to the disciples, whom
he referred to as his brethren. This
would certainly remove fear and strengthen their confidence, that he would
still consider those who through fear deserted him at the cross. Jesus
then repeats the message given them by the angel – to go to Galilee.
It was in Galilee, the northern part of the land that Jesus did
start his ministry and it would be there that they would be completely
satisfied of his resurrection and receive the commission to go and preach
the everlasting gospel. Verse
11. It
is evident from this verse that the guards were present while the women
and the disciple did come and examine the tomb; however they were not able
to apprehend or interfere with the proceedings, the angel having paralysed
them with fear. When
eventually permitted to move they did not pursue the women nor Peter or
John; instead some of them went to Annas and Caiaphas to tell them what
had truly happened. It
is not said if the remaining soldiers stood watch over the empty tomb or
if they themselves fled. Verse
12. The
news was of such staggering magnitude that the high priest, in the early
hours of the morning, called an emergency meeting, the purpose of which
was to stop the unstoppable and end the inevitable.
This is the height of foolishness, but is precisely how corrupt and
depraved people who wear the mask of religion actually behave. Barnes
notes: “And
when they were assembled ... - They deemed the matter of so much
importance as to justify the calling together of the great council of the
nation. Notwithstanding all their caution, it was plain that the body of
Jesus was gone. It was further plain that the disciples would affirm that
he was restored to life again. It was not improbable that Jesus would
himself appear, and convince multitudes that he was the Messiah, and that
the guilt of putting him to death would, after all their caution and
cunning, be charged on them. They had been at great pains to procure his
death. They had convinced Pilate that he was dead. They had placed a guard
for the express purpose of preventing his being taken away. It would be in
vain, after this, to pretend that he was not dead; that he was in a swoon;
that he died in appearance only. They had shut themselves out from this,
which would have been the most plausible plea, and, whatever course they
might now adopt, they were obliged to proceed on the admission that he had
been really dead, and that all proper measures had been taken to prevent
his being stolen. They concluded, after consultation, that but one way was
left - to bribe the soldiers - to induce them to tell a falsehood - and to
attempt to convince the world that Jesus, in spite of themselves, and in
the face of all probability, had been really stolen.” Verse
13. In
pursuit of their corrupt ways, the council was left with no option, but to
attempt to convince the world that the disciples did steal the body.
This they tried to do by bribing the soldiers with a large sum of
money, and commanded them to propagate the most preposterous lie; this
would include concealing the truth from Pilate. “…say that the
disciples came by night and stole Him away while we slept.” The
high priest knew the soldiers were telling the truth, the questions that
arise clearly shows this. They
were a bunch of evil unrepentant religionists, who would conceal the
identity of the true Messiah from their people, so that they may maintain
their personal power and prosperity. Barnes
notes a few of the facts that render this lie totally incredulous. 1.
that
he had often foretold his own death and resurrection. See Mat_12:40;
Mat_16:21; Mat_20:19. 2.
There was no doubt that he was really dead. Of this the Jews. the Romans,
and the disciples were all equally well satisfied. 3.
Every proper precaution was taken to prevent his removal by stealth. A
guard, usually consisting of sixty men, was placed there for the express
purpose of keeping him, and the sepulchre was secured by a large stone and
by a seal. 4.
On the third day the body was missing. In this all were agreed. The high
priests did not dare to call that in question. They labored, therefore, to
account for it. The disciples affirmed that he was alive. The Jews hired
the Roman soldiers to affirm that he was stolen while they slept, and
succeeded in making many of the people believe it. This
account of the Jews is attended with the following difficulties and
absurdities: 1.
The Roman guard was composed usually of 60 men, and they were
stationed there for the express purpose of guarding the body of Jesus. 2.
The punishment of “sleeping” while on guard in the Roman army
was “death,” and it is perfectly incredible that those soldiers should
expose themselves in this manner to death. 3.
The disciples were few in number, unarmed, weak, and timid. They
had just fled before those who took Jesus in the garden, and how can it be
believed that in so short a time they would dare to attempt to take away
from a Roman guard of armed men what they were expressly set to defend? 4.
How could the disciples presume that they would find the Roman
soldiers asleep? or, if they should, how was it possible to remove the
stone and the body without awaking even “one” of their number? 5.
The “regularity and order” of the grave-clothes Joh_20:6-7
show that the body had not been stolen. When men rob graves of the bodies
of the dead, they do not wait coolly to fold up the grave-clothes and lay
them carefully by themselves. 6.
If the soldiers were “asleep,” how did they, or how could they
know that the disciples stole the body away? If they were “awake,” why
did they suffer it? The
whole account, therefore, was intrinsically absurd. On the other hand, the
account given by the disciples is perfectly natural and credible. 1.
They account for the reason why the soldiers did not see the Saviour when
he rose. Terrified at the vision of an angel, they became as dead men. 2.
They affirmed that they saw him. All the apostles affirmed this, and many
others. 3.
They affirmed it in Jerusalem, in the presence of the Jews, before the
high priests and the people. See the Acts of the Apostles. If the Jews
really believed the account which they themselves had given, why did they
not apprehend the apostles, and prove them guilty of the theft and of
falsehood? - things which they never attempted, and which show, therefore,
that they did not credit their own report. Verse
14.
These guards were in a dilemma. Pilate was surely tired of the
political manoeuvrings of this corrupt priesthood and
being used as a puppet. He had consented to the murder of Jesus in
part to be rid of the them, despite being a brute of a man himself, he did
however acknowledge that Jesus really did not warrant death.
Such a callous and cold heart cares little about justice and truth. None
of the soldiers would dare tell Pilate, that Jesus was alive, for fear of
his reaction – it is likely they would be killed for failing to secure
the body in the tomb. They obviously thought they would stand a better
chance going to the high priest and the council, knowing that they could
flex a little political muscle and perhaps bride/manipulate Pilate as
before. Despite
the attempts to protect the soldiers, it is quite likely that this foolish
lie would catch up with them. The
resurrection demanded that Christ show himself alive, which he did to many
people over a period of forty days. Thus it would prove to be a huge and
unnecessary risk, of deceiving the people and lying to Pilate, if they did
not believe themselves, that Jesus was actually raised from the dead. They had sealed their own fate by taking this bribe, for either their lying to Pilate or falling asleep on the job, were punishable by death. Verse
15. We
see in this verse the propensity for unbelieving men to do almost anything
for money; but a far more telling thing than this, is the impervious
nature of a hardened heart and it’s inability to receive truth.
Despite all that these soldiers had seen and heard, their actions
defy all reason and logic. This
is further evidence that none can come to the Father except He
purposefully draw them. Witnessing
or experiencing the miraculous cannot alone convince a man of the truth,
but he who is call the Spirit of Truth – the active work of the Holy
Spirit is needed to first quicken the dead. These
men chose to take the money and propagate this lie though they:
Having
seen all this, they chose to do evil.
Why? Because the only
free will a sinner has, is the freedom to sin.
CONCLUSION
There
are basically two types of people, the believer and the unbeliever. The
believers are those who by the work of the Holy Spirit, do come to the
knowledge of the truth and are saved.
Though a believer sometimes struggles in their belief, the Spirit
is there to aid and strengthen their faith every step of the way. Unbelievers
come in two flavors – one who is religious, displaying a form of
godliness, but denying the power of God . They are really men of corrupt
minds, debauchers, idolaters, extortionists and murderers – such were
Annas and Caiaphas and many of the Sanhedrin. Secondly,
are those who are secularist, laying no claim to God or religion.
These too are men of corrupt minds, performing all manner of evil,
they are as the Roman guards who commit their deeds openly, not hiding
behind the mask of religion. However
the main and most important theme of this lesson is the irrefutable fact
of the resurrection, symbolized by the empty tomb.
The importance of this doctrine is reflected in the force of the
evidence supplied in support of it – equipping every believer to make a
solid defence of the gospel, and thus knowing Him in the power of His
resurrection, we can be confident that we will also be raised to spend
eternity with Him; and empowered that we be not ashamed of the gospel,
that when our feeble faith is strengthened, we like the apostles will
declare the power of the risen Lord. The
Apostles placed the resurrection at the heart of the gospel of Jesus and
clearly our faith is fixed firmly in the resurrection. God
is the controller of all things and he has told us that we will have a
resurrection body like that of our Saviour.
This body will be perfectly suited for the new environment in which
we will live. Our
resurrection bodies will be imperishable, durable, irreversibly immortal,
with no possibility of deterioration of any sort. They will not be in any
way dishonourable, but will be absolutely glorious and perfect like
Jesus’ own glorious body. We
will be transformed. All this
is proved by the empty tomb. Jesus
said, “ I am the resurrection and the life;
he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies, and everyone who lives
and believes in Me shall never die. Do
you believe this?” We
have the resurrection life of Christ within us because, we are indwelt by
the Holy Spirit. We are
married to Christ the bridegroom, and are in union with him. We
prove this by living the life that he calls on us to live, rejecting the
deeds of the flesh, and being led by the Spirit of God. I pray that we show the fruit of the Spirit and declare that we thereby really do believe that there is an empty tomb. |