He Is Not Here: For He Is Risen (Matthew 28:6)

2024-03-31

When word got out that the tomb of Jesus was empty, there was much chaos. People were running back and forth from the tomb. Trying to follow the four narratives recording the events shows some of the waves of emotions that occurred. You see groups of people move from sorrow to joy to wonder and amazement, especially as they put the pieces together of what Jesus had told them ahead of time and the words of the angels at the tomb. I will attempt to order these events as given in the gospels, though this may fall short in some places. See how slow they were to understand that Jesus really rose from the dead.

At a minimum, four women, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, Salome, and Joanna, went to the tomb to apply the spices to Jesus’ body (Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:1-2; Luke 24:1; John 20:1). While they were going, they were wondering who would roll that stone away, being very huge. They went anyway, perhaps figuring the Lord would provide a way. “And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?” (Mark 16:3). The Lord surely provided a way.

While they were en route to the tomb, the angel of the Lord descended, which accompanied an earthquake, and the angel rolled away the stone (Matthew 28:2-3). It was both heavy and sealed by the priests and Pharisees (Matthew 27:66), so it took an angel to undo this. After he moved the stone, he sat upon it, scaring the guards nearly to death. “And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men” (Matthew 28:4). We don’t see any evidence that Jesus was still in there; this tomb was opened for witnesses to see that the Lord was already risen. If death cannot stop Jesus, neither can sealed tombs.

By the time the women got there, the angel had moved himself inside the tomb, and another angel appeared with him. If you take all the gospels into account, you see that later Mary Magdalene is unaware of the angels’ message, so it seems she left to tell Peter before she entered the tomb, where the other Mary and Salome went into the tomb and encountered the angels.

While the angel had scared the guards, who seem to be out of the picture by now, they assure 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” (Matthew 28:5-7). From there, they left with a wave of emotions, including fear and joy. They didn’t tell anyone immediately: “And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre; for they trembled and were amazed: neither said they any thing to any man; for they were afraid” (Mark 16:8).

In the meantime, Mary Magdalene came to the disciples and told them what they saw. Afterwards, the others eventually followed and told them as well (Luke 24:10). Peter and John then ran to the tomb. John ran faster but waited for Peter to get there. They found it empty as she had said, seeing the linen that Joseph and Nicodemus had wrapped Him with, and the napkin that was around his head on the side separately. They eventually returned home, still without understanding.

But Mary Magdalene had gone back to the tomb. The two angels were there again. They did not need to tell her anything, because the Lord Himself was there this time. She thought Jesus was the gardener, probably because she saw a gardener there previously (cf. Matthew 27:61).

Imagine the joy when she saw Him. “Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God. Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her” (John 20:17-18). By His death and resurrection, Jesus has made God our Father.

Even though some of them saw the empty tomb, they did not believe it. “Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils. And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept. And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not” (Mark 16:9-11).

Jesus then appeared to the two disciples on their way to Emmaus, being sad because of what had transpired. They heard of the tomb being empty but just didn’t believe it. Even after Jesus, His identity being hid from them, explained how this was fulfilling prophecy, they still didn’t get it. Jesus revealed himself to them while eating together, and He disappeared out of their sight. Those two disciples ran back to Jerusalem to tell the others. “And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?” (Luke 24:32).

After the two returned and told the others of their experience, Jesus appeared inside the sealed house. Stones and walls and locked doors do not stop Jesus from coming out or going in. He ate with them and explained how the Scriptures were being fulfilled. They would be witnesses to His resurrection to the ends of the earth, but they first had to wait in Jerusalem for the Spirit to come (Luke 24:36-49). Thomas was not there; Jesus appeared to them with him there eight days later.

Others saw Him alive, including a group of 500 at once. Jesus also appeared to the disciples at the Sea of Galilee, where Jesus challenged Peter about his love and his future.

Jesus, who was proved to be truly dead, proved that He was truly alive to all these people. These witnesses were finally convinced of Jesus being truly alive. We must believe also. Not “kind-of sort-of” alive. Not a ghost, or hallucination, or what the disciples’ hopes would be true. Not a nice bedtime story or Easter tradition. Jesus was truly and physically alive, eating and drinking with His disciples, with holes in His hands and feet and side. And this is a world of difference from a dead Messiah. If death cannot stop Him, then nothing can, and He reigns forever.

Once they were convinced, what were they to do?

And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things. And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. (Luke 24:46-49)

The Spirit has come. Let us go and do likewise until He comes again.