Sunday 16 Nisan
Rolling Away of the Stone and Fear by the Guard
Before Dawn.
Matthew 28:2-4
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.
Sometime in those pre-dawn hours, when the night is the darkest, as soldiers, tough guys, stood guard, there was an earthquake. It was an unearthly earthquake. It wasn’t just some shifting of plates beneath the ground. It was a supernatural quaking caused by an Angel descending and rolling back that big, heavy stone over the grave. If the shaking didn’t totally get these guards attention, then the frightening appearance of the angel, now sitting casually upon the stone, probably with legs crossed, certainly did. These boys trembled and then became like dead men, and though it doesn’t say, found their feet working again and got out of Dodge.
They left just before the women came.
Women Come to the Tomb
Matthew 28:1, John 20:1-2
Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary the mother of James and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him.
And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?”
And looking up, while it was still dark, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large; had been taken away from the tomb.
And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to see the tomb.
These women now brought the spices they had bought and prepared to anoint the body. It is quite early and still dark as they travel to the burial site. It is the first day of the week, which is Sunday. They don’t seem to be aware that the Jewish Authorities had sealed and posted a guard. There is no reason to think they would have known. The question on their minds is who could roll away the heavy stone over the tomb entrance.
Imagine their surprise when they discover the stone already moved. That must have been a scary moment for them, wondering who could have done this and why. It is well to note that this stone, unlike the one on Lazarus’ grave, was not removed so Jesus could get out. It was removed so others could get in. You can see from other verses that the physics of Jesus’ resurrected body were quite different from the unregenerate human body. He can move from place to place rapidly, he can disappear and appear at will and he can walk through walls, and if need be, large stones.
They wait until the sun has risen to provide light before going over to see the tomb.
Guard’s Report to te Sanhedrin
Matthew 28:11-15
While they [The Women] were going, behold, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers and said, “Tell people, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ And if this comes to the governor's ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.”
So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story has been spread among the Jews to this day.
This story is still being spread by some. Remember, even today there are those who deny the resurrection.
When the guards fled the tomb after the Angel appeared, some went to the Chief Priests and explained what happened. Others probably just fled as far as they could to avoid punishment for dereliction of duty.
I am not certain if these men were Roman Soldiers or Temple Guards. I say this because Pilate simply told the Jews to go make the tomb as secure as they could, he didn’t specifically assign a Roman Unit to the duty. Deserting guard duty came with a pretty harsh result for a Roman Soldier — death. Perhaps these guys just faced being hit with a stick, stripped and made to walk home naked.
Matthew 28:5-15, Mark16:2-11, Luke 24:1-12 John 20:3-18
5 And [some women] enter{ed} the tomb, but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. They saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. (This may be the same one who moved the stone.)
But the angel said to the women, “Do not be alarmed. for I know that you seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here
But Mary [Magdalene] stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet.
They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?”
She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do
Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus.
Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?”
Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.
Jesus said to her, “Mary.”
She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher).
Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”
Jesus has changed enough during his resurrection that many do not recognize him at first, just as Mary didn’t. He tells her he hasn’t ascended to his Father and not to cling to him. Yet, he tells the Disciples to touch his wounds. Before that seems problematic, remember there is a difference between touching and clinging. To cling to someone goes beyond merely touching. Clinging is to hold on tightly and firmly and resist being parted from the object held.
While they (the women inside the tomb) were perplexed about this (what the Angel said), behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. 5 And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground,
The men said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise.”
And they remembered his words.
“Come, see the place where they laid him. But then go, quickly, tell his disciples and Peter that he has risen from the dead, and behold, that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you. See, I have told you.”
And they departed quickly out and fled from the tomb, with fear and great joy for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
And behold, Jesus met them [the Women] and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”
[Meanwhile,] Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.
And returning from the tomb they [the other women] told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them.
So she [Mary Magdalene] ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.”
But Peter rose and ran with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in.
Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself.
Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples went back to their homes. Peter went home marveling at what had happened.
It is difficult to follow the movements of the women. They seem to have traveled to the tomb together, but then Mary Magdalene got separated from the others. I am thinking she hesitated when the others entered the tomb, having seen it was empty, she was overcome with grief and hung back, standing just outside the entrance crying. Peeking through the entrance, she sees the two men sitting where Jesus’ body had lain. They see her and address her. She turns and has her encounter with the risen Christ.
While Jesus talks to Mary, the two men in white stand up and speak to the other women.
Mary Magdalene begins her trip back to the city to tell the men. The other women begin their own journey back shortly thereafter and then Jesus appears to them.
Mary Magdalene beats the others to where the Disciples are, which apparently is the Upper Room where the Last Supper was instituted, and gushes out that she saw the Lord. About then the other women arrived and they all began telling what they had experienced, probably all at once as excited people tend to do.
The Disciples brush this off as just a bunch of hysterical women, but Mary Magdalene then runs to Peter and John saying “they have taken the Lord out of the tomb.” This at last gets their attention and Peter and John decide they better go investigate.
Jesus Appearance to Two Men on the Way to Emmaus
Mark 16:12; Luke 24_13-32
That very day, after these things, he [Jesus] appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. But their eyes were kept from recognizing him.
And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?”
And they stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”
And he said to them, “What things?”
And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.”
And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?”
And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.”
So he went in to stay with them. When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight.
They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?”
I know it gets confusing, but recall that one of Jesus apostles was James the Lessor, sometimes describes as the son of Alphaeus and sometimes as the son of Mary, wife of Cleopas. We have noted previously that Cleopas and Alphaeus were one and the same person. He has also been called Clopas and Cleophas. Spellings are elusive things in ancient times.
Anyway, Cleopas and an unnamed companion are traveling to a village called Emmaus, its location lost in history, but not far from Jerusalem, about 7 miles or so. It is getting late in the day, toward evening. Their business in Emmaus is not stated, but it seems possible they live there since they ask the man they meet to stay with them.
They had been talking about the recent events as they walked and they knew women had visited the tomb and found it empty. It is also obvious that Cleopas was with the disciples when the women returned with their story, because he says some of them went to the tomb, but these did not see Jesus.
So Cleopas was a disciple, and is also believed to be a brother of Joseph, the assumed father of Jesus. His wife, Mary, was one of those women who visited the tomb and his son James was also present. His companion is never named, but it would not be far-fetched to assume it was Mary, his wife and they were returning home. We can rule out his son James as the companion because we soon find out he is with the other Apostles.
The man they met tells them scriptures of Moses and the prophets and how these regarded Christ. As it is late, even though the man refuses to stay with them for the night, he does agree to sup with them. There the man breaks the bread at table and as he does so these two suddenly realize this man is Jesus. Jesus then disappears before their eyes.
Cleopas and Friend Report to the Disciples
Mark 16:13; Luke 24:33-35
And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, and they went back and told the rest, saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!”
Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread, but they did not believe them.
Now, a question arises here when Cleopas says, ““The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” Simon who? This certainly wasn’t Simon Peter.
I think the best explanation is a translation error. It seems the Greek for “Simon” is very close to the Greek word for “us”. This sentence makes far more sense if it is, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to us!”
Jesus Appears to all the Disciples, Except Thomas
Mark 16:14, Luke 24:36-43, John 20:19-25
Afterward he [Jesus] appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table. On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came. As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!”
But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen.
And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.”
And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet.
And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?”
They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate before them and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.
Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”
Notice how slowly these guys were to grasp things. That is hope to me, because it means as thick-headed as I can be, there is still the chance I’ll get it.
But there was one thick-headed Apostle that still had to be convinced.
Now Thomas, one of the twelve called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.”
But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”
Thomas wasn’t quite so easy to come to belief as Nathaniel, was he?
Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”
Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” (John 1: 49-50)
Jesus Appears to all His Disciples a Week Later
John 20:26-29
Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”
Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.”
Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”
Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
This statement applies to us.
Miraculous Catch of Fish and Peter Tested
John 21:1-23
After this Jesus revealed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, and he revealed himself in this way. Simon Peter, Thomas (called the Twin), Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together.
Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.”
They said to him, “We will go with you.”
They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
Just as day was breaking, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.
Jesus said to them, “Children, do you have any fish?”
They answered him, “No.”
He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.”
So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, “It is the Lord!”
It is deja vu all over again. What memories should have flooded back. When Jesus began his ministry he had walked along this same sea, for the Sea of Tiberius is also called both the Sea of Galilee and Lake Gennesaret. He looked over that day about three years ago and saw a couple boats and some fishermen washing their nets. He got into a boat belonging to Simon peter and from there taught a crowd of people. Now after he spoke this time he said:
“Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”
Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”
When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7 So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.
When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.
Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him. (Luke 5:4b-11)
John certainly remembered, for he said to Peter, “It is the Lord.”
When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his
When they got out on land, they saw a charcoal fire in place, with fish laid out on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.”
So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, 153 of them. And although there were so many, the net was not torn.
Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.”
Now none of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord.
Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and so with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus was revealed to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.
Just like Peter, impetuous, impatient, just jumping right in and plowing ahead.
When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?”
He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.”
He said to him, “Feed my lambs.” He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.”
He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.”
Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.”
Peter is getting retribution for the three times he denied Christ.
Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who also had leaned back against him during the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?”
Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!”
So the saying spread abroad among the brothers that this disciple was not to die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die, but, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?”
Whatever is to be is in the will of God. It is not our place to always know; it is just our pace to be obedient.
Giving of the Great Commission
Matthew 28:16-20, Mark 16:15-18, Luke 24:44-49
Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name. They will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.
“And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”
Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”
The Ascension
Mark:16:19-20, Luke 24:50-53, Acts 1:6-11
So when they had come together and he led them out as far as Bethany, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?”
He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. While he blessed them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven and a cloud took him out of their sight.
And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God.
So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.
The Commission goes to us and each generation of Christians until Jesus returns. The day and hour are not known. It doesn’t matter, we must work as if it is the next hour.
Now I mentioned before we were not done with Judas. Remember on the night Jesus was arrested and then condemned by the Authorities, Judas attempted to return the money they had given him, but they refused to take it back and he flung it into the Temple.
The Priests gathered up the coins and true to form tried to act pious by declaring it was blood money and they couldn’t take it. It says they bought a Potter’s Field with the thirty pieces of silver.
It was not too late for Judas to repent and ask Christ’s forgiveness, but he did not. Instead he escaped from his guilt still in sin and committed suicide by hanging. He wandered off to a grove of trees and did the deed.
End of Judas
Matthew 27:3-10
Then when Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he changed his mind and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.”
They said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.”
And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed, and he went and hanged himself. But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, “It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since it is blood money.”
So they took counsel and bought with them the potter's field as a burial place for strangers. Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. Then was fulfilled what had been spoken by the prophet Jeremiah, saying, “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him on whom a price had been set by some of the sons of Israel, and they gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord directed me.”
But does this passage in Acts, as some claim, contradict Judas death.
ACTS 1:12-20
Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey away. And when they had entered, they went up to the upper room, where they were staying, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the son of James. All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.
In those days Peter stood up among the brothers (the company of persons was in all about 120) and said, “Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. For he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry.”
(Now this man acquired a field with the reward of his wickedness, and falling headlong he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out. And it became known to all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the field was called in their own language Akeldama, that is, Field of Blood.)
“For it is written in the Book of Psalms,
“‘May his camp become desolate,
and let there be no one to dwell in it’;
and
“‘Let another take his office.’
After the Ascension, the Apostles and disciples returned to Jerusalem There was about 120 0f them and it was decided a replacement for Judas should be chosen. This would be Matthias. At this point it has been 40 days since Jesus had risen. Judas’ body still swung to the breeze in the tree. It had hung there for over a month now in the sun and whatever dampness there may have been. 40 Days, so the body and the rope were pretty well rotted, should think, so it isn’t surprising that he would finally fall and burst open upon striking the ground.
Upon discovery, perhaps, is when the Priests took his returned money and, perhaps, bought this very plot for the Potter’s Field, with Judas becoming its first tenant.
And with that we come to the end of a week to remember, plus several additions days.
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