The Burial and Resurrection

As we discovered in my previous article, “The Beating, The Whipping And The Crucifixion,” the injuries Jesus suffered most assuredly led to His death. From His death, we move to His burial and resurrection.

THE BURIAL

Day 1 – Jesus died at approximately 3PM. The Sabbath was quickly approaching and His body needed to be buried before sunset (Deut. 21:22-23 / Gal 3:13). Everyone had to move quickly. Joseph of Aramathea sought and received permission from Pilate to claim Jesus’ body. The nails used to pin Jesus hands and feet to the roughly hewn cross, the Roman’s execution device, were removed so that Jesus could be freed. His limp and lifeless body was quickly carried to the tomb that Joseph of Aramathea had originally built to house his own body. The tomb was located among the gardens, close by the site of Jesus’ execution (Jn. 19:41-42).

The act of ensuring a proper burial was regarded as one of the greatest acts of benevolence one could bestow upon another. Great care was taken when preparing a body for burial, but there was barely enough time to provide such care for Jesus. They had to move quickly!

It was customary in Jesus’ time to use great quantities of spices for embalming the dead, especially for those held in high esteem. Joseph of Aramathea and Nicodemus brought with them about 100 pounds of aloe and myrrh.

“In preparing a body for burial according to Jewish custom, it was usually washed and straightened, and then bandaged tightly from the armpits to the ankles in strips of linen a foot wide. Aromatic spices, often of a gummy consistency, were placed between the wrappings or folds. They served partially as a preservative and partially as a cement to glue the cloth wrappings into a solid covering…” Tenney, Merrel C., The Reality of the Resurrection, Chicago: Moody Press, 1963.

After wrapping Jesus’ body, Joseph and Nicodemus left the tomb. The stone was rolled over the entrance, leaving Jesus’ body to lie alone in the dark.

Day 2 – It was the Sabbath and the chief priests and Pharisees weren’t done with Jesus just yet. They went before Pilate to request that guards be placed at the tomb. They told Pilate that Jesus had declared He would rise from the dead in three days and the chief priests and Pharisees didn’t want Jesus’ followers to steal His body and then falsely claim that He had risen. Pilate granted their request.

The chief priests and the Pharisees headed to the tomb, taking with them a few Roman soldiers. At the tomb, the chief priests and the Pharisees “sealed” the tomb (most likely using clay, in order to leave their mark by pressing their signet rings into it). This, of course, would have been done in the presence of the Roman soldiers. Why? The soldiers were posted to make sure the disciples didn’t gain access to the tomb and the seal was used to ensure that there would be no collusion between the Roman soldiers and the disciples. If the seal was broken, both the disciples and the soldiers would be held responsible.

Throughout that day and throughout the long, chilly night, Jesus’ body lay in the tomb as the guards stood watch just outside the entrance.

Day 3 – Jesus’ lifeless body remains in the sealed tomb. The guards have kept watch all night. No one has approached the tomb. Sunrise was moments away.

THE RESURRECTION

It was the beginning of a new week. While it was still dark, Mary Magdeline and Mary the mother of James and Salome gathered the spices they had prepared to anoint Jesus’ body. They made their way to the tomb in the early morning light. As they fought off the chill of that early hour, they wondered if they would be able to find help to move the stone from the entrance of the tomb.

At the tomb, the guards kept watch. Without warning, the earth trembled and then shook. The earth quaked as an angel of the Lord descended. The guards stood in astonishment as the angel, by himself, easily rolled the stone away from the entrance of the tomb, breaking the seal. This angel, whose had the “appearance of lightening” and who had clothing “as white as snow,” then took a seat on the top of the stone. The Roman soldiers, seeing this mind-boggling site, either passed out or were slain in the spirit, almost mimicking the incident that occurred in the garden of Gethsemane just days before (Jn. 18:4-6).

Since there is no mention in the Gospels about the women noticing the Roman soldiers on the ground, it can be assumed that they had quickly recovered as those at Gethsemane had and had fled the scene by the time the women arrived. The guards went to the chief priests and reported all that they had seen. After the chief priests discussed the matter, it was decided that the guards would say that they fell asleep at their post and that the disciples had come during the night and stolen away the body of Jesus. The guards were also told that if the news of the incident reached the ears of the governor, then the religious leaders would take care of the matter and the guards would not suffer punishment. Unfortunately, the guards agreed to participate in this deception.

When the women arrived at the tomb, the angel was still sitting atop the stone. He told them not to fear; that Jesus had risen from the dead. He instructed them to tell the disciples and Peter about Jesus’ resurrection and to let the disciples and Peter know that Jesus would meet them in Galilee. The women, at the angel’s prompting, entered the tomb where they found three angels. One was sitting on the right side of where Jesus had been laying. The other two were standing beside the women. The women fell with their faces to the ground in fear of the Lord at the glorious appearance of the angels. The angels repeated what the first angel had told them and revealed some of the prophecies that Jesus had to fulfill with His suffering and death. As the women left the tomb, they were filled with fear and joy.

The women ran from the tomb. Mary delivered the message to the disciples and to Peter. Peter and James raced to the tomb. James got there first and just peered in. He saw the linen clothes lying where Jesus’ body had been. Peter, upon his arrival, went into the tomb. He, too, saw the empty linen clothes. They both noticed, folded and placed by itself, the face cloth that had been on Jesus’ head. (This may be a good place to note that as I understand it, in Jewish custom, when a guest folded their napkin at the table and left, it meant that they were returning to finish their meal. Could the folding of the face cloth be seen as a message from Jesus that He would be back?) The disciples left the tomb.

Later Jesus appeared in the midst of the disciples. He even encouraged poor doubting Thomas to examine the wounds to His hands, feet and side so that he would be convinced that Jesus had truly risen from the dead. After forty days, Jesus gathered His disciples and was lifted up into the sky on a cloud until He had disappeared from their sight. Two angels appeared, standing beside them, and told them that Jesus would come back in the same manner in which He left.

DID JESUS DIE?

Now some may claim that Jesus never died, that somehow He managed to survive the beatings, the whipping and the crucifixion. Of course, this is nonsense. If He had survived, surely the disciples, Joseph of Aramathea, Nicodemus or one of the Roman soldiers witnessing His execution or removing Him from the cross would have noticed (Romans were experts in death). Even if Jesus had some small spark of life left in Him, remember that He was mortally wounded. Could He really survive all that time in a cold tomb with no medical attention for His injuries? Surely He would have died from shock, exposure, dehydration or blood loss. No. Jesus was dead.

SOMEONE STOLE HIS BODY

Could the disciples or some of His other followers have stolen His body? That’s highly unlikely and here’s why:

• His resurrection was still a mystery to the disciples at that time. That’s why they were grieving His death. They had not yet comprehended what he meant when He said that He would rise again.

• If the disciples or some of Jesus’ other followers had stolen His body, would they take valuable time trying to carefully remove the tight wrappings in one piece like a cocoon (which would have been very difficult because it would have been stuck to his body with the gummy spices that had been applied) or to carefully fold the linen cloth that covered His face? Wouldn’t they have taken Him, linen and all, so that they could spend as little time at the scene of the crime as possible?

• Could they have arrived, moved the stone and stolen Jesus’ body without making a sound or being seen by the guard?

• The official story that the Jewish leaders spread was that the guards said that they had fallen asleep and that Jesus’ disciples stole the body. Question: If they were asleep, how would that know who stole the body? The bible states that the Roman guards saw and reported what really happened and that they were bribed by the Jewish leaders to change their story.

• The chief priests and Pharisees did not go out to inspect the tomb. Their lack of concern for viewing the scene of the crime screams cover-up.

• Breaking the seal on the rock in front of the tomb was a punishable offense. None of the disciples were ever charged with such an offence.

• The Roman soldiers couldn’t have been in collusion with Jesus. Not only was their allegiance sworn to Caesar, Jesus (if He was just a man) could not have possibly known which guards would have been chosen to guard the tomb.

There is always the possibility that Jesus was never placed in the tomb to begin with, but that isn’t possible either. There would have been too many witnesses to His burial to try a stunt like that. If the chief priests and Pharisees weren’t sure of His presence in the tomb, then they never would have sealed the tomb and posted the guard. Groups, both for and against Jesus, witnessed His burial, we can be confident of that. He was a high profile and very controversial person. We can be sure that a crowd was at His execution and burial, including the chief priests and Pharisees.

So, if Jesus did not survive the crucifixion, if He wasn’t taken by His disciples or other followers under the cover of darkness, if He was in fact placed in the tomb on the first day and then sealed in by the chief priests and Pharisees, then what is the alternative?

“What does the critical historian do when the evidence points very strongly to the reality of an event which contradicts his expectations and goes against the naturalistic view of reality? I submit that he must follow his critically analyzed sources. It is unscientific to begin with the philosophical presupposition that miracles cannot occur. Unless we avoid such one-sided presuppositions, historical interpretation becomes mere propaganda. We have a right to demand good evidence for an alleged event which we have not experienced, but we dare not judge reality by our limited experience.” (Ronald Sider, A Case for Easter, HIS magazine, April 1972)

“We have no right to begin with the presupposition that Jesus can be no more than a man. For then, obviously, our conclusions may simply reflect our preconceptions instead of representing the actual content of the documents. We must, in other words, objectively try to discover the picture Jesus and his contemporaries had of him, whether we agree with it or not. The question of us is not whether Jesus is pictured as a man. Virtually no one today would question this, for the records tell us that he was hungry and tired, that he wept, that he suffered and died, in short, that he was human.

The question we face today is whether he was depicted as no more than a man.” (John Warwick Montgomery, History and Christianity, Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1971)

Could He be who the scriptures say He is? We'll take a look at the validity of scripture in my next article.

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Are Atheists And Agnostics Really Looking For Proof Of God's Existence?

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Are Atheists and Agnostics really looking for proof of the existence of God?  That’s a question that recently popped into my mind. I've had discussions with Atheists and Agnostics in the past and have found that no matter what answer I gave them, they seemed to twist the scripture shared with them or just balked at my response. It got to the point where I realized that I could not convince them of anything; that they needed to step out in faith or they would be lost forever. I left it at that and although I stopped “casting my pearls,” I was always available if they wanted to talk about the Lord.

I find myself pondering the question of whether they were really and truly looking for “proof,” or if their sole purpose was to deny Christ no matter what evidence they were given of His existence. I decided to refer back to the word of God and find examples of those who denied Jesus’ authority even though they were staring in the face of undeniable proof that He was indeed the Son of God.  Here is what I found.

The Good Shepherd and the hireling

“Truly, truly, I say to you, He who does not enter into the sheepfold by the door, but going up by another way, that one is a thief and a robber. ²But he who enters in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. ³The doorkeeper opens to him, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴And when he puts forth his own sheep, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him. For they know his voice. ⁵And they will not follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers. ⁶Jesus spoke this parable to them, but they did not understand what it was which He spoke to them. ⁷Then Jesus said to them again, Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. ⁸All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. ⁹I am the door. If anyone enters in by Me, he shall be saved and shall go in and out and find pasture. ¹⁰The thief does not come except to steal and to kill and to destroy. I have come so that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. ¹¹I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. ¹²But he who is a hireling and not the shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away. And the wolf catches them and scatters the sheep. ¹³The hireling flees, because he is a hireling and does not care for the sheep. ¹⁴I am the Good Shepherd, and I know those that are Mine, and I am known by those who are Mine. ¹⁵Even as the Father knows Me, I also know the Father. And I lay down My life for the sheep. ¹⁶And I have other sheep who are not of this fold. I must also lead those, and they shall hear My voice, and there shall be one flock, one Shepherd. ¹⁷Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I might take it again. ¹⁸No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down from Myself. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it again. I have received this commandment from My Father.” ¹⁹Then a division occurred again among the Jews because of these words. ²⁰And many of them said, ‘He has a demon and is insane. Why do you hear him?’ ²¹Others said, ‘These are not words of one who has been possessed by a demon. A demon is not able to open the eyes of blind ones.’ (John 10:1-21 MKJV)

Here we have Jesus openly declaring that he’s the Good Shepherd, acknowledging that He lays down His life for His sheep and takes up His life by His own authority and that God is His Father. To some, these were just the words of a demon possessed man; to others they were words of truth because they knew that Jesus had healed the blind. Jesus’ mention of the “hirelings” must have infuriated the Pharisees. Jesus said, “But he who is a hireling and not the shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away. And the wolf catches them and scatters the sheep. ¹³The hireling flees, because he is a hireling and does not care for the sheep.” (John 10:12-13 MKJV)

Wow! Here is an example of what Jesus was talking about.

First, the miracle. 

“Then they took away the stone where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, ‘Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. ⁴²And I know that You hear Me always, but because of the people who stand by I said it, so that they may believe that You have sent Me.’ ⁴³And saying these things, He cried with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, Here! Outside!’ ⁴⁴And he who had died came out, bound hand and foot with sheets, and his face was bound with a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘Untie him and let him go!’ ⁴⁵Then many of the Jews who came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on Him. ⁴⁶But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. (John 11:41-46 NKJV)

As we see in this portion of scripture, while some who had witnessed this miracle repented and accepted Jesus as their Messiah, others refused to believe and went straight to the Pharisees to report what they had witnessed. 

Next, the hirelings and the wolf

Then the chief priests and Pharisees gathered a Sanhedrin, and said, ‘What can we do? For this man does many miracles. ⁴⁸If we let him alone this way, all will believe on him. And the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation.’ ⁴⁹And one of them, Caiaphas, being the high priest of that year, said to them, ‘You do not know anything at all, ⁵⁰nor do you consider that it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation perish.’ ⁵¹And he did not speak this of himself, but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for the nation; ⁵²and not for that nation only, but also that He should gather together in one the children of God who were scattered abroad. ⁵³Then from that day they took counsel together that they might kill Him. (John 11:47-53)

Even the Pharisees, knowing what Jesus had done, refused to accept Him as their Messiah and, instead, worried more about what could possibly happen in the physical instead of realizing the blessing of witnessing prophecy being fulfilled right before their eyes. By operating in the physical, they rejected the power of God in favor of appeasing the wolf (the Romans). These “hirelings” were so concerned about their own lives that they were willing to run away from the Good Shepherd and the flock He was gathering. Their solution was to throw the Good Shepherd to the wolf and allow the Good Shepherd’s flock to be scattered.

Let’s look at some other examples of people rejecting the truth even when they were staring proof in the face.

As they went out, behold, they brought to Him a dumb man, who had been demon-possessed. ³³And when the demon had been cast out, the dumb one spoke. And multitudes marveled, saying, Never was it seen like this in Israel! ³⁴But the Pharisees said, He throws out demons by the ruler of the demons. (Matthew 9:32-34 MKJV)

The Pharisees can’t deny that the healing took place because they themselves were witnesses of the miracle, but they chose to reject proof of Jesus’ authority on earth and instead said that he casts out demons with the power of Satan.  Proof rejected!

Cities denounced

Then He began to upbraid the cities in which most of His mighty works were done, because they did not repent. ^21’Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the powerful acts which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes! ²²But I say to you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. ²³And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to the heaven, shall be brought down to hell. For if the mighty works which have been done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. ²⁴But I say to you, it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.’ (Matthew 11:20-24 MKJV)

Jesus performed miracles in Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum and although they witnessed these miracles, they still refused to accept Jesus as their Messiah.  Proof rejected!

Healing a man’s withered hand

And when He had departed from there, He went into their synagogue. ¹⁰And behold, a man having a withered hand. And they asked Him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbaths? This so that they might accuse Him. ¹¹And He said to them, What man among you will be, who will have one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the sabbaths, will he not lay hold on it and lift it out? ¹²How much better is a man then than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days. ¹³Then He said to the man, Stretch out your hand. And he stretched it out, and it was restored whole like the other. ¹⁴Then the Pharisees went out and held council against Him, as to how they might destroy Him.  (Matthew 12:9-14 MKJV)

Again, Jesus performs a miracle, but instead of throwing themselves at Jesus’ feet, the Pharisees rejected the Good Shepherd and plotted ways they would destroy Him and His ministry.  Proof rejected!

Just as He was rejected by those who witnessed these miracles first hand, so He has been rejected by the majority of people who have lived on this planet since that time. 

You may say, ‘This is a new generation. If Jesus were to create signs and wonders again, everyone will repent, right?’ Well, let’s look to the book of Revelation to see what God has to say about that.

God warns the remaining population of the planet

And I saw another angel flying in mid-heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those dwelling on the earth, even to every nation and kindred and tongue and people, ⁷saying with a great voice, Fear God and give glory to Him! For the hour of His judgment has come. And worship Him who made the heaven and the earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. ⁸And another angel followed, saying, The great city, Babylon, has fallen, has fallen; because of the wine of the anger of her fornication; she has made all nations to drink. ⁹And a third angel followed them, saying with a great voice, If anyone worships the beast and its image, and receives a mark in his forehead or in his hand, ¹⁰he also will drink of the wine of the anger of God, having been mixed undiluted in the cup of His wrath. And he will be tormented by fire and brimstone before the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb. ¹¹And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever. And they have no rest day or night, those who worship the beast and its image, and whoever receives the mark of its name.  (Rev. 14:6-11 MKJV)

There is now no doubt that God is who He says He is. Everyone on the planet hears the words of the angels of God and know that God truly exists. They’re told to repent and are warned not to take the mark of the beast or to worship the image of the beast. They can no longer deny God’s existence, so how does the population respond? We have to turn back to scripture.

Was the proof accepted? From what we read in the following portions of scripture, it was indeed accepted, but what will those living on the earth do with that “revelation?”

And the fourth angel poured out his vial onto the sun. And it was given to him to burn men with fire. ⁹And men were burned with great heat. And they blasphemed the name of God, He having authority over these plagues. And they did not repent in order to give Him glory.  (Rev. 16:8-8 MKJV)

They recognize that God has authority over the plagues and they blaspheme His name. Proof accepted… God rejected!

And the fifth angel poured out his vial on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom became darkened. And they gnawed their tongues from the pain. ¹¹And they blasphemed the God of Heaven because of their pains and their sores. And they did not repent of their deeds. (Rev. 16:10-11 MKJV)

Again, they blaspheme God and refuse to repent. Proof accepted… God rejected!

So my question remains. Are Atheists and Agnostics really looking for proof of God’s existence, and if offered that proof, are they willing to accept it? By looking at human behavior through scripture, we can see that visible proof of God’s existence doesn't lead to belief if someone has set their mind and heart against God. As we see through God’s word, many times the proof is rejected. So when dealing with an Atheist or Agnostic, the first question to be asked of them is, “Do you really seek proof or have you already set your heart and mind against accepting anything that God wants to show you?” I don’t know if they can honestly answer that question, but it’s a start.

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Why Doesn't God Prove He Exists?

When you ask, "Why doesn't God prove He exists?" what you're really asking is why doesn't God prove His existence again — and this time, to you personally. After all, Adam and Eve couldn't deny His existence when He was walking through the Garden of Eden and speaking with them.  Moses and those led out of Egypt couldn't deny God's existence when He appeared as a pillar of fire by night to protect them and a pillar of smoke by day to lead them.  Nor could they deny His existence when He provided manna from heaven to feed them or caused the Red Sea to part so that they could escape Pharaoh's anger.

Let me ask you this question... what if God did reveal Himself to you?  What if God revealed Himself to you in a way that you could no longer deny His existence? What if He revealed Himself to you in a blinding ray of light with angels singing... would you believe? Be honest.  Would you believe or would you try to find some rational explanation for what you just experienced?  If it's the latter, then there is no reason for God to reveal Himself to you, since you will refuse to believe anyway. It would be a waste of time.  

What if it's the former?  He's revealed Himself to you in a way you cannot deny. What's next?  Well, you'd want to share what you just experienced, right?  Exactly how would you do that?  Well, in this day and age you'd probably take to social media and write about it.  Maybe you would text or even call your friends on your cell phone and tell them what just happened to you.  You'd probably talk to your family face to face and describe everything in great detail.  

I'm sure a lot of your friends and family are like-minded.  They don't believe in the existence of God and if you tried to describe why you now believe God does exits, how do you think they would react?  They'd either think you went off the deep end or they'd want empirical proof.  What would you offer them in way of proof?  What could you show them?  You would have nothing but your word.

Where would that leave you?  In the same place every other Christian finds themselves... in a personal relationship with the living God and the challenge of sharing who He is with people who choose not to believe in His existence.

Every true born again believer in Christ has had a common experience; that moment when we reached out in faith to a God we could no longer deny existed.  At that moment, our spirit, which was once dead, was born again.  In that instant, we were born into a new life and became part of a kingdom that will never end.

We can't prove it, or even adequately explain the change that miraculously happens at that moment, but we know that the experience is true.  Others may mock us and say all manner of evil against us, but we remain steadfast in our belief because we KNOW that what we've experienced is real.  The change in our lives is the most valuable evidence we have.  As God moves in our lives through His Holy Spirit, things begin to change.  What was once normal to us now begin to drop away only to be replaced by something new... something better.  That may convince some, but most will not be convince and brush it aside as you being "religious."

So you see, when you ask Christians why God doesn't prove He exists, you're asking Christians to show you something that you are not able to see until you have been born again of the Holy Spirit.  You've heard the old expression about walking a mile in someone's shoes, well sometimes you have to go through what others have gone through to truly see where they're coming from.  The same is true about Christianity.  In order to see what we see, you have to go through the same experience.  It can't be measured or created by any means of scientific measurement or test known to man.  It can only be experienced through active participation.  If you aren't willing to participate, you'll never know what we know or see what we see.

As a whole, Christians are saddened for those who may never allow God to touch their heart, knowing that the only alternative to eternity in heaven is an eternity in hell.  So we persist; we persevere; we make ourselves available to plant and water the seeds of faith and then pray that there will be a reaping of the harvest of faith.

May all praise and glory be to the living God!!!

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