Paid In Full: An In-depth Look at the Defining Moments of Christ's Passion (30 page)

The religious leaders recalled that Jesus said He would rise from the dead. They heard the truth but did not comprehend its significance.

Think about all that Jesus declared about Himself during His walk on this earth, and consider all He has spoken to you personally. Do you truly believe Jesus? Have you taken the time to meditate on the significance of His words?

Jesus was the Father’s promise of hope for mankind. When He died and was then buried, creation was shocked and His disciples were devastated. But God raised Jesus to new life. What seemed to be the end was actually only the beginning.

Flip through the pages of your own life’s story. What promise from God to you seems now incapable of coming to pass? What hope or dream in your life have you buried? Consider the power of the One who raised Jesus from the dead. Then, like Jesus, commit yourself into the hands of the One who makes all things new. He is faithful. Will you trust Him?

Chapter 30:
Behold, He Is Risen!

Jesus is alive!

His resurrection was not merely a philosophical renaissance of His ideas and teachings — He was literally raised from the dead!

The power of God exploded inside that tomb, reconnected Jesus’ spirit with His dead body, flooded His corpse with life, and He arose! So much power was released behind the sealed entrance of His tomb that the earth itself reverberated and shuddered from the explosion. Then an angel rolled the stone from the entrance, and Jesus physically walked through the door of that tomb
alive
!

This is no legend or fairy tale.
This is the foundation of our faith!
So let’s examine the events surrounding the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

He was resurrected from the dead sometime between the close of Sabbath sunset on Saturday evening and before the women came to the tomb early on Sunday morning. The only actual eyewitnesses to the resurrection itself were the angels who were present and the four Roman soldiers who had been stationed there at Pilate’s command (Matthew 27:66). However, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all record the events that followed on the morning of His resurrection.

When you first read all four accounts of what happened that morning, it may appear that a contradiction exists between the details told in the various Gospels. But when they are chronologically aligned, the picture becomes very clear and the impression of contradiction is wiped away.

Let me give you an example of what appears to be a contradiction. The Gospel of Matthew says there was
one angel outside the tomb
. The Gospel of Mark says there was
one angel inside the tomb
. The Gospel of Luke says there were
two angels inside the tomb
. The Gospel of John says
nothing
about angels in this scene but does say that when Mary returned later in the day, she saw
two angels inside the tomb
who were positioned at the head and foot of the place where the body of Jesus had been laid.

So who is telling the right story? How many angels were there? As I said, in order to see the entire scenario that transpired that day, we have to put the events in all four Gospels in proper chronological sequence. So let’s get started!

Matthew 28:1 says, “In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.” In addition to Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, the mother of James, Luke 24:10 tells us that “Joanna” and “other women” came to the tomb. Luke 8:3 tells us that this “Joanna” was the wife of Herod’s steward — evidently a wealthy woman who was a financial supporter of Jesus’ ministry. According to Luke 23:55 and 56, many of these women were present when Jesus was placed inside the tomb but returned home to prepare “spices and ointments” so they could anoint His body for burial when they returned after the Sabbath day.

These women had no way of knowing that the chief priests and elders had gone to Pilate the day after Jesus was buried to request a watch of four Roman soldiers to guard the tomb and an official from the Roman court to “seal” the tomb.
How would these women have known this?
They were at home, preparing spices and ointments.

Yet while these women were preparing to return to anoint Jesus’ dead body, the tomb was being officially sealed shut and Roman soldiers had been ordered to guard the tomb 24 hours a day. Had the women known that the tomb was legally sealed and couldn’t be opened, they wouldn’t have returned to the tomb, for it was legally impossible for them to request the stone to be removed.

Mark 16:2-4 says, “And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre? And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.”

Ignorant of the fact that the tomb couldn’t legally be opened, the women proceeded to the tomb for the purpose of anointing Jesus’ body. As they drew near to the garden where the tomb was located, they wondered among themselves who would remove the stone for them. However, Matthew 28:2 says, “And, behold, there was a great earthquake.…”

This earthquake didn’t occur at the time when the women approached the tomb. Rather, it occurred simultaneously with the moment of Jesus’ resurrection, sometime after the Saturday sunset and before the women arrived at the garden. When describing the magnitude of the earthquake, Matthew uses the word “behold.” In Greek, this is the word
idou
. The
King James Version
translates it
behold
, but in our day, it might be better translated,
Wow!
This word carries the idea of
shock, amazement,
and
wonder
, so when Matthew says, “And, behold, there was a great earthquake...” he literally means,
“Wow! Can you believe it?”
The word
idou
could also carry this idea:
“Whew! Listen to the amazing thing that happened next.…”
Although Matthew writes his Gospel many years after the fact, he still experiences
amazement
when he thinks of this event!

Matthew tells us that there was “a great earthquake.” The word “great” is the Greek word
mega,
leaving no room for doubt as to the magnitude of this event. The word
mega
always suggests something
huge, massive,
or
enormous
. The word “earthquake” is the Greek word
seismos
, the word for
a literal earthquake
. Just as creation shook when its Creator died on the Cross, now the earth exploded with exultation at the resurrection of Jesus!

Mark 16:4 says that when the women arrived at the tomb, they found “…the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.” The word “very” is the Greek word
sphodra
, meaning
very, exceedingly,
or
extremely
. The word “great” is that word
mega
, meaning
huge, massive,
or
enormous.
In other words, this was no normal stone. The authorities placed
an extremely, exceedingly massive stone
in front of the entrance to Jesus’ tomb. Yet when the women arrived, it had been removed!

Matthew 28:2 tells us how the stone was removed. It says that “...the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.” The word “sat” is the Greek word
kathemai,
which means
to sit down.
Some have suggested that the ability of the angel to sit on top of such a huge stone may also denote his immense size. In other words, he was so huge that he could sit on top of the enormous stone as if it were a chair. If this were the case, the removal of the stone would have been a simple feat. Matthew informs us that not only was the angel strong, but “his countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow” (v. 3).

The immense size, power, and brilliance of this angel explains why the Roman guards fled the scene. Matthew 28:4 tells us, “And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.” The word “fear” is the Greek word
phobos
, which means
to fear.
In this case, it was such a
panic-stricken fear
that it caused the guards to “shake.”

This word “shake” is derived from the Greek word
seio
, the identical root word for an
earthquake
. The mighty Roman soldiers trembled and quaked at the sight of the angel. In fact, they “…became as dead men.” The words “dead men” is the Greek word
nekros
— the word for
a corpse
. The soldiers were so terrified at the appearance of the angel that they fell to the ground, violently trembling and so paralyzed with fear that they were unable to move. When they were finally able to move again, these guards fled the scene — and when the women arrived at the garden, they were nowhere to be found!

Luke 24:3 tells us that with the stone removed, these women passed right by the angel who sat on top of the huge stone and crossed the threshold into the tomb. It says, “And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.”
But what did they find inside the tomb besides the vacant spot where Jesus had laid?
Mark 16:5 tells us: “And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted.”

First, these women saw an angel sitting on top of the stone at the entrance of the tomb. Now inside the tomb, they see another angel whose appearance is like a young man. The words “young man” are from the Greek word
neanikos
, referring to
a young man who is filled with vigor and
energy and who is in the prime of his life
. This illustrates the
vitality, strength
, and
ever-youthful appearance
of angels. The Bible also tells us that this angel was “…clothed in a long white garment….” The word “clothed” pictures
a garment draped about his shoulders
, as a mighty warrior or ruler would be dressed. The word “garment” is from the Greek word
stole
, which represents
the long, flowing robe that adorned royalty, commanders, kings, priests, and other people of high distinction.

As these women stood in an empty tomb, Luke 24:4 tells us that “…they were much perplexed thereabout….” This Greek word for “perplexed” is
aporeo
, which means
to lose one’s way
. It is the picture of someone who is so confused that he can’t figure out where he is, what he’s doing, or what is happening around him. This person is completely
bewildered
by surrounding events.

Of course these women were perplexed! They came expecting to see the stone in front of the tomb, but it was
removed.
Sitting on top of the massive stone was
a dazzling angel.
To get into the tomb, they had to pass by that angel — but once in the tomb, they discovered there was
no dead body
. Then suddenly they looked over to the right side of the tomb and saw
a second angel
, dressed in a long, white robe like a warrior, ruler, priest, or king. The women didn’t expect to encounter any of these unusual events that morning. It would have been normal for their heads to be whirling with questions!

Then Luke 24:4 tells us that all of a sudden “…two men stood by them in shining garments.” The words “stood by” are from the Greek word
epistemi
, which means
to come upon suddenly; to take one by surprise; to burst upon the scene; to suddenly step up;
or
to unexpectedly appear
. In other words, while the women tried to figure out what they were seeing, the angel sitting on top of the stone decided to join the group inside the tomb. Suddenly to the women’s amazement,
two
angels were standing inside the tomb in “shining garments”!

The word “shining” is
astrapto,
depicting something that
shines
or
flashes like lightning
. It may refer to the angels’ shining appearance.

Luke 24:5-8 says, “And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they [the angels] said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again. And they remembered his words.”

After the two angels proclaimed the joyful news of Jesus’ resurrection, they instructed the women, “But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you” (Mark 16:7). Matthew 28:8 says they “…did run to bring his disciples word.” Mark 16:8 says, “And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre….” Luke 24:9,10 says that the women returned and “…told these things unto the apostles.”