THE LAST WEEK OF JESUS' PUBLIC MINISTRY AND HIS CRUCIFIXION
The Women Visit The Tomb; Jesus’ Resurrection is Announced
-Matthew 28:1-8; Mark 16:1-8; Luke 24:1-8, 12; John 20:1-10
-“Now after the Sabbath” (Matt. 28:1, NASB) “upon the first day of the week, very early in
the morning” several of the women headed toward the tomb of Jesus. They were coming with
spices to complete the process of preparing Jesus’ body for burial.
-As they made their way to the tomb they wondered who would roll the stone back thereby
giving them access to Jesus’ body. It seems evident that they were unaware of the fact that
the tomb had been sealed and guarded by Roman authority.
-Unbeknownst to them, the removal of the stone was being taken care of (or perhaps had already
been taken care of) in glorious fashion.
-At the tomb, a great earthquake occurred when an angel descended from heaven, rolled back the
stone and sat upon it.
-His appearance was like lightning and his clothes like snow. Just imagine how bright his
appearance would have been in the darkness of the early morning!
-The Roman soldiers who were guarding the tomb trembled (from the same word translated
as “earthquake” in Matt. 28:2) in fear, were overcome by it and fainted. (Note that John had
a very similar response in Revelation 1:17.)
-These soldiers had been placed at the tomb due to a perceived threat on the part of Jesus’
disciples. However, instead of having any contact with feeble men, these soldiers directly
encountered an angel from heaven.
-“Only a single angel was required to render impotent a whole band of armed men; in view
of this, it was an almost incomprehensible power that was available to Jesus who might
have called for twelve legions of angels to rescue him from the cross” (Coffman, Matthew
pg 513).
-This angel removed the stone - not to let Jesus out but to allow others access to the tomb now
empty.
-The women had started toward the tomb “when it was yet dark” (John 20:1) and arrived
“at the rising of the sun” (Mark 16:2). Interestingly, they were about to discover that the
Son had risen.
-The women first noticed that the stone had been disturbed. With the conclusion that the enemies of
Jesus had removed His body and hidden it (“...what she believed was further indignity to the Lord” -
Woods, pg 420), Mary Magdalene ran to Peter and John with what she thought was bad news.
-Meanwhile, the other women “...entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus” (Luke 24:3).
As a result, “they were much perplexed” (Luke 24:4) - “at a loss mentally” (Strong’s). They had no
explanation for what had taken place. Yet, they were about to receive the proper explanation.
-While they pondered the situation, angels appeared to them. Matthew’s account mentions only
one angel, seemingly the same angel that removed the stone. Mark’s account refers to “a young
man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment” (vs 5). Luke states that while the
women were much perplexed, “two men stood by them in shining garments” (vs 4).
-It is hard to know the exact chronology involving these angels and their interaction with
these faithful women. It seems that Matthew and Mark mention only one angel, the angel
who spoke. Either these angels were sitting initially and then rose to speak tenderly to the
women or vice-versa.
-Initially, the women “were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth” (Luke 24:5). Yet,
they were comforted and instructed by the angels. By assimilating the accounts of the Gospel,
we can see that the angel said to them, “Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus” (Matt. 28:5)
“of Nazareth, which was crucified” (Mark 16:6). “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’” (Luke 24:5-7). “Come, see the place where the Lord lay” (Matt. 28:6). “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).
-“Peter was mentioned by name that he might know that he was not cast off for his denial…
The Lord appeared to some chosen few in Judea, but the large body of his disciples were to
see him in Galilee…Jesus had appointed a place of meeting; but we are not told where it was
nor when he appointed it” (McGarvey/Pendleton, pg 741).
-“And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had gripped them;
and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid” (Mark 16:8, NASB).
-“They feared to disclose what they had heard to any but the persons to whom they had been
directed by the angel…” (Dorris, pg 383). They spoke to nobody else.
-Meanwhile, Mary Magdalene had gone to Peter and John with the news regarding the opened tomb.
In response, Peter and John ran to the scene.
-John arrived first but did not initially enter the tomb. Instead, he stooped down, looked inside
and saw the burial cloths that had been used on Jesus’ body. When Peter arrived it seems that
he, too, stooped down and looked in the tomb initially (Luke 24:12) but then entered the tomb
and surveyed the scene.
-John tells us that Peter “beheld the linen wrappings” (vs 6, NASB). The word “beheld” is
translated from a Greek word which “…is used of one who looks at a thing with interest and
for a purpose, usually indicating the careful observation of details; to be a spectator of, look
at, discern” (Vine’s). Peter was observing the linen wrappings and trying to understand
what had taken place. Having been informed by Mary that enemies had taken Jesus’ body,
he was probably confused as to why they would have taken the time to be so careful and
neat with the linen wrappings. Therefore, he pondered the situation.
-John then entered the tomb “…and he saw, and believed” (John 20:8). John’s mind took
him one step further than Peter’s – beyond pondering to belief. Yet, “[i]t is not clear as to
the extent of his belief. As yet they had not understood what he meant when he said he would
rise from the dead. Now the truth began to dawn on their minds that he had been made alive
and had risen from the dead” (Lipscomb, pg 308).
-Even though the scriptures provided evidence of the resurrection of Christ, and in spite of
the fact that Jesus had specifically foretold it, the apostles had not understood. Any
development of John’s belief while at the tomb was based upon the evidence that lay before
him at that time rather than preformed expectations based upon scripture or Jesus’ words.
“For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead” (John 20:9).
-Peter and John departed from the tomb and returned to their homes. Undoubtedly, their minds
were very busy as they tried to fully comprehend the events of the morning.
-Clearly, the claim laid forth by the Jewish leadership that the disciples might steal away the body of
Jesus and than falsely exclaim His resurrection was completely without merit. When confronted
with the fact of the resurrection, the disciples struggled to fully comprehend it and accept it.