Matthew part 49

The Burial & Resurrection

Last week, we read Matthew’s account of Jesus’ crucifixion and paid special attention to the details Matthew includes that reinforce the accuracy and historicity of his gospel. But we know the story does not end with Jesus’ death. Today, we continue in Matthew with the greatest scene in human history. Jesus of Nazareth will rise from the dead.

We will continue to mark the details Matthew includes which reinforce the Gospel and foundation of our faith:

Jesus of Nazareth was, and is, the Messiah God promised thousands of years ago who would come and bring salvation to humanity through his death, burial, and resurrection.

It is a simple message that is meant to be shared to everyone so that “all may come to repentance.” It is the story that drives us to respond. We cannot hear the story of Jesus without repercussion. If the story is true, then we are compelled to surrender to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords who reigns in heaven, and who will one day return to us. Or, we may choose to disbelieve the story and risk an eternity of condemnation. There is no in-between, despite the common belief today that we can dismiss Jesus as a great moral teacher, or a source for psychological development, or a source of political ideologues.

Jesus is the source of salvation who conquered death and sin, and through whom we also can overcome death and sin. But we must put our faith and trust in him.

The Burial | Matthew 27:57-66

When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.

The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’ Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last fraud will be worse than the first.” Pilate said to them, “You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.” So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard.

Matthew 27:57-66

This Joseph requests the body of Christ so that he can give Jesus a proper burial. The vast majority of crucified criminals were thrown into a common, unmarked tomb. Joseph and the other followers did not want Jesus to suffer such a burial, and so Joseph offers his own tomb. We know Joseph must have had a fair amount of wealth, because it is a new tomb cut for him. Most people could not afford such luxuries. Families would have shared tombs where the bodies might be layered or rotated. One custom involved two burials. The body would be prepared and buried within a day or two, first, and then after a year be moved to a more permanent location.

A similar pattern still exists in parts of the world today, even in the US. In New Orleans, the water table is so high, bodies cannot be buried the 6 feet that is standard for North America. Instead, families have crypts and multi-layered “oven tombs”. The tombs are built to heat up the body in the sub-tropical sun which speeds decomposition. Within a year, all that is left of the body are the bones which can then be rotated with a newer burial.

When Pilate releases Jesus’ body for burial to Joseph, he unwittingly fulfills a prophecy from Isaiah 53:9.

And they made his grave with the wicked
    and with a rich man in his death,
although he had done no violence,
    and there was no deceit in his mouth.

Isaiah 53:9

Despite the fact Jesus suffers crucifixion like a common criminal, he is given the same treatment as a honored wealthy man. This prophecy would make little sense prior to Jesus, and yet that is exactly what happened. And, yet again, we see Mary and Mary there to bear witness.

Now, they are not able to perform all of the burial rituals because of the timing. Jesus dies Friday afternoon, or early evening, with the Sabbath beginning at sundown. Once the sun set, they were not allowed to do anything with the body, as that would be working on the Sabbath. Thus, Joseph wraps the body in clean linen, places him in the tomb, and rolls a stone to seal the door. The stone performs two functions. It keeps the impending odor of the body in the tomb and keeps grave robbers, or anyone else that might want to desecrate the corpse, out.

Next, Matthew records the priests going to Pilate to remind him of the “rumors” that circulated Jesus promised to rise from the dead. They don’t want anyone to take the body and spread Jesus actually rose from the dead, and so Pilate gives them a guard of soldiers to further protect the tomb.

Matthew reminds readers both sides, Jesus’ followers and his opponents, have reason to protect the tomb from outsiders.

Last, let’s take another look at Pilate’s command, “Go, make it as secure as you can.” In the first century, the Romans held the greatest army known to history. Their training, their mental conditioning, and their punishments for failure are well-attested even beyond the Roman histories. When Pilate tells them to secure the tomb, he isn’t talking to some bumpkins that wouldn’t take their responsibilities seriously. The soldiers knew their jobs, and possibly even their lives, were on the line with this order.

Sometimes we might hear some skeptic argue the empty tomb can be explained by the disciples taking the body. Matthew 28:13 even notes this was the very excuse the soldiers were to give to the governor to satisfy their failure. But, the account does not allow for this to be true. The disciples have already fled, except for the mothers and those a part of the Jewish leadership, such as Joseph and Nicodemus. And these followers are more concerned with giving a proper burial than stealing away with the body. They even seal the tomb to protect it. And on top of that, Pilate issues Roman guards to keep anyone out.

Jesus’ body receives far more protection in its burial than any other body in his age, outside of emperors or kings.

It will not be until Sunday that Mary and Mary will be able to complete the burial preparations, and it is on Sunday something amazing is discovered.

The Resurrection | Matthew 28:1-10

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

Matthew 28:1-10

On Sunday, Mary and Mary discover the seal to the tomb is opened, and an angel of the Lord tells them the Lord has risen just as Jesus said he would. The angel has dislodged the stone seal leaving the tomb open. The angel sits on the stone waiting for the ladies to arrive, but “sat on it” also implies a victory. Some commentators note the similarity to Matthew’s phrasing of the angel with a king or soldier “sitting” after their victory. The angel, of course, is not the one who conquered the grave, but he shares in Christ’s victory just like a faithful soldier shares in the victory of his general.

But this angelic soldier has a clear mission and message for the ladies. Not only has Christ been raised, but they are to go Galilee bringing the brothers with them. There in Galilee, they will see Jesus.

As we reflect on this part of the story, a few things are worth noting. First, notice how the angel tells them to not be afraid. In fact, pretty much every single occurrence of a angel visiting begins with “Do not be afraid.” Angels are not the cute, fat little winged babies of the Renaissance and Hallmark cards. They are towering, awe-inspiring figures who strike fear by their very presence. In fact, there is a bit of wordplay lost in translation. The word “earthquake” is seismos which is also where we get “seismic”. The verb “shook” describing the soldiers is seio, the same Greek word just in verb form. Matthew is telling us these soldiers shook like the earth during an earthquake when they saw the angels.

Second, and more importantly, notice again who is at the forefront witnessing these events. Matthew attributes Mary and Mary to be the first witnesses of the empty tomb. It has been said often, but bears repeating—for the gospel writers to attribute women as the primary witnesses of the resurrection goes against every norm of the ancient world. Women were not allowed to testify in court, much less play the part of someone testifying to the resurrection of a dead man. The only reason Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John had to give credit to these two ladies as witnesses is because that is how it actually happened.

The testimonies of Mary and Mary emphasize the accuracy of the gospel writers message, as well as point to the renewed partnership between men and women in the kingdom of God.

I bring up the second part of this point because our denomination has been embroiled in a bit of controversy regarding the role of women in the church. Regardless a person’s stance on women as pastors, our position cannot return to the very pagan position of oppression or suppression of women. The Old Testament is filled with examples of the Lord empowering women to do jobs the men were either ill-equipped or unwilling to perform. Likewise, the Old Testament Law is one of very few examples of the ancient world in which the value of women is upheld—contrary to those who would argue otherwise. The fact the Old Testament allows for any rights for women runs counter to every other culture in their part of the world. Additionally, the New Testament further emphasizes the inter-dependent relationship between man and woman (especially in the household of man and wife) that together demonstrates the image of God in which humans are created. We must always be careful in our zeal to defend one biblical doctrine that we do not obscure or forget another.

The Guards’ Report | Matthew 28:11-15

While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.

Matthew 28:11-15

In this last bit we will read today we see the three main enemies against belief in the resurrection of Jesus. First, we have the excuse the soldiers are to say—the disciples came and stole the body. Now, we have already established failure on the part of the soldiers would spell doom for them. So why would they go along with such a story? They agree because of the second enemy—money. The chief priests tell the soldiers they will “satisfy” the governor—meaning they will send a large sum of money to get them out of trouble. They paid off Judas for his betrayal, and now they will pay off the soldiers, and when needed, they will pay off Pilate. And with all of this bribery and lies, we see the third enemy against belief in Jesus—corrupt religious officials.

And these same enemies continue to work today. People refuse to believe the story of Jesus, first because they find all sorts of explanations—none of which hold up to scrutiny, but it’s better to have excuses rather than face the responsibility of the facts. If you search alternatives to the resurrection, you will find things like the “swoon theory” which tries to say Jesus merely fainted. The professionalism and exceptional skillset of Roman executioners does not allow for such a claim—especially in light of the nails, spear to the side, and severe dehydration from previous torture.

But you may also still find the idea the disciples stole the body. And yet, given the narrative, this is the least likely alternative. The disciples flee after Jesus is arrested. They continue in fear even after the resurrection. John notes in 20:19 Jesus appears in the room despite the doors being locked because the disciples are afraid of the Jews. They are in no mental state to take on Roman guards, move a giant stone seal, and take the body of Christ.

Many skeptics have followed the footsteps of the Jewish leaders to devise some alternative to the truth, but they have all failed to establish a credible explanation.

The second enemy still exists as well—money. In Matthew we see money is used to buy people’s testimonies. Some opponents to Christianity try to claim the Christian church developed out of some sort of power move. The biggest problem with this claim is that Christians had zero power until the 4th century AD. The Church grew despite their oppressed position in the world. But on the contrary, many Christians have been led astray, from the first century to the 21st century, because enough money was thrown at them.

I once had a manager in a retail job who was a believer, but his priorities were out of balance. I brought to him a problem I had with our general manager who wanted me to essentially lie and mislead people in order to boost sales. When I told him it was wrong, his response was essentially, “I know it probably isn’t right, but we have to follow him because he is in control of our paychecks.” Many people know the truth of the Gospel, but they are unwilling to stand on their convictions because of fear they will lose a source of income.

We must not allow the fear of losing income, social status, political position, or membership of a sports team derail us from standing firm in our convictions.

What could possibly be more important than eternity? What could be more important than the reality of the Risen Christ? What could be more important than telling a lost person the way to salvation?

Last, the third enemy—corrupt religious leaders—are still prevalent today. Today, there are many who claim the title of Christian, and yet their message is anything but. We hear of priests, preachers, and teachers espousing some of the same nonsensical theology of the first few centuries. Nothing is new under the sun. It was only half a century after the Resurrection that various groups co-opted and adulterated the Gospel with a version that denied the bodily resurrection of Christ. Today, liberal Christianity (which is not really Christianity at all) attempts to assuage the guilt of the lost with this same foolish story of a “spiritual resurrection” or “Christ resurrects in us when we believe”.

Paul said it best in 1 Corinthians 15:14,

And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.

1 Corinthians 15:14

But some corrupted leaders are not so blatant in their sinful teachings. For many pastors, they have simply grown weary trying to urge their congregation towards repentance and growth. They still teach sound doctrine (for the most part), but they have lost sight of the power of the Gospel to transform lives. They don’t see that transformation in their congregation because too many in the congregation are content with their apathetic attitudes. Apathy grows apathy. When apathy grows, the story of Jesus becomes “just another story” to us. We are no longer bent towards surrender, but rather remain rigid in our demeanor and ways.

We cannot allow ourselves to grow complacent or apathetic to the Gospel and its effect on the lost world around us.

The last section of Matthew is the Great Commission. Next week we will look at it in great detail, but for this week, I want to end with how I began. The Gospel compels us to respond. If we find ourselves hearing the story of the Resurrection, and it feels too ordinary or too familiar, then we have lapsed into apathetic complacency. Our attitude is no different than the skeptic or atheist who says, “Why should I care about this Jesus?”

If you are still unsure of whether you should believe in the Resurrection, then ask yourself what proof do you need? Do you need to know the reliability of the Bible story? Its testimony and historicity have been proven time and again. Do you need to know if the witnesses can be trusted? These same witnesses went to their deaths, many of them violent deaths holding fast to their story. I believe all of the disciples give us good reason to believe, but none so more than Paul. Paul spent the early part of his career prosecuting Christians for their faith in Christ.  In fact, here are 15 reasons you can believe in the Resurrection.

If you believe in the Resurrection but find yourself apathetic to the world around you, then ask yourself why. What has become more important than telling others about Jesus? What has impeded your boldness to stand firm in your convictions?