The Death, Burial & Resurrection
(Continued)

How did the tomb become empty? How did Jesus get out? A huge stone was rolled up to cover the mouth of the cave housing the tomb, and a Roman guard was stationed at its entrance to prevent anyone from stealing the body and claiming that it has risen from the dead (Matt 27:62-66). On the third day the body was missing. In a few days the disciples were excited and filled with joy claiming they had seen the Lord. They claimed that above 500 saw him at one time (I Cor. 15:1-24). What had been a weak and struggling handful of discouraged disciples, is now a strong group and spreading like wild fire in a dry forest. What happened? What made such a great change in these discouraged men? What put new life in their seemingly lost cause?

When Jesus arose from the dead. the Roman guards became as dead men (Matt. 28:1 -9). When they realized the tomb was empty, they went into the city and told the chief priests and elders about the resurrection. The chief priests hired the soldiers to change the report and say that while they were asleep the disciples stole the body. But they were caught in the lie because Isaiah the prophet bad prophesied precisely how this would happen. He said: " Wherefore hear the word of the Lord, ye scornful men that rule this people which is in Jerusalem, because ye have said, we have made a covenant with death (when Judas sold him), and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto: for we have made lies our refuge (when they hired the guards to lie for money) and under falsehood we have hid ourselves. Therefore, thus said the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious comer stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste. Judgment also will I lay to the line , and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place. And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand: when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it. From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you: for morning by morning shall it pass over by day and by night: and it shall be a vexation only to understand the report" (Isa. 28:14-19)

Why would the disciples steal the body, they bad never believed Christ would rise from the dead before the general resurrection. Even when they were told that he was risen they did not believe the report (Mk. 16:14; Lk. 24:20-25), Peter had even rebuked the Lord for so teaching during his personal ministry (Matt. 16:20-23). They believed Christ would be a literal king, with a literal kingdom, even after his resurrection (Acts 1:6-8). When he died they lost hope, which was only revived by his physical resurrection (1 Pet. 1:1-5). They had no motive to remove the body, nor had they any idea on the third morning that the body was absent from the tomb. The women had even worried as to who would roll away the stone when they went to the tomb to pay their devotion to the body. Thomas, in his doubting way, did not even believe the report unless he could see and touch Him (Jn. 20:24-25). Instead of stealing the body. They needed a real resurrection of Jesus to revive their hopes and preserve their faith in Him. The apostles were plain men of everyday experience. They were not neurotics, or visionaries. Like doubting Thomas, they were all "slow to believe" (Lk. 24:25). They would not have died as martyrs for a dubious hoax.

Only the literal resurrection of Jesus would have any power in their lives then as well as any power in our lives today. Paul said: "That I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his suffierings, being made conformable unto his death" (Phil. 3:10). This Power put new hope into the disciples. It turned the world upside down. It converted 3,000 persons in Jerusalem a few days after his resurrection (Acts 2:36-41). The number of the disciples grew to be five thousand, and was multiplied again and again to become a multitude (Acts 2-6.). Nothing but a true gospel can account for all the facts and such marvelous results. In little more than thirty years the gospel had been preached to "every creature under heaven " (Col. 1:23; Rom. 10:18-21). The first day of the week as a monument is now towering up nineteen hundred years high, to perpetuate the memory of the resurrection of Christ, who was raised on the first day of the week (Mk. 16:8.9; Lk. 24:1,7,36-51). Those who love and serve Him faithfully until he shall come again, will He raise up by the same power by which he was raised (Phil. 3:20,21).

-Gene A. Ellmore-