“At the place where Jesus was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid.” This was Joseph’s tomb. He received the body of Christ from Pilate and then buried it, with the help of Nicodemus. These were two noble and wealthy Pharisees who had served on the Sanhedrin. This fulfilled the great prophecy of Isaiah 53. Jesus “was led as a lamb to the slaughter…by oppression and judgment he was taken away…for he was cut off from the land of the living, for the transgression of my people he was stricken. He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death.”
After having died between two thieves, he was buried in the tomb of a rich man! This prophecy, written seven hundred years before Jesus, is one of the most remarkable and detailed in Scripture. There are no less than twelve points of congruity between Isaiah 53 and the details of Christ’s death and resurrection.
But did Isaiah 53 speak of the resurrection? Oh yes! Vs. 11 says, “After the suffering of his soul he will see the light of life and be satisfied!” Yes, Jesus completed his work on the cross, then rose from the dead on the third day! Here are a couple of other interesting points: Jesus was really dead! The spear wound proved it. He was killed by professional Roman executioners. He died at 3 PM, the exact time that the lambs were being sacrificed in the temple a few hundred yards away! It was at this time that the veil of the temple was torn from top to bottom. This was God’s way of showing that the way was now open into His presence through the sacrifice of Jesus the lamb who took all our sins!
The tomb described is much like the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem today that millions visit each year. Next to that tomb is a cliff which looks like skulls, or the “place of the skull” called Golgotha. It is breathtaking to see in person. Whether that is the site or not, we know the tomb was empty from the eyewitness testimony of many witnesses listed in the gospels. No one has been able to successfully explain away the empty tomb.
The appearances of the risen Jesus over the next forty days were numerous and varied. This was no one time mass hallucination (which never happens to groups anyway). Jesus appeared to individuals, pairs, groups and large crowds, indoors and outdoors. The gospels make it clear that Jesus showed them his scarred hands and feet and the spear wound. He ate with them and even cooked breakfast at one point! Paul gives a detailed list of appearances in I Corinthians 15. The entire chapter is about Jesus and the resurrection. Paul says Jesus was seen by more than 500 people at once.
Some of my favorite verses of that chapter begin with verse 20: But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then when he comes, those who belong to him.
Lets’ rejoice in all that the father has done, in raising Christ! And because of this, we too will have eternal life.
Let’s pray. Lord, we thank you for raising Jesus from the dead. Death could not hold him, life conquered death. And because he lives, we will live also. We will someday have resurrection bodies like his! Even as we live in a fallen world, Jesus is the life that sustains us in this world. Thank you that Jesus showed himself to so many witnesses. Thank you that they literally gave their lives over the next thirty or more years proclaiming that message. Thank you that they were willing to pay the price of their reputations, their safety and even their lives. Thank you for the continued growth of the church, often under persecution, in all the centuries since. Help us to follow their example. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.