He is Risen Indeed
“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” Matthew 28:18-20
Once the Sabbath had passed and a new day had dawned, the women, who had been waiting to return to the tomb in order to bring their perfumes and ointments for Jesus’ body, made their way to the sepulchre early on Sunday morning. There were several visitors to the tomb that morning: the book of Matthew lists Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, most likely Jesus’ aunt, mother of His cousins, James and Joses; the book of Mark confirms these two as well as Salome, the mother of James and John, Jesus’ disciples; the book of Luke adds Joanna, the wife of Chuza, one of Herod Agrippa’s stewards. Luke also mentioned other women who were not named. John only mentions Mary Magdalene.
As the women walked to the tomb, they wondered who would be there to roll away the huge stone that sealed the entrance to Jesus’ burial place. They firmly believed that His body would still be lying in state where He had been placed by Joseph and Nicodemus. When they arrived, an angel rolled the stone away from the entrance. The other gospels state that the stone was already moved away from the tomb when the women arrived. All four gospel writers were not there when the women came to the tomb, thus, they were basing their accounts upon what others relayed to them. The guards who had been stationed at the tomb were so afraid that they fainted. The angel spoke and told the women not to be afraid, and that he knew that they were seeking Jesus, but that He had risen just as He said He would. The angel then showed them the empty tomb and told them to quickly go to His disciples and tell them that Jesus had risen, and He would meet them in Galilee. Can you imagine the excitement among these women? They did not doubt at all that Jesus had risen. There was no hint of skepticism. They did not question the angel, but left the tomb, and I can imagine that they ran as fast as their feet could carry them to give the disciples the good news.
Mary Magdalene was the first person to whom the resurrected Jesus appeared. It seems that when she went to the tomb and saw the stone rolled away, she had to go and find Peter and John to tell them that Jesus’ body was missing. She did not stay long enough to hear the angel say that Jesus had risen. Upon finding Peter and John, the three of them ran to the tomb. Peter and John both examined the empty tomb, but still not understanding that Jesus would rise from the dead, they left. Mary remained at the tomb, and two angels asked her why she was weeping. She replied, “because someone has taken Jesus’ body, and I don’t know where they have taken Him.” Jesus then appeared to her, but she didn’t recognize Him. When He spoke her name, she knew that it was Jesus. It is interesting to note that when Mary saw the empty tomb, she made it her aim to know what happened to Jesus, but when Peter and John saw it, they went home (John 20:10). I suppose they were still fearful of the religious leaders and were hesitant to ask questions around town. However, Mary wasn’t afraid. Perhaps it was her loyalty and courage to find the truth that caused Jesus to appear to her first after His resurrection.
As time passed, more and more people became aware that Jesus had arisen from the dead. The disciples, the women who were some of Jesus’ closest allies, and a gathering of 500 men (I Corinthians 15:6) were counted as those privileged to see the risen Christ. There were likely others not named in scripture because Jesus did not hide Himself away for the 40 days that He remained on earth after His resurrection. He showed Himself by many “infallible proofs” and spoke “of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3). Once a gospel preacher, always a gospel preacher! The message had change somewhat, though. Before, in His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), Jesus spoke of living by the spirit of the law, that is, how God expected His people to conduct their lives, a blueprint for Christian conduct. However, now, after He rose again, His message became one of repentance and faith in Him in order to please His holy and righteous Father and to obtain eternal life in heaven. The law could never save; it took a sinless blood sacrifice by God Himself in the person of Jesus Christ to pay the penalty for man’s sin. It was this message that He commanded all those who believe to take to a lost and dying world. His promise to all those who observe His commands is to be with each believer always till the world comes to an end. And after that, peace and joy forevermore at home with Jesus. He is risen; He is risen indeed.