An angel of the Lord descended in glory, rolled back the massive stone from the portal of the tomb, and sat upon it. His countenance was brilliant as the lightning, and his raiment was as the driven snow for whiteness. The soldiers, paralyzed with fear, fell to the earth as dead men. When they had partially recovered from their fright, they fled from the place in terror. Even the rigor of Roman discipline, which decreed summary death to every soldier who deserted his post, could not deter them. Moreover, there was nothing left for them to guard; the seal of authority had been broken, the sepulchre was open, and empty.
At the earliest indication of dawn, the devoted Mary Magdalene and other faithful women set out for the tomb, bearing spices and ointments. On the way as they sorrowfully conversed, they seemingly for the first time thought of the difficulty of entering the tomb. Evidently they knew nothing of the seal and the guard of soldiery. At the tomb they saw the angel, and were afraid; but he said unto them: "Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified"
The women, though favored by angelic visitation and assurance, left the place amazed and frightened. Mary Magdalene appears to have been the first to carry word to the disciples concerning the empty tomb. She had failed to comprehend the gladsome meaning of the angel's proclamation "He is risen, as he said"
Peter and "that other disciple" who, doubtless, was John, set forth in haste, running together toward the sepulchre. John outran his companion, and on reaching the tomb stooped to look in, and so caught a glimpse of the linen cerements lying on the floor. The two observed the linen grave-clothes, and lying by itself, the napkin that had been placed about the head of the corpse. John frankly affirms that having seen these things, he believed, and explains in behalf of himself and his fellow apostles, "For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead"
While Peter and John were within the sepulchre, she had stood without, weeping. After the men had left she stooped and looked into the rock-hewn cavern. There she saw two personages, angels in white; one sat "at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain" In accents of tenderness they asked of her: "Woman, why weepest thou?" In reply she could but voice anew her overwhelming sorrow: "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him"
"Jesus saith unto her, Mary." The voice, the tone, the tender accent she had heard and loved in the earlier days lifted her from the despairing depths into which she had sunk. "Tell me where thou hast laid him," she pleaded. It was Jesus to whom she spake, her beloved Lord, though she knew it not. One word from His living lips changed her agonized grief into ecstatic joy.
In a transport of joy she reached out her arms to embrace Him, uttering only the endearing and worshipful word, "Rabboni," meaning My beloved Master. Jesus, restrained her impulsive manifestation of reverent love, saying, "Touch me not" and adding, "but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father" To a woman, to Mary of Magdala, was given the honor of being the first among mortals to behold a resurrected Soul, and that Soul, the Lord Jesus. To other favored women did the risen Lord next manifest Himself, including Mary the mother of Joses, Joanna, and Salome theMother of the apostles James
They may have returned later, for some of them appear to have entered the sepulchre, and to have seen that the Lord's body was not there. As they stood wondering in perplexity and astonishment, they became aware of the presence of two men in shining garments. As the women "bowed down their faces to the earth" the angels said unto them: "Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen"
One may wonder why Jesus had forbidden Mary Magdalene to touch Him, and then, so soon after, had permitted other women to hold Him by the feet as they bowed in reverence. We may assume that Mary's emotional approach had been prompted more by a feeling of personal yet holy affection than by an impulse of devotional worship such as the other women evinced. Though the resurrected Christ manifested the same friendly and intimate regard as He had shown in the mortal state toward those with whom He had been closely associated, He was no longer one of them in the literal sense. There was about Him a divine dignity that forbade close personal familiarity.
It appears reasonable and probable that between Mary's impulsive attempt to touch the Lord, and the action of the other women who held Him by the feet as they bowed in worshipful reverence, Christ did ascend to the Father, and that later He returned to earth to continue His ministry in the resurrected state. Mary Magdalene told the wonderful story of their several experiences to the disciples, but the brethren could not credit their words. After all that Christ had taught concerning His rising from the dead on that third day, the apostles were unable to accept the actuality of the occurrence. To their minds the resurrection was some mysterious and remote event, not a present possibility.
There was neither precedent nor analogy for the stories these women told. The grief and the sense of irreparable loss which had characterized the yesterday Sabbath were replaced by profound perplexity and contending doubts on this first day of the week. But while the apostles hesitated to believe that Christ had actually risen, the women, less skeptical, more trustful, knew. They had both seen Him and heard His voice, and some of them had touched His feet.
When the Roman guardsmen had recovered from fright to make their precipitate departure from the sepulchre, they went to the chief priests, under whose orders they had been placed by Pilate. The chief priests were Sadducees, of which sect or party a distinguishing feature was the denial of the possibility of resurrection from the dead. These were told to say "His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept"; and for the falsehood they were offered large sums of money. In the spirit of the deceiving hierarchs who tried to kill Lazarus for the purpose of quelling popular interest in the miracle of his restoration to life, they now conspired to discredit the truth of Christ's resurrection by bribing
The soldiers accepted the tempting bribe, and did as they were instructed. If they were found guilty of sleeping at their posts, immediate death would be their doom. The Jews encouraged them by the promise: "If this come to the governor's ears, we will persuade him and secure you" It must be remembered that the soldiers had been put at the disposal of the chief priests, and presumably therefore were not required to report the details of their doings to the Roman authorities.
Even if it were true, how could they substantiate their statement that the body was stolen and that the disciples were the grave-robbers? The mendacious fiction was framed by the chief priests and elders of the people. Not all the priestly circle were parties to it however. Some, who perhaps had been among the secret disciples of Jesus before His death, were not afraid to openly ally themselves with the Church, when, through the evidence of the Lord's resurrection, they had become thoroughly converted.
There could be but one topic of conversation between them, and on this they communed as they walked. As they went, engrossed in sorrowful and profound discourse, another Wayfarer joined them. It was the Lord Jesus, "but their eyes were holden that they should not know him." In courteous interest, He asked: "What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad?" One of the disciples, Cleopas by name, replied with surprize tinged with commiseration for the Stranger's seeming ignorance. "Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days?"
The unrecognized Christ asked, "What things?" They could not be reticent. "Concerning Jesus of Nazareth," they explained, "which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people" Then, with brightening countenances, they told of certain women of their company who had astonished them that morning by saying that they had visited the sepulchre early and had discovered that the Lord's body was not there. "That they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive," they said.
Jesus chided His fellow travelers as foolish men and slow of heart in their hesitating acceptance of what the prophets had spoken. "Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?" He expounded to them the scriptures, touching upon all the prophetic utterances concerning the Savior's mission. As the Guest of honor, He took the loaf, "blessed it and brake, and gave to them"
"Their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight." In a fulness of joyful wonderment they rose from the table, surprized at themselves for not having recognized Him sooner. Straightway they started to retrace their steps and hastened back to Jerusalem to confirm by their witness what, before, the brethren had been slow to believe. "Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?"
When Cleopas and his companion reached Jerusalem that night, they found the apostles and other devoted believers assembled in solemn and worshipful discourse within closed doors. Precautions of secrecy had been taken "for fear of the Jews." Even the apostles had been scattered by the arrest, arraignment, and judicial murder of their Master. But they and the disciples in general rallied anew at the word of His resurrection, as the nucleus of an army soon to sweep the world.
Peter's remorseful penitence over his denial of Christ in the palace of the high priest was deep and pitiful. He may have doubted that ever again would the Master call him His servant. But hope must have been engendered through the message from the tomb brought by the women, in which the Lord sent greetings to the apostles. The apostle himself maintains a reverent silence respecting the visitation, but the fact thereof is attested by Paul as one of the definite proofs of the Lord's resurrection.
"Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you." They were affrighted, supposing with superstitious dread that a ghost had intruded amongst them. But the Lord comforted them, saying "Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself" Then He showed them the wounds in His hands and feet and side. "They yet believed not for joy," which is to say, they thought the reality, to which they all were witnesses, too good, too glorious to be true.
To further assure them that He was no shadowy form, no immaterial being of tenuous substance, but a living Personage, He asked "Have ye here any meat?" They gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and other food, which He took "and did eat before them" These unquestionable evidences of their Visitant's corporeity calmed and made rational the minds of the disciples.
The Lord Jesus appeared in the midst of the disciples on the evening of the Resurrection Sunday, one of the apostles, Thomas, was absent. "And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them"
He was informed of what the others had witnessed, but was unconvinced. Even their solemn testimony, "We have seen the Lord," failed to awaken an echo of faith in his heart. He could scarcely have doubted the well attested circumstance of the empty sepulchre. But he may have regarded the reported manifestations as a series of subjective visions. And the absence of the Lord's body may have been vaguely considered as a result of Christ's supernatural restoration to life followed by a bodily and final departure from earth.
It was the corporeal manifestation of the risen Lord, the exhibition of the wounds incident to crucifixion, the invitation to touch and feel the resurrected body of flesh and bones, to which Thomas demurred. He had no such definite conception of the resurrection as would accord with a literal acceptance of the testimony of his brethren and sisters who had seen, heard, and felt. A week later, for so the Jewish designation, "after eight days," is to be understood, therefore on the next Sunday, which day of the week afterward came to be known to the Church as the "Lord's Day" and to be observed as the Sabbath in place of Saturday, the Mosaic Sabbath.
Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing." The skeptical mind of Thomas was instantly cleansed, his doubting heart was purified; and a conviction of the glorious truth flooded his soul. In contrite reverence he bowed before his Savior, the while exclaiming in worshipful acknowledgment of Christ's Deity: "My Lord and my God." His adoration was accepted, and the Savior said: "Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed"
In the afternoon of one of those days of waiting, Peter said to six of his fellow apostles, "I go a fishing"; and the others replied, "We also go with thee." Without delay they embarked on a fishing boat; and though they toiled through the night, the net had been drawn in empty after every cast. As morning approached they drew near the land, disappointed and disheartened. In the early dawn they were hailed from the shore by One who asked: "Children, have ye any meat?" They answered "No" It was Jesus who made the inquiry, though none in the boat recognized Him.
Jesus told them to bring of the fish they had just caught, to which instruction the stalwart Peter responded by dashing into the shallows and dragging the net to shore. On the land they saw a fire of coals, with fish broiling thereon, and alongside a supply of bread.
When counted, the haul was found to consist of a hundred and fifty-three great fishes. Then Jesus said "Come and dine"; and as the Host at the meal, He divided and distributed the bread and fish. Everyone knew that it was the Lord who so hospitably served; yet on this, as on all other occasions of His appearing in the resurrected state, there was about Him an awe-inspiring and restraining demeanor. They would have liked to question Him, but durst not.
John tells us that this was the "third time that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead" The question, however tenderly put, must have wrung Peter's heart, coupled as it was with the reminder of his bold but undependable protestation, "Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended" To the Lord's inquiry Peter answered humbly, "Yea, Lord;" then said Jesus, "Feed my lambs."
The question was repeated; and Peter replied in identical words, to which the Lord responded, "Feed my sheep." And yet the third time Jesus asked, "Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?" Peter was pained and grieved at this reiteration, thinking perhaps that the Lord mistrusted him. But as the man had three times denied, so now was he given opportunity for a triple confession. He emphatically announced his readiness to follow his Master even to prison and death.
The Lord said to Peter, "Follow me." The command had both immediate and future significance. Peter comprehended the reference to his martyrdom, as his writings, years later, indicate. The analogy points to crucifixion, and traditional history is without contradiction as to this being the death by which Peter sealed his testimony of the Christ.
As Christ and Peter walked together, the latter, looking backward, saw that John was following, and inquired: "Lord, and what shall this man do?" Peter wished to peer into the future as to his companion's fate. The Lord replied: "If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me" It was an admonition to Peter to look to his own course of duty, and to follow the Master, wherever the road should lead. That John still lives in the embodied state, and shall remain in the flesh until the Lord's yet future advent, is attested by later revelation.
In company with his martyred and resurrected companions, Peter and James, the "disciple whom Jesus loved" has officiated in the restoration of the Holy Apostleship. Jesus had designated a mountain in Galilee whereon He would meet the apostles; and thither the Eleven went. When they saw Him at the appointed place, they worshiped Him. The record adds "but some doubted," by which may be implied that others beside the apostles were present, among whom were some who were unconvinced of the actual corporeity of the resurrected Christ.
To those assembled on the mount Jesus declared: "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth" This could be understood as nothing less than an affirmation of His absolute Godship. His authority was supreme, and those who were commissioned of Him were to minister in His name.
Much that He said and did is not written, but such things as are of record, John assures his readers. As the time of His ascension drew nigh, the Lord said unto the eleven apostles: "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature" In contrast with their earlier commission, under which they were sent only "to the lost sheep of the house of Israel," they were now to go to Jew and Gentile, bond and free, of whatever nation, country, or tongue.
Salvation, through faith in Jesus the Christ, followed by repentance and baptism, was to be freely offered to all. Signs and miracles were promised to "follow them that believe," thus confirming their faith in the power divine. No intimation was given that such manifestations were to precede belief, as baits to catch the credulous wonder-seeker. Assuring the apostles anew that the promise of the Father would be realized in the coming of the Holy Ghost, the Lord instructed them to remain in Jerusalem, whither they had now returned from Galilee, until they would be "endued with power from on high"
In that last solemn interview, probably as the risen Savior led the mortal Eleven away from the city toward the old familiar resort on the Mount of Olives, the brethren asked of Him, "Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?" Jesus answered, "It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you" Their duty was thus defined and emphasized: "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father"
When Christ and the disciples had gone "as far as to Bethany," the Lord lifted up His hands, and blessed them. While yet He spake, He rose from their midst, and they looked upon Him as He ascended. While the apostles stood gazing steadfastly upward, two personages, clothed in white apparel, appeared by them. These spake unto the Eleven, saying: "Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." Worshipfully and with great joy the apostles returned to Jerusalem, there to await the coming of the Comforter.
Our Lord definitely predicted His resurrection from the dead on the third day. The Jews began their counting of the daily hours with sunset. The hour before sunset and the hour following belonged to different days. Jesus died and was interred during Friday afternoon. This specification of the thirdday must not be understood as meaning after three full days.
His body lay in the tomb, dead, during part of Friday (first day), throughout Saturday, or as we divide the days, from sunset Friday to sunset Saturday, (second day), and part of Sunday (third day) We know not at what hour between Saturday sunset and Sunday dawn He rose. The fact that an earthquake occurred, and that the angel of the Lord descended and rolled the stone from the portal of the tomb in the early dawn of Sunday—for so we infer from Matt. 28:1, 2—does not prove that Christ had not already risen. The great stone was rolled back and the inside of the sepulchre exposed to view, so that those who came could see for themselves that the Lord
A resurrected body, though of tangible substance, is not bound to earth by gravitation, nor can it be hindered in its movements by material barriers. To us who conceive of motion only in the directions incident to the three dimensions of space, the passing of a solid, such as a living body of flesh and bones, through stone walls, is necessarily incomprehensible. But that resurrected beings move in accordance with laws making such passage possible and to them natural, is evidenced not only by the instance of the risen Christ, but by the movements of other resurrected personages.
That Moroni was a resurrected man is shown by his corporeity manifested in his handling of the metallic plates on which was inscribed the record known to us as the Book of Mormon. So also resurrected beings possess the power of rendering themselves visible or invisible to the physical vision of mortals. 2. Attempts to Discredit the Resurrection Through Falsehood. —The inconsistent assertion that Christ had not risen but that His body had been stolen from the tomb by the disciples, has been sufficiently treated in the text. The falsehood is its own refutation.
The spear-thrust of the Roman soldier would have been fatal, even if death had not already occurred. The body was taken down, handled, wrapped and buried by members of the Jewish council. A crucified person, removed from the cross before death and subsequently revived, could not have walked with pierced and mangled feet. Another theory that has had its day is that of unconscious deception on the part of those who claimed to have seen the resurrected Christ. Such persons having been victims of subjective but unreal visions conjured up by their own excited and imaginative condition.
The independence and marked individuality of the several recorded appearings of the Lord disprove the vision theory. Such subjective visual illusions as are predicated by this hypothesis, presuppose a state of expectancy on the part of those who think they see. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is attested by evidence more conclusive than that upon which rests our acceptance of historical events in general. Yet the testimony of our Lord's rising from the dead is not founded on written pages. The foregoing instances of false and untenable theories are cited as examples of the numerous abortive attempts to explain away the greatest miracle and the most glorious fact of history.
To Mary Magdalene, near the sepulchre (Mark 16:9, 10; John 20:14). 6. To the eleven apostles at Jerusalem (John 21) 7. To five hundred brethren at once (1 Cor. 15:5) 8. To eleven apostles on a mountain in Galilee (Matt. 28:16). 9. To two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Mark16:12; Luke 24:13). 10. To Peter, in or near Jerusalem (Luke 24:34; 1 Cor.15:5).
To James (1 Cor. 15:7). Note that no record of this manifestation is made by the Gospel-writers. To the eleven apostles at the time of the ascension, Mount of Olives, near Bethany (Mark 16:19; Luke 24:50, 51). The Lord's manifestations of Himself to men subsequent to the ascensions will be considered later.
The words "and of an honeycomb" (Luke 24:42) are omitted from the revised version, and by many authorities are declared to be a spurious addition to the original text. The noun of address, "Children" is equivalent to our modern use of "Sirs," "Men" or "Lads" It was quite in harmony with the vernacular.
Acts 1:5; see also Luke 24:49; and compare John 14:16, 17, 26. Acts 1:7, 8; compare Matt. 24:36; Mark 13:32. Matt. 28:19, 20; Acts1:9-11.