Sermon: Jesus is Not in the Tomb, He Has Risen Matthew 28:1–10
Truth Taught- The resurrection of Jesus is proof that He has conquered death for all of His people and we too will be raised to live again
Introduction
The resurrection can be proven.
The accounts summarized by the Gospel writers are unanimous Jesus really died and really was raised from the dead. All four accounts place the resurrection of Jesus as the pinnacle to their accounts of Jesus. They all do so in a way that is worded specifically to show that the resurrection was not something out of the blue but a means of fulfillment to prophecies.
Their reports are trustworthy.
The resurrection can be proven.
The resurrection can be proven.
Jesus had told them over and over again what was going to happen before it to place. He spoke to them in detail about the coming events that were to surround His death and then also that He would rise from the dead.
Matthew 16:21 (ESV)
21 From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.
On at least four occasions Jesus told His disciples things like this. I’m going to Jerusalem and there, I will suffer many things. I will be put to death and then on the third day I will rise from the dead. He spoke about the sign of the Prophet Jonah etc.
The Gospel writers report the events so that we can see that they really did take place exactly like Jesus said they would.
Jesus was sinless, He spoke truth, He is upright in every way. He only told the truth. So, it should be enough for Jesus just to say it. Then to build proof, it took place just like He said.
The resurrection can be proven.
The resurrection can be proven.
We have the testimony of many witnesses. Multiple witnesses saw Jesus after His resurrection and this at the same time and on multiple occasions. These were trustworthy and competent witnesses. They knew Jesus by sight. They heard Him and knew His voice. These people were not lying because with multiple witnesses the account can be verified or denied beyond a shadow of a doubt. He was alive and well after He was actually dead.
1 Corinthians 15:3–8 (ESV)
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.
All these eyewitnesses saw Jesus alive and well after He was crucified, dead and buried.
The resurrection can be proven.
The resurrection can be proven.
When Jesus was on the earth, he raised multiple people from the dead. He raised the widow’s son in the village of Nain (Luke 7:15). He raised the 12-year-old daughter of Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue (Mark 5:42). He raised Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha in Bethany after he had been dead four days (John 11:44).
So, we see that resurrection is well within God’s power.
The resurrection can be proven.
The resurrection can be proven.
God is not an accomplice to a deception. God, Himself, bore witness to all Jesus taught and all His miracles including His resurrection.
Hebrews 2:1–4 (ESV)
2 Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. 2 For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, 3 how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, 4 while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.
The resurrection can be proven.
The resurrection can be proven.
Finally, one of the most vital of all the proofs. The OT predicted the resurrection of Jesus centuries before He was even born.
Psalm 16:10 (ESV)
10 For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,
or let your holy one see corruption.
Acts 2:29–32 (ESV)
29 “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, 31 he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses.
How did Peter reach this conclusion? How did he reach this truth that had eluded OT Jewish scholars?
Luke 24:44–46 (ESV)
44 Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead,
The Apostle Peter lends to the Psalm the most accurate interpretation that it is about the Messiah’s resurrection, thereby discovering a deeper layer of meaning (Acts 2.29-32). Jews of that day might say in response, “Hmm! I never read it that way before. Interesting!”
After the resurrection, Jesus taught His disciples what the OT was really about. He taught them that the OT—the prophets, the Law of Moses, the Psalms must be fulfilled and that He is their fulfillment.
The resurrection of Jesus stood OT Jewish understanding of the Bible on its head. He is the proper interpretive lens they had been missing and it is His resurrection specifically, that opens up the door to understanding the entire Bible accurately. Jesus is the key to proper Bible interpretation.
Born again Jews…the early Church have given us the proper view of the OT. One that speaks so loudly as changing the Sabbath to the Lord’s Day. They saw clearly that Jesus’ resurrection taking place on Sunday, the first day of the week warranted the change. The Sabbath rest is eternally found in Jesus. He is our rest because He is alive and alive for ever more.
The resurrection can be proven.
Now, let’s look to our text for this Lord’s Day…
PRAY…
Matthew 28:1–10 (ESV)
28 Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. 5 But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” 8 So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”
1. An Angel Rolled Back the Stone (28:1-3)
28 Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow.
The Jewish Sabbath had come and gone it is now very early in the morning on the first day of the week, Sunday. It is early dawn perhaps still a little dark but the sun is rising on this new day with new meaning.
Next, we are told of the women who were there. The two Marys still as close to Jesus as they could possibly get. They truly loved Him. Notice they were as close as they could get to the cross at Calvary…
Matthew 27:55–56 (ESV)
55 There were also many women there, looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him, 56 among whom were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.
They were at the Garden Tomb of Joseph of Arimathea when Jesus was laid to rest inside the tomb and the rock was set in place and sealed with the Roman seal.
Matthew 27:59–61 (ESV)
59 And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud 60 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. 61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.
They are making their way to the tomb once more with more spices to anoint Jesus’ body. Their love for Jesus went past their planning. How would they further anoint Jesus’ body since this giant stone lay between them and Jesus? Were they just hoping against hope? Were they not thinking about it? Did they suppose perhaps the Guards would roll in back for them to enter the tomb to honor Jesus by preparing His body?
As they were making their way to the tomb there was a violent earthquake that shook the ground under their feet.
Matthew explains that the earthquake’s source was the angel that had descended from heaven to roll back the giant stone. After his task was finished, he sat on top of it and there he was when the women appeared at the tomb.
Matthew tells us that He was bright as lighting in the sky that light up the night sky during a storm. He was so radiant that even his clothing was as bright as snow on a sunny day. You know what I mean? After it snows and the next day you go outside and have to partially shield your eyes due to the brightness.
This was an angel sent from God and his bright radiance shows his complete holiness. He shines because he has been with God.
2. Jesus is Not in the Tomb Because He Has Risen
4 And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. 5 But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.
There are a couple of interesting play on words here. The first is the original Greek uses the same root word to describe the reaction of the guards seeing this spectacular being from heaven. The word translated as earthquake is the same Greek root word translated as tremble when referring to the guards. The word tremble is not nearly strong enough. They literally quaked. This is also a very good reason we should see that the arrival of the angel caused the earth to tremble and the guards to tremble. This angel has great and awesome power.
The other play on words here is found when after their trembling, they became as dead men, literally, dead corpses. The idea is, they became to resemble the dead corpse they were sent to guard. After they saw the angel and the earth quaked and after they too quaked, they fell to the ground, unconscious as dead corpses.
Notice the angel does not speak to the guards but to the women…His first words, Do not be afraid. Literally, don’t you be afraid because you are looking for Jesus.
This event and a multitude of others are what God has in mind when He tells us through Psalm 2 that when the rulers of the world scheme to oppose Him and His King, God laughs. The world’s leaders think they are so powerful and so tough but all God needs to do here is send a lowly angel messenger who has simple been in the presence of God and the earth quakes and the mighty Roman guards faint at just the sight of this being.
Psalm 46:6 (ESV)
6 The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice, the earth melts.
Psalm 48:4–8 (ESV)
4 For behold, the kings assembled;
they came on together.
5 As soon as they saw it, they were astounded;
they were in panic; they took to flight.
6 Trembling took hold of them there,
anguish as of a woman in labor.
7 By the east wind you shattered
the ships of Tarshish.
8 As we have heard, so have we seen
in the city of the Lord of hosts,
in the city of our God,
which God will establish forever. Selah
Something even infinitely more amazing has happened here. Jesus has been raised from the dead. God the Father has accepted His Son’s sacrifice as a complete ransom paid for the all the sins of all His elect people. Jesus paid the sin debt for all who would take refuge in Him. He paid the sin debt for all who would believe.
God raised Jesus from the dead because Christ’s payment was an all-sufficient payment. Because He conquered death by not qualifying for death, He made a way for all who trust in Him to also be raised from the dead.
It’s here we see why the angel rolled the stone away. Jesus had already been raised and He did not need the stone rolled away. We see from the other Gospels that He in His glorified body could pass through obstacles so the stone was rolled away so that the women could see that Jesus had already been raised and was not there.
3. Jesus Meets Them and the Women Worship Him
7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” 8 So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”
The angel tells the women to go quickly tell His disciples that Jesus has been raised from the dead. Tell them to go into Galilee and there they will see Him. Even this fulfills Jesus’ prophecy…
Matthew 26:30–32 (ESV)
30 And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 31 Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ 32 But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.”
Then after the angel tells them these wonderful things his task is completed. Literally, now I have told you…my task is complete.
On their way, who do they see? Jesus meets them on the way.
9 And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”
The two Marys also fall to the ground. Their falling is different, isn’t it? They fall down in complete worship of Jesus. Good morning, Jesus greats them. What a wonderful morning it is. Good to see you again. They fall down and take hold of Jesus’ feet. He is real and physical, not a ghost but real. They hold Him and worship.
Do not be afraid. This is the second time they’ve heard this in just a few minutes. Beloved, if you are in Christ, you do not need to fear. One day, Jesus will return or at our death we will see Him. Will He utter those words to us the first time we see Him? Do not be afraid.
Another very special term of endearment…go and tell My brothers…
Matthew has not mentioned the disciples since they all fled away. Jesus knows them. They are His. He died for them. They will be empowered by His Spirit in a few days. They will never deny Jesus again. Go tell My brothers…
Conclusion
I pray that perhaps if there has been when you too fled away from Jesus for a time, He still loves all who are His even when we go the wrong way at times. When we sin, as God’s people, we are still loved. Go tell My brothers that I’m alive. Jesus didn’t say, go tell those who promised Me they would never leave no matter what. He didn’t say, go tell Peter, you know the one who said he would die first. Jesus does not say that does He? Go tell my brothers…
Perhaps there is someone here today who needs to see that Jesus stands ready to receive the wayward back.
Perhaps there is someone here who has never trusted in Christ as Lord and Savior. Perhaps it was believing in the resurrection that has kept you from trusting God? Remember the resurrection is a fact that can stand up against all criticisms. It really happened.
Trust Christ today and live.
Resources Used:
Systematic Theology by RL Dabney
