Marc Royer Ph.D.
John 20
1Now the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.”3Peter therefore went out, and the other disciple, and were going to the tomb. 4So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first. 5And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there; yet he did not go in. 6Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there, 7and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself. 8Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed. 9For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. 10Then the disciples went away again to their own homes.
Luke 24
1Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. 2But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. 3Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. 5Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, 7saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’”
Mark 16
1Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him. 2Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. 3And they said among themselves, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?” 4But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away—for it was very large. 5And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. 6But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. 7But go, tell His disciples—and Peter—that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.”8So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed.
Matthew 28
1Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. 2And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. 3His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. 4And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men.
HIS BODY WAS DEAD!
1. THE DEATH
2. THE DAY
3. THE DEED
The Death
• Ignatius (50-115 AD) verifies a scourging (witnessed by well over 200 people) was a death sentence. “Jesus the Christ would have been with in inches of his life.”
• Justin Martyr (100-165 AD) 12 people witnessed the piercing of the side. All their accounts were the same—the flow of water and blood verifies his body was dead.
• Tertullian (160-225 AD) the anointing of his body included 80 pounds of with the linen wrapped around his body, arms and face—would have made him immobile.
• Josephus (190-250 AD) Wrote volumes about the validating of his death.
• Chrysotom (Early Historian) “Up until the 4th century myrrh was used in Near Eastern burial. Myrrh adheres so closely to the body that the grave clothes would not have easily been removed.” Under these conditions his mouth would have sucked in like a baggy.
• Bishop Eusibius of Caesara (3rd Century) “Jesus the Christ was totally, devastatingly executed.”
• Dr. Samuel Haughton in the late 19th Century—“We found substantial evidence of physical evidence and material witnesses.”
• Paulus of Heidelberg in the later 18th Century—Made a fervent attempt at disproving the death of Jesus reached the conclusion—“and all agree here that Jesus died on the Friday.”
The Day
• He was dead on Friday just before sunset—everything was quiet for an entire day which was the Sabbath—(Gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John)
• Dr. Wolfhart Pannenburg from the University of Munich—“The historical question of Jesus resurrection is inescapable.” This based upon the idea that he lay dormant for an entire day.
• This day had been set before the history of time:
In Genesis He is the seed of the woman
In Exodus He is the Passover Lamb
In Leviticus He is the sacrifice
In Numbers He is the smitten rock
In Deuteronomy He is the true prophet
In Joshua He is the Captain of the Lord of Hosts
In Judges He is the deliverer
In Ruth He is the kinsmen redeemer
In Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles He is the promised king
In Nehemiah He is the restorer of nations
In Job He is my redeemer
In Psalms He is my pattern
In Ecclesiastes He is my goal
In Song of Solomon He is my satisfier
In the Major and Minor Prophets He is my coming king
In Matthew He is my personal king
In Mark He is the servant
In Luke He is a man among men
In John He is God
In Acts He is Christ coming to seek and to save
In the Epistles He is Christ come to indwell
In Revelation He is Christ come to rule and to reign
The Deed
Dozens for Old Testament Prophecies were pronounced—all were fulfilled in the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Many of them hundreds of years before the event.
1. Born of a Virgin—Prophesied: Is. 7:14—Fulfilled—Mat. 1:18-25; Luke 1:26-35
2. Family Line of Jesse—P: Is. 11:1—F: Luke 3:23, 32; Mat. 1:6
3. House of David—P: Jer. 23:5—F:Luke 3:23,31
4. Born in Bethlehem—P:Micah 5:2—F: Mat. 2
5. Kings from the East would present Him with gifts—P. 72:10—F: Mat. 2:1-11
6. He would be preceded by a Messenger—P: Is. 40:3—F: Mat. 3:12,;
7. His Ministry to People would begin in Galilee—P: Is. 9:1—F: Mat. 4:12-17
8. His Teaching would involve Parables—P: Is. 35:3—F: Mat. 9:35; Jn. 5:5-8
9. He would enter Jerusalem on a Donkey—P:Zec. 9:9—F: Luke 9:35-37
10. He would be resurrected from the Dead—P: Ps. 16:10—F: Mat. 28:6
11. He would be betrayed by a Friend—P: Ps. 41:9—F: Mat. 10:4
12. He would be sold out for a specific amount of Money (30 pieces)—P: Zec. 11:12—F: Mat. 26:15
13. The Money would be Thrown Away—P: Zec. 11:13—F: Mat. 27:5
14. He would be abandoned by those who followed Him—P: Zec. 13:7—F: Mark 14:50
15. Much of the accusations bringing His Death would be by False Witnesses and Accusers—P: Ps. 35:11—F: Mat. 26:59-60
16. He would be abused and beaten—P: Is. 53:5—F: Mat. 27:26
17. He would be mocked and spit upon—P: Is. 50:6—F: Mat. 26:67
18. He would have his hands and feet pierced—P: Ps. 22:16—F: Luke 23:33
19. He would be put to death with criminals—P: Is. 53:12—F: Mat. 27:38
20. He would make intercession for those hurting him—P: Is. 53:12—F: Luke 23:34
21. He would be rejected by his own people—P:Is. 53:3—F: John 7:5,48
22. He would be insulted by those around him—P: Ps. 109:25—F: Mat. 27:39
23. He would have his garments divided and gambled over—P: Ps. 22:18—F: Jn. 19:23-24
24. He would suffer thirst and be given vinegar to drink—P: Ps. 69:21—F: Mat. 27:34
25. Despite traditional methods to procure death, they would not break his bones—P:Ps. 34:20—F: Jn. 19:33
26. His side would be pierced—P: Zec. 12:10—F: Jn. 19:34
27. On the day of his death, darkness would over come the area—P: Amos 8:9—F: Mat. 27:45
28. He would be buried in a rich man’s grave (entombment)—P: Is. 53:9—F: Mat. 27:57-60
HIS BODY WAS BURIED!
1. THE STONE
2. THE SEAL
3. THE SOLDIERS
The Stone
• Renowned scholar T.J. Thornburn writes—“It usually requires several men to move it. Since they expected theft, it would have been larger still.”
• A 4th Century manuscript stored in Codex Bezae in the Cambridge Library says, “They put against the tomb a stone 20 men could not roll away.”
• Dr. Gilbert West of Oxford—“All research brings out the enormity of the stone—it was a Golel (large stone) not a Dophey (small stone).
The Seal
• Historian—Dr. A.T. Robertson says, “The seal was a cord stretched across the stone and sealed with the sign in wax on each end.” This was known as a painstaking process verifying death and certifying the burial.
• Henry Summer Maine—a member of the Supreme Council of India—points out—“The seal was considered the greatest evidence of authenticity.
• Henry Alford—“The cord was fastened to each side of the rock—to be certified by Rome that everything done was according to law.”
The Soldiers
• Dr. George Currie—“The punishment for leaving, sleeping, or missing a post was death.”
• Historian Harold Smith—“A watch (which guarded the tomb of Jesus after sealing it) was composed of four men. Two were posted at each side of the stone—two at an encampment in front of the stone.”
• European Professor Major—“Had the body of Christ been thrown into a common grave and left unattended, there would have been no possible reason for the anxiety of his enemies to spread the report the body had been stolen.”
• German Historian Alfred Eldersheim—“A soldier found not fulfilling the requirement of guard would suffer a beating just short of death—and then set on fire.”
HIS BODY WAS RESURRECTED!
1. THE CLOTHES
2. THE CAVE
3. THE COMING-OUT
THE CLOTHES
• Rabbi Gamaliel of the 1st Century talked of the 80 pounds of spices.
• Chrysostom says that up until the 4th century myrrh was used for burial. It was the type of drug that would adhere to the body. For the grave clothes to come off tearing of the skin would be required—there would have been no way for them to have been folded. It would have been a huge mess.
The Cave
• The tomb is mentioned 32 times in four gospels.
• Joseph of Armethia was a wealthy man, according to historian Henry Latham—“The whole circumstance of the tomb, how the body was acquired, and the use of it is all an historical fact.”
• The Hebrews had many thoughts and descriptions of God—THEY WERE IN THE DARK WHILE JESUS WAS IN THE CAVE BECAUSE THEY WANTED TO BE:
Elohim—was the creative and omnipotent God.
Jehovah—was the idea of a covenant personally with the creator of the universe.
Rapha—the Lord heals—Ex. 15:21
Nissa—the Lord our banner—Ex. 17:8-15
Shalom—the Lord is our peace—Judges 6:24
Raah—the Lord is the shepherd—Ps. 23:1
Tsidkenu—the Lord is our righteousness—Jer.2:3-6
Jireh—the Lord provides—Gen. 22:14
Shammah—the Lord is here—Ez. 48:25
El-Elohym—the most high God—Gen. 14:18-20
El-Shaddai—God is sufficient—Ex. 6:3
El-Elam—the everlasting God—Gen. 21:33
Adonai—the ruler ship and dominion of God—Ex. 23:17
The Coming Out
Jesus appeared after his resurrection from the dead to people on 15 different occasions:
1. Mary Magdalene—Mark 16:9—John 20:14
2. The women returning from the tomb—Mat. 28:9-10
3. Peter later in the same day—Luke 24:34—1 Corinthians 15:5
4. The Emmaus disciples—Luke 24:13-33
5. The Apostles without Thomas present—Luke 24:36-43; John 20:19-24
6. The Apostles with Thomas present—John 20:26-29
7. The seven by the Lake of Tiberias—John 21:1-23
8. A multitude of 500-plus believers on a Galilean Mountain—1 Cor. 15
9. James—1 Corinthians 15:7
10. The 11 Apostles—Mat. 28:16-20—Luke 24:33-52—Acts 1
11. The ascension—Acts 1:3-12
12. Paul—Acts 9:3-6—1 Cor. 15:8
13. Stephen—Acts 7:55
14. Paul in the Temple—Acts 22:17-21—23:11
15. John on Patmos—Rev. 1:10-19
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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