Biblical Research Monthly
December 1946
An exposition of The Gospel According to Matthew
by David L. Cooper, Th.M., Ph.D., Litt.D.

 

In the Old Testament it was foretold that the Messiah would suffer, die, and be buried. Along with these predictions was the one that He would be raised triumphantly from the tomb. For example, see Psalm 16:8-11. In fulfillment of the Old Testament forecast, our Lord, after He won the victory, came forth a conqueror over the powers of the unseen world.

The empty tomb, which had been secured against all possible fraud by its being sealed and watched, together with the post-resurrection appearances of our Lord on ten different occasions, proved conclusively without a doubt that Jesus was raised from the dead.
 

"Now late on the sabbath day, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre" (Matt. 28:1). In this verse we see that late on the sabbath, toward the first day of the week, they came. The first day of the week began at sunset on the sabbath. Hence the visit of Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to the tomb at this time was late on the sabbath.
 

"And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled away the stone, and sat upon it. 3 His appearance was as lightning, and his raiment white as snow: 4 and for fear of him the watchers did quake, and became as dead men" (vss. 2-4). There was a great earthquake, and an angel who had descended from heaven rolled away the stone. Just at what time the earthquake occurred and the angel appeared on the earthly scene is not stated. It evidently occurred sometime during the night following the sabbath on this occasion. It is immaterial to us just when it occurred.

The angel descended, rolled the stone away, and sat upon it. I have visited the garden tomb in Jerusalem and feel certain from all the evidence that this is undoubtedly the tomb in which our Lord was buried. This tomb is hewn out of the solid rock, and before it is a groove in which a large stone, similar to old-fashioned mill stones, was rolled back and forth. I have seen just such stones in a position to be rolled in front of the door to the sepulchre. This massive stone, in the case of Christ's tomb, was rolled back and the entrance into it was clear. But the angel sat upon it as if on guard. His appearance was "as lightning, and his raiment white as snow." His presence there terrified the soldiers who had been guarding the tomb and they became as dead men. One is not surprised that they were frightened as they were. In all probability you and I, dear friend, would have felt the same way.
 

"And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye; for I know that ye seek Jesus, who hath been crucified. 6 He is not here; for he is risen, even as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 7 And go quickly, and tell his disciples. He is risen from the dead; and lo, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you. 8 And they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring his disciples word" (vss. 5-8).

For an account of this visit, see Mark 16:2-8 and Luke 24:1-8. When we notice carefully these parallel passages, we see that this visit of the women was early on the morning of the first day of the week. We must therefore differentiate it from that of the two Marys mentioned in verse 1, which we have just noticed. The former, as I have just stated, was late on the sabbath; this one which we are now discussing was early on the first day of the week.

When the women came up to the tomb, they of course saw the angel who spoke to them a message of comfort, since it was evident that they were frightened. "Fear not ye; for I know that ye seek Jesus, who hath been crucified. He is not here; for he is risen, even as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell his disciples. He is risen from the dead; and lo, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you." These words were indeed comforting and most reassuring to these devoted women. Their fears were doubtless allayed by this message. They were, as we note, commanded to go and tell His disciples that the Lord had risen and that He would meet them in a mountain in Galilee, just as He had instructed them prior to His crucifixion.

Having received this message from the angel, the women departed quickly from the tomb and ran to tell the disciples about it. The reader should study the record found in Luke 24:9-12 and then turn to John 20:2-10. From these passages we learn that they told the disciples, especially Peter, who with John immediately ran to the tomb. From John's account we learn that John outran Peter. On his arrival at the tomb he stooped down and looked into it, but would not venture inside. Later Peter came up and, having looked in, entered the tomb and there he saw the grave clothes in which Jesus had been buried, lying untouched. Also the napkin, or cloth, that was wound around His head, was in its place, still in its position as it was when it was on the Saviour's brow. John also entered into the tomb then and with Peter stood gazing at these clothes. They were convinced from the clothes that the Lord had been raised from the dead.

We must remember that one hundred pounds of spices had been procured by Nicodemus, and that they had been used in the preparation of the body of Jesus for burial. There would exude from these crushed spices sufficient juices to moisten the grave clothes that were wound around His body. During the time that our Lord was in the tomb, these juices would stiffen the clothes sufficiently so that they would retain the appearance and shape that they had when wound around His body. We can understand this fact by remembering that, when a plaster of Paris cast is put around some part of the body, it hardens and takes the shape of that part of the body around which it is placed. Thus these graveclothes were lying in the place where our Lord was left by Joseph and Nicodemus.

But, when they arrived at the tomb, the body of our Lord was not there. Since the clothes were in the shape in which they were when they were around His body, and since there was no evidence of their being touched by mortal man, it became obvious to the Apostles that His body had been transformed, and that He had passed out through these clothes and left them as they were. This fact was overwhelming proof that He had been raised from the dead. Peter and John saw the undisturbed clothes and the empty tomb and have testified to that fact. Historical facts are proved by historical testimony. Thus we have the evidence of thoroughly competent witnesses to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.

The next item found in the Gospels, but not in Matthew's account, is the appearance of the Lord Jesus to Mary Magdalene, the record of which is found in Mark 16:9-11 and John 20:11-18. We should study these two accounts very carefully if we wish to get a clear picture of our Lord's association with His disciples after His resurrection.
 

"And behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and took hold of his feet, and worshipped him. 10 Then saith Jesus unto them, Fear not: go and tell my brethren that they depart into Galilee, and there shall they see me" (vss. 9,10).

Chronologically this is the second appearance of Jesus to any of His disciples. This one was to the group of women who came early to see the empty tomb. Jesus met and greeted them saying, "All hail." They came, reverently taking hold of His feet and worshiping Him. Then He said to them, "Fear not: go and tell my brethren that they depart into Galilee, and there shall they see me." This appearance to the women was of course on Easter Sunday, the resurrection day.
 

"11 Now while they were going, behold, some of the guard came into the city, and told unto the chief priests all the things that were come to pass. 12 And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave much money unto the soldiers, 13 saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept. 14 And if this come to the governor's ears, we will persuade him, and rid you of care. 15 So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying was spread abroad among the Jews, and continueth until this day (vss. 11-15).

As the women were leaving the tomb, the guards who had been placed there by the Sanhedrin went into the city and reported to the chief priests all the things that had come to pass. Of course, they knew about the earthquake, but concerning the appearance of the angel and the rolling away of the stone they probably knew nothing. Thus the report of the guards was new to them. In all probability these men told the facts as they had occurred.

The chief priests gathered the council together, that is, the Sanhedrin, and gave much money to the soldiers, bribing them and saying, "Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept. And if this come to the governor's ears, we will persuade him, and rid you of care."

Such conduct as this is beyond one's comprehension. One would think that, since there had been darkness caused supernaturally over the earth for three hours while our Lord was on the cross, and since there was the earthquake at the time of the descent of the angel, and other unusual phenomena, the members of the Jewish council would have feared to act as they did and to bribe the soldiers giving them money to lie about the situation. But this case shows what even good men, after they have taken a position, may be driven to do. These men were the leaders in Israel; yet they taught the soldiers to bear false testimony and paid them money to tell a lie if the report should get to the governor's ears. They assured the soldiers that they would take care of them in the event of their being held accountable for anything.

May the Lord never let us espouse any position whatsoever and become wedded to it and blinded by it to the extent that we will lower our Christian standard by lying and bribery. Such conduct is beneath—far beneath—that of any servant of God. In this connection let us remember that the men who did this were a small number and that they did not represent the heart of the Jewish nation. There were then, as now, many noble, sincere souls, who prized truth and righteousness above everything else.

Matthew tells us in 28:15 that this falsehood concerning the disciples' stealing the body away while the guards were asleep was current among the Jews until the day on which he was writing his account of our Lord's life. Conservative scholarship places the composition of Matthew around 60 or 61 A.D. Thus that false report was in circulation for at least thirty years or more.

A careful study of the other three records of the Gospel shows that our Lord appeared to different ones of His disciples seven other times prior to the one about we shall study in the next section.
 

"16 But the eleven disciples went into Galilee, unto the mountain where Jesus had appointed them. 17 And when they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came to them and spake unto them, saying All authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit: 20 teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world" (vss. 16-20).

In all our Lord appeared ten times to various disciples during the period of forty days between His resurrection and the ascension.

On this occasion the eleven disciples were in Galilee, in the mountain where Jesus had appointed them. When the Lord was crucified and buried, there was interred with Him their hope that He would be their Messiah. But when He was raised from the dead, and when overwhelming evidence proved that fact, they were, as Peter asserts in his first Epistle, begotten again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Christ from the dead. Buoyed by this turn of affairs, the eleven disciples went into Galilee to meet the risen Lord. It is usually supposed that the time of which we are now studying is the same one of which the Apostle Paul spoke in I Corinthians 15:6. If this is the occasion, then He appeared to above five hundred brethren at this time. When Paul wrote the Corinthian letter, probably 56 or 57 A.D., more than half of this number who had seen the Lord on this occasion were still alive.

When the eleven disciples saw Jesus, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. Were these doubters among the Twelve, or among others of the five hundred? It is impossible for us to state. We may be certain that their doubts were dissipated, as were those of Thomas when he saw the risen Lord.

On this occasion the Lord stated to His Apostles that, "All authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth." Of course according to John, chapter 1, He is the Creator of all things. According to Hebrews 1:1-4 He is bearing or carrying all things toward one great consummation. It was and is to the God-man, Christ Jesus, that all authority in heaven and in earth is given. He had it when He appeared to these disciples; He has it now—even though He is not exercising all the prerogatives that belong to His office. But He will do that at the proper time.

Since He has all authority throughout the universe, He told the Apostles to go and make disciples of all the nations; that is, they were to enroll them in the school of Christ. Mark says, "teach all nations." People cannot hear without a preacher; and ministers cannot preach except they be sent of God. This fact is set forth in Romans, chapter 10. Men are to go forth, who are called of God, delivering the message of salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ.

According to our Lord's instructions, the Apostles were to baptize all those who became disciples of the Lord. In other words, they were to baptize all believers. That is the first thing that the Lord asks of anyone who accepts Him, namely, to declare his faith in Him as the Son of God to the world by the confession in the form of baptism.

This baptism is to be "... into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." This is to be done in the name of the Holy Trinity.

Those who believe and who are baptized are to be taught all things whatsoever the Lord has commanded. I am afraid the Christian world fails in this particular. It is proper and right and necessary to preach the gospel. But it is also obligatory upon those who preach to teach all things that the Lord has commanded. I believe in revival services. Every church should have a continual revival. But to preach the gospel, at all services, to tell sinners how to be saved, and to neglect teaching all that the Lord has said to the disciples is to violate His teaching.

Jesus promised to be with His disciples always as they went forth proclaiming the truth, "even unto the end of the world." Though He was going away from them to heaven, He declared that He would be with them as they went from city to city, country to country, and continent to continent. He would be with them to own and to bless their labors and to protect them, meeting all their needs.

This commission is, according to the Lord Jesus, to continue unto "the end of the world." The marginal reading of the Revised Version is unto the consummation of the age. This latter reading is the correct literal one and should be in the text. Jesus meant that He was going to leave them personally and bodily, but that He would be with them in spirit all during the time that He would be absent from the world. The age here referred to is that of the present era—the Christian Age—which will be brought to a conclusion by the personal coming of the Lord Jesus Christ for His saints.