ResurrectionSample

Ancient people knew one thing just as well as any modern person: dead people stay dead. Sure, there were stories . . . for years King Herod wanted to see Jesus, hoping to see something miraculous [Luke 23:8–12]. Doubtless, he had heard about Jesus raising Lazarus and the boy from Nain from the dead. But ancient social media was the same as it is today. “Can it really be true? No way. I can’t believe that.” Someone else would insist, “My cousin was there! He saw it, and he swears Jesus raised the boy from the dead!” All that was left was to seek out the miracle worker yourself and hope to see something amazing.

One story that was never told was that Lazarus brought himself back to life. Even further back in Israel’s history, the prophet Elisha gave life to the boy at Shunem by the power of God. And a dead man came to life when he was thrown into Elisha’s tomb and touched Elisha’s bones. But the power of God worked through Elisha. Now we have a man coming back to life on His own. Jesus exited the tomb of His own accord. 

Matthew says this was a terrifying experience for those who saw it: “The guards were so afraid of [the angel] that they shook and became like dead men.” We’re not sure exactly when Jesus appeared or whether the guards actually saw him. This was an experience and vision unlike anyone had ever seen and perhaps ever will see. The glory of God was on full display. 

This angel rolled away the stone by himself and then sat on it. When the women saw him, he casually says, “Do not be afraid.” That’s one of the best straight-faced lines ever. But the angel has genuine good news. Jesus has risen! He invites the women to see where Jesus had been laid. 

Then the angel gives a curious command: “Go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ ” In most of the ancient world, if you wanted to send a message, especially an important one, you would not entrust it to women. Women were considered unreliable witnesses. In Israel, testimony in court required two witnesses—and these had to be men. In all the stories of the first resurrection appearances, it is women who are trusted to carry the impossible, unbelievable news. With the prejudices in place, there’s scarcely a chance they would be believed. 

The men in this scene passed out and ended up telling lies to cover themselves. The women faithfully reported the greatest news ever. It was a curious time to do a radical social experiment, but Jesus rarely did things in a conventional way. Even in His resurrection, He is showing how things are to be in His new family. On the one hand, His resurrection is the power of new creation and new life, and on the other hand, it is the power of new relationships and new communities. Everyone’s testimony is valuable and is to be treated with equal respect.