The Resurrection

Text: Matthew 27:55-28:15

Introduction: The last time we looked at Matthew, we finished the section in Matthew 27 where Jesus is crucified. We pick up now towards the end of Matthew 27 in verse 55 and following, where Jesus is being buried.

Matthew 27:55–28:15 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. 57 When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. 58 He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. 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. 62 The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate 63 and said, “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’ 64 Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last fraud will be worse than the first.” 65 Pilate said to them, “You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard. 1 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.” 11 While they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. 12 And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers 13 and said, “Tell people, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ 14 And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” 15 So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story has been spread among the Jews to this day.

Prayer

Main Point/FCF: The resurrection of the Son of God is the most significant event in human history and is the bedrock of our faith as Christians. Matthew wants us to know that Jesus’ resurrection was a real, historical event that stands as the culmination of God’s redemptive plan in history and validates Jesus’ claims as Messiah and God.

Jesus’ resurrection fulfills prophecies.

Matthew wants us to understand that Jesus life, ministry, death, and resurrection were no accident of history, no fluke event.

Buried with a rich man

Isaiah 53:9 ESV

9 And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.

Matthew 27:57–61 ESV

57 When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. 58 He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. 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.

Resurrection Prophecies in the Old Testament

Is. 53:8-9 clearly foretells his death

Isaiah 53:8–9 ESV

8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? 9 And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.

Is. 53:10 foretells his resurrection (“hall see his offspring, prolong his days…”)

Isaiah 53:10 ESV

10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.

So, somehow this man who has been “cut off from the land of the living” in v. 8, said to be dead and buried in a grave in v. 9, and has made an “offering for guilt/sins” through his death in v. 10a—now this man will “see his offspring” and “prolong his days” and “prosper” in v. 10b.

Is 53:12 “he shall divide the spoil with the strong” tells us that he will conquer through his death and enjoy the victor’s spoils

Isaiah 53:12 ESV

12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.

This passage can’t apply to anyone else in Israel's history but Jesus Christ.

Jesus’ own prophecies

Then, three times he tells his disciples plainly that he’s going to be killed and rise again on the third day, even telling them how it’s going to happen:

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.

Matthew 17:22–23 ESV

22 As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, 23 and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.” And they were greatly distressed.

Matthew 20:17–19 ESV

17 And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them, 18 “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death 19 and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.”

Each of those three prophecies were spoken to a small group of his disciples. The only recorded instance of public prophecy to the crowds or his opponents is when Jesus gives the sign of Jonah, foretelling that he’s going to be buried three days:

Matthew 12:38–40 ESV

38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” 39 But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

And also when he speaks metaphorically of his body as a temple that will be rebuilt in three days:

John 2:19–22 ESV

19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 20 The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” 21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body. 22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

What’s interesting about this last one is that it’s one of the pieces of evidence that Jesus’ opponents level against him during his Sanhedrin trial. During his trial, they seem to take him literally, as if he’s making a threat against the temple itself.

But, then later, they ask Pilate for a guard on his tomb because they’re aware he prophesied of his own resurrection. Now, it’s possible that Jesus did publicly foretell his resurrection, or that word got around to them somehow. But it’s also possible that they knew full well what Jesus meant by his temple metaphor, but played dumb so that they could use it against him in his trial.

So, Matthew wants us to know that Jesus’ death and resurrection were not some fluke, some plan B. This was all part of God’s plan from the beginning of time, and was foretold by the prophets and by Jesus himself.

Secondly, Matthew wants us to know that this really happened!

Jesus’ resurrection is historically verifiable.

Now, as soon as I say that, the skeptics will scoff. “How can you say that a man rising from the dead is historically verified? Where’s your evidence?”

Now, notice, I didn’t say that the resurrection is scientifically proven. There are a great many facts of history that we don’t have scientific proof for. But, scientific proof is not the measuring rod for history, and certainly not for supernatural events in history.

Scientific proof is not possible for supernatural events.

Not because they don’t really happen, but because of the nature of the scientific approach.

sci·ence/sīən(t)s/ the systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation, experimentation, and the testing of theories against the evidence obtained.

—Oxford Dictionary

Since the supernatural world, by definition, is not “natural” or “physical,” it cannot be observed, experimented upon, or tested in the way that natural phenomenon can be.

Now, that doesn’t mean that in order to believe in the resurrection or the supernatural that you have to set aside your brain and all reason—far from it!

What it means is that you have to use a different tool, a different means of examination.

If you’re hunting during the day, there’s little question that a classic, old-fashioned optical scope is the best tool for the job. The clarity that you get from these scopes is unmatched by any digital scope.

But, if you go hunting at night (i.e., for coyotes), these optical scopes won’t do you a whole lot of good. For that kind of hunting, you need a different type of lens. A digital night vision or thermal scope is much better suited for that situation. These scopes let you see clearly at night, but during the daytime their clarity falls well short of the traditional optical scopes.

Both of these types of scopes have their purpose and use-case. But, they also each have limitations. If you try to use a night vision scope for day hunts, you’ll probably end up a little frustrated at best, and some night vision scopes can be permanently ruined if you try to use them in daylight! Likewise, if you try to use a day scope for a night hunt, you’ll probably be coming back empty handed! The problem isn’t the scope, the problem is that you’re trying to use it in the wrong situation.

And the problem in our science-saturated culture is that many people have approached Scripture with the wrong lens—a scientific lens. And for some people, it’s the only lens they have! They don’t even realize that there are other ways of looking at the world. Now, much like a digital night vision scope, you’ll be able to see some things in Scripture through that scientific lens, because Scripture records a lot of natural events and natural phenomena.

But science’s ability to evaluate Scripture is inherently limited, because science was never meant to be used to evaluate the supernatural. It’s for the natural world. The problem is neither with science nor with the supernatural realm—the problem is in trying to use science to prove or disprove the supernatural.

So, we need a better approach. We need an approach that doesn’t inherently require a natural explanation. We can’t go back in time and observe the resurrection ourselves. It left no physical evidence behind.

But, much like in a trial in a court of law, we can test the testimonies of the eyewitnesses. In fact, hardly any murder trials are solved exclusively through forensic science; most are a combination of science and eyewitness testimony and circumstantial evidence.

So, better way to evaluate the resurrection (and any miracle or supernatural claim) is by examining the eyewitness testimonies and circumstantial evidence and then “is it consistent? Would a reasonable person conclude that the evidence supports the conclusion?”

Evidence for the resurrection

Now, I’m going to just summarize this part, because I preached a message on Easter this year that was entirely dedicated to this topic. I’ll make sure that sermon is uploaded to our YouTube channel, so if you want to check it out later you can.

1. Jesus of Nazareth really died by crucifixion.

The Jewish leaders didn’t doubt that.

Matthew 28:11–15 ESV

11 While they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. 12 And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers 13 and said, “Tell people, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ 14 And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” 15 So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story has been spread among the Jews to this day.

Later Jewish and Roman writings didn’t question the veracity of his death.

Modern scholars are almost unanimous in agreement on this.

2. Jesus’ body was really gone from the tomb on the third day.

The Jewish leaders didn’t doubt that.

Later Jewish and Roman writings didn’t question the veracity of his death.

Modern scholars are almost unanimous in agreement on this.

3. The Gospel accounts bear the marks of truth.

a. Multiple attestation—the same event is recorded by multiple sources.

b. Historical details in the text can be verified by external sources

Names of leaders, locations, rulers, etc.

Lack of anachronisms

c. Criterion of embarrassment—unflattering details about the authors.

Women are the first eye-witnesses

Matthew 28:1 ESV

1 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.

Now both Graeco-Roman and Jewish sources from around the Mediterranean at this time indicated that a woman’s testimony was mostly considered unreliable at law. Much as it sounds sexist to modern ears, with the prejudice of those days, women were seen as gullible.

So if you were embellishing a ‘Jesus story’ later on, you wouldn’t compound the difficulty by inventing women as key witnesses! So the obvious reason for naming women is that the embarrassing fact was true. This is the criterion of embarrassment. 

Ironically, the reason for the report’s lack of credibility in the 1st century is the reason for its credibility in the 21st century!

—Sandy Grant, “Crucifixion Historicity” http://thebriefing.com.au/

Peter’s denial, the disciples’ abandonment of Jesus, their disbelief and shock

d. Lack of motive for deception

The disciples received none of the common motivators for deception: money, sex, power/prestige.

Paul was a successful up-and-coming Pharisee who studied under the world-famous Rabbi Gamaliel

Acts 22:3–4 ESV

3 “I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God as all of you are this day. 4 I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women,

Jesus really died, and then a bunch of people claimed to have seen him just days later alive and well again. And these eyewitnesses didn’t get rich off their alleged “deception.” They had every reason to recant if what they were saying wasn’t true. And yet they went to the death for it. People that had formerly been willing to persecute such people became willing to die for their newfound faith. People that wanted Rome to fall so badly they were willing to take up arms and fight the Romans now willingly laid down their lives to share their faith with those very same Romans.

The most reasonable explanation for these facts is that Jesus really did rise from the dead.

And, Matthew wants us to know that if Jesus really rose from the dead, then his claims were true!

Jesus’ resurrection validates his claims.

Jesus had claimed authority to forgive sins—a perogative only God has!

Matthew 9:2–8 ESV

2 And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” 3 And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” 4 But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? 5 For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? 6 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” 7 And he rose and went home. 8 When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.

Jesus accepted worship after he calmed the storm—only God can be worshipped.

Matthew 14:33 ESV

33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

In his trial, Jesus plainly claimed to be the divine Son of Man—God in human form. The priests understood exactly what he was claiming and declared it blasphemy and sought the death penalty.

Matthew 26:63–65 ESV

63 But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” 64 Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” 65 Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy.

And again, after his resurrection he accepts worship from his disciples

Matthew 28:9 ESV

9 And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him.

Jesus’ opponents realized full well the claims he was making and recognized how scandalous they were. A man claiming authority to forgive sins, claiming to override the Law and the highest religious authorities in the land, and accepting worship from his followers would be absolutely ridiculous if it wasn’t true. This is why they mocked him.

Here is a peasant, born to a woman that must have been immoral (from their perspective), claiming to be the Davidic King:

Matthew 27:37 ESV

37 And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.”

Here’s a carpenter who claims that he can rebuild the most extravagant building they’ve seen in three days, a building that took 40 years to get to this point of completion. Or, he’s claiming he’ll rise from the dead—either way, crazy talk!

Matthew 27:39–40 ESV

39 And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads 40 and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”

Here’s a man who claimed that he was the path of salvation, God’s Son, sent to deliver his people, and he’s hanging on a cross like a criminal:

Matthew 27:41–43 ESV

41 So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, 42 “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ”

But, when Jesus rose from the dead, all the naysayers are put to shame. If Jesus has power over death itself, then this validates every claim he ever made. This means he is the King, he is the Savior, he can forgive your sin or cast you into Hell, and he is the way, the truth, and the life!

And if Jesus was resurrected from the dead, then you and I will be too!

Jesus’ resurrection enables your resurrection.

All through the NT, our hope is tied inextricably to the resurrection. That means...

If Jesus was not resurrected, we have no hope.

If Jesus wasn’t raised, then his critics were right and he was either a crazy person or a deceiver.

1 Corinthians 15:12–19 ESV

12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

Everything that we believe as Christians hinges upon the truth of Christ’s resurrection!

If Christ has not been raised, then what we teach about God is false and we’re guilty of misrepresenting God. Or, maybe there is no God at all!

If Christ has not been raised, then your sins have not been forgiven.

And if Christ has not been raised, then you have no reason to assume that you will be. This life is all there is, and when you die, that’s it. As Paul concludes:

1 Corinthians 15:32 ESV

32 ...If the dead are not raised, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”

Because Jesus was resurrected, we always have hope!

When Jesus was resurrected, he wasn’t the only one. Matthew tells us...

Matthew 27:52–53 ESV

52 The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, 53 and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.

There’s a reason for this. This is a foretaste of what is coming for all believers. This probably echoes back to a prophecy from Ezekiel in the Valley of Dry Bones.

Ezekiel stood before a valley filled with bones from a violent battle. The bones were old and dry.

Ezekiel 37:3 ESV

3 And he said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, you know.”

And God tells Ezekiel to prophesy over the bones

Ezekiel 37:7 ESV

7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone.

Ezekiel 37:10 ESV

10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.

Then, God reveals the point of this dramatic illustration to Ezekiel:

Ezekiel 37:11–13 ESV

11 Then he said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, ‘Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.’ 12 Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. 13 And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people.

And when the true Son of Man and Son of God was raised, that’s exactly what happened. God raised not only his Son, but also...

Matthew 27:52–53 ESV

52 The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, 53 and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.

The resurrection of Christ means that our hope is not lost, we are not cut off, and one day—just as Christ was raised—we who believe in him will also be raised.

1 Corinthians 15:20–23 ESV

20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.

This truth—the connection between Christ’s resurrection and ours—is repeated all throughout the New Testament:

1 Thessalonians 4:14 ESV

14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.

John 11:25–26 ESV

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

1 Corinthians 6:14 ESV

14 And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power.

So what?

Faith is not unreasonable. We have good reason to believe in the resurrection of Christ.

God keeps his word! The resurrection of Christ is part of a grand story of redemption that begins in Genesis and culminates in Revelation. His resurrection was foretold not just by Christ himself, but by many OT prophets.

Jesus is who he said he was! He is the Son of God, the Messiah, God incarnate, God with us! That means that if you want to know what God is like, just look at Jesus!

If we believe in Christ, we always have hope. No matter what you’re going through—illness, poverty, rejection, shame, and even death—Christ has conquered the greatest enemy of all. One day we will be resurrected to a new body, one without sickness, pain, or death.

This life is short. Live for eternity. Do you live in a way that only makes sense if there’s a resurrection from the dead coming? A second life?

When I was a kid, I lived for adulthood. I wanted the freedom and independence that adults enjoyed. I hated people looking down on me, I hated having to live by others rules, I hated not being able to do things like drive, stay up late, and so forth. But, then when we become adults and we get all those “freedoms,” we live for retirement. No responsibilities, no more work, go on vacation whenever we want (all the retirees are laughing inside right now because they know better!). It’s a mirage. When we get to retirement age, what awaits us? More work, illnesses...and whatever happened to all that free time we were promised? Friends and loved ones start dying off. Those vacations we dreamed of still out of reach.

We need to stop living for retirement, and start living for resurrection. We will all end up in a grave someday. And for those who lived for this life, their best life will have been the one they lived here on Earth, because what awaits them is eternal separation from God in Hell. Even the best, most glamorous retirement can’t make that trade worthwhile.

But, if you’ve lived for resurrection, then even if you end up living out your retirement pinching pennies on Social Security, moonlighting as a greeter at Walmart, beset by constant aches and pains and illnesses, and never get to take that dream vacation—something better still awaits you. A new life.