Resurrection appearances of Jesus Christ (2)
Jesus Christ appeared to various groups and individuals on several occasions after his death, prior to his ascension into heaven.
Giving honor to God the Father,and God the Son,and the Holy Ghost, pastor Thomas Rev. Perry, Rev. Tarver officers members and friend; Good morning may God bless you all is my prayer.
Prayer: Let the words of my mouth,And the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight,O Lord, my strength,and my redeemer.
Text:
Topic: The Empty Tomb
Thesis Faith Began with the empty Tomb.
Introduction:
The resurrection appearances of Jesus Christ on the third day
The resurrection appearances of Jesus Christ on the third day
To Mary Magdalene
To the women at the tomb
Raised from the Dead 28:1–10
As do each of the Gospels, Matthew begins his Easter story by reporting the discovery that Jesus’ tomb is empty. The time reference in the Greek text of 28:1 could imply that the discovery occurred late Saturday evening, as the Sabbath was ending. It is more likely, however, that the NRSV renders the sense of the text correctly, and that the story told has an early dawn setting (cf. Mark 16:2).
Central to the story are the women who come to the tomb, hear the message that Jesus has been raised, and thus become the first witnesses to the resurrection. While this core of the story is common to all three of the synoptic Gospels, Matthew’s version of the episode contains a number of distinctive features:
(1) Only two women go to the tomb, the two Marys who earlier witnessed the crucifixion and burial. Further, they go not to anoint Jesus (the sealed tomb would prevent that), but simply to see the tomb. Presumably they plan to resume their vigil of mourning.
(2) The mysterious young man in a white robe in Mark 16:5 becomes the angel of the Lord, whose appearance here corresponds to earlier visits mentioned in the birth and infancy stories (cf. 1:20, 24; 2:13, 19). Portrayed with vivid images from the book of Daniel (10:6; 7:9–10), this divine messenger rolls the stone away in the women’s presence before he delivers his message.
(3) The visit of the angel unleashes a powerful earthquake. Like the previous earthquake at the crucifixion (cf. 27:51–54), this one confirms that an old order is breaking up and a new one dawning. The earthquake is not itself what frees Jesus from the tomb, but rather serves as a sign that God has raised Jesus (cf. 12:38–40).
(4) The guards introduced in the prior episode witness the signlike events along with the women (neither group sees the resurrection itself). Unlike the women, the guards remain terrified, reluctant witnesses.
(5) When the women leave the sepulcher, they do so not only with fear, but with great joy. Moreover, they do not keep silent, as is the case in Mark’s account (Mark 16:8), but instead carry out the command to tell the good news to the disciples.
(6) Before the women find the disciples, Jesus himself appears to the women (vv. 9–10). Only Matthew records this appearance, although the Fourth Gospel reports a private reunion between Jesus and Mary Magdalene (John 20:1–18). The upshot of this addition to the story is that the women are not only the first to hear that Jesus is raised, but also the first to see the risen Lord.
Brief as it is, the report of Jesus’ appearance to the women makes several important points (cf. Meier, 1980:364). First, the resurrection of Jesus has a bodily dimension. The women are able to take hold of Jesus’ feet. Second, the resurrection renews the family relationship of Jesus and his disciples. Jesus speaks of a reunion with my brothers. Third, Galilee is named again as the place where this reunion will occur. The reason Jesus chooses Galilee will become apparent shortly (cf. 28:16–20; 26:32). Finally, the One who names us his sisters and brothers is also our Lord. He is One whom the women worship when he meets and greets them.