Chapter 107
JESUS’ PHYSICAL DEATH AND BURIAL
Matthew 27:27-66
Before we begin this study let us pray.
Dear Heavenly Father, Almighty God,
We come before You in the name of Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Father God, as we go through this study please open our spiritual ears, eyes and heart. Please Father, cause us to truly hear, see, understand and accept the fact that Jesus’ death and the spilling of His blood made, once and for all, the complete atonement for our sins. Please move upon us to understand and receive the great love, mercy and grace that You, Jesus and the Holy Spirit has extended to us. We ask this in Jesus’ name.
Amen
INTRODUCTION
To receive a more complete picture of what transpired during Jesus’ physical death and burial we will again use an integrated account of all the Gospels. As it was done earlier for Chapters 104, 105 and 106, to develop this integrated account; portions of “The Narrated Bible” by F. LaGard Smith were used as a guide.
This study is partitioned into the following four major sections:
1. An integrated account of Jesus’ physical death.
2. Three major points to be learned and remembered.
3. The significance of the torn Temple Veil.
4. An integrated account of the burial of Jesus’ body.
With this introduction in mind we begin with,
AN INTEGRATED ACCOUNT OF JESUS’ PHYSICAL DEATH
To do this, we return to when Jesus was still on the cross and after the time when the soldiers casted lots for His garments. To do this we go to,
John 19:25-28
[25] Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. [26] When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son!” [27] Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home. [28] After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!”
To read what occurred next we go to,
Matthew 27:45-49
[45] Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. [46] And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “EliEli, EliEli, lamalama sabachthanisabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” [47] Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, “This Man is calling for Elijah!” [48] Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink. [49] The rest said, “Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him.”
Let us continue our reading by going to,
John 19:29-30a
[29] Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. [30a] so when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said,
“It is finished!”
This was when Jesus gave up His Spirit. It is recorded in,
Luke 23:46
[46] And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit.’” Having said this, He breathed His last.
To read what followed Jesus’ death we go to,
Matthew 27:51-56
[51] Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quake, and the rocks were split, [52] and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; [53] and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many. [54] So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God!”[55] And many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were there looking on from afar, [56] among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.
It is noted that verses 52 and 53 will be addressed in Chapter 108 titled “Jesus’ Resurrection.”
For now let us close this portion of our study by reading from,
John 19:31-37
[31] Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. [32] Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. [33] But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. [34] But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. [35] And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe. [36] For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, “Not one of His bones shall be broken.” [37] And again another Scripture says, “They shall look on Him whom they pierced.”
This brings us to,
THREE MAJOR POINTS TO BE LEARNED FROM THE ABOVE ACCOUNT
The first major point to remember is the implication of Jesus’ statement that,
IT IS FINISHED
In addition to the fact that His time on earth in a physical body was over, Jesus was also referring to the completion of the major works He came to accomplish. First,
Jesus finished His earthly mission to reveal God the Father
To see this let us begin by reading what Jesus once said to those who were afraid to confess Him as the Son of God. To do this we go to,
John 12:44-50
[44] Then Jesus cried out and said, “He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me. [45] And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me. [46] I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness. [47] And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. [48] He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him—the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. [49] For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. [50] And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak.”
Let us notice the following verse,
45 … Jesus said; “He who sees Me sees Him who sent Me”.
49 … Jesus spoke what God the Father told Him to.
The second major work Jesus came to accomplish was to,
Make atonement, once and for all, for the forgiveness of our sins.
To see this we begin by reading the following excerpt from what an angel said to Joseph concerning Mary’s pregnancy. To do this we go to,
Matthew 1:18-21
[18] Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. [19] Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. [20] But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. [21] And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
Let us notice the following verse,
21 … Jesus came to save His people from their sins.
To see how Jesus was going to do this lies within what John the Baptist said the day after he (John) baptized Jesus. The Scripture of interest is,
John 1:29
[29] The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
Specifically, Jesus was going to fulfill the Old Testament Ceremonial Law by being God’s Lamb who was to die for the forgiveness of our sins.
The second major point or lesson to be learned is that,
JESUS GAVE UP HIS PHYSICAL LIFE, NO ONE TOOK IT AWAY
To see this we begin by reading an excerpt from Jesus’ parable of the good shepherd. To do this we go to,
John 10:17-18
[17] “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. [18] No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.”
To see that Jesus in fact did this let us reread,
Luke 23:46
[46] And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit.’” Having said this, He breathed His last.
The third major point or lesson to be learned is from the fact that,
JESUS’ SIDE WAS PIERCED AND HIS BLOOD WAS SPILLED
The question to be addressed for this portion of our study is; “Knowing that Jesus was already dead, why did the soldiers pierce Jesus side with a spear?” The answer to this question is basically twofold,
First, as we previously read in John 19:36-37, this was done to fulfill the recorded prophecy by King David in,
Psalm 34:20
[20] He guards all his bones; Not one of them is broken.
Secondly, and most importantly, Jesus’ blood was spilled to fulfill the Ceremonial Law that teaches without the shedding of blood, there cannot be forgiveness or reconciliation between man and God the Father. To see this, let us prayerfully read from,
Hebrews 9:22
[22] And according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.
To teach us this truth was one of the main reasons God, through Moses, instituted the Old Testament Ceremonial Law.
Within the various ceremonial laws concerning the sin offering two observations come to light.
The first observation is that no matter what animal was to be sacrificed, the method or ceremony was basically the same.
To see this, let us read what an Israelite had to do when he realized he committed a sin. His obligation is recorded in,
Leviticus 4:27-31
""'[27] If a member of the community sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord's commands, he is guilty. [28] When he is made aware of the sin he committed, he must bring as his offering for the sin he committed a female goat without defect. [29] He is to lay his hand on the head of the sin offering and slaughter it at the place of the burnt offering. [30] Then the priest is to take some of the blood with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt offering and pour out the rest of the blood at the base of the altar. [31] He shall remove all the fat, just as the fat is removed from the fellowship offering, and the priest shall burn it on the altar as an aroma pleasing to the LORD. In this way the priest will make atonement for him, and he will be forgiven."
Let us notice the following verses,
27-28 … These actions were to be taken whenever he realized he unintentionally sinned.
29(a) … He was to lay his hand on the head of the animal, which was to symbolically transfer his sin to the animal.
29(b) … The person, who sinned, was to slaughter the animal. Thus, he knew exactly the animal was to die for the sin he committed.
30 … The priest took blood and presented it to God.
31(a) … The fat of the animal, which was considered the best part, was also to be offered to God.
31(b) … Once completed, atonement was now made.
The reason why blood to be offered to God is because, in God’s eyes,
The Life of a living Creature Is In Its Blood
To see this, let us read what God has to say about the blood in,
Leviticus 17:11
"[11] For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life."
And again in,
Leviticus 17:14
"[14] because the life of every creature is its blood. That is why I have said to the Israelites, "You must not eat the blood of any creature, because the life of every creature is its blood; anyone who eats it must be cut off.""
Thus, by offering the blood of an animal one was really offering its life as a substitute for their own life.
This brings us to the second observation about the laws of the sin offering. Namely, the value of the animal to be offered was correlated to the position of the individual who committed the sin For example, if the sin was committed by an anointed priest, the offering was to be a young bull without defect (Leviticus 4:3). However, if the sin was committed by a leader of the community, his offering was to be a male goat without defect (Leviticus 4:23). As we saw above, if an ordinary person committed the sin, then the offering was to be a female goat without defect.
Since Jesus Christ is the Son of God, who came in human flesh, His blood had the value of God Himself. Thus, we can now begin to realize how much value God places in us and how much He loves us.
Let us close this portion of our study by reading one of Apostle Paul’s prayers for the born-again believers in Jesus Christ. To do this we go to,
Colossians 1:9-14
[9] For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; [10] that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; [11] strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; [12] giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. [13] He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, [14] in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.
With the above points in mind let us now explore,
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE TORN TEMPLE VEIL
To do this we begin with some,
BACKGROUND MATERIAL
Our brief background review will include:
1. The furnishings within the Old Testament Temple or Tabernacle.
2. Some characteristics of the Temple Veil.
3. The priestly functions performed inside the Temple.
We begin with a brief review of,
The furnishings of the Old Testament Temple or Sanctuary
A good overview of these furnishings is given in,
Hebrews 9:1-5
"[1] Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary. [2] A tabernacle was set up. In its first room were the lampstand, the table and the consecrated bread; this was called the Holy Place. [3] Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place, [4] which had the golden altar of incense and the gold-covered Ark of the Covenant. This ark contained the gold jar of manna, Aaron's staff that had budded, and the stone tablets of the covenant. [5] Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory, overshadowing the atonement cover. But we cannot discuss these things in detail now."
This brings us to,
Some of the characteristics of the Temple Veil
To receive a mental picture of what the Temple Veil looked like, we go to God’s instruction for how Moses was to make it. God’s design is recorded in,
Exodus 26:31-33
""[31] Make a curtain of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen, with cherubim worked into it by a skilled craftsman. [32] Hang it with gold hooks on four posts of acacia wood overlaid with gold and standing on four silver bases. [33] Hang the curtain from the clasps and place the ark of the Testimony behind the curtain. The curtain will separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place."
I cannot find anywhere in the Bible where the exact measurements are for the Temple Veil, which was inside King Herod’s Temple. This was the Temple during the days of Jesus’ sojourn upon this earth. Therefore, we will go to the design of King Solomon’s Temple and read from,
2 Chronicles 3:4
[4] And the vestibule that was in front of the sanctuary was twenty cubits long across the width of the house, and the height was one hundred and twenty. He overlaid the inside with pure gold.
Thus, the width of the vestibule or entrance hall to the sanctuary was 20 cubits, which is approximately 30 feet. The height was 120 cubits, which is approximately 180 feet. Thus, the vestibule and presumably the Sanctuary were 30 feet wide and 180 feet high.
Let us now move on and read the dimensions of the Most Holy Place or The Holiest of Holies. These measurements are recorded in,
2 Chronicles 3:8
[8] And he made the Most Holy Place. Its length was according to the width of the house, twenty cubits, and its width twenty cubits. He overlaid it with six hundred talents of fine gold.
The width of the Most Holy Place was 20 cubits long, which is approximately 30 feet. It extended from one wall all the way to the opposite wall. In addition, it was 20 cubits or approximately 30 feet deep or wide. Hence, the Most Holy Place was a 30x30 foot room.
Since the purpose of the Temple Veil was to divide the inside of the Sanctuary, one could assume that the height of the Temple Veil was the same height as the Vestibule and Sanctuary, which was approximately 180 feet high!
Let us now briefly review,
The priestly functions that were performed inside the Temple
These functions are summarized in,
Hebrews 9:6-7
"[6] When everything had been arranged like this, the priests entered regularly into the outer room to carry on their ministry. [7] But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance."
Notice that this offering was for sins committed in ignorance. These are sins the people were not even aware they had committed. For the case of when a person knew and was aware they had committed a sin, that person was not to wait for the Day of Atonement but was to immediately or as soon as possible offer their sin offering. As a side note, there is also an analogy here for us. When we know we have committed a sin we are to confess it and seek forgiveness. When we do, God promised He will forgive us (see 1 John 1:8-9). For sins we are not aware of, as we will see, Jesus has already made atonement for them (see 1 John 2:1-2).
Before we move on let us refresh our memory of what happened to when Jesus gave up His Spirit and physically died. To do this we go to,
Mark 15:37-38
[37] And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last. [38] Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
With the above account, the following three observations come to mind.
First, since Jesus died at about the 9th hour, which was approximately at the time of the evening sacrifice, the priests had to be inside the Temple performing their required tasks. Thus, they had to be inside the Sanctuary when the Temple Veil was torn in two from TOP to BOTTOM.
Secondly, the Temple Veil was extremely high. Thus, for an individual or individuals to tear it from top to bottom would be a major task or effort.
Third, the priests who were performing their required duties would under NO circumstances allow this to occur.
Consequently, one can safely conclude the tearing of the Temple Veil was accomplished by Almighty God.
Let us now explore the,
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE TORN TEMPLE VEIL
We begin our exploration by reviewing what,
The Day of Atonement teaches us about the atonement Jesus Christ made for you and me
To do this let we return to the book of Hebrews and read from,
Hebrews 9:8-15
"[8] The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still standing.
While the physical or man built Temple remained upon the earth, the way to the true Temple in Heaven was not yet revealed. This physical Temple was symbolic or foreshadowing of what was to come. To see this let us continue reading the following verses from Chapter 9 of the book of Hebrews.
[9] This is an illustration for the present time, indicating that the gifts and sacrifices being offered were not able to clear the conscience of the worshiper. [10] They are only a matter of food and drink and various ceremonial washings--external regulations applying until the time of the new order.
The Old Testament ceremonial law was only external in nature, that is all the offerings and sacrifices could not cleanse the conscience of the people, in other words their hearts were not changed and could not be perfected.
However, let us now read the following verses,
[11] When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation.
In addition,
[12] He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.
Jesus Christ entered into Heaven’s Most Holy Place with His own blood. Because Jesus Christ is the Son of God His blood, representing His life, is as worthy and pure as God the Father Himself. Consequently, as stated in verse 12, we can now receive eternal redemption or eternal life.
We also discover that our consciences have also been cleansed. To see this let us continue with the following verses,
[13] The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean.[14] How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!
In other words, unlike the Old Testament sacrifices which could not change the hearts and attitudes of the people, the born-again believer has been cleansed, filled with the Holy Spirit and now has God's Laws written in their hearts and minds. With this in mind, let us now read,
[15] For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance--now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant."
Let us now turn to the teaching the Holy Spirit gave about how the Ceremonial Law was only a foreshadowing to help us understand the wonderful work of salvation our Lord Jesus Christ performed for you and I. It is given in,
Hebrews 10:5-10
"[1] The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming--not the realities themselves. For this reason it can never, by the same sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. [2] If it could, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. [3] But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins, [4] because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. [5] Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; [6] with burnt offerings and sin offerings you were not pleased. [7] Then I said, 'Here I am--it is written about me in the scroll-- I have come to do your will, O God.'" [8] First he said, "Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them" (although the law required them to be made). [9] Then he said, "Here I am, I have come to do your will." He sets aside the first to establish the second. [10] And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Let us notice the following verses,
5-7 … We are now reading what our Lord Jesus Christ is saying to God the Father. Namely, You Father have given Me, Jesus, a body to be offered unto You, the Father.
9 … By making the perfect sacrifice for our sins, Jesus fulfilled and hence abolished, that is set aside, the whole sacrificial system and established a new covenant between God and man. Namely, it is by our faith in Jesus Christ and what He did on the cross that our sins are forgiven.
10(a) … We have been made holy, or set apart, through the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ! Thus, we have been made holy and set apart for Him.
10(b) … Once and for all! Therefore, there is no longer a reason for any other sacrifice. Jesus did it all. He was the fulfillment of all what the Old Testament Ceremonial Law was pointing us to. He was the perfect sacrifice.
Let us now continue our reading from,
Hebrews 10:11-18
[11] Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. [12] But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. [13] Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, [14] because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy. [15] The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. First he says: [16] "This is the covenant I will make with them after that time, says the Lord. I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds." [17] Then he adds: "Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more."" [18] Now where there is remission of these, there is no longer an offering for sin.
Let us notice the following verses,
12 … Notice that with the change of covenant, Jesus Christ is now our priest. Hence, as Moses put into effect the Old Covenant with blood of animals; Jesus Christ, with His own blood, put into effect the New Covenant in Him.
14 … By one offering, that is Himself, He (Jesus) did what all the animal sacrifices could not do; namely, Jesus has perfected us, which is to be completely forgiven for our sins and placed in right standing with God the Father. In other words, we are now being set apart for Him.
16 … God will put His laws into our hearts and write them in our minds. Specifically, when we truly repent, believe, and place our faith in Jesus Christ, God the Holy Spirit comes to live and dwell within us. This is the new birth.
17 … All our sins and lawless deeds He will no longer remember! WE ARE COMPLETELY FORGIVEN!! Thank You Jesus!
18 … Since our sins are completely forgiven or atoned for, there is no longer a need for an offering or sacrifice for sin! Just as Jesus said on the cross; “It is finished!”
Thus, Jesus is teaching us that because of the New Covenant, the first or Old Covenant will become obsolete and fade away. This is recorded in,
Hebrews 8:13
[13] In that He says, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.
It is noted that from the historical record documented in many encyclopedias we find the above obsolescence and vanishing away of the Old Covenant was fulfilled in 70AD by the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple. This destruction was accomplished by the Roman army under the leadership of the Roman General Titus.
In addition to being a precursor or forerunner of the above event, the significance of the torn Temple Veil is that:
To present prayers, petitions and praises to Almighty God any born-again believer in Jesus Christ can, in His name, enter directly into the Most Holy Place.”
To see this, let us close this portion of our study by prayerfully reading from,
Hebrews 10:19-22
[19] Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, [20] by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, [21] and having a High Priest over the house of God, [22] let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
This now brings us to,
THE BURIAL OF JESUS’ PHYSICAL BODY
To read what transpired we begin by reading from,
Mark15:42-45
[42] Now when evening had come, because it was the Preparation Day, that is, the day before the Sabbath, [43] Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent council member, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, coming and taking courage, went in to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. [44] Pilate marveled that He was already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him if He had been dead for some time. [45] So when he found out from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph.
Let us now read from,
[39] And Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds. [40] Then they took the body of Jesus, and bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury. [41] Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. [42] So there they laid Jesus, because of the Jews’ Preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby.
To read what happened next, we go to,
Matthew 27:60b
[60b] … he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed.
As we read the New Testament we find that the women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and Nicodemus. To see this we go to,
Luke 23:55-56
[55] And the women who had come with Him from Galilee followed after, and they observed the tomb and how His body was laid. [56] Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils. And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment.
Since the chief priests and Pharisees were concerned that to falsify Jesus’ resurrection His disciples might steal His body, they asked Pilate to guard the tomb. To read this request and Pilate’s response we go to,
Matthew 27:62-66
[62] On the next day, which followed the Day of Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate, [63] saying, “Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise.’ [64] Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead.’ So the last deception will be worse than the first.” [65] Pilate said to them, “You have a guard; go your way, make it as secure as you know how.” [66] So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard.
The question to be asked is; “Is this it?” The answer is: “No!” Just as He said to those who asked Him to show a sign to prove He the Son of God; Jesus did rise from the grave. To read what Jesus said we go to,
Matthew 12:38-40
[38] Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” [39] But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. [40] For 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.
It is noted that the topic of Jesus’ resurrection is discussed in Chapter 108 titled; “Jesus’ Resurrection.”
UNTIL THEN, LET US PRAY