The rich man Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus and a respected member of the Jewish council, received the body of Jesus after his death on the cross, see
The Crucifixion of Jesus. He was a good and righteous man who hadn't consented
to their decision and action to crucify Jesus. Nicodemus also came, see
Jesus and Nicodemus. He brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about 75 pounds (34 kg) in weight, to anoint Jesus’ body. They took Jesus' body and bound it in a clean linen shroud with the spices, as was the Jewish burial custom. They then placed Jesus' body in Joseph's own new tomb, which he had cut in a rock. And Joseph rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away.
(Mat 27:57–61, Mark 15:42–47, Luk 23:50–56, John 19:38–42, Isaiah 53:9).
Joseph was no longer ashamed to be a follower of Jesus (Luk 9:26).
The next day the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and asked that the tomb be secured until the third day. The reason was that Jesus had said that he would rise after three days (three days and three nights). Pilate gave them a guard of soldiers to do so. They then went and secured the tomb by sealing the stone and setting a guard of soldiers to guard the tomb. (Mat 27:62–66).
When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary (mother of James), and Salome (mother of John and James), bought spices which they prepared so that
they could go to anoint Jesus’ body (Mat 28:1, Mark 16:1, John 20:1).
Probably was also Joanna (married to Chuza who managed the household of
Herod Antipas) among these women (Luk 24:10).
Mary (mother of James) was either the mother of Jesus or the wife of Clopas, both of whom were at the crucifixion (John 19:25). Although the mother of Jesus had two sons named James and Joses/Joseph (Mat 13:55, Mark 6:3, Gal 1:19), it's unlikely that this Mary is the mother of Jesus because she isn't identified as the mother of Jesus but only called mother of James and Joses/Joseph. This means that this Mary is probably Clopas' wife. She is probably the same person as Mary (mother of James the younger and Joses/Joseph) at The Crucifixion of Jesus (Mark 15:40, Mat 27:56).
Some of these women are mentioned among those who from their means supported Jesus and his disciples during Jesus' ministry (Luk 8:1–3).
Very early on the first day of the week (Sunday), just before sunrise while it was still dark, these women went to anoint Christ's body in the tomb. They asked each other who would roll away the stone from the entrance of the tomb. They expected to find a dead body, not a resurrected Jesus. When they came to the tomb, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away.
(Mat 28:1, Mark 16:2–4, Luk 24:1–2, John 20:1).
There was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from Heaven and rolled back the stone and sat on it. The angel's appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards trembled and became like dead men for fear of this angel. (Mat 28:2–4).
Sitting on something is a sign of victory. The angel had rolled back the stone so that the women could enter the tomb only to find it empty when they arrived early Sunday morning. This was to show evidence that Jesus was resurrected.
Jesus had been buried Wednesday evening and had risen Saturday evening
(three days and three nights), see 2) Passover (Jewish Easter) in
When Did Jesus Die and when Was He Born? It was no problem for him to leave the tomb with his resurrected body (see below) even with a stone blocking the entrance.
Some of the guards went to Jerusalem and told the chief priests all that had happened. When the chief priests had assembled with the elders and consulted, they decided on a cover up scene. They couldn't deny the fact of an empty tomb.
So they gave a sufficient amount of money to the soldiers and told them to tell people that his disciples came at night and stole Jesus' body while they were sleeping. And if this came to the ears of the governor, the priests and elders would satisfy him and keep the soldiers out of trouble. The guard took the money and did as they were told. This story spread among the Jews. (Mat 28:11–15).
The guard probably left the tomb short after the angel rolled back the stone, which probably occurred shortly before the women arrived at the tomb. This allowed the women to enter the tomb, as there was no one guarding it.
When Mary Magdalene saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance of the tomb, she ran alone to the disciples Simon Peter and John, saying that they had taken the Lord out of the tomb and that the women didn’t know where they had put him. Peter and John then ran towards the tomb. (John 20:2–3).
Meanwhile, the other women entered the tomb, but they didn't find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two angels in the form of two men in white robes, that gleamed like lightning, stood on the right side beside them. The women were frightened. In their fright, the women bowed with their faces to the ground. The angels told them that Jesus had risen and that
he had predicted it to them while he was still with them in Galilee. Then they remembered his words. Jesus had foretold this on several occasions, see
2) Passover (Jewish Easter) in When Did Jesus Die and when Was He Born?
Similarly, we need to be regularly reminded of the gospel in God's word so as not
to forget biblical truths (2 Pet 1:12–13). The angels showed them the place where Jesus had been laid, but he was no longer there. The women were told by the angels to go and tell his disciples and especially Peter that Jesus would go before them into Galilee. There they would see him, just as he had told them (Mat 26:32).
Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid, until they (later) came to the disciples.
(Mat 28:5–8, Mark 16:5–8, Luk 24:3–8).
Jesus conquered the grave. The Trinity acted together in the resurrection, see time 22:00–23:08 in John 2:13-25 – Revealed in the Temple. Jesus backed up all the statements he had made about himself through his resurrection.
John outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent and looked into the strips of linen lying there but didn't enter. Then Simon Peter came behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still in its place, separated from the linen. Finally, John also entered. John saw and believed. Peter wondering to himself what had happened. They still didn't understand from the Scriptures that Jesus must rise from the dead. Then the disciples went back to where they stayed. (Luk 24:12, John 20:3–10).
Jesus first appeared to Mary Magdalene (Mark 16:9) as follows: Mary had followed
John and Peter back to the tomb and stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent forward to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. They asked her why she was crying. She replied that they had taken away her Lord and that she didn’t know where they had put him. At this she turned and saw Jesus standing there, but she didn't understand that it was Jesus. He asked her: "Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?" Mary, thinking he was the gardener, asked him where Jesus could be. Then when Jesus said to her: "Mary", she understood that he was Jesus, and called out in Aramaic: "Rabboni!" (which means "Teacher"). Jesus then said: "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" (John 20:11–17).
It sounds like Jesus said he hadn't yet been to Heaven. But in Greek this phrase refers to a STATE OF BEING rather than an ACTION. Basically, Jesus said:
"I have not yet entered into an ascended state." Jesus planned to spend the next
40 days (on and off) with the disciples before finally entering his final
"ascended state" (Acts 1:3). He informed Mary that there was no need to cling to him as his final ascension was still many days away. He did NOT say that he hadn't yet been to Heaven. See this further explained at time 52:42–54:04 in
Luke 23:32-56 – Witness of the Thief on the Cross.
During the time that Jesus' physical body was in the tomb, Jesus' spirit ascended to God the Father in Heaven. He visited the tabernacle in God's Heaven with his blood (Heb 8:1–2, 9:11–12, 24), see The Atonement. Jesus also descended into Hades and there proclaimed himself to be the Savior and the fulfillment of God's plan of redemption. This announcement was made to both departments of Hades.
He then led those who had embraced God's mercy out of the Paradise of Hades up to God's Heaven. He emptied Paradise. (1 Pet 3:18–20, 4:6, Eph 4:7–10, Psalm 68:18
(19 in some translations)). See time 38:50–42:59 in 1 Peter 3 (Part 2) :8-22 and time 25:04–26:00 in 1 Peter 4.
Under the Old Covenant people didn't ascend to Heaven (John 3:13), see
Jesus and Nicodemus. Believers were then taken to a place called "Abraham's bosom" (Luke 16:22 (NKJV)), see The Rich Man and Lazarus. "Abraham’s bosom"
is the same place as Paradise. It was a place of comfort where they waited for the completion of Jesus' work on the cross so that Heaven could finally be opened to them. When Jesus died on the cross for our sins, all the people in Paradise were led by Jesus' spirit directly to God's Heaven, which means that Paradise now is empty. The Christian believers who have died after Jesus' death on the cross have gone and are going today directly to God's Heaven. Note that these people haven't yet received their immortals bodies. It will happen at The Rapture.
As the other women ran to tell his disciples, they met Jesus who said to them: "Greetings!" The women took hold of his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them: "Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me." (Mat 28:9–10).
This means that Jesus first appeared to a group of women. A woman's testimony wasn't admissible in court in their culture at that time. If this story had been made up, it would have been more reasonable to have the most powerful person among men be the first person to see Jesus after his resurrection instead of a woman.
Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news that she had seen the Lord and told them what he had said to her. The other women also came to the disciples and told them what they had experienced. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna
(married to Chuza), Mary (mother of James (probably wife of Clopas, see above)),
and the others with them who told this to the disciples. The disciples mourned and wept. They didn't believe the women, for their words seemed to them nonsense. (John 20:18, Mark 16:10–11, Luk 24:9–11).
That same day Cleopas and another man went to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles (11 km) from Jerusalem. They talked to each other about everything that had happened. As they discussed these things with one another, Jesus himself came forward and walked with them, but they were kept from recognizing him. Jesus asked them what they were discussing. They replied that some of their women had surprised them. These women went to the tomb early that morning but didn’t find Jesus' body. They had come and told them that they had seen a vision of angels saying that Jesus was alive. Then some of their companions (Peter and John) had gone to the tomb and had found it just as the women had said, but they didn't see Jesus. Jesus then explained to them what the Scriptures said about himself. As the day was almost over, Jesus went in to stay with them. As he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he disappeared from their sight.
They got up and immediately returned to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those who were with them assembled together, but they didn't believe them.
However, the disciples told them that it was true that Jesus had risen and that he had appeared to Peter (Luk 24:13–35, Mark 16:12–13).
See also time 21:30–22:45 in May 2024 Bible Q&A.
Jesus probably had a personal meeting with Peter (Cephas) alone after he appeared to the women but before he appeared to the others. (1 Cor 15:5a).
While they were still talking about this, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus himself stood among them and wished them peace as they ate. They were startled and frightened and thought they saw a ghost. He asked them why they were troubled, and why doubts were raised in their minds. He rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen. They should look at his hands and his feet. They should touch him and see. A ghost doesn't have flesh and bones, as they saw him have.
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. And while they still didn't believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them if they had anything to eat. They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it in their presence. He ate it not because he was hungry but to show his disciples that he was Jesus in a physical body. By doing this, Jesus gave them assurances that he was indeed the resurrected Jesus. (Luk 24:36–43, John 20:19–20, Mark 16:14).
The disciples hadn't believed the women when they said they had seen Jesus resurrected. Nor had they believed Cleopas and the other man when they said the same thing. It was only after Jesus had appeared to Peter that they understood that Jesus had risen from the death. For the disciples, the information must come from the right person to believe. The women in that culture had low social status. Probably had Cleopas and the other man too low social position to be believed. Petrus, on the other hand, had a high social position in the group and was therefore believed. Jesus later rebuked them for this behavior (Mark 16:14). God doesn't show partiality, as men do (James 2:1–8). Partiality is considered a sin (James 2:9–10),
see The Book of James.
Jesus appeared in his resurrected body (Acts 26:23). He will probably have this new body when he returns (John 19:34, 37, 20:27, Zechariah 12:9–10, Rev 1:7).
It's the same kind of body that we as Christians will receive at The Rapture:
- Jesus will transform our earthly body to be like his glorious body
(Phil 3:20–21). - The body will have similarities to our body on Earth (Luk 24:39a).
- The body will have flesh and bones (Luk 24:39–40).
This means that we will have human bodies. - We will be able to eat (Luk 24:41–43).
- We will be able to pass through locked doors (John 20:19, 26). This means that our new bodies won't have the same limitations that they have today.
- We won't hunger or thirst (Isaiah 49:10, Rev 7:16).
- We won't have sexual relations (Mat 22:30a, Mark 12:25a, Luk 20:34–35),
see Our Resurrection from Death. - We won't become angels, but we will be like angels
(Mat 22:30b, Mark 12:25b, Luk 20:36b). - There will be no sickness (Isaiah 33:24a).
- We don't have to live in bodies with constant pain, be paralyzed, immobilized for example in a wheelchair, or live with psychiatric deficiencies (Isaiah 35:5–6a, Rom 8:22–23).
All these and similar restrictions will disappear. - We can't die anymore
(Luk 20:36a, 1 Cor 15:53–55a, Isaiah 25:8a, Rom 6:9).
Then he said to Thomas: "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe." Thomas answered him: "My Lord and my God!" Then Jesus told him: "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed".
(John 20:24–29, 1 Pet 1:8–9). See Why Believe in a God that You can't See.
(John 21:1–14).
(John 21:15–23), see The Apostle Peter.
Jesus also appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters in Christ at the same time. After that he appeared to James (half-brother of Jesus) and then to the apostle Paul. (1 Cor 15:6–8 (NIV)). See this described in
The Book of Corinthians.
Jesus also gave the great commission to his disciples after his resurrection
(John 20:19–23, Mat 28:18–20, Mark 16:15–18, Luk 24:44–49, Acts 1:4–5, 8),
see The Great Commission in The Great Commission.
Jesus gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to the disciples for a period of 40 days and spoke about the kingdom of God until the day he was taken up into Heaven. (Acts 1:1–3):
The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had directed them. When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany (located on the southeastern slope of the Mount of Olives, less than 2 miles (3 km) from Jerusalem), he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into Heaven, and he sat down at the right hand of God.
(Luk 24:50–51, Mark 16:19, Acts 1:9).
While the disciples were looking intently into the sky as Jesus was about to ascend to Heaven, suddenly two men (angels) dressed in white stood beside them. They said that Jesus, who had been taken from them into Heaven, would return in the same way as they had seen him go into Heaven. (Acts 1:10–11), see
Prophecies of Jesus' Second Coming.
The disciples praised Jesus and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.
They constantly stayed in the temple and praised God. (Luk 24:52–53).
The disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it. (Mark 16:20).
For information on when the crucifixion and resurrection occurred, see
2) Passover (Jewish Easter) in When Did Jesus Die and when Was He Born?
See also Historical Facts that Jesus Rose from the Dead, and
Messiah's Death and Resurrection in The Prophecies of Isaiah.
The resurrection proves that Jesus' sacrifice on the cross was accepted by
God the Father. The work on the cross was the payment. The empty tomb is the receipt. The resurrection of Jesus proved that his death was a real propitiation or satisfaction for our sins, and that God the Father accepted it as payment in full.
See also Some stories in the gospels at the bottom of The Four Gospels.
