By Robert Olsen, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Christian Studies, University of Mobile
Where Is Jesus?
Matthew 28:1–15
The Grave Opened (1–4)
All four of the gospels definitively portray Jesus as dead and buried. We know from Luke that women had followed Joseph of Arimathea to the burial place on Friday, seeing where the tomb was. This is a vital detail in the Gospels because some skeptics have argued that the women went to the wrong tomb, finding it empty, when Jesus was really dead in another tomb. Since they had followed Joseph, however, they knew where Jesus was buried.
While this might seem like unimportant information, it is crucial to the gospel story. If Jesus was not dead, then He could not have risen from the dead, which is the most important event in history.
The Risen King Announced (5–10)
This passage is affirming that Jesus is not dead but alive. This is the foundation upon which our Christian faith rests.
As Paul states in 1 Corinthians 15:12–19, “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. … And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.”
If Christ did not rise from the dead, He has not fulfilled His promises which means we can have no assurance that any of His promises will come true. Furthermore, it indicates that death is not defeated, meaning we will all die and have no resurrection.
Without the resurrection, we have no eternal life.
It also is important to recognize that the women who encountered Jesus worshipped Him, affirming His deity.
There are people who deny that the Bible teaches Jesus is divine. But in the Bible, Jesus receives worship which only God can receive. If Jesus were not God it would have been blasphemous for people to worship Him, but since He receives worship, it affirms His divinity.
This is an important aspect of Christian theology because only God can save us. If Jesus were not God, then He could not truly save us. Jesus is worthy of our worship.
The Cover-Up Concocted (11–15)
If word got out that Jesus had risen from the dead, then more and more people would become His followers, which would reduce the power of the priests and undermine their authority.
Therefore they paid the soldiers to lie about what happened.
The idea that Jesus’ followers stole Him is not the only attempt to explain the empty tomb.
Some actually believe in what is called the “swoon theory,” which states that Jesus never really died but just appeared to be dead — after hanging on a cross, having been whipped and stabbed in the side with a spear. Then the coolness of the tomb allegedly refreshed Him enough to where He could remove the large rock in front of the tomb and leave.
Conversely there are some today who assert that Jesus really did die but then say the disciples just hallucinated and thought they all saw the risen Christ at the same time.
If these views sound absurd, it is because they are. These excuses are harder to believe than the actual miracle of the resurrection.
The best evidence points to the historical resurrection of Christ. In fact it is difficult to explain why the disciples and early Christians behaved the way they did unless they had actually seen the risen Jesus like Scripture says.
Christ’s death, burial and resurrection assure eternal life for those who believe. This truly is good news.
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