He is Risen! Who Were the First Eyewitnesses to Jesus’ Resurrection?
Excerpted from Easter—The Rest of the Story.
When Peter and John left the garden, where Jesus had been entombed and then resurrected, the Bible tells us that Mary Magdalene remained behind (see John 20:11).
She had followed the two men to the tomb, possibly hoping to obtain a clearer understanding of what she was experiencing. At that point, she only knew that Jesus was no longer in the tomb where they had placed Him and prepared His body for burial.
Mary started that day with a desire to go to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus, but when she arrived, the stone had been rolled away, and an angel was sitting on top of that great stone (see Matthew 28:2). Then Mark’s gospel records that when she entered the tomb, she discovered another angel (see Mark 16:5). Luke writes that she then suddenly found herself in the presence of two angels inside the tomb (see Luke 24:4). And the angels told Mary, “He is not here, but is risen...” (Luke 24:6).
But if Jesus was risen as the angels had said, where was He? How could she find Him?
Mary Magdalene Inspected the Interior of the Tomb
In this same passage in John 20, the Bible tells us that after Peter and John left the garden, Mary stood outside the tomb weeping. The Greek tense means she was continually weeping, highlighting the fact she was extremely perplexed about the inexplicable events that were taking place. Foremost on her mind was Jesus’ whereabouts — she wanted to know what had happened to her Lord.
John wrote, “...As she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre…” (John 20:11). The word “stooped down” is the same word used in verse 5 to portray John taking a peek into the tomb. Now it was Mary’s turn to bend low and peer into the empty sepulchre — but when she looked inside, she saw something she didn’t expect!
Mary Magdalene Saw Two Angels in White
John tells us, “...She stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre, and seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain” (John 20:11,12).
The word “seeth” is a Greek word which tells us assuredly that Mary fixed her eyes on the angels and determined to look them over and to take in the whole experience.
First, Mary saw that the two angels were “in white.” This agrees with all the other experiences involving angels on that eventful day. All of them had been dressed in shining white with a lightning-bright appearance. All the angels seen that day also wore the same type of robe — like the long, flowing regal robes worn by warriors, kings, priests, or any other person of great power and authority. Mary visibly studied every single detail of the angels she saw there in the tomb.
John went on to inform us that Mary saw these angels “...sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.” This statement is in perfect agreement with the interior of a rock-hewn tomb during biblical times.
Past the entrance of such a tomb, a smaller, separate room with a table-shaped pedestal, also carved from stone was usually located to one side. On this rock slab, the corpse was laid to rest after being dressed in burial clothes and perfumed by loved ones.
The head would be slightly elevated, causing the trunk of the corpse to lie in a sloping downward position with the feet resting against a small ledge or in a groove, either of which was designed to keep the body from slipping from the slab.
Easter—The Rest of the Story
Rick Renner
When Mary saw the angels, she noted that one was seated at the top of the burial slab and the other was seated at the foot. In between these angels, she could see the empty place where she had personally viewed Jesus days earlier.
Luke 23:55 tells us that after Jesus’ body was placed in the tomb, Mary Magdalene and other women who came from Galilee “...beheld the sepulchre, and how his body was laid.”
The word “beheld” means to gaze upon, to fully see, or to look at intently. These women inspected the tomb, gazing upon the dead body of Jesus to see that it had been honorably laid in place. And because Mark 15:47 — in Mark’s record of events — uses the imperfect tense to tell us how the women looked upon Jesus’ dead body, it means these women took plenty of time to make certain He was properly laid to rest there.
Now Mary was seeing the same spot where she had so carefully labored days before, but the dead body of the Lord that she cherished was no longer there.
Mary Recognized Him When He Called Her by Name
As Mary beheld the now empty slab and wept, the angels asked her, “...Woman, why weepest thou?...” (John 20:13). She answered them, “…Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.” Then verse 14 goes on to say, “And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.”
Mary withdrew from the tomb just in time to see a Man standing nearby. Due to Jesus’ resurrected, changed appearance, she was unable to recognize Him. Verse 15 tells us what happened next: “Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.”
At that very moment, Jesus tenderly said, “Mary.” Upon hearing that voice and recognizing the old familiar way in which He called her name, “...she turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master” (v. 16). Although Jesus’ appearance was different now, Mary knew Him by His voice, in particular, by the way He called to her personally. This reminds me of John 10:27, when Jesus told His disciples, “My sheep hear my voice…” Mary knew His voice and recognized that it was her Shepherd who stood before her.
It appears that Mary reached out to cling to Jesus with her hands, but Jesus forbade her, saying, “...Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God” (John 20:17).
With this one statement, Jesus let it be known that everything had changed because of the Cross. Now a new relationship with God was available to the apostles and to all who would call upon the name of Jesus Christ!
But John 20:18 goes on to say, “Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her.” In telling the disciples about her experience with the risen Lord, Mary became the first woman preacher of the Gospel!
Other Eyewitness Accounts That Jesus Rose from the Dead
On Resurrection Day itself, Jesus appeared to the disciples at various times and places. It was simply a physical impossibility for Him to be at so many different places in one day, and these appearances therefore revealed that Jesus’ glorified body didn’t have the same limitations His earthly body possessed before His resurrection and glorification. The Bible makes it plain that in His glorified condition, He was able to appear, to disappear, to travel great distances, and to even supernaturally pass through a wall or the locked door of a house (see John 20:26).
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all recorded these eyewitness events. In the following paragraphs, I refer to passages from the gospels of Matthew, Luke, and John to discuss the activities of Jesus after His resurrection.
Jesus Appeared to Two Disciples on the Road to Emmaus
On the same day Jesus was raised from the dead, He not only appeared to Mary Magdalene outside the garden tomb (see John 20:14-17), but also to two disciples as they walked from Jerusalem to the city of Emmaus (Luke 24:13-31).
When the three men sat down to eat together, Jesus blessed the food. After hearing the way He blessed the food, the two disciples instantly recognized it was the Lord — just as He suddenly “...vanished out of their sight” (v. 31).
Jesus Appeared to the Eleven Disciples Behind Closed Doors
Soon Jesus supernaturally walked right through the walls of a room where the 11 disciples were gathered, and He miraculously appeared right in front of them. John 20:19 tells us about this amazing event: “Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst. ”
This verse says that when the disciples gathered for dinner, they made certain “the doors were shut.” The word “door” lets us know this was a door that was large and solid. But as if this were not enough, the verse tells us that these doors “were shut.”
The word “shut” is a word that means locked. Doors of this kind were usually locked with a heavy bolt that slid through rings attached to the door and the frame — like the deadbolts we use in doors today, only heavier.
This door would be difficult, if not impossible, to break down. The fact that it was locked “for fear of the Jews” tells us that the disciples had moved into a mode of self-preservation and protection.
With rumors of Jesus’ resurrection already filling the city of Jerusalem, there was no certainty that the leaders who crucified Jesus wouldn’t try to take into custody the rest of the apostles and do the same to them as they had done to Jesus.
The Roman Guards Saw Jesus Resurrected
The Bible tells us that the Roman guards who fled the resurrection site “...shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done” (Matthew 28:11). They were there and witnessed the resurrection and knew that Jesus was raised from the dead!
But to prevent the people of Israel from knowing the truth of Jesus’ resurrection, the chief priests and elders bribed the soldiers to keep their mouths shut about what they had seen. Verse 12 tells us, “And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers.”
The chief priests and elders fabricated a story and told the soldiers what to say when people asked them what happened: “...Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept” (v. 13).
The soldiers’ admission that they had slept on the job would deem them worthy of punishment in Pilate’s sight, so the religious leaders further assured them, “And if this come to the governor’s ears, we will persuade him, and secure you” (v. 14). The soldiers listened to the religious leaders’ plan and were satisfied with the amount of money being offered to them to keep silent.
Verse 15 then says, “So they took the money, and did as they were taught. ”
Once the chief priests and elders had cleverly paid for the false testimony of the Roman guards, they were positioned to make some serious arrests.
First, we know that they were already asserting that the disciples had stolen the body of Jesus. But to steal the body, they would have had to either overpower the Roman guards or creep past them as they slept. Either way, this would be deemed a terrible dishonor to the guards’ reputation. And if the disciples were caught, they’d potentially be put to death for this action.
To open the tomb, the governor’s seal also had to be broken. Breaking that seal was an offense that required the death penalty, for this was a breach of the empire’s power. And no doubt the same angry mobs that cheered while Jesus carried His crossbeam to Golgotha were still in the city, and the city itself was already in turmoil due to such strange happenings — the sky turning dark in the middle of the day with no natural explanation; the veil of the Temple rent in half; the various earthquakes shaking the entire surrounding territory.
It wouldn’t take too much to put the whole city on edge and turn them against the disciples. This is why the disciples were locked behind closed doors that evening.
What Really Happened During Jesus’ Last Hours Before the Cross?
Many have heard the story before ― that Christ died, was buried, and rose again ― but what about the days and hours leading up to His crucifixion? What happened in those critical moments, and why did it happen?
Presenting Scripture as well as the writings of Early Church fathers, Rick documents the journey of Christ from the Garden to the Cross and beyond, revealing:
Why hundreds of soldiers ― not just a few ― met Jesus to arrest Him.
The details of "the Judas kiss" and Judas’ fatal flaw from the beginning.
The identity of the naked boy in the Garden of Gethsemane.
The physical and mental abuse Jesus endured before the Crucifixion.
Who Pontius Pilate was and why he tried to save Jesus.
What Jesus meant when He said, “It is finished!”
In this must-have Easter classic, you will find more than 30 full-page original illustrations, questions to answer and discuss at the end of each chapter, and endnote citations documenting the historical facts of Jesus’ last days and crucifixion. This keepsake volume is sure to be a family favorite for years to come!
