Easter Sunday

For those of you who are new, my name is Sean.

I'm one of the pastors of Trinity Cambridge Church.

It's my joy to preach God's word to you this morning.

We are in Matthew chapter 28 today for Easter Sunday.

Matthew 28 · chapter mention

So please turn with me in your Bibles.

Matthew is the first book in the New Testament.

If you see Mark, you've gone a little too far.

Let me pray for the reading and preaching of God's word.

Heavenly Father, we gather as we always do on Sunday morning

because your son Jesus Christ was raised on Sunday morning.

We are alive today because he was raised.

And Lord, we don't want to take his death and his resurrection on our behalf

for granted.

So we pray that you would renew our understanding,

our appreciation

for the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

Fill us with awe before him

with great joy

as remember what he has accomplished for us.

Glorify the name of your son

and be pleased in our worship this morning.

In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.

Matthew chapter 28, verses 1 to 15.

Matthew 28:1–15

Now after the Sabbath,

toward the dawn of the first day of the week,

Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb.

And behold, there was a great earthquake.

For an angel of the Lord descended from heaven

and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it.

His appearance was like lightning

and his clothing white as snow.

And for fear of him,

the guards trembled and became like dead men.

But the angel said to the woman,

Do not be afraid,

for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.

He is not here,

for he has risen, as he said.

Come, see the place where he lay.

Then go quickly and tell his disciples

that he has risen from the dead.

And behold, he is going before you to Galilee.

There you will see him.

See, I have told you.

So they departed quickly from the tomb

with fear and great joy

and ran to tell his disciples.

And behold, Jesus met them and said,

Greetings.

And they came up and took hold of his feet

and worshipped 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.

While they were going,

behold, some of the guard went into the city

and told the chief priests

all that had taken place.

And when they had assembled with the elders

and taken counsel,

they gave a sufficient sum of money

to the soldiers and said,

Tell people,

his disciples came by night

and stole him away while we were asleep.

And if this comes to the governor's ears,

we will satisfy him

and keep you out of trouble.

So they took the money

and did as they were directed.

And this story

has been spread among the Jews

to this day.

This is God's holy

and authoritative word.

Often when I tell

my non-Christian friends,

unbelieving friends,

about Jesus,

they raise philosophical

or scientific objections

that they think

I need to be able to explain

in order to reconcile

my Christian worldview

with them.

How do you explain

the problem of evil

and suffering in the world?

Can you square

the account of creation

in Genesis

with our modern

scientific understanding?

Very smart Christians

over the last 2,000 years

have provided

many compelling

and satisfactory answers

to all of these questions

and more.

And sometimes

I will engage

with their questions

at that level,

but I usually

try to bring

the conversation

back to Jesus.

To Jesus' life,

his death,

and resurrection.

Because Christianity

is not a system

of belief

that someone

arrived at

after extensive

philosophical inquiry.

Rather,

it's the natural

outgrowth

of an earth-shaking

historical event.

In other words,

the central tenet

of Christianity,

the death

and resurrection

of Jesus,

is itself

an inconvenient

historical reality

that we must

reckon with

in order to make

sense of our world.

In other words,

your worldview

needs to be updated

to make an account

for the death

and resurrection

of Jesus.

When a scientist

discovers data

that contradict

his hypothesis,

he can't ignore

the data.

That's not a luxury

that he has.

He needs to modify

his hypothesis.

Similarly,

if your worldview

does not allow

for a resurrection,

that's no reason

simply to discount it

and say that it

could have never

happened.

You need to change

your worldview.

Because there is

compelling historical

evidence that Jesus

really died

and that he was

really raised

from the dead.

The biographies

of Jesus

that we Christians

call the Gospels

of Matthew,

Mark, Luke,

and John

all contain accounts

of the resurrection

of Jesus.

And these writings

have far superior

documentation historically

than any other

contemporary classical

work.

And the oldest

Gospel manuscript

we have

dates to 2nd century AD

and the sheer number

of textual attestations

that we have

in their antiquity

ensure that what

we have here

in our Bibles

and in the Gospels

is what the original

authors wrote.

And the fact

that they were written

so early

means that the authors

could not have

easily fabricated

things.

Especially not

something as fundamental

as the resurrection.

There were contemporary

witnesses around

who could easily

challenge fabricated

elements in the accounts.

Just to give you

an example,

I'm sure you have

had awkward

conversations

with married couples

where the husband

tells you a story

and the wife

promptly corrects him

saying,

no, no, no,

that's not what

actually happened.

This is how

it really went down.

No, that's not

where that happened.

It happened here.

That's not when

that happened.

No, it happened then.

Because the wife

was there

with the husband

and if it's

like me and my wife,

Hannah,

then she's usually right.

She can correct me

because she was there.

The same is true

for the Gospel accounts.

They were written

and circulated

so early on

and so close

to the time

of the actual events

that there were

plenty of people around

to challenge falsehoods.

Hey, that didn't

actually happen.

That's not what

Mary told me.

She was there.

Some of the

minor discrepancies

that you find

in the Gospel accounts

are accounted

for by the fact

that they're telling

the story

from different angles

and different perspectives

and they choose

each author

to note or emphasize

different details

of the story

for the sake

of theological emphases.

And those actually

corroborate the historical

authenticity of the event

because they show

that there were

multiple strands

of oral tradition

that had been preserved,

handed down

from the same

historical event.

And today,

we're looking specifically

at Matthew's account

of Jesus' resurrection

here in chapter 28.

And Matthew draws

a contrast

between the true

witnesses of the resurrection

in the first 10 verses

and the false witnesses

of the resurrection

in verses 11 to 15.

And through this,

teaches us

to believe

in the resurrection

and to bear witness

to the bodily

resurrection of Jesus.

He says in verse 1,

Now after the Sabbath,

toward the dawn

of the first day

of the week,

Mary Magdalene

and the other Mary

went to see the tomb.

All four gospel accounts

of Jesus' resurrection

record that Jesus

rose from the dead

around the dawn

of the first day

of the week.

The first day

of the week

conveys a note

of hope

and renewal.

There's a reason why,

if you remember

from a few months ago,

gyms are always crowded

in January

because people make

New Year's resolutions.

People want to create

a new self.

There's a sense of hope.

We can be different.

We can be healthier.

Similarly,

the phrase

first day of the week

conveys the newness

of hope

that Jesus' resurrection

brings.

Jesus is making

all things new.

This is also why

Christians throughout

the last two millennia

have gathered

for worship on Sunday.

Remember that

the earliest Christians

were mostly Jews

and that Jews

had been faithfully

observing the Sabbath

and worshiping

in the synagogues

on Saturday

for thousands of years.

Something significant

must have happened

to make them change

such a deeply historical,

scriptural,

and universally observed

practice.

This transfer

of the Lord's Day

from Saturday

to Sunday

only makes sense

in light of the resurrection

of Jesus Christ.

Because the Lord Jesus

rose from the dead

on the first day

of the week,

they saw it as only fitting

to make that day

the focal point

of their weekly rhythm

and worship.

This is why

Christian sects

that insist

that corporate worship

should take place

on Saturdays

rather than on Sundays

are misguided,

however well-meaning

they might be.

The resurrection

also reportedly happened

toward the dawn

of the first day

of the week.

Matthew,

like other gospel writers,

employed a light-darkness

motif throughout his gospel.

Most prominently

at the beginning

of Jesus' ministry,

it says in Matthew 4,

13-16,

that he lived in Capernaum

by the sea

in the territory

of Zebulun and Naphtali

so that what was spoken

by the prophet Isaiah

might be fulfilled.

And this is the prophecy.

The land of Zebulun

and the land of Naphtali,

the way of the sea

beyond the Jordan,

Galilee of the Gentiles,

the people dwelling

in darkness

have seen a great light.

And for those dwelling

in the region

and shadow of death,

on them a light

has dawned.

This has been the nature

of Jesus' ministry

from the very beginning.

He is the light

of the world

and wherever he goes,

the light of salvation

dawns over those

who dwell

in the shadow of death.

Matthew also noted

in 27-45

that Jesus,

just before breathing

his last breath

on the cross,

he said,

there was darkness

over the face

of the land.

So darkness precedes

Jesus' death

and here dawn precedes

Jesus' resurrection.

The term Easter

comes from the

Proto-Germanic word

that means dawn.

Just as the sun

rises from the east

to bring the light

of day,

Jesus' resurrection

brings the light

of life.

And that gives us

so much hope.

some of you

probably feel overwhelmed

by the darkness

of this world.

There's so much war,

so much death,

so much hatred

and division.

Some of you

probably feel

overwhelmed

by the darkness

within you,

by your evil desires,

your own selfishness,

your own envy,

hatred,

cynicism,

indifference,

laziness,

addictions.

But however dark

the world might be,

however hopeless

your life might seem,

however dead

you might feel

spiritually,

Jesus' resurrection

teaches us

that there is still

hope for us.

The light of Christ

can still dawn

on your life.

Matthew also notes

that Mary Magdalene

and the other Mary

went to see the tomb.

Matthew has been

very careful

to note

the presence of woman

at all the critical

junctures of Jesus'

death and resurrection.

At his crucifixion,

he said in Matthew 27,

55 to 56,

there were also

many women there

looking on

from a distance

who had followed

Jesus from Galilee

ministering to him,

among whom

were Mary Magdalene

and Mary,

the mother of James

and Joseph

and the mother

of the sons of Zebedee.

Likewise,

at Jesus' burial,

he said in Matthew 27,

61,

Mary Magdalene

and the other Mary

were there

sitting opposite

the tomb.

Mary Magdalene

and the other Mary,

the mother of James

and Joseph,

are consistently

noted as eyewitnesses.

These same women

saw Jesus die

on the cross.

These same women

saw exactly

where Jesus

was buried.

And these same women

were the ones

who,

after all of his disciples

had deserted him,

visited the tomb

and saw that

it was empty.

Matthew is telling us

that Jesus' resurrection

is not a big

misunderstanding.

These women

are eyewitnesses

who knew

where Jesus' tomb was.

And the presence

of these women

in these accounts

significantly bolsters

the credibility

of the resurrection

accounts in the Gospels.

If the resurrection

accounts were

made up stories

by Jesus' disciples

and they really

wanted to sell it,

if they really

wanted people

back then

to believe it,

then they would

not have chosen

women to be

the first witnesses

of Jesus' resurrection.

Because in their culture,

women were ineligible

to serve as legal witnesses

in the Jewish court.

To illustrate

the first century

Jewish historian

Josephus wrote

in his book

Against Apion,

but let not

the testimony

of women be admitted

on account of the levity

and boldness

of their sex

since it is probable

that they may not

speak truth

either out of hope

of gain

or fear

of punishment.

Similarly,

the Talmud,

which is the compilation

of Jewish rabbinical

commentary

on Old Testament

scriptures,

stipulates that

women may not

be a valid witness

in Jewish legal

proceedings.

In fact,

the fact that

the first witnesses

were women

was the very thing

that the second century

Greek philosopher

Kelsus,

who was anti-Christian,

mocked us about.

So it would have been

a point of embarrassment

in the ancient world

that the first witnesses

of Christ's resurrection

were women.

But none of the gospel

writers try to hide

or minimize this fact

because they believe

that their testimony

is reliable

and because

they're not making

this up,

but that's what

actually happened.

There are many other

such details

in the gospels.

For example,

how the disciples

could not heal

a demon-possessed man,

how they bickered

about who's the greatest

when Jesus was getting

ready to die

on the cross,

Peter's thrice denial

of Jesus,

how the disciples

deserted Jesus,

the fact that it says

in Matthew 28, 17

later on

that some did not believe

but doubted

even after Jesus'

resurrection.

These are embarrassing

details that could have

been easily omitted.

but their inclusion

demonstrates that

Jesus' early followers

desire to preserve

what really happened.

And verses 2 to 3

continue,

and behold,

there was a great

earthquake for an

angel of the Lord

descended from heaven

and came and rolled

back the stone

and sat on it.

His appearance

was like lightning

and his clothing

white as snow.

Much like when Jesus

died on the cross

in 2751,

there was an earthquake

and the earthquake

was followed by

many of the followers

of God who had died

being raised from the dead.

But he specifically

noted there

that they only came

out of their tombs

after Jesus' resurrection.

So that was a preview

of what's happening now.

And here,

there's another earthquake

and this earthquake

precedes the resurrection

of Jesus.

It's like the earth

is giving up its dead

or at least precedes

the announcement

of the resurrection

of Jesus.

And it's not the earth

alone that is shaken.

It says in verse 4,

after seeing the angel

of the Lord

rolling back the stone

and sitting on it

for fear of him,

the guards trembled

and became like dead men.

The word trembled

is the same word

that's used to describe

the earlier earthquake

in chapter 27.

The guards are shaken

like the earth.

And ironically,

the dead man

that they were supposed

to be guarding

is very much alive

and these live soldiers

become like dead men.

And amazingly,

the angel of the Lord,

I love this,

completely ignores the guards.

It's like they're not even there.

These guards were,

by cultural standards,

the more important

and powerful people

on the scene.

the angel

completely ignores them.

He gives his entire attention

to the powerless woman

who are visiting the tomb,

which shows once again

that God's ways

are not the same as ours.

While the guards

posted at the tomb

should be afraid

of the angel,

the angel reassures

the woman visiting the tomb

not to be afraid

in verses 5 to 7.

Do not be afraid,

for I know

that you seek Jesus

who was crucified.

He is not here,

for he has risen

as he said.

Come see the place

where he lay,

then go quickly

and tell his disciples

that he has risen

from the dead,

and behold,

he is going before you

to Galilee,

there you will see him.

See, I have told you.

Note here

that the angel

did not roll away

the stone

to let Jesus

out of the tomb.

He doesn't need his help.

He rolls it away

to let the woman

go into the tomb

to see that Jesus

has already risen

and left the tomb

and that he is not there.

Jesus' resurrected body

has been so transformed

that he can appear

suddenly through locked doors

as it says in John 20,

but nonetheless,

he had hands and feet

that people can touch.

The resurrected body

is not beset

with the same physical limitations

that our bodies have.

So it appears

that Jesus simply

walked right out

of the tomb,

even though the stone

wasn't rolled away

at that point.

The stone was rolled away

not for Jesus' benefit,

but for our benefit

to show that the tomb

is empty.

This shows God's kind

dealing with us.

God didn't owe us

any proof,

yet he accommodates

our weaknesses,

our doubts,

and he invites the woman

to come and see.

And the angel notes

that Jesus has been raised

just as he said.

Repeatedly throughout

the Gospel of Mark,

Gospel of Matthew,

sorry, rather,

Jesus has prophesied

that he will be killed

but then be raised again

to life on the third day.

This was a known fact

that Jesus predicted this.

And so in 27, 63, 64,

the Pharisees proposed

to the Roman governor,

Pilate,

Sir, we remember

how that imposter said

while he was still alive,

after three days

I will rise.

Therefore,

order the tomb

to be made secure

until the third day,

lest the disciples

go and steal him away

and tell the people

he has risen from the dead,

and the last fraud

will be worse

than the first.

So Pilate ordered

the Jewish chief priests

and leaders

to use their own guard

of soldiers

to secure the tomb.

This was exactly

why the tomb

was guarded.

And yet the resurrection

happened anyway

because Jesus

is no imposter

and his resurrection

is no fraud.

And the angel

commands the woman

to go quickly

and tell Jesus' disciples

that he has risen

from the dead

and promises

that Jesus is going

before them to Galilee

and that they'll see him there.

And the two Marys

do exactly

what the angel

has commanded

in verse 8.

So they departed

quickly from the tomb

with fear

and great joy

and ran

to tell his disciples.

As they are journeying

their hearts well up

with fear

on the one hand

and great joy

on the other.

Fear

because they are about

to meet someone

who has just

defeated death

which no other human being

has ever done.

they had never even heard

of someone

who had been raised

from the dead.

So surely he possesses

great authority

and power

and ought to be revered

and feared.

But they also feel

great joy

because that person

with great authority

and power

is not anyone

but their beloved

Lord Jesus.

The one who walked

with them.

The one who taught them.

The one who loved them

for the last several years.

So they're filled

with anticipation

as they begin

this journey

to Galilee

and I love

what happens

next.

As soon

as Mary Magdalene

and the other Mary

set out to Galilee

in obedience

it says in verses 9 to 10

and behold

Jesus

met them

and said

greetings

and they came up

and took hold

of his feet

and worshipped 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.

Remember what the angel

has told the woman.

The angel told the woman

hey

go to Galilee

and there

Jesus will meet you

and that will happen.

They will meet Jesus again

in Galilee

but Jesus intercepts them

on the way

and greets them

as if he couldn't

wait long enough.

Like a man

who wants to surprise

the woman he loves

with an unexpected proposal

or a father

who wants to surprise

his daughters

by coming home

early

from his trip

Jesus

meets them

and greets them

before Galilee

and behold

Jesus

met them

and said

greetings

that's the first thing

he said

hey I'm here

full of love

and compassion

our savior

and this is significant

the woman

took hold

of his feet

and worshipped him

their taking hold

of Jesus' feet

shows two things

first it shows us

that despite

having walked

through a closed tomb

Jesus has a real

physical body

second

it shows us

that the way

we ought to approach

and honor Jesus

is in humility

and in submission

taking hold

of someone's feet

is a recognized act

of paying homage

and supplication

in Mark 5

22-23

when Jairus

is imploring

Jesus earnestly

because his daughter

is dying

he falls

at Jesus' feet

it says

and in Luke 17

15-16

a Samaritan leper

whom Jesus healed

it says

he fell

on his face

at Jesus' feet

giving him thanks

it's a posture

of deep humility

that expresses

one's abject need

and indebtedness

to somebody

it's what you do

when you know

that you have

no recourse

but to plead

the mercy

of somebody else

who has the power

to save you

when Mary Magdalene

and the other Mary

encounter

the reason Jesus

they know

that he is their

healer

that he is their

king

that they've been

waiting for

that he is

their savior

that he is their

lord

so they put

their faces

to the ground

and cling

to Jesus' feet

friends

this is how

we all

must come

before

Christ the king

we must not

approach Jesus

with our

chins up

and our

heads held high

and our shoulders

level with his

saying hey

look

look at all

these good

things that

I've done

look

look at all

my qualifications

look at my

potential

all the wonderful

things that I

can do for you

no we must

come to Jesus

recognizing our

abject poverty

and our total

depravity

and cling

to his feet

nothing in my

hand I bring

simply to the

cross I cling

naked I come

to thee for

dress

helpless

look to thee

for grace

but there's more

the women don't

stop at humbling

themselves before

Jesus

they also

worship him

this is shocking

because it's

exactly what the

devil had

tempted Jesus

to do

in Matthew

Matthew 4:9–10

chapter 4

verses 9 to 10

he said to

Jesus all

these wealth

of the kingdoms

of this world

I will give

you if you

will fall

down and

worship me

but Jesus

rebuked him

be gone

Satan

for it is

written you

shall worship

the Lord your

God and him

only shall you

serve

we should

worship God

alone

but Satan

being the

prideful and

presumptuous

devil he is

demanded worship

from Jesus

and Jesus

rightly rebuked

him

and if anyone

tries to worship

man rather than

the one true God

we must stop

them

so in Acts

10 24 to 26

when Cornelius

falls at the

feet of Peter

and worships him

Peter lifts him

up saying stand

up I too am a

man

even angels

refuse to be

worshiped in

Revelation 22

8 to 9

when John

falls at

worship in

worship at the

feet of the

angel this is

what the angel

says to him

you must not

do that

I am a

fellow servant

with you and

your brothers

the prophets

and with those

who keep the

words of this

book

worship God

even an

angel like we

saw earlier in

this chapter

whose appearance

according to

verse 3

was like

lightning

imagine seeing

someone clothed

like lightning

white as snow

that being

does not deserve

to be worshipped

but Jesus

the one who

was crucified

the one who

is risen

deserves to

be worshipped

that's the

woman's natural

and immediate

response upon

encountering the

risen Lord

and a little

later in

verse 17

Jesus appears

to his 11

disciples and

their response

is the same

when they saw

the resurrected

Jesus it

says they

worshipped him

and this is not

idolatrous because

he is the

son of God

the second

person of the

trinity

the risen

Lord

Emmanuel

which means

God with

us

and this

glorious God

who so humbled

himself in

taking on

human flesh

and submit

subjecting

himself to

death

even death

on the cross

graciously

calls us

his brothers

did you see

that verse

10

he says do

not be afraid

go and tell

my brothers

to go to

Galilee

and there

they will see

me

Jesus taught

in Matthew

12 50

that those

who do the

will of his

father in

heaven is

his brother

and sister

and mother

but look

who he's

saying this

to

it's

these

disciples

the very

disciples

who deserted

him

when Jesus

needed

their help

and their

encouragement

the most

in the moment

of his

greatest

weakness

and need

they were

nowhere

to be

seen

and Jesus

graciously

calls them

my brothers

me

Jesus

his brother

there's so much

forgiveness

and affection

wrapped up

in that

term

and all

those who

are adopted

by God

the father

through their

faith

in Jesus

become

his

brothers

and sisters

within

the family

of God

and witnesses

of his

resurrection

so Mary

Magdalene

and the

other Mary

were true

witnesses

of the

resurrection

but in

verses

11 to

15

we see

that they

have

some

competition

they're

also

false

witnesses

of the

resurrection

verse 11

sets up

the contrast

while they

were going

behold

some of

the guard

went into

the city

and told

the chief

priest

all that

had taken

place

there are

two groups

of people

at the same

time hurrying

away

from the

tomb

the empty

tomb

and the

word

tell

in verses

8

10

and 11

all translate

the same

Greek word

to announce

which means

to announce

a message

and they're

all relaying

a message

they want

to relay

that Jesus

has risen

from the

dead

but the

second

group

is bribed

into becoming

false

witnesses

and therefore

conveyors

of a starkly

different

news

it says

in verses

12 to

15

and when

they had

assembled

with the

elders

and taken

counsel

they gave

a sufficient

sum of

money to

the soldiers

and said

tell people

his disciples

came by night

and stole

him away

while we

were asleep

and if

this comes

to the

governor's

ears

we will

satisfy him

and keep

you out

of trouble

so they

took the

money

and did

as they

were directed

and this

story has

been spread

among the

Jews

to this

day

there's a

deliberate

contrast

that Matthew

is setting

up

between

verses

1 to

10

and

11

to

15

in

1 to

10

the true

witnesses

received

their instruction

from

heaven

from the

angel

the Lord

who has

descended

from heaven

but here

the false

witnesses

received

their

instructions

from the

chief

priests

in the

city

and these

chief

priests

considered

Jesus

an imposter

and a

fraud

but they

revealed

themselves

to be

here

imposters

and fraud

they do

not truly

represent

God

and verse

15 is

ironic

the word

directed

is literally

taught

it's the word

for teach

and the word

story

is literally

word

they are

literally

teachers

of the

word

false

teachers

of the

word

throughout

the gospel

of Matthew

Jesus

is portrayed

as the

faithful

teacher

of the

word

and in

the parable

of the

sower

in Matthew

13

he spoke

of proclaiming

the word

of the

kingdom

sowing the

seeds of

the kingdom

is proclaiming

the word

of the

kingdom

and these

chief priests

are also

proclaiming a

word

but it's

a false

word

and today

also there

are many

who are

false

teachers

of the

word

people who

undermine

the life

death

and resurrection

of Jesus

people who

deny it

explain it

away

admitting of

course that

Jesus was

raised from

the dead

and then

left the

tomb on

their watch

would have

been a

death knell

to their

careers

as Jewish

leaders

because they

were the

ones who

orchestrated

and redrove

his death

so they

tried to

salvage the

situation

by bribing

the soldiers

to lie

that Jesus'

disciples came

by night

and stole

them away

just like

they use

money

to pay

Judas

to betray

Jesus

they think

like many

people in

our world

that they

could solve

all their

problems

with money

and look

at what

Matthew

concedes

in verse

15

and this

story has

been spread

among the

Jews to

this day

the gospel

of Matthew

is an

apologetic

meaning it's

a systematic

defense of

the claim

that Jesus

is the

Messiah

who was

crucified

but now

risen from

the dead

to save

his people

from sin

Matthew

was written

for that

purpose

to defend

that claim

especially for

the Jewish

people

they were

their primary

target

audience

that's why

the gospel

of Matthew

so often

features the

characteristic

fulfillment

formula which

quotes an

Old Testament

prophecy and

shows how

Jesus

fulfilled it

Matthew's

trying to

show his

fellow Jews

Jesus really

was the

Messiah

he really

is risen

from the

dead

and so

for their

sake he

includes this

note of

verse 15

that they

might know

that this

story that

has been

circulating

among them

that has

had some

currency

among them

is false

that Jesus

disciples did

not steal

Jesus body

from the

grave at

night

there's

several

important

implications

of this

lie that

we should

point out

first

even this

lie

confirms

that the

empty

tomb

was an

unquestionable

reality

if Jesus

tomb had

not been

empty

the Jewish

leaders and

the Roman

rulers

could have

very easily

opened it

up for

some

tours

to nip

Christianity

right in

the bud

because

Christianity

unlike other

religions

is based

on a

verifiable

historical

claim

but they

didn't do

that

instead

the alternative

narrative that

they were

circulating at

the time

was that

Jesus

disciples

stole

Jesus

body

while it

was being

guarded by

the soldiers

because it

was empty

second

this story

is so

ridiculous

that

Matthew

doesn't

even

refute

it

if the

soldiers

really were

asleep

like they

claimed to

be

while the

disciples

came to

roll away

a large

stone

and carry

Jesus'

body

away

then they

would have

never

known

that

the

body

was

stolen

by

the

disciples

because

they

never

saw

it

they

were

asleep

at

best

it

would

be

a

guess

they

could

not

know

that

Jesus'

disciples

stole

the

body

they

couldn't

even

know

that

his

body

was

stolen

at

all

third

this

lie

confirms

that

we

already

know

from

other

ancient

sources

what

we

already

know

from

other

ancient

sources

that

grave

robberies

were

common

that's

what

made

this

story

plausible

but

this

actually

corroborates

the

reality

of

Jesus'

post

resurrection

appearances

if

the

empty

tomb

were

the

only

evidence

of

Jesus'

resurrection

and