1 Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared.
2 But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb.
3 Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
4 And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments.
5 Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead?
6 "He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee,
7 "saying, 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.'"
8 And they remembered His words.
9 Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.
Those stones were huge carved round slabs that were rolled into a slot cut into the rock in front of a tomb that usually took several strong men to move. Rolling the stone back was even harder, as it had to be rolled up and out of it's slot.
The corpse usually remained in the tomb until decomposition was complete, then the bones were removed and were usually interred on an "ossuary", a stone box that contained the bones of family members.
It is interesting that such an ossuary containing the bones of Joseph ben Caiaphas, the High Priest that prosecuted Jesus as His trial was found in Israel a few years ago when excavators accidentally broke into an ancient tomb. Inside was a beautifully carved limestone ossuary with the inscription reading "Joseph ben Caiaphas ". An examination of the bones determined that of a man who had died while in his 60's.
The reason for rolling the stone back was to show that Jesus was no longer in the tomb, not to let Him out. After His resurrection He was no longer restricted by such trivial things as space, time, and matter.
The women had come, expecting to do the final preparations for Jesus' burial, and it is interesting that they weren't worried about being ritually defiled by entering the tomb. They looked inside and the angels told them of Jesus' resurrection and reminded them of His words to them before He was crucified. These women were afraid of the events but very excited to share the wonderful news with the other believers. Jesus was alive!!!
Luke 24:10-1210 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles.
11 And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them.
12 But Peter arose and ran to the tomb; and stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying by
themselves; and he departed, marveling to himself at what had happened.
One can hardly blame the apostles, for they knew that Jesus had been crucified and killed, and that His mangled body had been placed in a tomb for burial. But Peter wanted to see for himself if the body was indeed gone, and went away wondering what had happened.
Jesus had told the disciples that He would rise on the third day; they didn't completely believe that Jesus would literally rise from the dead.
Luke 24:13-3513 Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem.
14 And they talked together of all these things which had happened.
15 So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them.
16 But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.
17 And He said to them, "What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?"
18 Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, "Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?"
19 And He said to them, "What things?" So they said to Him, "The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people,
20 "and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him.
21 "But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened.
22 "Yes, and certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us.
23 "When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive.
24 "And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see."
25 Then He said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!
26 "Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?"
27 And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.
28 Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and He indicated that He would have gone farther.
29 But they constrained Him, saying, "Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent." And He went in to stay with them.
30 Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them.
31 Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.
32 And they said to one another, "Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?"
33 So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together,
34 saying, "The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!"
35 And they told about the things that had happened on the road, and how He was known to
them in the breaking of bread.
People tend to think that the eleven apostles (Judas Iscariot had already committed suicide) were the only ones who were gathered together after Jesus' death. Jesus had personally chosen the Twelve, but remember there were at least 70 men whom He had sent out to preach, heal, and cast out demons.
Jesus encountered Simon (not Peter) and Cleopas on the road to a provincial town and joined them as
a traveling companion. It must have been quite a long walk for Jesus to tell them ALL the Scriptures
from Moses through Malachi which concerned Him.
Once they are allowed to recognize Him, the joy of seeing Him alive again must have been incredible! And they were so excited that they traveled back to Jerusalem at night, a dangerous time because of robbers, just to report to the 11 apostles that they had also seen Jesus.
I believe that part of the reason that Jesus appeared to so many people besides the 11 disciples, is that
according to the law everything was to be confirmed by at least three or more people.
36 Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, "Peace to you."
37 But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit.
38 And He said to them, "Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts?
39 "Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have."
40 When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet.
41 But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, "Have you any food here?"
42 So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb.
43 And He took it and ate in their presence.
Jesus ate the food, not because He was hungry but to prove to them that He was real and not a ghost or spirit.
I like the way that singer Don Francisco in his song "The Traveler" put this event. He said that when Jesus appeared, "Some lifted hands toward Heaven, then knelt without a sound; others just stood and stared at Him as if rooted to the ground".
Luke 24:44-5344 Then He said to them, "These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me."
45 And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.
46 Then He said to them, "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day,
47 "and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
48 "And you are witnesses of these things.
49 "Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high."
50 And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them.
51 Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven.
52 And they worshiped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy,
53 and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God. Amen.
We are to share Jesus whenever possible. But remember, once the person knows about Jesus, then it
must be their freewill choice to follow Jesus. We are never to force someone into following Jesus.
Mark says that Jesus gives us permission to use His authority to accomplish His commands.
Mark 16:15-18
15 And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
16 "He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
17 "And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;
18 "they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt
them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."
Jesus' ascension to Heaven to the right hand of the Father was the completion of the Old Covenant
created between the Israelites and God. Now the New Covenant begins as stated in Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 31:31-34
31 "Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah
32 "not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD.
33 "But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
34 "No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know
the LORD,' for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says
the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more."