The Victor Over Death
Dearly beloved of God, Jesus’ first resurrection appearance occurred the first day of the week, our Sunday.
The Judeans numbered their days, first, second, third, etc., and the seventh was our Saturday, which was their Sabbath. Since Jesus was buried before sunset, the fourteenth, our Wednesday, he arose before sunset on the eighteenth, the weekly Sabbath, our Saturday.
John 20 tells us about his first appearance after his resurrection from the dead. Mary Magdalene came the first of the week, early, when it was yet dark, and saw that the stone taken away from the sepulcher. It was the eighteenth, so the moon was almost full. Each new month started with the full moon.
Mary ran to tell Simon Peter and the disciple whom Jesus loved. She told them that they had taken the Lord out of the sepulcher, and she did not know where they had laid him.
The men ran to the sepulcher. The other disciple outran Peter, and having arrived he stooped down, looked in the sepulcher and saw the linen clothes lying.
These linen clothes were known as grave clothes, which were strips of linen cloth wound around the dead body and a shellac like substance made with a mixture of myrrh and aloes was applied to them. The grave clothes formed a shell in the shape of the body once the myrrh and aloes dried. The scriptures tell us they weighed about a hundred pounds.
Peter arrived, and he went directly into the sepulcher. He saw the linen clothes [othonion] lying there undisturbed, and the napkin that covered the face was folded in a place by itself. He looked inside the grave clothes with the face cloth [Greek: soudarion] removed, but there was not a body in them; they were empty!
Three times we are told what these two disciples saw.
The first disciple believed because of what he saw. They saw the empty grave wrappings that laid there in the shape of his body, about a hundred pounds of grave wrappings in the shape of Jesus body, but he was no longer in them!
Until then they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.
Mary remained outside the sepulcher weeping after they left. As she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulcher. She saw two angels and mistook them for men. One was sitting at the head, and the other at his feet of where Jesus’ body had lain.
They said, “Woman why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.
After this she turned around and supposed she saw the gardener. It was Jesus, and he said, “Woman, why weepest thou?” She asked him if he knew where they took Jesus’ body, so she could take it away.
Then “Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and said unto him, Rabbonai; which is to say Master.” She must have recognized the sound of his voice.
This was only the first of a number of the Lord’s resurrection appearances that day. This one occurred on our Sunday very early, while it was yet dark.
Jesus was risen from the dead! He was risen from the dead in a resurrected body that was capable of sitting up right through those mummified grave clothes!
Mary heard his voice in the garden, and on the day of redemption so will we!
Mary was told not to touch him because he had not yet presented himself to the Father in the Temple as the first fruits offering.
Jesus was the first fruit of those who will rise from the dead. When he gives the command the dead in Christ will rise at his coming the same as he did. God made Jesus Lord both of the dead and the living.
Anyone who confesses Jesus as Lord and believes that God raised him from the dead will be saved at his coming. God made the same man that they crucified both Lord and Christ.
“Fear not; I am the first and the last and the living one. And I became dead, and behold, I am alive forever and ever. And I have the keys of death and of the state of death.”
Rejoice, dearly beloved, he is coming! Thanks be to God, Who gives us the victory over death through our Lord Jesus Christ.