Following is a composite account of the drama of the empty tomb.
The women returned to the cemetery shortly past dawn the day after the Sabbath, when they could do no work, in order to embalm the body with funerary spices.
On their way there they were wondering about finding someone who could roll back the stone that barred the entry. But when they arrived, they saw that the huge boulder had been rolled out of the way.
Proceeding inside, they were shocked to find a young man in a dazzling white robe.
"Don't be troubled," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. But he is risen. Look at the place where he was laid to rest. He is not here.
"Why do you look for the living among the dead?
"Go and tell Peter and the other disciples, He goes before you into Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you."
Terrified, the two women ran from the tomb, saying nothing to anyone. [S.1a]
It also happened early on that first day of the week that another Mary, the Magdala woman from whom Jesus had expelled seven demons, and her friend Joanna, went to the tomb and were disconcerted to find the stone rolled away and the chamber empty. Mary ran back to where Peter and some others were lying low and told them the surprising news.
Peter, followed by Jesus' pet student, rushed off to have a look. Jesus' special friend arrived first and peeked inside, seeing the grave clothes, followed by Peter who ventured inside, where all he could see were the grave clothes and the cloth for the head set off by itself.
Trailing far behind, Mary arrived after the two men had already left.
Stooping down and peeking into the tomb again, Mary wept.
As she turned to leave, she came face to face with a man, who said, "Woman, why are you crying?"
Supposing that he was a cemetery gardener, Mary said, "Sir, if you took his body from here, tell me where you put it, so that I can take care of it."
"Mary," said the man.
"Teacher!" replied a stunned Mary.
"Stop clinging to me," Jesus said. "I haven't yet gone up to my Father."
He added, "Go tell my brothers that I go to my Father — and your Father. And tell them that when they go to Galilee, I will meet them there."
Mary returned again and told the disciples what had happened, but they were skeptical. After all, Peter and another disciple had been right there and had seen nothing.
Even so, Peter was a very perplexed man.
Not long after, two of Jesus' students told of a strange encounter they had had while walking along the road to Emmaus [S.1], talking about the terrible turn of events.
As they were talking, a fellow they did not recognize joined them.
"What are you men talking about?" the third man asked.
They stood still, looking sad.
One of the disciples, Cleopas, replied, "Are you the only pilgrim to Jerusalem who hasn't heard the things that have been going on?"
"What things?" the stranger asked.
"We're talking about Jesus of Nazareth. Everybody knows that he was a great prophet, both in what he said and what he did. The chief priests and the authorities had him arrested, condemned and executed. But we had been hoping he was the one who was to redeem Israel. This is the third day since all this occurred.
"But then some women said they saw angels at his tomb, and his body was missing! So one of us went to the tomb, and found it empty, just as the women said."
Their companion replied, "I don't think you understand what the prophets really have to say. Wasn't it necessary for the Messiah to experience all those things before he entered his glory?"
Beginning with Moses, the stranger went through what the prophets had to say concerning the Messiah, explaining the meaning of Scriptures as they walked along.
As the two disciples approached their destination, their companion acted as though he would continue onward. But the disciples urged him to stay with them. "It's getting towards evening and there isn't much daylight left," they said.
He agreed to join them in the village.
When they sat down to eat, their companion took the bread and blessed it. Then he broke it and gave it to them.
Suddenly, they realized who they had been talking to. They saw Jesus, who then disappeared.
Awed, they said to each other, "Weren't our hearts burning inside us as he opened the Scriptures while we were on the road?"
After their meal, the two went straight back to Jerusalem, and told the others what had happened, but they were met with skepticism.
The day after the crucifixion, some of the elders approached Pilate and asked him to post a guard at the tomb. They were worried that his disciples might remove the corpse and then pretend that their king was still alive and that their movement still had its leader.
Pilate agreed, assigning a detail of soldiers to them.
"Make the tomb as secure as possible," was Pilate's order to the detail. "Make sure the entrance is sealed off."
A Roman seal on the tomb was a severe warning to grave robbers or others: Break this seal and you risk major reprisal!
But, after the resurrection, the Jewish authorities were informed that the tomb was empty.
"Say Jesus' disciples took away his body while you slept," the elders told the guards as large bribes were counted out. "If Pilate hears about this matter, we will talk to him and make sure nothing happens to you."
Such dereliction of duty could easily have meant the death sentence.
The soldiers were in a difficult situation. Though an earthquake was said to have been responsible for the stone being rolled aside, that fact did not explain how the body had vanished without them noticing. They knew that Pilate was likely to suspect them of cowardice — hiding during the temblor and failing to see the "grave robbers."
In any case, a false cover story went out that Jesus' disciples had taken away the corpse so that they could claim that he was actually alive.
Next Page: Section 54
https://secretpath108.blogspot.com/2021/01/a-big-haul.html
Jesus was saying to Mary that her weeping showed that she was clinging to him in human terms. She was seeing him only as a man she loved rather than seeing him correctly, as not only a man she loved but as the Messiah who was about to go to his Father and send her the Spirit. Or, in other words: Mary, let go and let God.
Mary returned again and told the disciples what had happened, but they were skeptical. After all, Peter and another disciple had been right there and had seen nothing.
Even so, Peter was a very perplexed man.
Not long after, two of Jesus' students told of a strange encounter they had had while walking along the road to Emmaus [S.1], talking about the terrible turn of events.
As they were talking, a fellow they did not recognize joined them.
"What are you men talking about?" the third man asked.
They stood still, looking sad.
One of the disciples, Cleopas, replied, "Are you the only pilgrim to Jerusalem who hasn't heard the things that have been going on?"
"What things?" the stranger asked.
"We're talking about Jesus of Nazareth. Everybody knows that he was a great prophet, both in what he said and what he did. The chief priests and the authorities had him arrested, condemned and executed. But we had been hoping he was the one who was to redeem Israel. This is the third day since all this occurred.
"But then some women said they saw angels at his tomb, and his body was missing! So one of us went to the tomb, and found it empty, just as the women said."
Their companion replied, "I don't think you understand what the prophets really have to say. Wasn't it necessary for the Messiah to experience all those things before he entered his glory?"
Beginning with Moses, the stranger went through what the prophets had to say concerning the Messiah, explaining the meaning of Scriptures as they walked along.
As the two disciples approached their destination, their companion acted as though he would continue onward. But the disciples urged him to stay with them. "It's getting towards evening and there isn't much daylight left," they said.
He agreed to join them in the village.
When they sat down to eat, their companion took the bread and blessed it. Then he broke it and gave it to them.
Suddenly, they realized who they had been talking to. They saw Jesus, who then disappeared.
Awed, they said to each other, "Weren't our hearts burning inside us as he opened the Scriptures while we were on the road?"
After their meal, the two went straight back to Jerusalem, and told the others what had happened, but they were met with skepticism.
The day after the crucifixion, some of the elders approached Pilate and asked him to post a guard at the tomb. They were worried that his disciples might remove the corpse and then pretend that their king was still alive and that their movement still had its leader.
Pilate agreed, assigning a detail of soldiers to them.
"Make the tomb as secure as possible," was Pilate's order to the detail. "Make sure the entrance is sealed off."
A Roman seal on the tomb was a severe warning to grave robbers or others: Break this seal and you risk major reprisal!
But, after the resurrection, the Jewish authorities were informed that the tomb was empty.
"Say Jesus' disciples took away his body while you slept," the elders told the guards as large bribes were counted out. "If Pilate hears about this matter, we will talk to him and make sure nothing happens to you."
Such dereliction of duty could easily have meant the death sentence.
The soldiers were in a difficult situation. Though an earthquake was said to have been responsible for the stone being rolled aside, that fact did not explain how the body had vanished without them noticing. They knew that Pilate was likely to suspect them of cowardice — hiding during the temblor and failing to see the "grave robbers."
In any case, a false cover story went out that Jesus' disciples had taken away the corpse so that they could claim that he was actually alive.
Next Page: Section 54
https://secretpath108.blogspot.com/2021/01/a-big-haul.html
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