Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Matthew 28:6
He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
6. he is risen ] As in ch. Mat 27:64, He rose. So also in next verse.
see the place where the Lord lay ] In order that they might be convinced of the fact.
It is hardly possible for us even to conceive the overwhelming joy that the conviction of this truth must have brought to these holy women, whose recollection of the divine words and looks and love-inspiring sweetness of character would be quickened by the painful watching and the passionate sorrow for their seeming loss.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
He has risen, as he said – Jesus had often predicted that he would rise, but the disciples did not understand it, and consequently did not expect it, Mat 16:21; Mat 20:19.
The place where the Lord lay – The place where a body was deposited in a sepulchre was commonly a niche cut in the wall of the sepulchre. The sepulchre was usually large; that of David was mere than 100 feet in length, cut out of solid rock under ground, and separated into various apartments. All round the sides of those apartments were niches for the dead; or they were ranged around the sides, in places cut in the solid rock just large enough to contain the body. In such a place, probably, our Lord lay.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Mat 28:6-7
He is not here: for He is risen, as He said.
The open sepulchre a seal of redemption
I. The place which the angel bade the women come and see was an open, empty tomb. Earth is the place of tombs. There is no tomb in heaven; no silent grave in hell. Every grave of earth will yet be empty.
II. Momentous truths were uttered from the open, empty tomb where the Lord had lain.
1. The first voice proclaims the evil and the power of sin. Sin dug for Death all his graves. Sin has slain the Beloved of the Lord.
2. The second voice proclaims redemption from sin. The open grave of Christ is a three-fold sign of
(1) acceptance;
(2) liberty; and
(3) life.
III. There are some holy lessons which men may learn as they linger by the Redeemers open, empty tomb.
1. Come and see the place where the Lord lay, and learn a lesson of penitence for sin.
2. Come and see the place where the Lord lay, and learn a lesson of love to Him. The grave of loved ones has a strange fascination.
3. Come and see the place where the Lord lay, and realize your union with Him and nearness to Him.
4. Come and be in alliance with those who honour Christ.
5. Behold He is alive for evermore. (D. Rose, M. A.)
Easter morning
1. Standing where the Lord lay I am impressed with the fact that mortuary honours cannot atone for wrongs to the living.
2. That floral and sculptural ornamentation are appropriate for the place of the dead. Christ was buried in a garden.
3. I am impressed with the dignity of private and unpretending obsequies. Funeral pageantry is not necessary.
4. I am impressed with the fact that you cannot keep the dead down. The seal of the Sanhedrin, soldiers, cannot keep Christ in the crypt. (Dr. Talmage.)
The great argument of the resurrection
1. The resurrection of Christ considered in relation to Himself as the promised Saviour of men.
2. The resurrection of Christ in relation to the comfort and service of His immediate friends and disciples.
3. The resurrection of Christ from the dead viewed in relation to the enemies of our Lord.
4. The resurrection of Christ considered in its relation to the religious life and experience of believers.
5. The resurrection of our Lord considered in relation to the thoughts and feelings of Christians when contemplating death. (T. Lloyd.)
The resurrection of our Lord-the fact and its consequences
I. The resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead we affirm to be a fact.
1. Were the apostles deceived?
2. If not deceived, did they wilfully proclaim a falsehood?
II. Note some of its consequences.
1. The resurrection furnishes the only positive proof of our immortality.
2. It also assures us of our redemption, and this gives definite hope for the future.
3. It assures us of the redemption of the body. (H. Ward.)
The risen Saviour
I. This declaration proclaims the actual resurrection of christ. A fact established by the clearest evidence.
II. This language expresses several fundamental truths.
1. The humiliation of Christ.
2. The infinite love of God.
3. The Divine faithfulness.
4. The Divine sovereignty.
5. Christs triumph over all His enemies and ours.
6. The certain and glorious pledge of the perfecting of salvation. (Pulpit Thermos.)
Watching for the resurrection
As the flowers wait for the spring, and the yellow corn waits for the summer, and the stars wait for the morning, and as Lazarus waited in sweet silence for the voice of Jesus to awake him out of sleep, so do the blessed dead wait for the resurrection. (G. W. MCree.)
The proofs of the resurrection of Christ
I. Presumptive or circumstantial evidence.
1. The precaution of the Jews.
2. The departure of Jesus from the sepulchre.
3. The change which took place in the apostles after this event.
II. The testimony of credible witnesses.
1. The sufficiency of evidence depends upon the number of the witnesses, their qualifications, and their information.
2. Their competency being established, now examine their credibility. Their testimony was honest, prominent, explicit, and constant.
III. Divine testimony. The Holy Spirit bears witness to Christs resurrection.
1. By the predictions of the prophets.
2. By the miracles of the apostles.
3. By the success of the gospel. (T. Gibson. M. A.)
The resurrection of Christ
I. Let us look at it as a fact established by reliable evidence. He is risen.
1. In order to a true resurrection we must first have it clearly established that at the time of His burial He was really dead. The soldiers found Jesus already dead. He was buried in a new tomb; hence no other body could have been substituted for that of our Lord. Nicodemus, Joseph of Aremathaea, and the women who assisted at His burial are witnesses of His death.
2. The testimony of those who saw our Lord alive after His resurrection.
II. But passing from the fact itself, let us consider its relation to the Saviours former utterances, He is risen, as He said (Joh 2:18-21; Mat 12:40; Mat 16:21; Mat 17:22). Christ perilled His whole Deity and Messiahship on His resurrection. There is a three-fold attestation in this wondrous event.
1. It proved Him to be a prophet, a miracle-worker, and it threw back its authenticating light on everything said and done by Him during His earthly ministry. Thus we learn to view the resurrection of our Lord as the foundation of our faith. Take this chapter out of the gospel and all others are worthless.
Two influences-
1. Hope through life-God hath begotten us unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
2. An influence of comfort in bereavement and death coming from this theme. (W. M. Taylor, D. D.)
A living hope awakened by the resurrection of Christ
Mark the expression a lively or living hope. The expectation of perfected salvation which the believer cherishes is not contented with indifference or inactivity. It is a living, not a dying or dead thing, and it animates him to most earnest efforts after the attainment of the object to which it looks. A ships crew have been forced to leave a sinking vessel and commit themselves in an open and frail boat to the mercy of She ocean. They do not know that they shall be picked up, but they have an intense desire to be delivered and a vague hope that they shall be. Day passes after day. Their scanty stock of provisions is almost exhausted, the water is entirely spent, and hope in them is all but dead, so that every energy within them is paralyzed. But lo! far away on the dim horizon a sail appears, and in a moment the hope that seemed ready to expire is quickened into activity, First they raise a faint but thankful cheer; then they uplift any sort of a flag they can extemporize as a signal of distress; then they take to the oars and summon up the remnant of their strength, if by any means they may near the vessels course, and attract the attention of those who man her. What a difference one short hour has made in those worn and haggard men! A little while ago they were ready to perish, but now they are all activity, for the sight of that far-off sail has begotten them to a living hope. So Christs resurrection brings living hope to the sinners heart. (W. M. Taylor, D. D.)
Come see the place where the Lord lay
I. And be assured that He is risen from the dead.
II. And behold the completion of human redemption.
III. And view it with penitential grief.
IV. Ye who love Him, learn to view without fear your own final resting-place, and rejoice in the assurance that His resurrection is the pledge and type of your own. Adore Him for the love which led him to sleep in the sepulchre that you might rise and partake of His glory for ever. (J. Johnson, M. A.)
The empty sepulchre
Come and see the place where the Lord lay.
1. It is a garden.
2. It is a garden with a grave in it. The world has no unmingled cup of sweet to offer. Because that tomb is empty and Christ is risen there need be no blight without a blessing, no sorrow without a joy, etc.
3. It is a new tomb where never man was laid.
4. You can see by its size, its position, its adornments, that it belongs to a family possessed of wealth-it is a grave of the rich. Fulfilment of prophecy- Isa 53:9.
5. The heavy stone, which brawny arms had rolled against its entrance, making it fast, and setting a seal on it, is rolled away. The finger of God touches the mighty incubus and it moves.
6. And find the sepulchre empty. Christ is risen!
(1) The seal of truth is put upon all He said and did. God would have never raised a pretender.
(2) The offering of Jesus for the sins of men is hereby accepted.
(3) He has Divine life in Himself, and the same Spirit that raised up Jesus from death and the dark can raise up dead souls. This is the true power of His resurrection. Are we risen with Christ?
(4) A pledge of His power and purpose to raise again from the dominion of the grave the bodies of the race He hath redeemed. Comfort for the bereaved.
(5) Then He hath also ascended up into glory, He hath taken possession of His inheritance, and is the forerunner of the saints. Opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers. Think of departed loved ones emerged from the ruins of the tomb, etc.
(6) Then He lives to-day to be our Friend and Guide and Helper. How much we need Him, etc. Christian, gird up your loins afresh! Yours is a living faith in a living Saviour. Sinner! He is risen. What then? Then He is that man whom God hath ordained to judge the world. (J. J. Wray.)
A new tomb where never man was yet laid
Why? For this reason: The fact of Christs resurrection is at the basis of Christianity. Our whole religion must stand or fall with the coming to life again of the Man Jesus. If Christ be not risen from the dead, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. God hath therefore hedged it round with special tokens, evidences which may well hush the doubter and strike the sceptic dumb. In the Old Testament we read that contact with the sacred dust of the Prophet Elisha did once raise a man to life; and a Jewish superstition invested the bones of their holier heroes with a similar power. Had this been an old and much-used grave, the enemies of Jesus would have been quick to suggest that as the cause of the resurrection. So Providence provides a new tomb, where never man was laid. Again, old tombs and ancient sepulchres often had secret passages, subterranean avenues, and connections with each other and the outer world. How ready would the unbelievers have been to suggest that by such secret means the body had been carried off by His disciples and interred elsewhere I Hence it is a new tomb, cut in the face of the solid rock, one only means of entrance and of exit, watched and tended by the Roman guard. (J. J. Wray.)
The place where the Lord lay is
I. A place of instruction.
1. The fact of His resurrection.
2. What is the significance of the fact? It means that the atonement is complete.
II. A place of life. Christs life assures us of life for the body and soul of man.
III. A place of comfort-Fear not ye.
IV. A place of hope. (D. Merson, B. D.)
Jesus has lighted up the grave
It is said that the Romans had a practice of lighting up their tombs. In Essex a tomb was once opened, when a lamp was found in the corner, and a chair near it indicating the rank of the tomb-tenant; and it is recorded that fifteen hundred years after the death of Tullia, Ciceros daughter, her tomb, which was accidentally opened, was found illuminated with a lamp. It was but a glimmering light, the rays of which were confined to the catacomb walls. But the light Christ sheds upon the grave falls upon the vista of eternity. You can now stoop, look in, and see immortality beyond. (Blackets Young Mens Class. )
Death and resurrection of Christ
Lend me your imaginations for a minute, while I endeavour to picture a scene. Christ had paid the price-the full price: that price was presented before the Fathers judgment-seat. He looked at it, and was content. But as it was a solemn matter, it was not hurried over. Three days were taken, that the ransom-price might be counted out; and its value fully estimated. The angels looked, and admired. The spirits of the just came and examined it, and wondered, and were delighted. The very devils in hell could only express their satisfaction by biting their iron bonds, and sullenly keeping silence, because they had not a word to speak against the sacrifice of Christ. The three days passed away, and the atonement was fully accepted. Then the angel came from heaven-swift as the lightning flash-he descended from the spheres of the blessed, into this lower earth, and he came into the prison-house, in which the Saviours body slept; for, mark, His body had been kept in the prison till God ratified His atonement and accepted it-He was lying there a hostage for His people. The angel came, and spake to the keeper of the prison, one called Grim Death, and said to him, Let that captive go free. Death was sitting on his throne of skulls, with a huge iron key at his girdle of iron: and he laughed, and said, Aha! thousands and thousands of the race of Adam have passed the portals of this prison-house; but none of them have ever been delivered. That key has been once turned in its wards by destiny; and no mortal power can ever turn it back again, and draw the bolts from their resting.places. Then the angel showed to him Heavens own warrant, and Death turned pale. The angel grasped the key-unlocked the prison door, and stepped in. There slept the Royal Captive-the Divine hostage. And the angel cried, Arise, Thou Sleeper! Put off Thy garments of death. Shake Thyself from the dust, and put on Thy beautiful garments. The Master arose. He unwound the napkin, and laid it by itself. He took off His graveclothes and laid them by themselves, to show He was in no hurry, that all was done legally, and therefore orderly. He did not dash His prison.walls aside to come out; but came out by legal process, just as He had entered in. He seemed to express Himself as Paul did, No, verily, let them come themselves, and fetch Me out. So was the Master set at liberty-by heavens own officer, who came from heaven to give Him just liberty-Gods proof that He had done all that was necessary. Thou Lamb of God! I see Thee rising from Thy tomb in splendour ineffable, dazzling the eyes of the guards and making them flee away in terror. And when I see Thee risen from the dead, I see myself accepted, and all Thy dying redeemed people fully delivered. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 6. Come, see the place] The tomb in which our Lord was laid was no doubt like the rest of the Jewish burying places, a receptacle for the several dead of a whole family, divided into separate niches, where each had his place. Come and see the place – was tantamount to, Come and see the niche in which he was laid – it is now empty; nor was there any other body in the place, for the tomb was a new one, in which no man had ever been laid, Joh 19:41; so there could be no deception in the case.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
6. He is not here; for he is risen,as he saidSee on Lu 24:5-7.
Comeas in Mt11:28.
see the place where the LordlayCharming invitation! “Come, see the spot where theLord of glory lay: now it is an empty grave: He lies not here, but Helay there. Come, feast your eyes on it!” But see on Joh20:12.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
He is not here,…. In the grave, where he was laid, and these women saw him laid: he was dead, but is now alive; he was laid in the grave, but God would not leave him there, nor suffer him to see corruption:
for he is risen, as he said; not stolen away, as the chief priests hired the soldiers to say he was; nor removed to another place, as Mary Magdalene first thought, when she found him gone; but he was risen from the dead, by the power of his Father, and by his own power, as he had before said he should. In one of Beza’s exemplars it is added, “to you”; for the words that Christ said in Galilee, that he should be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and rise again, the third day, were said in the presence and hearing of these women, and to them, as well as to the disciples; see Luke 24:6. This clause is left out in the Persic version: it follows,
come see the place where the Lord lay; the Lord both of angels and men: the Syriac and Persic versions read, “our Lord”. The Arabic and Ethiopic versions leave out the word “Lord”, and only read “he”. Christ, as the Son of God, lay in the bosom of his Father, and in the arms of his love, from all eternity; as mediator, he lay in the womb of God’s purposes and decrees, being his elect, in whom his soul delighted; as man, he lay in the womb of the virgin; and, as an example to his people, he lay, when baptized, in the waters of Jordan; and as the language of the ordinance of the Lord’s supper is, “come see my hands, and my feet”; that of baptism is, “come see the place where the Lord lay”: but here it regards the grave, in which the body of Christ had been laid; and the women are invited by the angel to go along with him, into the sepulchre, to see the place where he had lain; to assure them the more of the truth of his resurrection, that they might, with their own eyes, see that he was gone, who before had beheld where, and how he was laid; as also to affect them with the condescending grace of Christ, in making his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; as well as to strengthen their faith in their discharge from sin and condemnation by Christ, who was risen for their justification; as also to let them see that the grave was perfumed and sanctified by him; and he was risen as the first fruits and pledge of them that slept.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Risen from the dead ( ).
Jesus the Risen . This is the heart of the testimony of the angel to the women. It is what Paul wishes Timothy never to forget (2Ti 2:8), “Jesus Christ risen from the dead” ( ). They were afraid and dazzled by the glory of the scene, but the angel said, “Come, see the place where the Lord lay” ( ). Some MSS. do not have , but he is the subject of . His body was not there. It will not do to say that Jesus arose in spirit and appeared alive though his body remained in the tomb. The empty tomb is the first great fact confronting the women and later the men. Various theories were offered then as now. But none of them satisfy the evidence and explain the survival of faith and hope in the disciples that do not rest upon the fact of the Risen Christ whose body was no longer in the tomb.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
(6) He is not here.It is not given to us to fix the precise moment when the grave was opened and the risen Lord came forth from it, but the indications point to the time at or about sunrise. There was an obvious fitness in the symbolism of the Resurrection of the Son of Righteousness coinciding with the natural day-spring. (Comp. Luk. 1:78.)
Come, see the place.Comp. the description in Joh. 20:5-6, the linen clothes, or bandages, that had swathed the limbs, the napkin, or sudarium, that had veiled the face.
The report in St. Mark (Mar. 16:6-7) nearly coincides with this. St. Luke is somewhat fuller (Luk. 24:5-7), introducing the question, Why seek ye the living among the dead? and a more detailed reference to our Lords prophecies of His resurrection.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
6. Come, see the place where the Lord lay Pointing doubtless to the particular cell in the wall of the tomb. This implies, in accordance with Mark, that the angel was in the tomb. The place was doubtless a cell or niche, usually cut horizontally in the perpendicular wall, so as to insert the corpse, with the head entering first and feet toward the court. Sometimes a shelf or bench was cut along the wall so as to allow the corpse to lie parallel to the wall and entirely visible. As Mary Magdalene saw two angels, “one at the head and the other at the feet” of Jesus, (Joh 20:12,) this must have been the method in which Jesus lay.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘He is not here, for he has been raised, even as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.’
Then he informed them that Jesus was no longer there. He had been raised by God, just as He had promised. And he invited them to see the place where the Lord had lain. He wanted them to glory in the emptiness of the tomb. Note the use of ‘the Lord’. Jesus was now a figure of great authority and power. He was ‘the Lord’ of the ‘angel of the Lord’.
(Textual note. Aleph, B, Theta omit ‘Lord. But it is found in A, D, W, f1, f13, 565, 700. It may have been omitted over uneasiness about the thought of ‘the Lord’ (YHWH) having been in a tomb).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
DISCOURSE: 1414
THE RESURRECTION
Mat 28:6. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
AMIDST all the indignities offered to our blessed Lord by the Jewish nation at large, some friends there were who sympathized with him, and desired to manifest towards him all the respect and love which their circumstances would admit of. He had now been put to death, and was committed to the tomb without any of those distinctions which were customarily attendant on an honourable interment. Some women, therefore, to whom he was dear, brought, very early after the Sabbath, spices, wherewith to embalm his sacred body. They knew not, indeed, how they should be able to execute their intentions; seeing that a great stone had been placed at the door of his sepulchre, to prevent any one from getting access to the body, to remove it. They came, however, to the sepulcher; and, to their great surprise, saw the stone rolled away from the sepulchre, and an angel sitting upon it. The angels countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow. At this sight, they were greatly alarmed: but the angel speedily composed their minds; saying, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here, but is risen. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
Now, believing that you all desire to testify your respect to the Saviour this day [Note: Easter-Day.], I would say to you, Come to the sepulchre, where he was deposited, and from whence he rose; Come, see the place where the Lord lay. Come, I say, and see there,
1.
A witness for him
Behold, that empty tomb witnesses to you, in most decisive terms,
1.
The truth of his mission
[On his resurrection had our blessed Lord rested the whole of his claims to credibility as the appointed Messiah. At the very commencement of his ministry, he said, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up again [Note: Joh 2:19.]. This was not understood at the time: but, by his enemies, it was brought against him as a charge at the close of his life; and, after his resurrection, it was recollected by his friends as a prediction of the event which had actually taken place. At another time, when urged by the unbelieving Pharisees to give them some greater sign than they had already seen, he told them, that no other sign should be given them than that of the Prophet Jonas; for, as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whales belly, so should the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth [Note: Mat 12:38-40.]. On several other occasions, also, he spake of his resurrection as the destined evidence of his Messiahship [Note: Luk 24:6-8.]: and this was the foundation of all the precautions that were used against an imposition which might be practised by his Disciples. It was feared that they might come by night and steal away the corpse, and then say that he was risen from the dead: and, to prevent it, the tomb was sealed with Pilates seal, and guarded by a band of soldiers. This was a wise precaution: for, if the third day should pass away, and he be found in the grave, he would be proved an impostor at once; and all his influence would die away. But he rose at the appointed time, and thereby demonstrated that he was indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world. This is what St. Paul has plainly affirmed: He was declared to be the Son of God with power, by his resurrection from the dead [Note: Rom 1:4.].
Come then, I say, and inspect the tomb; and learn from that, that Jesus was indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.]
2.
The sufficiency of his mediation
[The Lord Jesus undertook to expiate the guilt of a ruined world, and to redeem them to God by his blood. Under the sins of men he died. But who could be sure that his atonement had prevailed for the end for which it had been offered? He had mediated, it is true: but who could tell that his mediation had been accepted? How could that point be satisfactorily ascertained? His resurrection proved it beyond a doubt. If a man, who has undertaken, as a surety, to pay a debt, be liberated from prison, you conclude, of course, that he has fulfilled his engagement: his discharge is an evidence that the creditor has no further claim upon him. So, when we see him raised from the grave, to which he had been committed for the sins of men, no doubt can remain upon our minds but that he satisfied all the claims of law and justice in our behalf. The two goats which were offered on the day of atonement, and the two birds that were offered at the cleansing of the leper, exhibited this mystery in a striking point of view [Note: Lev 16:15-22; Lev 14:4-7.]. The dying goat represented his death; and the scape-goat, which bore away the sins of all Israel, his resurrection. The living bird, too, that was dipped in the blood of the slain bird, and was let loose into the air, for the perfect cleansing of the leper, suggested the same blessed truth; that Christ should die for our offences; but that he should rise again for our justification. [Note: Rom 4:25.] Had he not risen, we had been yet in our sins [Note: 1Co 15:17.]; but, seeing that he hath both died and risen, we may defy all our enemies; and say with confidence, Who is he that shall condemn me [Note: Rom 8:34.]?]
In this tomb, also, you may see,
II.
A pledge to us
Yes, verily, it is a pledge,
1.
Of Christs power to raise us to a spiritual life
[The resurrection of Christ is set forth in the Scriptures as a pattern of that which is to be accomplished in all his followers; and by the very same power too, that effected that. In the Epistle to the Ephesians, St. Paul draws the parallel with a minuteness and accuracy that are truly astonishing. He prays for them, that they may know what is the exceeding greatness of Gods power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places [Note: Eph 1:19-20.]. And then he says, concerning them, God, who is rich in mercy, of his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus [Note: Eph 2:4-5.]. Here, I say, you see Christ dead, quickened, raised, and seated in glory; and his believing people quickened from their death in sins, and raised with him, and seated too with him in the highest heavens. The same thing is stated also, and the same parallel is drawn in the Epistle to the Romans; where it is said, We are buried with Christ by baptism into death; that, like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life [Note: Rom 6:4.]. But can this be effected in us? I answer, Behold the tomb! Who raised the Lord Jesus? He himself said, I have power to lay down my life, and power to take it up again [Note: Joh 10:18.]: and he has further said, Because I live, ye shall live also [Note: Joh 12:32.]. We may be assured, therefore, that, if we bear about in our body the dying of the Lord Jesus, the life also of Jesus shall be made manifest in our body [Note: 2Co 4:10.]: if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him: for as, in that he died, he died unto sin once; but, in that he liveth, he liveth unto God; so may we confidently reckon ourselves dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord [Note: Rom 6:8-11.]. Being planted in the likeness of his death, we are perfectly assured, that we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection [Note: Rom 6:5.].]
2.
Of his determination to raise us to eternal life
[Frequently did our Lord say, respecting his believing people, I will raise them up at the last day [Note: Joh 6:40; Joh 6:54.]. And, in raising up himself, he has given us a pledge that he will do so. For he did not rise as an individual person merely, but as the Head and Representative of all his people; as it is written, Now is Christ risen from the dead, and is become the first-fruits of them that slept [Note: 1Co 15:20.]. The first-fruits, you know, sanctified and assured the whole harvest: and precisely so does his resurrection assure ours: for, if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in us, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken our mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in us [Note: Rom 8:11 and 2Co 10:14.]. Indeed this shall be effected by our Lord Jesus Christ himself: for, whilst he was yet upon earth, he declared, that all who were in the graves should hear the voice of the Son of God, and should come forth; they that have done good, unto a resurrection of life: and they that have done evil to a resurrection of damnation [Note: Joh 5:28-29].]
Address
1.
The unbelieving rejecter of the Gospel salvation
[Thou dost not believe in Jesus, except as a prophet, a man like unto thyself; who died, indeed, as an example, to confirm his word; but never rose to carry on his work; nor is a Saviour to us any more than Moses himself was. Come, then, and inspect the tomb where he was interred: Come, and see the place where the Lord lay. Tell me, Who removed him thence? Wilt thou adopt the story which the priests invented, and the soldiers were bribed to circulate, that the Disciples came by night and stole him away? What! were all the soldiers asleep, when the penalty of sleeping at their posts was death? And if they were asleep, how could they tell what was done? And how came it that Jesus, for the space of forty days appeared to various Disciples, and at last ascended to heaven in the presence of five hundred brethren at once? Some of his Disciples, at least, were incredulous enough: Thomas would not believe unless he should put his hand into the print of the nails in his hands and in his feet, and thrust his hand into his side: How came he and all the rest to be persuaded? and how came they to attest the resurrection of Jesus at the peril of their lives, yea, and to lay down their lives in support of that testimony? If thou canst believe that these things were done in support of a direct falsehood, from which they themselves could derive no imaginary benefit, thou believest what is infinitely more incredible than the very fact which thou deniest. Thou mayest condemn credulity in others: but thou thyself art the most credulous of all thy fellows. Inspect the tomb of Jesus, and view it with any measure of candour, and thou canst no more doubt his resurrection than any other fact in the Bible: and, believing that, thou must believe all which either Prophets or Apostles have said concerning him.]
2.
The humble seeker of a crucified Saviour
[To thee I will say, as the angel did to the women, Fear not thou, for thou seekest Jesus who was crucified. The Roman soldiers, who guarded the tomb, had ground enough to fear. The earthquake might well appal them: and the bright angel strike them dead with terror. But nothing hast thou to fear: for the Saviour, even that LORD, who lay in the grave and is risen, is thy Friend, thy Forerunner, thine Advocate and Intercessor. He is gone to appear in the presence of God for thee [Note: Heb 9:24.]: and has thereby given thee an assurance, that he is able to save to the uttermost all who come unto God by him [Note: Heb 7:25.]
Moreover, when thou reflectest on the state to which he is risen, thou mayest well have comfort in the prospect of thine own death; for thou thyself shalt rise, like him, and partake of that very glory which he himself possesses. If we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also that sleep in Jesus will God bring with him [Note: 1Th 4:14.]. To thee, even the most violent death is but a sleep [Note: Act 7:60.]: and in the morning of the resurrection thou shalt awake, and be caught up to meet thy Lord in the air: and then shalt thou be ever with the Lord. Ye drooping saints, who are either lamenting the departure of others, or trembling at the prospect of your own, dry up your tears, and comfort one another with these words [Note: 1Th 4:13-18.]]
Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)
6 He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
Ver. 6. He is not here ] q.d. You are much mistaken, and deserve to be chided for your not crediting, or at least your not remembering, that he foretold you of his resurrection. All which notwithstanding, come see the place, &c., q.d. believe your own eyes at least. Hilaris est haec et plena gaudio invitatio, saith an interpreter. What marvel then though they departed with fear for their faithlessness, and joy for the good news the angels had told, and showed them?
For he is risen ] Consentaneum est Phoenicem ante postremum annum Neronis, significasse resurrectionem Christi et omnium credentium ex morte recepta divinitus vita. The Phoenix is a fit emblem of the resurrection. (Dio in Nerone.)
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
6. ] is further expanded in Luk 6:1-49 ; Luk 7:1-50 . See ch. Mat 16:21 ; Mat 17:23 .
(see ref.) is emphatic; ‘gloriosa appellatio,’ Bengel.
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Mat 28:6 . , etc.: with what sublime simplicity and brevity is the amazing story told! “Versus hic incisa habet perquam apta” (Beng.). The last clause is better without the epithet , more in keeping with the rest. Bengel calls it gloriosa appellatio , but, as Meyer remarks, just on that account it was more liable to be added than omitted.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
as = according as.
see. Greek. eidon. App-133.
lay = was (lately) lying.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
6.] is further expanded in Luk 6:1-49; Luk 7:1-50. See ch. Mat 16:21; Mat 17:23.
(see ref.) is emphatic;-gloriosa appellatio, Bengel.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Mat 28:6. , …, He is not, etc.) This verse contains short clauses which are exceedingly appropriate to the subject matter.- , the Lord) A designation of honour.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
as: Mat 12:40, Mat 16:21, Mat 17:9, Mat 17:23, Mat 20:19, Mat 26:31, Mat 26:32, Mat 27:63, Mar 8:31, Luk 24:6-8, Luk 24:23, Luk 24:44, Joh 2:19, Joh 10:17
Come: Mar 16:6, Luk 24:12, Joh 20:4-9
Reciprocal: Joh 11:34 – General Act 13:30 – General
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
AS HE SAID
He is risen, as He said.
Mat 28:6
On what grounds do you believe in the Resurrection of Jesus Christ? There is a great deal of collateral evidence. There is the evidence of His enemies. There is the testimony of His friends. There is the testimony of what St. Paul witnesses.
I. Sure testimony.But the best testimony that Christ is risen from the dead is that of Jesus Christ Himself. St. John had it from His own lips in that wonderful vision, and the angel beside the empty grave announced it to the frightened women, He is risen, as He said. Christ has spoken and the matter is settled. We accept it by faithfaith in the Word of God Himself, He is risen, as He said. Do not rest the doctrine of Christs Resurrection on a probability. We must be absolutely certain. We must know in Whom we have believed. There must be no perhaps, no inference, no it may be. It must not be a matter of opinion, but a matter of certaintythe certainty of faith in the Word of God; He is risen, as He said.
II. Dead, buried, risen.The force of the Resurrection all depends, of course, upon the great fact of Calvary. He was born in order that He might be able to die, and He died; and because He died, He rose again, the circumstances of His death being detailed to us that we might be quite certain. In the cemetery we see the graves, and one day the dead shall all rise again, and we shall be united again in Christ. That is our religion.
III. A Gospel worth receiving.This is a Gospel worth preaching, and worth receiving, is it not? We do not preach it on the faith of the word of man, but it is on the faith of the Word of God. He is risen, as He said, and opened the Kingdom of of Heaven to all believers. Believest thou this? Wherefore these words to you? Because to men and women the Cross is something more than a refuge; it has changed bereavement into joy.
The Rev. A. H. Stanton.
Illustration
Whether you are young or old, whether your life lies all in the sunshine or half in the shadow, Easter brings you joy. Through the darkness of the crucifixion you have struggled with the foe. In the light of the resurrection-morn victory is given to your hands. Surely when you saw the Son of God upon the Cross, you put away from you for ever the fiction that sin can be fair. You felt the hideousness of the death which it brings in its train. You prayed then, if you never prayed before, for the strength which cometh from above. You strove then, if you never strove before, to conquer the chaos in your heart. And now your earnestness has bred hope, and hope has been turned to confidence. Because Christ has risen from the dead, you know that there is a Power in the universe stronger than the power of sin. You realise that purity cannot die, righteousness cannot utterly perish. These things you desire. These things with the help of the Saviour you will gain.
(SECOND OUTLINE)
THE EMPTY TOMB
As He saidwas there not here an implied reproof? Why wonder at the empty tomb? It was a matter of course to the angel. Hethe Truthhad spoken. We may wholly trust His word.
All is, all was, all shall beas He said.
I. Life must pass, and death, as we call it, draw near. There is a whirl in the broken worldlings heart at the thought, but the Christian need not fear. When thou passeth through the waters, He will be with thee, as He said; and as He said, He that liveth and believeth in me shall never die. The body will grow cold, but
II. The homeless soul, whither shall it wend its way? To the humble believer there need be no fear. Far better than to abide in the flesh is to be with Christ. In Paradise, where the Master is, there shall also the servant be, as He said.
III. He shall come again, as He said, and at His coming His faithful servants shall rejoice. Had Christ not risen, then they who are fallen asleep in Christ had perished. But Christ is risen, as He said.
Prebendary Vernon.
Illustration
In a letter to a clergyman the late Lord Salisbury said: Every one has their own point of view from which they look at these things. To me the central point is the Resurrection of Christ, which I believe. Firstly, because it is testified by men who had every opportunity of seeing and knowing, and whose veracity was tested by the most tremendous trials, both of energy and endurance, during long lives. Secondly, because of the marvellous effect it had upon the world. As a moral phenomenon, the spread and mastery of Christianity is without a parallel. I can no more believe that colossal moral effects lasting for 2000 years can be without cause, than I can believe that the various motions of the magnet are without a cause, though I cannot wholly explain them. To any one who believes the Resurrection of Christ, the rest presents little difficulty. No one who has that belief will doubt that those who were commissioned by Him to speakPaul, Peter, Mark, Johncarried a Divine message. Matthew falls into the same category. St. Luke has the warrant of the generation of Christians who saw and heard the others. That is the line which the evidence of the inspiration of the New Testament has always taken in my mind. But intellectual arguments, as you well know, are not to be relied upon in such matters.
Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary
28:6
Not only had Jesus risen, but he had left the scenes of the tomb. As a visual evidence of the Lord’s resurrection, the women were invited to come and see the place where he bad lain.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Mat 28:6. He is not here, for he is risen. Hilary: Through woman death was first introduced into the world; to woman the first announcement was made of the resurrection.
Even as he said. Comp, the expansion of this thought in Luk 24:6-7, to all the women afterwards, in the sepulchre.
The Lord. So an angel speaks of Jesus who hath been crucified.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Verse 6
The Lord. This form of expression seems to imply that the angels recognized Jesus as their Lord, as well as the Lord of the disciples.