Dead Man Walking!

Christianity stands or falls on the truth of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Your faith stands or falls on the truth of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Either Jesus rose from the dead the third day as the Bible claims, or He didn't. If Jesus did rise from the dead, your faith is secure and anyone who denies Christ and refuses to believe in Him is in deep trouble come Judgment Day. But if Jesus did not rise from the dead, we who believe are most to be pitied.

Paul said just that: "And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up... And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable." (1 Cor. 15:14-15a, 17-19)

With that in mind, I would like to take another look at the story of the resurrection of Christ through the eyes of a few eyewitnesses. Yes, there were a few eyewitnesses who were there that glorious morning, about four to be exact. And they saw it all! Or, at least what there was to see!

Historically the resurrection of Jesus Christ is well attested. Much has been written on it, even in historical writings outside of the Scriptures. There were many witnesses of the resurrection, as recorded in the Bible. The first were several of the women who followed Jesus (Matt. 28:8-10). Then there were the two men on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35). Then Jesus appeared to the disciples, first without Thomas (John 20:19-21), then with Thomas (vs. 26-29). There were even over five hundred followers of Jesus who saw Him at one time (1 Cor. 15:6).

All of these witnesses saw the resurrected Christ face to face. But there is a group of men who were at the tomb when the stone was rolled away and Jesus rose from the dead. It was a group of Roman soldiers who had been assigned to guard the tomb. They were there most of Saturday and into Sunday morning. They witnessed Jesus rise from the dead! They were there! They saw it! They verify the truth.

The presence of these guards at the tomb protects the truth of the resurrection according to God’s plan and design. However, there are three things we must understand about these guards.

First, we need to know who they were. That requires that we understand the setting. Once the disciples were certain everything was done correctly, Joseph of Arimathea “rolled a large stone against the entrance of the tomb and went away” (Matt. 27:60). It was rare to find a stone entrance to a Jewish tomb in biblical times; most Jewish tombs had doors with certain types of hinges. A large stone rolled before the tomb would be much more difficult to move, making the burial site more permanent.

The chief priests and Pharisees weren’t so sure that the site was secure. Fearing that the disciples would steal the body and claim Jesus had risen, they came to Pilate and said, “Sir, we remember that when He was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I am to rise again.’ Therefore, give orders for the grave to be made secure until the third day, otherwise His disciples may come and steal him away and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last deception will be worse than the first” (Matt. 27:63, 64).

When the chief priests and the Pharisees asked “for the grave to be made secure,” the Greek word “secure” described a legal seal that was placed on documents, letters, possessions, or in this case, a tomb. It was to authenticate that the sealed item had been properly inspected before sealing and that all the contents were in order. As long as the seal was unbroken, it guaranteed that the contents inside were safe and sound. In this case, the word is used to signify the sealing of the tomb. In all probability, it was a string that was stretched across the stone at the entrance of the tomb, which was then sealed on both sides by Pilate’s legal authorities.

Before sealing the tomb, these authorities were first required to inspect the inside of the tomb to see that the body of Jesus was in its place. After guaranteeing that the body was where it was supposed to be, and confirming that He was indeed dead, they rolled the stone back in place and then sealed it with the official seal of the Roman governor.

After hearing the suspicions of the chief priests and Pharisees, Pilate replied, “You have a guard: go, make it as secure as you know how” (Matt. 27:65). The word “guard” is the Greek word coustodia, from which we get our word custodian. This coustodia (guard) was a group of four Roman soldiers whose shift changed every three hours. The changing shifts assured that the tomb was guarded 24 hours a day by soldiers who were awake, attentive, and fully alert. When Pilate said, “You have a guard,” it was the same as saying, “I’m giving you a set of soldiers; take them and guard the tomb.”

“And they went and made the grave secure, and along with the guard they set a seal on the stone” (Matt. 27:66). The chief priests and Pharisees made haste and went quickly to the tomb with their government issued soldiers and special officers assigned to inspect the tomb before placing Pilate’s seal on it. After a full inspection had been made, the stone was put back, sealed, and the soldiers stood guard to protect the tomb from anyone who would attempt to touch it or remove its contents. Every three hours, new guards arrived to replace the old ones. These armed soldiers guarded the entrance to Jesus’ tomb so firmly that no one would have been able to come near it.

The purpose of the seal was to authenticate that Jesus was dead; therefore, we can know that His body was thoroughly inspected again for proof of death. There is no doubt that Jesus was dead, for He was examined again and again, even as He lay in the tomb. So these soldiers left no doubt as to the truth of the resurrection.

Second, we need to know what they saw. What they saw was nothing short of phenomenal. First, there was “a severe earthquake” (Matt. 28:2a) which surely startled them. But what really frightened them was the cause of the earthquake. They saw “an angel of the Lord” who “descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow” (vs. 2b-3).

We are told, “The guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men” (v. 4). And so they should, because they had just witnessed the resurrection! When the women arrived, they saw the same angel and were “afraid” (v. 5), yet their reaction was quite different. They had come after the fact and found an empty grave. The soldiers had not only seen the angel, but this Jesus, whom they knew was dead, just as calmly as could be, walked out of His grave very much alive! Dead man walking! Their reaction is to be expected. They knew the truth. They had seen it with their own eyes. It was as the angel said, “He is not here, for He has risen” (v. 6).

That sounds exciting and is one possible scenario of what they saw, but it most likely didn't happen that way. It is unlikely that they saw Jesus walk out of the grave. In His resurrected body He could appear behind closed and locked doors: "Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you” (John 20:19).

In all probability, when the stone was rolled away, Jesus was already gone. He had already risen and left the tomb. You see, the angel did not roll the stone away to let Jesus out of the tomb. He wasn't there! No, the angel didn't roll the stone away to let Jesus out, he rolled the stone away to let the guards, the women, and the disciples in to see that Jesus had indeed risen, just as He said He would.

The guards had seen all they needed to see. They saw the angel come down from heaven and roll the stone away, and they could see that the tomb was empty, which was impossible! The seal wasn't broken until the angel broke it! Jesus was dead. The body had to be there, but it wasn't! There was only one explanation: Jesus had risen, just as He said He would.

Third, we need to know what they did and said. When they came to their senses, they likely fled the scene. For the body to disappear under their watch meant death for each of them. It was a matter of Roman law. Or maybe they didn't flee. After all, they were trained to stand strong even in the face of certain death. Maybe some of them stayed behind and kept the area secure. What we are told is, “some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all that had happened” (Matt. 28:11). They told them that Jesus’ body was not stolen. They told them that Jesus had risen from the dead, just as He said He would.

They went first to “the chief priests” rather than the Roman governor, not out of fear, but because they had been assigned to the Jewish leaders. And “the elders” were not happy. “They gave a large sum of money to the soldiers” telling them to say, “His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were asleep” (vs. 12b-13). Then they reassured the soldiers (remember they faced the death penalty), “If this should come to the governor’s ears, we will win him over and keep you out of trouble” (v. 14).

What did the soldiers do and say? They changed their story. They had been bought off. “They took the money and did as they had been instructed; and this story was widely spread among the Jews, and is to this day” (v. 15). Still today, people refuse to believe and claim either that Jesus wasn’t actually dead or that His body had been stolen. But despite their later story, it is the guards who stand as proof, both that He really was dead and that Jesus did rise again.

Where do you stand? Do you believe? If you have not confessed faith in Christ, now is the time to receive Jesus. Pray. Confess your sin. Ask Jesus into your life right now. Amen.