“ ‘He Is Risen!’ ”

The victory of Christ over Satan and his evil powers was secured on

the cross and confirmed by the empty tomb. “When Jesus was laid in the

grave, Satan triumphed. He dared to hope that the Saviour would not take

up His life again. He claimed the Lord’s body, and set his guard about

the tomb, seeking to hold Christ a prisoner. He was bitterly angry when

his angels fled at the approach of the heavenly messenger. When he saw

Christ come forth in triumph, he knew that his kingdom would have an

end, and that he must finally die.”—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages,

p. 782. And though Christ’s humanity died, His divinity did not die. In

His divinity, Christ possessed the power to break the bonds of death.

Read Matthew 28:1–6; John 10:17, 18; and Romans 8:11. Who was

directly involved in the resurrection of Jesus?

During His ministry in Samaria-Peraea, Jesus stated that He Himself

had power to lay down His life and to take it again (John 10:17, 18). To

Martha He said, “ ‘I am the resurrection, and the life’ ” (John 11:25).

Other passages speak of His resurrection as an act of God (Acts 2:24,

Rom. 8:11, Gal. 1:1, Heb. 13:20). Even a mighty angel of the Lord was

involved in that glorious event (Matt. 28:1, 2).

Meanwhile, Matthew 28:11–15 reveals the futile and foolish efforts

of the leaders to continue fighting against Jesus. The Roman guard told

the leaders “all the things that had happened” (Matt. 28:11, NKJV).

Implicit in this account is the idea that the guards saw the Resurrection.

If not, what would their words mean? An angel came down from

heaven, moved the stone, sat on it, and the guards fainted? The next

thing that they knew the tomb was empty? Maybe, while the Romans

were unconscious, the angel took away the body of Jesus? Maybe the

disciples did? Or someone else stole it? Whatever happened, the body

of Jesus was, obviously, gone.

An angel from heaven coming down, the men fainting from fear,

and the tomb being empty would have been disconcerting enough to

the religious leaders. But that they “gave a large sum of money to the

soldiers” (Matt. 28:12, NKJV) to keep these men quiet implied that

whatever the soldiers told them disturbed them deeply. And what they

told of, of course, was the resurrection of Jesus.

Some scoff at the idea that the first people to see Christ resur-

rected were Romans. Why? In what ways is this truth symbolic

of what was to come: the gospel going to the Gentiles, as well?