21 Apr. Jesus rises from the dead
"The day after the Sabbath day was the first day of the week [Sunday]. At dawn on the first day, Mary Magdalene and another woman named Mary went to look at the tomb."
"At that time there was a strong earthquake. An angel of the Lord came down from heaven, went to the tomb and rolled the stone away from the entrance. Then he sat on the stone. He was shining as bright as lightning, and his clothes were white as snow."
"The soldiers guarding the tomb shook with fear because of the angel, and they became like dead men."
"The angel said to the women, 'Don't be afraid. I know that you are looking for Jesus, who has been crucified. He is not here. He has risen from the dead as he said he would.'"
"'Come and see the place where his body was. And then go quickly and tell his followers, "Jesus has risen from the dead."'"
"'"He is going into Galilee ahead of you, and you will see him there." Then the angel said, "Now I have told you."'"
"The women left the tomb quickly. They were afraid, but they were also very happy. They ran to tell Jesus's followers what had happened."
"Suddenly, Jesus met them and said, 'Greetings'. The women came up to him, took hold of his feet , and worshipped him. Then Jesus said to them, 'Don't be afraid. Go and tell my followers to go on to Galilee, and they will see me there.'"
(Matthew 28:1-10)
Jesus rose from the dead, as he said he would, on the first day of the week - Sunday morning – the third day after his crucifixion and burial on the preceding Friday.
This "Day of Resurrection" – Sunday 9th April 30AD – was actually the most amazing day in world history - the day that God brought his Son - the Jewish 'Messiah', the Greek 'Christ', the universal 'anointed one' of God - back from death to everlasting life! This amazing day is now celebrated by Christians everywhere as "Easter Sunday".
Luke, writing some thirty years later, tells us that, after rising from the dead, Jesus appeared to his disciples over a period of forty days, “and proved in many ways that he was alive” (see Acts 1:3).
The first person that Jesus appeared to was a woman. Matthew's account of Jesus's resurrection from the dead has all the hallmarks of a true eyewitness account as this simple fact would NOT have been invented by Christians in an age when women's testimony was not considered to be as reliable as men's.
The women who brought spices to anoint Jesus’s body on the morning after the Sabbath ended found the stone rolled away and the tomb empty. An angel told them that Jesus had risen from the dead! (see Mark 16:1-8)
Matthew tells us that the Roman guards were paid to say that Jesus's followers had stolen his body while they slept (see Matthew 28:11-15).
But it was NOT a dead body that caused such a stir. Jesus was clearly ALIVE when he appeared to his followers that Sunday...
Jesus first appeared to Mary Magdalene outside the tomb early on the Sunday morning just before sunrise (see Mark 10:9-11).
Mary and the other woman ran back into the city to tell Peter and another disciple (probably John) what had happened. Both men then visited the tomb and found it empty. All they found inside were the strips of linen and the burial cloths that had been placed around Jesus’ face (see John 11:44).
Jesus then appeared to Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of Jesus, on the road near the tomb (see Matthew: 28:1-10).
And later that morning, Jesus appeared to Cleopas and another follower on the road to Emmaus, a village about 7 miles / 11 km west of Jerusalem (see Luke 24:13-35). Immediately, the two men rushed back to Jerusalem to tell Jesus's close circle of friends that they'd seen the risen Lord.
But this was just the start. Over the next six weeks, Jesus appeared to over 400 people to make it absolutely clear - without any doubt - that he was alive again, and would remain alive for ever!
The photo shows a garden containing the 'Garden Tomb' in Jerusalem.
You can read more about the events leading up to Easter Sunday @ https://www.thebiblejourney.org/…/6-jesuss-last-journey-to…/