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Author: Stephen Weller
690 words, 4 minutes read time

Jesus Has Risen

Scripture: Luke 24:9-12; John 20:3-10

In the previous lesson the two women met the risen Jesus and were instructed to go and tell the disciples. In this lesson we will learn that the disciples did not believe the women and thought they were just making it up.

^{Lk 24:9} And returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. ¹⁰ Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, ¹¹ but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. ^{Jn 20:3} So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. ⁴ Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. ⁵ And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. ⁶ Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, ⁷ and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. ⁸ Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; ⁹ for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. ¹⁰ Then the disciples went back to their homes, ^{Lk 24:12} marveling at what had happened.

The women were obedient and went and told the eleven disciples what the two men and Jesus had told them to say but notice that they also told “all the rest.” This supports the footnote quoted in the previous lesson about the use of “disciple” to be the eleven but to also include other disciples who followed Jesus around learning from him.

We learn from Luke 24:10 that there were more than three women that went to the tomb. They returned all excited over what they experienced and couldn’t keep from sharing with the disciples, but to them their talk was like an idle tale and so was not believed. However, Peter and John who Mary Magdalene went to tell decided to go investigate for themselves. They take off running but John points out that he was the faster runner and got to the tomb first.

John stoops down to look in and he sees the linen cloths lying there but no Jesus. Being a bit timid, he waits outside for Peter to show up. Peter being the bold one goes inside and notice the placement of the cloths and their neatness. John works up courage and also goes in and what he saw causes him to believe that Jesus must have risen and not been taken by someone. Anyone taking the body of Jesus would have to overpower the Roman guard, open the tomb, and removed the body. They surely would not have taken time to remove his cloths and arrange them in such an orderly fashion. These are facts that should not be overlooked as evidence that Jesus rose from the dead.

Up to this point John and Peter did not understand the Scripture that Jesus must rise from the dead but now they see evidence that he did. As they think about this they went back to their homes, marveling at what happened and probably thinking about the instruction to meet in Galilee to meet with Jesus.

Conclusion

As instructed the women go and tell the disciples and others what they had witnessed at the tomb and that the disciples were to go to Galilee to meet Jesus who would appear there to them. At first the disciples did not believe the women, but Peter and John decide to go and check the tomb for themselves. Arriving there they see sufficient evidence to believe that Jesus had indeed risen from the dead and had not been taken from the tomb by someone.