26-0517p - Detailed Summary

Good evening everyone. The preacher, Mike references a morning discussion about possible wrappings under the linen strips around Jesus' body, noting the separate face cloth would allow for this. He emphasizes that Scripture provides the truth. Mike then reads Matthew 28:1-4, describing the events after the Sabbath as the first day of the week dawned: Mary Magdalene and the other Mary visit the tomb, a great earthquake occurs, an angel descends from heaven, rolls back the stone, and sits on it. The angel’s appearance is like lightning with clothing white as snow, causing the guards to shake with fear and become like dead men.

The sermon continues the morning’s discussion on Jesus' grave clothes. It reiterates that the Shroud of Turin could not have covered Jesus, as Jewish custom involved wrapping the body in linen strips. The focus shifts slightly while still addressing the face covering. Mike moves into examining attempts at false teachings about Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection, all aimed at discrediting Him and portraying Him as merely human or non-existent. These falsehoods will be addressed, though the full question of Jesus' existence is reserved for another time.

Jesus cried out with a loud voice, yielded up His spirit, and died on the cross. The account moves to Matthew 27:62-66. On the day after the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees approach Pilate, recalling that the deceiver claimed He would rise after three days. They request the tomb be secured until the third day to prevent the disciples from stealing the body and claiming a resurrection, which would make the last deception worse than the first. Pilate grants them a guard, instructing them to make the tomb as secure as possible. The religious leaders seal the stone and post the guard to prevent any removal of the body.

The religious leaders sought to ensure no one could access the tomb and spread reports of a resurrection. They continued labeling Jesus a deceiver. Pilate’s order allows them to secure the tomb with both a guard and an official seal, making unauthorized entry impossible. However, Mike notes that while they guarded the tomb and sealed the stone, they failed to account for God’s plan. Man cannot thwart God’s intentions, and events unfolded exactly as divinely ordained.

Skipping ahead in Matthew 28, the women arrive, find the stone rolled away, and receive the angel’s message that Jesus has risen. They are instructed to view the empty place where the Lord lay and quickly tell the disciples. Mike then focuses on verse 11: as the women leave, a guard reports the events to the chief priests. The priests and elders assemble, bribe the soldiers with a large sum of money, and instruct them to claim the disciples came at night and stole the body while the guards slept. They promise to appease the governor if the story reaches him. The soldiers accept the bribe and spread the lie, which became commonly reported among the Jews until the time Matthew wrote his Gospel.

Mike highlights obvious problems with this falsehood. If the guards were asleep, how could they identify the disciples as the thieves? The claim also admits negligence on duty, which would anger the governor. Jewish leaders offered to handle any fallout with Pilate. In contrast, the actual events from earlier in Matthew 28—an earthquake, angel, and resurrection—reveal the truth. The devil uses such lies and misunderstandings of Scripture to prevent belief. Many expected the Messiah to establish an earthly kingdom immediately, freeing Israel from Roman rule, a misconception persisting today where some still anticipate a future literal earthly kingdom despite Christ having already established His.

Mike references Billy Lambert’s teaching on "Getting to Know Your Bible," contrasting it with subsequent false claims on the same channel that Jesus' rejection delayed the kingdom and brought the church as a substitute. Scripture shows Jesus' rejection and crucifixion occurred by God’s determinate will, planned before the foundation of the world. He draws a parallel to Israel demanding a king in Samuel’s time; God told Samuel they had rejected Him, not Samuel, and this too was within God’s foreknowledge. Jesus' rejection was no surprise but part of the divine plan.

Another falsehood is the swoon theory, which emerged in the 18th and 19th centuries. It claims Jesus did not truly die but only fainted on the cross. Mike calls this grasping at straws. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus took the body shortly before the Sabbath began at 6 PM, preparing it with spices and wrapping it in linen. They would have noticed if Jesus were merely unconscious. The theory posits revival inside the sealed tomb, but this is implausible: Jesus, bound in grave clothes, would have had to free Himself, push aside a heavy stone (which the women worried about moving), and emerge after severe blood loss from scourging, thorns, nailing, and the spear wound releasing blood and water.

Del Tackett’s lesson on Christ’s death is referenced, introducing the substitution theory where someone else’s body supposedly replaced Jesus'. This fails because the tomb was empty, as confirmed by the angel, the women, and Peter and John. Unbelievers acknowledge the empty tomb but dispute the reason. The grave clothes, seen by Peter and John lying in the exact position of the body (not scattered as in a hasty theft), testify to a miraculous resurrection. Enemies could have ended claims of resurrection by producing a body but did not. Friends stealing it would have left evidence of haste or mistakes, yet the clothes remained orderly, proving no theft occurred.

Scripture mentions the grave clothes sparingly, yet their description reveals much truth when read carefully. Jesus' resurrection offers everyone the opportunity to live righteously through the obedience of faith—being baptized into Christ and walking in newness of life. Mike urges studying the Scriptures like the noble Bereans to discern truth from falsehoods. He invites anyone subject to the gospel to come forward during the closing song for prayer and church support regarding any need.