Matthew 27:62–63  On the next day, which was the day after the Preparation Day, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered in the presence of Pilate ⁶³ and said, “Sir, we remembered what that deceiver said while he was still alive: ‘After three days I will rise again.’

Matthew 28:5–6    The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid! I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. ⁶ He is not here. He has risen, just as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.   (EHV)

Dear Friends in Christ,

If you watch different news channels the same story is often reported in two totally different ways. Sometimes it’s hard to know what to believe. There were two completely different versions of what happened on the first Easter too. There’s the one that has survived in writing from no less than five different sources, namely Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and the Apostle Paul. They all tell us the same story, filling in some extra details, but all in agreement on what took place that first Easter. But then there’s a totally different version, that the same writers tell us about: The “Fake News” story, namely that the disciples came and stole Jesus’ body.

The fake news version of Easter started with the chief priests and the Pharisees. They were worried they would lose their power and influence if people believed Jesus was alive so they made a plan to guard the tomb. They saw to it an official wax seal was placed on the stone at the entrance of the grave, and they arranged to have a detachment of guards spend the night there to make sure no one could disturb the burial place. In our text they said, “We remember that while he was still alive, that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’”

Did you hear what they called Jesus? “That deceiver.” And this was not the first time. Earlier in Jesus’ ministry, these same people had challenged the temple guards who had been amazed at Jesus’ teaching, “You mean he has deceived you also?” (John 7:47). Wicked people project their motives on others. As they planned their own deception, they accused Jesus of being the deceiver.

More than once, Jesus had been unjustly labeled a deceiver. Could His resurrection be nothing more than a well-orchestrated hoax? Could the resurrection be “fake news”? No, Jesus Rose, Just as He Promised. Let’s examine the evidence.

He Was Truly Dead

Jesus Rose From The Dead Just As He Promised. For that to have happened, Jesus first of all had to be truly dead. We may take that for granted, but unbelieving skeptics haven’t. Have you ever heard of the “swoon theory”—the idea that Jesus simply passed out convincingly? But for Jesus to have risen from the dead in fulfillment of His incredible promise, there can be no mistake, no deception, in regard to His death. We weren’t there to witness the event. How can we be sure? Don’t take my word for it. Consider the facts.

First, of course, is the written testimony given by the evangelists, who passed on the words of Jesus from the cross. The last words Jesus cried out were “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46). Then, Matthew writes, He “gave up his spirit” (Matthew 27:50). That’s the definition of death—when the spirit leaves the body.

Jesus’ friends and mother weren’t the only ones who witnessed His death. What about those who actually executed him? Scripture tells us “when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus,…saw how he died, he said, ‘Surely this man was the Son of God!’” (Mark 15:39). That Italian centurion was an official of the Roman government—and a soldier—hardly what you’d call a sympathizer. Undoubtedly, the centurion had witnessed lots of deaths. He knew. He testified. Jesus was dead.

And what about the crowds? Luke wrote: “When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away” (Luke 23:48). Why did they do that? Why did they express such grief? Because of the scene they beheld. They saw Jesus cry out, then bow His head in death and stop breathing. Then, at the very same moment they heard the earthquake. His spirit left him. Jesus was dead.

Finally, we have the word of the soldiers whose job it was to make sure that the crucified men actually died. They were sent out to break the legs of the three being crucified to speed up their deaths. But when they came to Jesus, they didn’t do it. Why not? Certainly to fulfill the Scripture which said, “Not one of his bones will be broken” (John 19:36). But the Roman soldiers weren’t exactly Bible readers. They simply saw that He was already dead. Instead one of the soldiers thrust a spear into Jesus’ side, just to be sure. Out flowed blood and water. Yes, Jesus was dead.

Dear friends, we could go on. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus took Jesus down from the cross and carried Him to the garden tomb. The women who followed to the tomb with them to watch—they also gave the same testimony. Even the chief priests and the Pharisees joined in by demanding a guard be posted at the tomb to make sure the dead man stayed put. Jesus was dead.

The Jewish leaders falsely accused Jesus of being a “deceiver.” If He had been, the time of His death would have been the time to do it! If you want to stage a fake resurrection, it’s a lot easier if you’re not really dead! But there was no deception. His death was not “fake news” but the real deal.

When He began his final journey to Jerusalem, Jesus foretold He would die there. He took His disciples aside and said, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. He will be handed over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him, spit on him, flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again” (Luke 18:31-33). It all happened just as Jesus had said it would.

It may sound strange, but we find great comfort in the fact that Jesus truly died. Why? Because, as we learned on Good Friday, the Old Testament prophets had foretold, “He was taken away without a fair trial and without justice, and of his generation, who even cared? So, he was cut off from the land of the living. He was struck because of the rebellion of my people. ⁹ They would have assigned him a grave with the wicked, but he was given a grave with the rich in his death, because he had done no violence, and no deceit was in his mouth” (Isaiah 53:8–9). The prophecies were clear: the Messiah was to die. If Jesus had not died, if His death had been a deception, you and I would be doomed, because God demanded the death of His Son as payment for our sins. If Jesus had not really died, we would still be guilty.

But His death was no deception, and we are justified—acquitted before God. Thank heaven that Jesus really died!

He Is Truly Alive

But as surely as the Lord died, so surely did He rise from the dead! Again, there was no deception. It’s not “fake news.” It’s the real deal.

Oh, the chief priests and elders of the people tried their best to make it look like “fake news.” They gave the soldiers who stood guard at the tomb a large sum of money and told them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep’” (Matthew 28:13). That’s a pretty lame story when you think about it, since the penalty for a Roman soldier falling asleep on the job was death. But the Jewish leaders wanted it to look as if Jesus’ followers had pulled off a grand illusion.

But there was no deception in Jesus’ resurrection!

Again, consider the evidence. When the women arrived at the tomb, a totally unexpected sight greeted them. The guards were gone. The stone had been rolled away. The tomb was empty. Mind you, they didn’t jump to any spiritual conclusions. Just the opposite! They assumed there was some completely earthly explanation: the grounds-keeper had moved the body or, worse yet, perhaps someone had stolen it.

The angels, however, knew the truth. They told the women, “He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.” Angels—beings created to come and go from the presence of the living God—were the ones who delivered the news. God’s holy angels do not lie.

It’s not good to question the reliability of an angel’s message. Remember when Zechariah did so? The angel responded, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news” (Luke 1:19). And before he could say another word, Zechariah had been struck dumb to teach him a lesson: When angels appear to you and talk, listen up! The angels on Easter morning were sent by God Himself to deliver the good news to the women: Jesus Rose, Just As He Promised.

But the angels weren’t alone. Many others testified that Jesus had risen. The women later saw Jesus with their own eyes. Then the disciples saw Jesus appear before them in the upper room. A week later, Thomas—the biggest skeptic of them all—touched His hands and His side. In fact, more than five hundred believers saw Him at the same time (1 Corinthians 15:6). Summing it all up in his first epistle, John tells us, “That which…we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim” (1 John 1:1).

The disciples saw, heard, and touched the Lord, not just once or twice, but repeatedly over the course of forty days, before they personally witnessed Him ascend into heaven. He talked with them. He ate and drank with them. He even cooked breakfast for them on a beach! The evidence is overwhelming! If it weren’t, Gamaliel’s prophecy would have come true, and Christianity would have quickly died out—no more than a blip on the radar screen of history! Instead, the truth of Jesus’ resurrection has conquered the globe, as evidenced by the millions upon millions in church this day.

Dear brothers and sisters, the Lord made a promise. When He told the disciples He would die in Jerusalem, He also told them that He would rise again. What an outrageous promise! No other person in the history of the world has ever promised to return to life and then actually done it! Only Jesus! He alone has the power over death! He Rose Just As He Promised! Try as they might, the Jewish leaders couldn’t stop Him. They knew He said He would rise again. They knew that if Jesus did what He said He would do, He would overthrow all their false ideas. They knew their followers would recognize them as frauds and abandon them. But they couldn’t do anything about it! Their paid guards couldn’t stop Jesus. Nothing could! He Rose Just As He Said He Would.

And if Jesus could keep this most awesome promise, we need to take everything else He says seriously. He can do everything He promises! And He promised: “Because I live, you also will live” (John 14:19). He can and will keep that promise. Let there be no doubt in your minds. Let there be no fear in your hearts. I Know that My Redeemer Lives. What comfort this sweet sentence gives!” Jesus lives! This real news has stood the test of time for 2000 years. Jesus Rose, Just as He Promised! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Amen.