The Resurrection in Matthew

I would like to begin by again making a comparison between Matthew and Mark. In this case, we will examine the centurion at Jesus’ death. In Mark (15: 33-39), the centurion comes to his understanding of Jesus’ messianic status by participating in his suffering. In Matthew (27: 45-54), the centurion watches the events surrounding Jesus’ death in awe as the cosmos is transformed. The experience of awe leads him to see Jesus as the Son of God.

Matthew’s story of the death and resurrection of Jesus (27: 45-28:20) is an amazing one. As Jesus dies, there is an eclipse of the sun, the veil of the Temple is torn in two, an earthquake takes place, rocks are split, tombs open, and bodies of Jewish holy men rise from the dead, and walk around Jerusalem. These resurrected holy men appear to many people.

On Sunday, the two Marys visit the tomb. While there, another violent earthquake occurs, and an angel rolls away the stone. The guards at the tomb are stunned, and act as if they are dead. The angel tells the women that Jesus has risen and will meet the disciples in Galilee. As the women run to tell the disciples the good news, they meet Jesus, touching his feet which suggests that Jesus is physically present. Jesus tells them that he will meet the disciples in Galilee. At some point later, Jesus meets his disciples on a mountain in Galilee where they receive his final instructions.

There is one huge historical problem with this story. It only appears in Matthew. No historian writes about these incredible events. The other gospel accounts differ significantly from what is described in Matthew.

Josepheus was the second century Jewish historian who wrote about Palestine during the time of Jesus. He mentions Jesus twice in his books, but never discusses these events—eclipses of the sun, earthquakes, Jewish holy men rising from their graves and walking again in Jerusalem, and the man Jesus who dies on a cross and yet comes back to life to meet two women in Jerusalem and eleven disciples on a mountain in Galilee. Roman historians writing about this period never mention these events—the most incredible events ever alleged to have taken place in human history. As a result of this glaring omission of historical coverage, I can’t believe that the events described in Matthew took place.

The Matthew story of Jesus’ resurrection is unique in the gospels. In Luke (23:44-24:53), two disciples walking to Emmaus see Jesus but do not recognize him. They do not recognize him! That sounds a little strange. These two disciples finally recognize him at supper, but then he vanishes from their sight. Just flies off somewhere, I guess. Jesus meets the disciples as a group at a home in Jerusalem, the mountain in Galilee is never mentioned, where he seems like a ghost. The disciples then follow him to Bethany where he physically ascends to heaven. Have you ever wondered where he went? Modern telescopes have never located heaven. Astronomers posit that the size of the universe is virtually without limits.

In John (see chapters 20 and 21), Jesus first appears to Mary of Magdala at a tomb. Mary doesn’t recognize him at first, thinking that he is the gardener. Jesus must have disguised himself in some way. After speaking to her, she recognizes him, and runs to report the wonderful news to the disciples. Jesus meets twice with the disciples in a closed room in Jerusalem, a room that he enters as a ghost through closed doors. In chapter 21, Jesus meets the disciples again in Galilee by the Sea in Tiberias. The disciples are fishing there, and fail to recognize him until he performs a miracle.

There are few, if any, common elements in these three stories. Mark’s story, as I commented in an earlier blog, is an add-on, not original to the author. Although it appears to be similar to Luke’s story, it is lacking in details and ambiguous.

There is one final problem with these stories. Jesus appears in all of them to a very small group of people. Religion becomes the possession of an exclusive club. A God of love wouldn’t work in that way.

The conclusion seems obvious: there is little credible evidence to support the belief in Jesus’ physical resurrection. However, something must have happened. The death of this little known carpenter on a cross ignited a movement that three hundred years later grew into the dominant religion in the Roman Empire.

I think that Paul provides us with a better answer than Matthew or the other gospels. He is the first person to write about the resurrected Jesus. Paul meets the resurrected Jesus in a vision experience. He sees Jesus in heaven, not as a physical presence on earth.

Read Paul’s account of his experience on the Damascus road (Acts 9: 1-9). On his way to the city, he is suddenly engulfed by a light from heaven, and then Jesus speaks to him from heaven. In 2 Corinthians 12: 1-12, Paul confirms that this was a vision experience, and that his experience was the same as the experiences of the other apostles.

1 Corinthians 15: 1-50 is another important source of information regarding Paul’s experience. Jesus was raised on the third day. There is no mention of an empty tomb, or a physical body. Flesh and blood do not inherit the kingdom of God according to Paul. Paul’s experience was similar to Cephas, the twelve disciples, 500 brothers, the other apostles, and James. Jesus was raised as the first fruits of all those fallen asleep. They too will be raised to heaven, not to earth in physical bodies.

Does the resurrection as a vision experience have meaning for Christians living in the twenty-first century? I have already argued that Jesus as a salvation figure has little relevance for modern Christians. The gospels are clear that salvation comes from a rather strange Jewish Son of Man, and will take place in the first century. The events predicted have never taken place. Thus, linking the resurrection to salvation or eternal life makes little sense. The resurrection proves nothing with regard to salvation.

A better approach is to ask why Paul, the disciples, and others close to Jesus experienced his continued presence after his death. The answer is simple: love is real, a part of the created universe, and it does not die. Love is real—wow! I am in awe when I think about this fact, and reflect on my self-centered body. Love and the self-centered me have nothing in common. Their sources must be different. The existence of love points to God. It provides my life with purpose and meaning. The resurrection of Jesus confirms it.