Lesson 10
The Garden Tomb
Matthew 27: 57-66,
Matthew 28: 1-10
Mark 15:42-47, Mark
16: 1-10
Luke 23: 50-56, Luke
24: 1-12
John 19: 38-42, John
20: 1-18
The Sabbath
is growing near, and Jesus' body needs a place to be buried. If His
body is taken by the Romans to be buried, it becomes the property of the Roman
government. A good man, Joseph of Arimathea,
goes to Pilate and asks for the body of the Savior. Joseph is a member of the Sanhedrin. Joseph is assisted by Nicodemus who is also a
member of the Sanhedrin but they had become true followers of the Savior. Thus
Jesus' body is put to rest by His friends.
“Their first
task was to take down the body of Jesus from the cross....It is profoundly
sobering to think of Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, “two of Jerusalem's
most distinguished leaders laboring in the darkening twilight to loosen the
shattered remains of their Master from the horrible spikes” (Keller, Rabboni,
280). That had to have been a ghastly
job, considering Jesus' physical appearance, but with love and care these loyal
followers prepared his body for burial.
Perhaps they shed many tears. Who
could have performed such a labor and not wept?” (Skinner, The Garden Tomb, p.17)
“Nicodemus
brought a large quantity of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred weight. The odorous mixture was highly esteemed for
anointing and embalming, but its cost restricted its use to the wealthy. These
two revering disciples wrapped the Lord's body in clean linen, “with the
spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury;” and then laid it in a new
sepulcher, hewn in the rock.” (Talmage,
p.617) The way that these men prepared
the body of Jesus was another symbolic way of showing His kingly role in life and the burial
a king would have been given.
The
preparations had to be made quickly, as the Sabbath began at sundown. The Jewish law required that the condemned
were to be buried on the same day as the crucifixion. There were devoted women, “certain women,”
who watched from a distance the preparations the two men from the Sanhedrin
were making for Jesus.
“On the day
following the 'preparation,' that is to say on Saturday, the Sabbath and
“high-day,” the chief priests and Pharisees came in a body to Pilate, saying:
“Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three
days I will rise again. Command
therefore the the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his
disciples come by night and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is
risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first.”
(Talmage, p.617-618) These wicked men
remembered what Jesus had prophesied, and wanted to make sure this would not
take place. They wanted to insure that someone would not take Jesus body and
say that he had risen; rather, they wanted to prove that He would not rise from
the dead. Pilate sent guards to place a
seal affixed to the stone, and guard it for the three days.
“No site
mentioned in scripture has received more attention in Christendom than the
Savior's Garden Tomb, even though its exact geographical location is not
certain. Doctrinally, when we speak of
the Savior's Garden Tomb, we come full circle to the inauguration of the plan
of salvation on this earth, to another garden at the beginning of time, a
garden called Eden. Major events of our
Heavenly Father's plan of salvation, or great plan of happiness, have occurred
in sacred gardens: the garden of Eden, the garden of Gethsemane, and the garden
of the Empty Tomb. The creation, the
Fall, and the Atonement thus become inextricably linked by gardens. The garden of the burial tomb, the site of
Jesus' burial, resurrection, and completed atonement, is tied to the garden of Eden, the place where the
Creation was completed and the Fall took place.
Those gardens, in turn, are linked with the garden of Gethsemane, where
Christ suffered for all sin, sorrow, and pain resulting from the Fall and where
he experienced his greatest suffering.” (Skinner, The Garden Tomb, p.19-20)
Bruce R.
McConkie in his last address in General Conference in April 1985, shared his
testimony of the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
He taught in this talk:
“As we read,
ponder, and pray, there will come into our minds a view of the three gardens of
God—the Garden of Eden, the Garden of Gethsemane, and the Garden of the Empty
Tomb where Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene.
In Eden we
will see all things created in a paradisaical state—without death, without
procreation, without probationary experiences.
We will come
to know that such a creation, now unknown to man, was the only way to provide
for the Fall.
We will then
see Adam and Eve, the first man and the first woman, step down from their state
of immortal paradisaical glory to become the first moral flesh on earth.
Mortality,
including as it does procreation and death,will enter the world. And because of transgression a probationary
estate of trial and testing will begin.
Then in
Gethsemane we will see the Son of God ransom man from the temporal and
spiritual death that came to us because of the Fall.
And finally,
before an empty tomb, we will come to know that Christ our Lord has burst the
bands of death and stand forever triumphant over the grave.
Thus, Creation
is father to the Fall; and by the Fall came mortality and death; and by Christ
came immortality and eternal life. If
there had been no fall of Adam, by which cometh death, there could have been no atonement of Christ, by which
cometh life.
And now, as
pertaining to this perfect atonement, wrought by the shedding of the blood of
God—I testify that it took place in Gethsemane and at Golgotha, and as
pertaining to Jesus Christ, I testify that he is the Son of the Living God and
was crucified for the sins of the world.” (“The Purifying Power of Gethsemane,”
General Conference, April 1985)
After Jesus
took his final breath, his spirit left his body and entered a different realm
of existence. “Now, concerning the state
of the soul between death and the resurrection—Behold, it has been made known
to me by an angel, that the spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed
from this mortal body, yea, the spirits of all men, whether they be good or
evil, are taken home to that God who gave them life.” (Alma 40:11)
It is in the
early hours of the morning, at the Garden Tomb, the Jewish Sabbath has
passed. Guards are still at the rock
that was rolled to cover the opening of the tomb, and it has been sealed by the
Roman guards. It is early morning, and
as the guards are at their watch, there is a violent earthquake. Two angels come down from heaven, and roll
back the huge stone from the opening of the tomb. The guards are so afraid, they shake
uncontrollably and fall to the ground.
God has now shown His power and rolled away the stone. The guards are afraid, and flee from the
tomb, even though they know they could loose their lives for leaving their
post.
“Early in
the morning on the first Easter Sunday, when Jesus took up his physical body
again in the Garden Tomb, where it had been placed the previous Friday, the
entire universe, all of creation, every earth in the cosmos, every living
thing, were changed for eternity. We do
not know the details of the actual resurrection process or what went on inside
the Garden Tomb immediately after the resurrection. We do not know how long Jesus was there. We do know that Jesus passed through his
burial clothes, leaving them lying in place, in the outline and form of the body around which they had been wrapped. John records this in his account. (John
20:4-7)....Jesus … left his burial clothing in place as one more witness of the
greatest of the miraculous acts that compose the Atonement.” (Skinner, The
Garden Tomb, p.93-94)
It is still
early, still with darkness in the sky, Mary Magdalene and other women are on
their way to the tomb. With them they
are carrying the ointments and spices that they had prepared before the
sabbath, to finish the burial of their Lord and Master. These women, “certain women,” have followed
Jesus though out his ministry. They are
dedicated and love this Son of Man. As
they travel to the tomb, they are discussing who will roll away the stone from
the opening of the tomb. (Mark 16:1-2)
They arrive
at the garden and find the stone already rolled away from the tomb. At the tomb they see an angel, they are
afraid. The angel then tells them: “Fear not ye: for I know ye seek Jesus, which
was crucified. He is not here: for he is
risen, as he said. Come, see the place
where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and
tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before
you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.” (Matthew
28:5-7) I love the dedication of these “certain women,” and their love for
Jesus. What great examples of complete
dedication! “And they departed quickly
from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples
word.” (Matthew 28:8)
When they
heard the news, Peter and John, ran to the sepulchre. I love the video “Jesus is Resurrected” that
is easily found on the website lds.org, Peter and John are running to the tomb,
it is as though we are right there watching this great event. Truly, we did watch from heaven all of these
things as they took place. They are a
very real part of our lives, and this is why all of these events are so
familiar to us. Peter and John see that
the Jesus is gone, and leave Mary alone as they go to tell the other disciples.
“But Mary stood
without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked
into the sepulchre.
And seeth
two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet,
where the body of Jesus had lain.
And they say
unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She
saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where
they have laid him.
And when she
had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not
that it was Jesus.
Jesus saith
unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith
unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him,
and I will take him away.
Jesus saith
unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and
saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.” (John 20:11-16)
“Uttering
Mary's name as only he could, in an intonation that only she would recognize
immediately” (Skinner, The Garden Tomb, p.114), Jesus touched her heart, and
she knew it was her Master. Can you
imagine if it were you standing before the Savior. What would you have felt, what joy would fill
your heart, what love would fill your soul!
Mary was the first person to see the risen, resurrected, Lord and
Savior, Jesus Christ. He tells her to
“Touch me not, for I am not yet ascended to my Father, but go to my brethren,
and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father, and to my God, and
your God.”(John 20:11-17)
“To a woman,
to Mary of Magdalena, was given the honor of being the first among mortals to
behold a resurrected Soul, and that Soul, the Lord Jesus. (Talmage, p.
633) “As to why Mary was privileged to
be the first mortal to see the risen Lord, the first Being ever to be resurrected, we are not told.
For that matter, we are not told why all the women to whom the
resurrected Savior first appeared were so blessed, but surely it has something
to do with the way they cared for the Savior, giving all they had
(economically, emotionally, materially, mentally) for him, in life and in
death. There is no doubt that a special
relationship existed between Jesus and Mary. (Skinner, The Garden Tomb, p.
115-116)
Other women
“certain women” also had the privilege of the Savior appearing to them. “To
these women, the Lord appeared personally and confirmed their hopes and
bolstered their believing hearts: 'And as they went to tell his disciples,
behold, Jesus met them saying, All hail.
And they came and held him by the feet, and worshiped him' (Matthew
29:9). They were given a personal
audience with the Lord and felt the overwhelming desire to worship him.”
(Skinner, The Garden Tomb, p. 118)
In The
Mortal Messiah, Bruce R. McConkie teaches us: “In his own infinite wisdom, Jesus chose to
appear to and be handled by a group of other women—all before he came even to Peter
and the rest of the Twelve....These other women included Mary the mother of
Joses; Joanna, evidently the wife of Chuza, Herod's steward (Luke 8:3); Salome,
the mother of James and John. Among
them were women who had been with Jesus in Galilee. Certainly the beloved sisters from Bethany
were there; and, in general, the group would have been made up of the some of
the same ones who have hovered in sorrow around the cross. Their total number may well have been in the
dozens or scores. We know that women in
general are more spiritual than men....
But whoever they were, Jesus is using them and the fact of his
resurrection to show the unity and oneness and equality of the man and the
woman.” (McConkie, B.4, 265-267)
What a
glorious day! What a glorious day in the
history of the world! What would it have
been like to feel, to see, as one of these women did, the resurrected Son of
God?
Like in the
beginning of this study, I am in awe,
with “Christ's Week of Awe.” Our Lord,
and Savior is the victor. Death is
swallowed up in victory!
While I was
attending a funeral of a young mother, my bishop shared this story from Paul
Harvey in his comments:
Nine-year-old
Phillip was in a Sunday School class of eight year olds. He was different. He had Downs Syndrome with all of its obvious
manifestations – face, hands, etc. This
class of eight year olds was cruel – not really intentionally, just kids.
One Sunday
just before Easter, the teacher took plastic eggs to class – the kind you could
fill with candy or small toys. She gave
one to each of the nine students and said, “you go out this week and find
something that reminds you of Easter.
Put it inside this egg and bring it next week. We will open them up and see what is inside.”
The next week,
the eggs were given to the teacher and one by one they opened. One had a flower – oh surely this was a
reminder of Easter. Another – a
butterfly, oh yes, truly a reminder.
Another – a rock – the children laughed.
“Not fair,” they cried. A little boy
said, “I knew you'd get a flower and a bug, but I just wanted to be different,
so here is my rock. It reminds me of the
rock being rolled away from the tomb.” Oh surely this is a reminder of Easter.
When the
last egg was opened, it was empty and the class hysterically laughed. Who could
be so stupid to have an empty egg?
There was a
tug at the teacher's arm and nine-year-old Phillip said, “That's my egg and
it's empty because Christ's gift to me on Easter morning was an empty
tomb.” The laughter now was all
gone. Those Sunday School children never
laughed at Phillip again.
Phillip's
parents knew his life would be short – too many complications for one little
person. Phillip died
before the next Easter. There were many
flowers at the funeral, but none from his Sunday School Class – instead there
were eight empty eggs.”
What a
wonderful way to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior. An empty tomb, an empty egg.
“The Sunday
morning following Friday's crucifixion was the most important Sunday in history
and a day of may firsts. It was the
first time mortals had seen a resurrected being. It was the first time a resurrected being had
spoken or been spoken to. It was the first
time a resurrected body had been touched by mortal hands. It was the first time a Jewish Sabbath or
holy day had been overshadowed by a regular week day. And now it was no longer a “regular” weekday. It would be memorialized forever as the day
when the Lord God of Israel rose from the dead to bring life to all Creation
for eternity. It was the first day that
the first witnesses began to spread the news of the first resurrection—the
ultimate act in the drama that is the Atonement.” (Skinner, The Garden Tomb, p.
120-121)
The Garden Tomb
Prepare
Matthew 27: 57-66,
Matthew 28: 1-10
Mark 15:42-47, Mark
16: 1-10
Luke 23: 50-56, Luke
24: 1-12
John 19: 38-42, John
20: 1-18
Share
the story of the resurrection. Share
each of
the things
that took place: the earthquake, the soldiers,
the angels,
the rolling away of the “large” stone,
the
empty tomb, the people that came to see
the
tomb, the Savior appearing to women.
Share
the meaning of the atonement.
Share
the meaning of the three gardens are
and
the importance they have to us today.
Remembering
There
are many ways to remember as a family
the
Garden Tomb. These are just a few
suggestions
you
can do as a family.
Leave
an empty egg open, with the words
“He
is not here, He is risen” inside.
Underneath
the egg put a piece of white linen.
Make
rolls with marshmallows inside, and when
they
come out of the oven, the marshmallow has melted
and
it is empty inside.
Watch
some of the videos on lds.org about the last
week
of the Savior's life.
Display
a picture of Jesus and Mary at the tomb.
Act of Service
What act of service
can you do that represents the Garden Tomb?
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