They Could Have Produced the Body

Random Thoughts | Crucifixion | Resurrection | Jesus Christ | Christianity

Aug 27, 2023

1,404 words

“Random Thoughts” is a non-series of posts that I write occasionally, and publish at random, on random topics. My hope is that you’ll contribute your random thoughts on today’s topic in the Comments section.

A Truly Random Thought

The inspiration for this post is so random. It’s also a “God thing” and I’m grateful. Out of nowhere, this filled my thoughts:

They could have produced the body.

“What?”

I was driving home from the grocery store, down one of my favorite back-country roads. I rounded a curve where the cattle like to graze. I gazed out at the wide-open valley at the base of the mountain range. I was processing a lot of sadness about what my family and some of my friends are going through, everyone grieving losses of various kinds.

They could have produced the body.

“Holy Spirit, are you trying to tell me something?” Jesus’ resurrection was far from my mind in that moment.

They could have produced the body.

“Okay, Lord, I’ll go with this, even though it seems like Captain Obvious. You want me to ponder this, so I will.”

At home, I opened my Logos Bible Software and my various online Bibles.

Matthew 26:59-68 (ESV)
59 Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death, 60 but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. At last two came forward 61 and said, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it in three days.’ ” 62 And the high priest stood up and said, “Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?” 63 But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” 64 Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” 65 Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy. 66 What is your judgment?” They answered, “He deserves death.” 67 Then they spit in his face and struck him. And some slapped him, 68 saying, “Prophesy to us, you Christ! Who is it that struck you?”

In their zeal for Yahweh and the law, the chief priests, the Sanhedrin, and Caiaphas railed against Jesus, who was a false rabbi to them. As we know, they cried out for His death. They had paid off Judas Iscariot to betray Jesus. And, some of the leaders watched Jesus die.

Then, there were the Romans, the governmental ruling class over the Jewish people.

Matthew 27:24-26 (Lexham English Bible)
24 So Pilate, when he saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but instead an uproar was developing, took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this man. You see to it!” 25 And all the people answered and said, “His blood be on us and on our children!” 26 Then he released Barabbas for them, but after he had Jesus flogged, he handed him over so that he could be crucified.

Pilate’s wife had warned him not to have anything to do with Jesus due to a dream she had had. Imagine the turmoil in his mind when rumors of the empty tomb circulated around Jerusalem.

And, even though the Jewish leaders wanted Jesus dead on the cross, they panicked because of what Jesus had said.

Matthew 27:62-66 (ESV)
62 The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate 63 and said, “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’ 64 Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last fraud will be worse than the first.” 65 Pilate said to them, “You have a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard.

They could have produced the body.

The Sanhedrin, the chief priests, Caiaphas, and even Pontius Pilot and the officials over the Roman soldiers could have produced the body that was sealed inside Joseph of Arimethea’s tomb. They could have put the corpse on display in a very public space in Jerusalem. Any “grave robbers” would have accepted an enormous sum from a wealthy Roman official to put the corpse on display and hail Caesar as divine.

The disciples hid in fear. They didn’t have it in them to get past the guards, let alone break the seal on the stone and roll it to one side. Besides, their hearts were utterly broken, and they were grieving.

What’s the Point, Captain Obvious?

They could have produced the body.

Why did the Holy Spirit want me to ponder this statement? For assurance?

Assurance of eternal life while grieving impending death?
Assurance of my faith in the face of unbelievers who would confront me?
Assurance that those in Jesus’ day, powerful authority figures, cowered in fear for they knew the truth?

“Yes, Lord. If there had been a body, they could have produced it. And they should have, immediately, to silence the rumors running rampant throughout Jerusalem and beyond. But they didn’t because there wasn’t a body, so they couldn’t.”

The Lord had whispered into my grief, mourning, and sadness with a confident yet quiet and gentle reminder:

They could have produced the body.

But, they didn’t because they couldn’t.

The Lord knew I knew this. He also knew that in the midst of much sad news, and the heaviness it brings, I needed encouragement to press ahead, continue forward in His will and guidance, for Father God raised Jesus His Son from the grave, and He’s our victorious King.

The world is throwing a lot of stuff at us. Reading the news each day throws many into depression, anxiety, and hopelessness. Our enemy is gleefully and openly corrupting so much of what is good. We may one day face violent persecution like our sisters and brothers in North Korea, Nigeria, and South Sudan, to name a few situations. There are many more. We may see our churches burned, as is happening in France and in Pakistan.

Polycarp, the Bishop of Smyrna, was a disciple of the apostle John, the disciple whom Jesus loved and to whom the Lord commended the care of His mother. Under John’s discipleship, Polycarp met other disciples who had been with Jesus. Can you imagine the amazing stories they shared with him?

Polycarp wrote this in his letter to the church in Philippi, refering to beloved believers who had suffered and been martyred for the sake of Christ:

I exhort you all, therefore, to yield obedience to the word of righteousness, and to exercise all patience, such as ye have seen [set] before your eyes, not only in the case of the blessed Ignatius, and Zosimus, and Rufus, but also in others among yourselves, and in Paul himself, and the rest of the apostles. [This do] in the assurance that all these have not run in vain*, but in faith and righteousness, and that they are [now] in their due place in the presence of the Lord, with whom also they suffered. For they loved not this present world, but Him who died for us, and for our sakes was raised again by God from the dead. [Emphasis mine.]

* see Philippians 2:16 and Galatians 2:2

All of the early church fathers (and mothers), in the 1st century A.D. and forward proclaimed Christ Jesus as raised from the dead.

They could have produced the body.

These seemingly random words whispered to me while I was driving home have encourage me greatly. Six simple words initiating a thought that the Lord wanted me to finish with my own words:

“But, they didn’t because they couldn’t.”

My prayer for you, dear readers, is that these few words will encourage you today and every day, whatever you’re dealing with, in hard times and in good times.

They could have produced the body.

But, they didn’t because they couldn’t.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Your Turn

If you have access to the internet, here’s a video clip from the movie Risen, one of my favorite films. It has closed captioning, and I recommend viewing it in Full Screen. Duration = 1 minute 15 seconds.

(Unfortunately, there are ads at the beginning and at the end of the clip.)

Risen Movie CLIP - Mary Magdalene (2018) - Joseph Fiennes, Tom Felton Movie HD