BOOK 7. THE RESURRECTION.
CHAPTER 1.
7.1.1. Of the Time of Christ's Resurrection.
Of the Time of Christ's Resurrection.
He is risen. -- Come see the place where the Lord lay.
Matthew 28:6
Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead.
2 Timothy 2:8
The sun that went down in a ruddy cloud, is risen again with glorious beams of light. In this piece as in the former, we shall first lay down the object, and then give directions how to look upon it.
The object is Jesus carrying on the work of man's salvation in his resurrection; and during the time of his abode upon earth after his resurrection. Now, in all the transactions of this time, I shall only take notice of these two things. Firstly, his resurrection. Secondly, his apparition; for, first, he rose, and secondly, he shows himself that he was risen; in the first is the position, in the second is the proof.
For the first, the scripture tells us. That he rose again the third day. In this point, I shall observe these particulars; When he arose (this section); and then (in following sections), Why he arose; and, How he arose.
When he arose; it was the third day after his crucifying, "As Jonas was three days and three nights together in the whale's belly, so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth," Matth. xii. 40. This was the time he had appointed, and this was the time appropriated to Christ, and marked out for him in the calendar of the prophets: of all those whom God raised from death to life, there is not one that was raised on the third day but Jesus Christ; some rose afore, and some rose after; the son of the Shunamite, the son of the widow of Serephtah, the daughter of Jairus, he of Nain, and some others rose afore; Lazarus, and the saints that rose again from the dust when Christ rose, stayed longer in the grave; but Christ takes the day, which discovers him to be the Messiah; thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day, Luke xxiv. 46. Had he rose sooner, a doubt might have been of his dying, and had he lain longer, a doubt might have been of his rising: he would rise no sooner, because in some diseases, as in the apoplexy, or such like, examples are given of such, as seeming to be dead, have indeed revived; and he would indeed lie no longer in his grave, because in all dead carcases, and especially in a wounded body, putrefaction and corruption begins the third day, this may be gathered from the story of Lazarus in the gospel, where Jesus commanding the stone to be rolled from his grave, Martha, his sister, answered, "Lord, by this time he stinketh, for he hath been dead four days," John xi. 39. Now the body of Christ (as it was prophesied,) must not corrupt, "For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thy holy one to see corruption," Psal. xvi. 10. Mark this text; all men shall rise again, but their bodies must first see corruption, only the Messiah was to rise again before he saw corruption, and therefore he would not delay his resurrection after the third day. Some think this, and that of Hosea, "After two days he will revive us, and in the third day he will raise us up," Hosea vi. 2. To be the main texts to which Christ refers; when he said, "Thus it is written," Luke xxiv. 46. And to which the apostle refers, when he said. That "Christ rose again the third day according to the scriptures," 1 Cor. xv. 4.
I dare not be too curious in giving reasons for this set time, and the rather because Christ is a free worker of his own affairs; he doth what he pleaseth, and when he pleaseth; times and actions are in his own power, and he needs not to give us any account of them; and yet so far as scripture discovers, we may go along, and amongst many others, I shall lay down these following reasons; --
1. Because the types had so prefigured: we see it in Isaac, Jonah, and Hezekiah, a patriarch, a prophet, and a king.
(a). For Isaac, from the time that God commanded Isaac to be offered for a burnt-offering, Isaac was a dead man, but the third day he was released from death: this the text tells us expressly, that it was the third day when Abraham came to Mount Moriah, and had his son, as it were, restored to him again, Gen. xxii. 4. and Paul discovers, that this was in a figure, Heb, xi, 19.
(a). For Jonah, from the time that Jonah was cast into the sea, and swallowed up of the fish; Jonah was in account as a dead man, but the third day the Lord spake unto the fish, "and it vomited up Jonah upon the dry land," Jonah ii. 10. And that this was a figure of Christ, Christ himself discovers, "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale's belly, so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth," Matt. xii. 40.
(b). For Hezekiah, from the time that Isaiah said unto him, "Set thine house in order, for thou shalt die, and not live," 2 Kings xx. 1. Hezekiah was in account as a dead man; his bed was to him as a grave, but on the third day he was now miraculously raised up again; and as the prophet said, "On the third day thou shalt go up to the house of the Lord, verse 5. Surely this was a figure of Christ, and these types prefiguring Christ, are as one reason.
2. Because the prophets and himself had so foretold; for the prophets we have cited, Psal. xvi. 10, Hosea vi. 2. And for himself, he told them very expressly, that "he must suffer many things of the elders, and chief priests, and scribes, and be raised again the third day," Matth. xvi. 21. Yea, said he, "The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men, and they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again," Matth. xvii. 22, 23. And after this he tells them again. That "the Son of man should be betrayed, and crucified, and the third day he should rise again," Matth. xx. 18, 19, so often had he prophesied thus, that the chief priests and Pharisees came to Pilate after his death, Sir, we remember that this deceiver said, while he was yet alive, after three days I will rise again, command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, Matth. xxvii. 62, 63, 64. And no question his disciples remembered these sayings, for so the two disciples travelling towards Emmaus, after they had said many things concerning him, and that they trusted it had been he which should have redeemed Israel, they added this as a most special observation above all the rest. That "to-day is the third day, since these things were done," Luke xxiv. 21. Why, all these signify, that his rising on the third day was the accomplishment of prophesies, and a certain evidence that he was the Messiah indeed.
3. Because that time was most suitable for comforting his friends, for confounding his enemies, for clearing the truth both of his humanity and divinity, he would stay no longer, lest his disciples might have been swallowed up with grief; and he would come no sooner, lest his enemies should have urged, that he had net died: the watchmen kept the sepulchre till this very time, but then the angels appearing, and the earth trembling, they became as dead men; and as soon as they could they run away; and with their tidings confounded all Christ's enemies. And withal, as Christ consisted both of a divine and human nature, so in respect of his humanity, he must die; and to show his death, it was requisite that he should rise no sooner than the third day, and, in respect of his divinity, it was impossible that he should be held of death any longer than three days, for as he must not see corruption, so "God raised him up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that he should be holden of it" Acts ii. 24.
Footnote added, not in the original:
A question may be asked concerning the apparent difference between the expressions "three days and three nights" and "on the third day" or, "after three days". The answer is that the Jewish expression "three days and three nights" can refer to a span of time that starts on one day and ends sometime on the third day. The reason is that the Jews counted any part of a day as a full day. Similarly, the modern expression, for example, such as "I spent the whole day shopping," does not mean I was shopping for 24 hours or even 12 hours. In regard to the Jews, this common use is mentioned in Rabbinical teachings and also is evident from the following Bible example:
In the book of Esther, we are told Esther commanded the Jews to fast for three days and three nights. "Go, gather together all the Jews who are present in Susa, and fast for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day. I and my maidens will also fast the same way. Then I will go in to the king, which is against the law; and if I perish, I perish." Esther 4:16. But in Esther 5:1 we discover that on the third day she visited the king. "Now on the third day, Esther put on her royal clothing, and stood in the inner court of the king's house, next to the king's house. The king sat on his royal throne in the royal house, next to the entrance of the house." Esther 5:1.