Near the end of his mortal ministry, Jesus Christ went to Bethany, a suburb of Jerusalem, with his disciples. There he publicly raised his close friend, Lazarus, from the dead.
Christ had performed many miracles during his ministry and raised at least two others from the dead, but this time was different. Most of his ministry had been private and focused on the individual. The others he had raised from the dead had died recently enough that word had not yet spread or Christ could claim they had just been sleeping. This time, Christ demonstrated his divine power in a public setting after Lazarus had been buried for several days. It was an undeniable witness that Christ had divine power, as He professed, and a fitting capstone to a ministry dedicated to inspiring faith in the Son of God and His ability, as the Messiah, to save us from sin and death.
Many of those who witnessed the raising of Lazarus believed in Christ, but some of them went to the Pharisees to report what they had seen. "Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man doeth many miracles. If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation... Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death" (John 11:47-48, 53). The Pharisees would also try to kill Lazarus, who was walking evidence of Christ's miracle (John 12:9-11).
With the table set for his crucifixion, Christ went to the wilderness in Ephraim for a time. The Savior often retreated to the wilderness for spiritual preparation and revelation, and, though the scriptures do not specifically say it, we can expect that was again his purpose here. He knew that His time had come and so He turned to God in the face of trial for strength to do God's will.
We don't know how long Christ was in the wilderness. Some scholars speculate that it was about two weeks; others say more or less. What we do know is that his return to Jerusalem would start the events we now know as Holy Week.
Palm Sunday
When there was a temple in Jerusalem, faithful Jews would travel to the Holy City for Passover. This pilgrimage represented the Exodus from Egypt, or "the world" at lower elevations, up into the presence of God at the temple in Jerusalem. It also allowed Jews to participate in sacred rituals, including the sacrifice of the paschal lamb that would bring divine forgiveness and purification. It was on such a trip decades earlier that the twelve-year-old Christ was found teaching the priests in the temple.
After his time preparing in the wilderness, Christ began his journey to Jerusalem. He traveled on Sunday, the first day of the week after the traditional sabbath on Saturday. Before entering the city, Christ went around it and two miles beyond to visit Lazarus and his sisters, Mary and Martha, in Bethany. As Martha served supper, and despite a protest from Judas Iscariot, Mary lovingly anointed Christ's feet with a costly ointment and wiped his feet with her hair (John 12:2-8). This, Christ explained, was something she had saved for the time of his burial.
After supper, Christ traveled the two miles back to Jerusalem. Near the Mount of Olives, just outside of the city, Christ turned to two of his disciples and told them to go to a nearby village and retrieve a young donkey, which they did with the owner's permission (Mark 11:1-6, Luke 19:28-34). Matthew, whose primary purpose in writing was to prove to the Jewish people that Christ fulfilled the prophecies of the Torah, zealously records that Christ rode both a donkey and a colt into the city, as prophesied by Zechariah (Matthew 21:1-5, Zechariah 9:9). Most likely, Zechariah was just being poetic and the donkey and the colt are the same animal.
The crowds of pilgrims at Jerusalem had heard about Lazarus being raised from the dead. Word spread quickly that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem and "all of the city was moved" to greet him. They spread their cloaks in the road as they would for a great king and took branches of palm leaves, symbolic for victory, triumph, peace, and eternal life. This must be the Messiah! This must be the man who would deliver them from Rome! As Christ passed, the multitude cried, "Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest." (Matthew 21:6-11, Mark 11:7-11, Luke 19:35-38, John 12:12-18).
Some of the Pharisees in the multitude were less pleased and asked Christ to rebuke the people. They were plotting to kill him, after all, and that would be more difficult if "the world is gone after him" (John 12:19). Christ testified, "I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out" (Luke 19:40). He was the promised Messiah; and even if the people were silenced, the earth itself would testify of its creator.
Yet, as he beheld the city, Christ wept for all the people did not see. The city would be destroyed, he prophesied, "because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation" (Luke 19:44). Their god had been among them, but they had been too skeptical, too preoccupied, or too proud to accept of all he could have shared with them.
Holy Monday
Christ was lodging in Bethany with Lazarus and his sisters, walking the two miles to and from Jerusalem each day. As he set out with his disciples on Monday, Jesus was hungry, "and seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon" (Mark 11:13). It was not yet the season for figs, but fig trees bear fruit before their leaves so the leaves on the tree were a sort of announcement that the tree was laden with fruit. It turned out to be a deception; there was no fruit on the tree.
"The symbol was perfect-- a tree professing fruits and having none standing in the very shadows of the temple where a corrupt priesthood professed righteousness and devotion to Israel's God as they plotted the death of his Son" (Joseph F. McConkie, Studies in Scripture, Vol. 5: The Gospels, ed. by Kent P. Jackson and Robert L. Millet, 376). Christ cursed the tree, which immediately withered, as a symbol or foreshadowing of the "heaviest of all cursings" he has promised for those, like the chief priests and Pharisess, who profess his authority and yet reject him (D&C 41:1).
Continuing on to the temple, Christ destroyed the marketplace he found inside and cast out those who were doing business there, "saying unto them, It is written, My house is the house of prayer: but ye have made it a den of thieves" (Luke 19:46). With the temple cleansed, he began to teach and healed the blind and the lame who came unto him. "And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children crying in the temple, and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David; they were sore displeased" (Matthew 21:15). As the Pharisees had done the previous day, these rulers looked to Christ to refute the people. Instead, Christ reminded them that King David had prophesied these events in the ministry of the Messiah (Matthew 21:16, Psalm 8:2). Hearing this, "the chief priests and the scribes... sought to destroy him, And could not find what they might do: for all the people were very attentive to hear him" (Luke 19:47-48).
Holy Tuesday
On the walk into Jerusalem the following day, the disciples saw the withered fig tree and marveled. "Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive" (Matthew 21:21-22).
Returning to the temple to continue his teaching, Christ was confronted at the entrance by the chief priests, scribes, and elders who wanted to know by what authority he performed such marvelous acts. They had confronted him with the same question before, citing the "tradition of the elders" as the authority Christ and his disciples needed to follow (Mark 7:3; Matthew 15:2). During that earlier confrontation, Christ had refuted their tradition by showing how it contradicted the commandments and noting that "if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch" (Matthew 15:3-14).
This time, Jesus turned the entrapment back on the leaders by asking whether the baptism of John was ordained of heaven or men. The leaders saw themselves as the ultimate authority-- the keepers and enforcers of the tradition of the elders. They disapproved of John, but their positions were also political in nature and they feared the majority who believed John was a prophet. "And they answered and said unto Jesus, We cannot tell. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things" (Mark 11:33).
Christ then taught the leaders three parables. In the first, a man had two sons: one who refused to work at first but eventually did, and another who said he would work but never did. In the second, the owner of a vineyard hired men to work in his vineyard, but they killed his messengers and eventually even the son of the vineyard owner. In the third, a king invited people off the street to the wedding of his son because those who had been invited killed the servants who invited them and were subsequently destroyed by the armies of the king. The leaders knew all three parables condemned them and their behavior, but Christ also said as much explicitly: "Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you" (Matthew 21:31). The leaders' violent desires toward Christ were restrained only by their love of power and fear of the people in the crowded temple.
Christ continued to teach both the leaders and the people who had gathered around them. He answered all of the leaders' entrapments about tribute, marriage and resurrection, the greatest commandment, and how he could be the son of David if David worshipped him. He denounced hypocrisy and taught his disciples about the widow's mite.
Leaving the temple, Christ mourned over Jerusalem a second time. When Andrew and Phillip came to tell him that there were Greek Jews wanting to meet him, he taught and testified to them and all the people around them that he was sent by God to do His will. At the Mount of Olives, Christ taught his disciples about the destruction of Jerusalem, signs of the second coming, and the parables of the ten virgins, the talents, and the sheep and the goats.
Holy Wednesday
The scriptures don't specifically say what Christ did on the second day before Passover. Perhaps he continued to teach in the temple or around Jerusalem. Perhaps he retreated into the wilderness for rest and further preparation for the days ahead. He continued to lodge in Bethany, which protected him from the schemes of the Jewish leaders. Some Christians call this day "Silent Wednesday," suggesting a time for quiet contemplation and reflection.
Maundy Thursday
Joseph ben Caiaphas was the high priest in Israel, appointed by Rome, and among Jerusalem's elite aristocracy. With Roman support, he had held his position for more than fifteen years. In the aftermath of Lazarus being raised from the dead, the leaders of Israel had gathered at his palace and he had prophesied "not of himself... that Jesus should die for that nation; And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad" (John 11:51-52). Now the same leaders were gathered in his palace again, having been unsuccessful in all of their entrapments, to conceive a new plot to kill Christ. They knew it would cause an uproar if they acted on the day of the Passover feast-- they needed to be more subtle-- but they didn't have a plan until the appearance of an unlikely ally.
"Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver" (Matthew 26:14-15). Christ had recently prophesied that he would be betrayed and crucified (Matthew 26:1-2) and Zechariah had prophesied the sale for thirty pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12-13). Although it amounts to less than five hundred dollars in modern currency, it was the standard price for a slave in ancient Israel. It was also the amount named in a popular idiom, carried over from Sumerian culture, that something of trivial value was "a mere thirty shekels." Judas had trivialized Christ, an action he would deeply regret later, and agreed to help the leaders of Israel find a private opportunity to arrest the Savior.
Meanwhile, this was also the first day of the Feast of the Unleavened Bread and the disciples asked where they might prepare to eat the Passover. Christ told the disciples where they could find a room and there they made the necessary preparations.
As the Last Supper began, Christ identified Judas as his betrayer, warned him of the consequences of that betrayal, then conceded to the choice Judas had already made. "That thou doest," he said, "do quickly" (John 13:27).
The word "maundy" in "Maundy Thursday" refers to a mandate or a command. As the apostles ate with Christ for the last time, he commanded them to love one another, taught them about servant leadership, and encouraged them to follow his example. He instituted the sacrament and taught them about the Holy Ghost.
After supper, Christ began to wash the disciples' feet. This was a beautiful act of service, but it was also necessary to continue teaching the apostles all that Christ had to share with them. Cleansing rituals were common in Israel and a more thorough ritual was done when entering the temple; but if a person left the temple and returned the same day, they washed only their feet upon reentry. As the apostles sat in an upper room chosen by Christ, having been in the temple earlier that day, Christ reintroduced them into a temple environment. When Peter did not understand and objected, Christ taught, "If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me" (John 13:8). Peter then consented and we are left to understand that Christ taught his apostles about temple ordinances under the Melchizedek Priesthood.
The temple experience ended with a hymn and Christ and his disciples left for the Mount of Olives. Christ warned the disciples that they would be offended because of him that night, that Peter would deny him three times, and that they would be hated by the world. He again taught them to love one another, to turn to him as the true vine, and that he would send the Comforter. He taught them again about his Atonement and he prayed for them. Then he asked his First Presidency-- Peter, James, and John-- to continue with him a little farther while the rest of his disciples stayed where they were.
It must have been late into the evening when Christ, Peter, James, and John entered the Garden of Gethsemane. A traditional supper would have started around 6:00 p.m. and they had since received a great deal of instruction, including their temple experience. It was well after sundown and so, by the Jewish reckoning of time, it was already Friday.
Feeling sorrow "unto death," Christ asked Peter, James, and John to pray and watch. "And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt" (Mark 14:34-36). "And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground" (Luke 22:43-44).
Twice the Savior returned to Peter, James, and John, and woke them from their sleep and asked them again to watch and pray. When he returned the third time, he told them to rise.
He had scarcely done so when Judas arrived with a body of temple guards and a band of Roman soldiers. This opportunity was unique: normally, Christ was surrounded by people or staying the night in Bethany, but now he had only his apostles in the dark seclusion of Gethsemane.
Judas greeted Christ, saying, "Hail, master," and kissing his face. It was a common greeting, but Christ knew it meant something more to the ecclesiastical and military forces that Judas had brought. "Friend, wherefore art thou come?" he asked. Then the rebuke, "Judas, betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss?" (Matthew 26:47-50, Luke 22:47-48).
Turning to the officers who were sent to arrest him, Christ asked, "Whom seek ye? They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am he... As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground" (John 18:4-6). If we take the biblical description literally, there could have been 300 - 600 soldiers present, yet, as Elder James E. Talmage observed, "Christ's presence proved more potent than strong arms and weapons of violence."
Christ asked again and identified himself again, asking this time for his apostles to be allowed to leave. Peter attempted to defend Christ with the sword, but Jesus rebuked him and healed the ear of Malchus that had been damaged by Peter's rash stroke. Submitting to the officials there to arrest him, Christ called out his oppressors for their cowardice. He had been in the temple every day and could have been arrested there, yet they chose to do their evil deed in the dark. As Christ was led away, the apostles fled except for Peter, who followed at a distance.
Good Friday
The soldiers illegally took Christ first to the house of Annas, the father-in-law to Caiaphas who had been the high priest two decades earlier. Annas asked Christ about his disciples and doctrine. Jewish law required that a hearing on a capital charge could only be held in the official courtroom of the Sanhedrin, that charges must be announced from the outset, and that the accused should be protected from testifying against themselves. Annas was violating all three of these laws, so Christ responded with a legal defense and invited Annas to ask those he taught. As he said this, one of the soldiers slapped him across the face. "Jesus answered him, If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the evil: but if well, why smitest thou me?" (John 18:19-24).
Annas sent Christ to Caiaphas, the high priest, who assembled in his palace an informal and illegal meeting of the Sanhedrin, the governing council of Jewish leaders. Like Annas, these self-proclaimed devotees and upholders of the law searched, outside of the legal process, for any possible excuse for a death sentence.
Caiaphas first attempted to use false witnesses to convict Christ, but witnesses were hard to find in the middle of the night and the stories of those who could be roused conflicted. Caiaphas next tried to get Christ to react to the witnesses he had heard, but Christ did not respond. Finally, Caiaphas asked directly, "Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? And Jesus said, I am" (Mark 14:55-62). At this Caiaphas tore his clothes as a sign of his outrage and proclaimed Christ guilty of blasphemy. The council of leaders agreed, condemned Christ to death, and began to spit on him, humiliate him, and strike him repeatedly. The soldiers joined in, blindfolding Christ and asking him to prophesy who had struck his face (Luke 22:63-65).
When morning came, Christ was led to the official courtroom of the Sanhedrin and the facade of formal proceedings began. Informed by their illicit meeting held in the early morning hours, and continuing to ignore Jewish laws against self-incrimination, the council led off with the question they were sure would settle the matter. "Art thou the Christ? tell us. And he said unto them, If I tell you, ye will not believe: And if I also ask you, ye will not answer me, nor let me go" (Luke 22:66-68). The council asked again, "Art thou then the Son of God? And he said unto them, Ye say that I am" (Luke 22:70). This was enough to pronounce a guilty verdict. Impossibly, Jehovah had blasphemed against Jehovah and was delivered to the Roman governor for questioning.
Pontius Pilate lived in Caesarea, on the coast, but he was in Jerusalem at that time because of the large numbers of people expected to be gathered there. The Roman judgement chamber was part of Pilate's house, so the Sanhedrin delivered Christ to the door but refused to go in lest they be defiled by the proximity of leaven and thereby become unworthy to partake of the paschal lamb later that day.
Pilate asked what the charges were against Christ. Caiaphas answered, in essence, "Trust us. He's a problem." Unsatisfied, Pilate told them to judge Christ themselves, but they reminded him that only the Romans could put a man to death (John 18:29-31). The Sanhedrin continued to fear that if they killed Christ by stoning, even with Roman approval, the people might revolt. "And they began to accuse him, saying, We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ a King. And Pilate asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And he answered him and said, Thou sayest it" (Luke 23:2-3). Like "Ye say that I am," "Thou sayest it" is a a confirmation as clear in that time as a simple "yes" would be in ours.
After Pilate interviewed Christ, he returned to the Sanhedrin with a verdict. Christ was not guilty. "And they were more fierce, saying, He stirreth up the people, teaching throughout all Jewry, beginning from Galilee to this place... And as soon as he knew that he belonged unto Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who himself also was at Jerusalem at the time" (Luke 23:5, 7).
Herod, who had ordered the death of John the Baptist a few years earlier, was referred to as a king, though the Romans did not recognize him in that way. He was initially happy to see Christ because he had heard so many awe-inspiring things about him. Herod hoped that Christ would perform some great miracle for his amusement. Yet, as the interrogation began, Christ, out of mistrust or distain or simply a sound legal defense, did not answer. Instead of seeing something extraordinary, Herod is the only accuser who never heard the Savior's voice. Unable to pass a conviction, Herod and his soldiers mocked the Savior instead, dressing him in a gorgeous robe and sending him back to Pilate.
Pilate had already tried Christ and found him innocent of all wrongdoing. Neither Herod nor Annas had passed a conviction. Pilate recognized the jealous motives of Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin, which was hardly a reason for capital punishment. Pilate's wife had also warned him, as a result of a dream, that he should not harm Jesus.
All of this weighed on his mind as the Jewish leaders, and those they brought with them, gathered. Pilate offered a compromise: he would allow Jesus to be scourged, despite his innocence, but then he would be released. The multitude was not pacified and instead demanded that Christ be crucified. Unsure of how to proceed, and perhaps feeling overwhelmed, powerless, frustrated and vulnerable in the face of an irrational mob, Pilate conceded, washed his hands, and declared, "I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it" (Matthew 27:24).
Christ was mocked, scourged, and crucified on Golgatha. "And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS. This title then read many of the Jews: for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city: and it was written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin. Then said the chief priests of the Jews to Pilate, Write not, The King of the Jews; but that he said, I am King of the Jews. Pilate answered, What I have written I have written" (John 19:19-22). This was the first of many testimonies from the Gentiles to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ.
As Christ had suffered on the cross, darkness had covered the land. His death caused a terrible earthquake that ripped the veil of the temple and opened the Holy of Holies, previously reserved for the high priest, for all to see. A centurion standing near the cross during the earthquake, who had heard Christ forgive his oppressors and die of his own volition, added his testimony that Christ was "a righteous man" and "truly... the Son of God" (Luke 23:47; Mark 15:39).
It was late afternoon now and the Jewish officials who had not hesitated to demand the crucifixion of Christ to preserve their political influence began to worry that the burial of those crucified might infringe on the Sabbath and defile the land. With their pleading, Pilate consented to allow the legs of the crucified to be broken to hasten their deaths. Finding Christ already dead, a soldier pierced his side and water and blood rushed out. Like the paschal lamb, he was killed for the people without a bone of his body being broken.
With permission from Pilate, Joseph of Arimathea took the body of Christ, wrapped it in linen, and put it in his own sepluchre. Nicodemus, a Pharisee who had come to Christ early in his ministry, brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes as a traditional sign of respect, honor, and devotion. Matthew records that many women followed Christ through his trials and ministered unto him, including Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses (likely the sister of his mother, also named Mary), and Salome (Matthew 27:55-56). Now Mary Magdalene and "the other Mary" followed behind and watched the burial. A large stone was rolled to the opening to close the door before the sun had set.
Black Saturday
The Sanhedrin returned to Pilate the next morning. It was the Sabbath, but they had another request. They had remembered that Christ said he would rise again after three days and they wanted to secure his burial place so that apostles could not steal the body and fake a resurrection. Pilate was tired of their requests and tells them, with a degree of annoyance, that they should secure it themselves. "So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch" (Matthew 27:66).
Beyond the veil of death, the scriptures record that there was a crowd of the just gathered in the world of spirits full of joy and gladness. There "the Son of God appeared, declaring liberty to the captives who had been faithful; And there he preached to them the everlasting gospel, the doctrine of the resurrection and the redemption of mankind from the fall, and from individual sins on conditions of repentance... And the saints rejoiced in their redemption, and bowed the knee and acknowledged the Son of God as their Redeemer and Deliverer from death and the chains of hell. Their countenances shone, and the radiance from the presence of the Lord rested upon them, and they sang praises unto his holy name" (D&C 138:18-19, 23-24).
Christ organized the faithful departed and assigned them to teach the dead who had not been faithful. He instructed and prepared them for their missions, including many of the great prophets, and gave them power to be resurrected after he had been resurrected. Then he departed.
Resurrection Sunday
As the Sabbath concluded in the early morning hours of the next day, the earth began to shake and two angels descended in glory. The guards at the scene fainted at first and then, when they had recovered, fled their post in fear as the angels rolled back the stone of the sepluchre.
When dawn came, the two Marys who had witnessed the closing of the sepluchre, with Salome and "certain others," took spices to the tomb to anoint the body of Christ as Nicodemus had done at the time of burial. As they walked, they considered whether any of them would be strong enough to roll away the stone at the door.
The group of women arrived to find an open sepulchre and walked into the dark tomb to find it empty with the grave clothes folded neatly. Perplexed and likely concerned, one can imagine the confused conversation that then commenced. Suddenly, the two angels appeared and the women bowed themselves to the earth. One of the angels spoke: "Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen" (Luke 24:5-6). He reminded them that Christ had prophesied of his resurrection and told them to go share the good news with the apostles. Filled with joy, the women ran to to tell the apostles and "all the rest."
Mary Magdalene went to Peter and John, who came running and saw the empty tomb. John notes that the apostles still did not know that Christ would be resurrected, but that he entered the sepluchre and believed.
After the apostles returned home, but Mary Magdalene, who had returned with them, lingered at the sepluchre and wept. Christ was gone and neither Mary nor the apostles understood where or why. Still weeping, she stooped and looked into the sepluchre and saw the two angels there as before.
"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 has laid him, and I will take him away" (John 20:13-16).
Mary had not yet seen the resurrected Christ, who was standing outside of her field of vision. But when he called her by name, she recognized his voice and turned with joy toward him, returning the salutation, "Rabboni; which is to say, Master" (John 20:16). Stopping short of an embrace at his direction, Mary obeyed Christ's direction to return to the apostles and testify of what she had seen. Christ then appeared to the other women who had come to the tomb and gave them a similar charge.
Even as many other faithful saints were resurrected and began to appear to the people in Jerusalem, the Sanhedrin gathered in council to discuss the news brought to them by the guards of the sepluchre. With hard hearts and a persistent lust for power, they completely ignored and dismissed the miracle of the resurrection. Knowing that the guards could be executed for abandoning their post, the Sanhedrin bribed the guards with money and their lives to say that the body was stolen by the disciples.
Meanwhile, Christ appeared to two disciples on the road to Emmaus who rushed back to Jerusalem to join the apostles there. Then the resurrected Christ came to his apostles, who had gathered in a secure place to hide from the retaliation of the Jewish leaders. He admonished them for their lack of faith and then showed them his hands and his side. It was true! He had suffered and died on the cross; and now he had risen. He was the great Jehovah, the promised Messiah, their Lord and their God, and he had completed his Atonement for all mankind. As he had promised, Christ gave them the gift of the Holy Ghost and power to do his work. Over the next forty days he continued to teach them, to endow them with power from on high, and to command them to preach the gospel to all nations.
A few weeks before, Lazarus had emerged from his tomb and put away the grave clothes that he would need again. "And if Christ had not risen from the dead, or have broken the bands of death that the grave should have no victory, and that death should have no sting, there could have been no resurrection. But there is a resurrection, therefore the grave hath no victory, and the sting of death is swallowed up in Christ. He is the light and life of the world; yea, a light that is endless, that can never be darkened; yea, and also a life which is endless, that there can be no more death" (Mosiah 16:7-9).
Happy Easter! He is Risen!
