The Christ Commission Ch 7

Matthias and Joseph Begin Their Investigation

• Matthias, a mystery writer visiting Jerusalem with Joseph, is being followed by a spy.
• The spy is inconspicuous, looking like an ordinary man, highlighting the fact that spies often hide their intentions.
• Joseph explains that Matthias’s association with Jesus’ followers raises suspicion in the eyes of Pilate and Caiaphas.
• Matthias wants to visit Martha and Mary, the sisters of Bethany, but Joseph warns against it due to the surveillance.
• Joseph devises a plan to evade the spy by sending Shem, their carriage driver, on a long detour to Jericho, leaving Matthias and Joseph hidden in olive bushes.

Journey to Bethany

• The road to Bethany passes the Mount of Olives, a significant location in Jesus’ ministry.
• Bethany is described as "house of poverty," implying a simple and secluded village.
• The village sits at the base of a hillside, offering a shorter pathway to Jerusalem than the road Matthias and Joseph took.

The Home of Martha and Mary

• Their house is larger than average for Bethany, suggesting a former life of comfort.
• Martha’s husband, Simon, had passed away from leprosy, adding a layer of sorrow to their lives.
• Martha and Mary have a close relationship with Jesus and his followers.
• The house is sparsely furnished but spacious, implying a place where many could gather, such as Jesus’ apostles.

The Resurrection Story

• Martha explains how she contacted Jesus when Lazarus fell ill.
• Jesus’ response to the messenger’s plea was ambiguous, implying that Lazarus’s illness was not meant to be fatal.
• By the time Jesus arrived, Lazarus had already been dead for four days.
• Martha reveals her doubts about Jesus during Lazarus’s death despite her strong faith.
• Jesus’ words, "Your brother shall rise again," suggest that hope for a resurrection is a promise through belief in Jesus.
• Martha highlights a key message from Jesus: “I am the resurrection and the life, and he that believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live, and he that lives and believes in me shall never die.”

Key Facts:

• The story focuses on the tomb of Lazarus, which was a family tomb with three shelves, one for Lazarus, one for Mary, and one for Martha.
• Lazarus had been dead for four days before Jesus resurrected him.
• The Sanhedrin met and decided that Jesus needed to be killed before everyone believed in his miracles.
• Caiaphas, the high priest, believed that Jesus' miracles were performed by the power of Satan.
• Jesus returned to Bethany for the Passover and was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane.
• After Jesus' arrest, nine of his apostles hid in the woods behind Martha and Mary's house for two days.
• John later arrived with news that Jesus had been crucified and his body was missing from the tomb.
• Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus had laid Jesus' body in the tomb, but he had risen from the dead.
• Martha and Mary took turns bringing food and water to the apostles in the woods.
• The stone that sealed the tomb remained in place after Lazarus was resurrected.
• Matthias, seeking the truth, investigates the tomb and removes the stone.
• The tomb is empty, and Matthias, seeking to find the body of Christ, questions Joseph about where it might be.
• Joseph believed that the apostles would be the most logical suspects to have moved the body.

The Suspects

• Matthias believes that someone moved Jesus’ body from the tomb after his death to make it appear that Jesus had risen from the dead.
• He considers possibilities of:
  • the apostles or others close to Jesus
  • the soldiers guarding the tomb
  • the nine disciples hiding in the woods
  • Peter and John who were in Jerusalem and knew of the crucifixion
  • the high priest Caiaphas and Pilate
  • Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea

The Empty Tomb

• Matthias believes the body was moved to the tomb of Lazarus, which was on Martha’s private land and therefore more secure from prying eyes.
• The empty tomb of Jesus could become a symbol of his resurrection.
• Matthias investigates the tomb of Lazarus, noting that there is no trace of a body.

Matthias's Frustration

• Matthias’ search in the tomb only finds worms and the faint scent of rose water, confirming there is no body inside.
• Matthias is exhausted and frustrated by the lack of evidence of Jesus’ body being moved, leaving no clues to the identity of the person who took the body.