Luke 24:11Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Upon their return from the tomb, they communicated the news to the apostles, who perceived them as mere dreamers. Thus, the astonishing event of the resurrection appears, by its very nature, extraordinary to humanity!

To the holy apostles, the narrative of the resurrection appeared to be mere nonsense and falsehood, as they were unfamiliar with the inspired Scriptures. Consequently, they reacted with skepticism, derision, and dismissal of the testimony. However, how did the disciples as depicted in John's Gospel come to believe upon hearing Mary and hastening to the tomb?

The women approached the tomb and discovered it empty. They were informed by the angels that Christ had risen. In turn, the women shared this news with their husbands. What was inscribed? What did you hear? The men dismissed the women's eyewitness account as mere chatter. Such is the tragedy of human nature! When Eve recounted the words of the serpent, Adam listened intently. The falsehoods from the woman led to our demise, while the truthful message from the women remained unacknowledged, hindering our salvation. If the women were not trusted, what prompted Adam to rely on Eve? If the women were credible, why did the disciples doubt these devoted witnesses? Through this scenario, we witness the marvelous providence of our Lord.

In a similar manner, this is cited and explained where it states: 'They took the money and did as they had been instructed.'

Among the followers of the Truth, the Spirit of truth would not permit such wavering, which signifies human frailty, to dwell within His messengers unless this uncertain anxiety and deliberate pause had served to establish the foundation of our faith. It was through the witness of the Apostles that guidance was provided for our uncertainties and perils; they were our teachers against the calumnies of the unrighteous and the reasoning of worldly wisdom. Through their vision we were prepared, through their words we were uplifted, and by their physical presence we found strength. We ought to express gratitude for the divine foresight and necessary caution of these holy individuals. Their doubts existed so that we could be free from doubt.

The two apostles journeyed to reunite with their fellow disciples. The Myrrh-bearers had arrived first, announcing the Lord's resurrection based on the angel's message. However, their testimony was met with skepticism. When Peter and John arrived, they inquired about what the Myrrh-bearers had witnessed at Jesus' tomb. They learned that the Myrrh-bearers had not encountered any angels, leading to a complete doubt in their claims. John remained silent about the resurrection to the others, except for his own personal belief in it. Nonetheless, he found great encouragement in the Myrrh-bearers' testimony, which included his mother, Salome (Mark 16:1). The Lord intended to reveal Himself to His disciples in Galilee, but they struggled to accept that this directive was from Him and were reluctant to go. Consequently, the Lord chose to make His appearance in Jerusalem instead.

Hebrews does not recount the emotions the women felt upon returning from the tomb but emphasizes the apostles’ reaction to the women’s report of the Lord’s resurrection: they did not accept it. Matthew indicates that the women, having encountered such remarkable occurrences and received such bewildering news, experienced a mix of emotions: both fear and immense joy. However, Mark highlights that fear dominated their initial reaction; they remained silent to everyone on their way back because they were terrified. Yet once they joined Christ's followers, their fear dissipated, allowing them to speak freely, especially as they needed to obey the angel's directive to inform the disciples of the Lord’s triumph over death.

Upon receiving the joyous news, the women emerged from the tomb and hurried into the city to inform the apostles. Meanwhile, Mary Magdalene had already reached Peter and John, where, in her anguish, she exclaimed, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him" (John 20:2). They shared all they had witnessed and experienced, not just with the eleven apostles, but also with all who held Jesus dear. However, their accounts sounded like nonsense to the apostles, leading them to disbelief. Thus concluded the first morning following the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. On that day, He first revealed Himself to Mary Magdalene, followed by all the other women who visited His burial site. They conveyed these encounters and all they had seen and heard to the apostles, but again, their reports seemed like mere fantasies to the apostles, and they did not trust their testimony.

The disciples were astonished and struggled to accept what they were hearing. Angels at the tomb of the Lord? They claimed that the Lord has been raised? If only this revelation had not occurred at dawn and had not been delivered by overly enthusiastic and naive women! Such were the thoughts of the disciples, leading them to skepticism and even defiance against their faith. As recorded by Luke the evangelist, "the words of the women appeared to them as nonsense, and they did not believe them."

When the Holy Myrrhbearers came back from the tomb and shared what they had seen and heard with the eleven apostles and others gathered, their accounts seemed to the Lord’s followers to be mere idle tales, unworthy of belief. Even when Mary Magdalene, filled with sorrow, declared that the Lord was alive and that she had encountered Him, they did not accept her testimony. Nevertheless, Peter, who had previously visited the tomb with John and witnessed the burial cloths, got up and hurried back to the tomb to observe the empty resting place of Christ once more. Upon arriving, he bent down to look inside and found only the linen wrappings lying there, and he returned, marveling at what had occurred. Yet all of Peter's uncertainty transformed into resolute faith in the truth of the resurrection when the Lord appeared to him privately, before revealing Himself to the other disciples, marking the beginning of the apostles' firm belief in His resurrection.

As joyful news about Christ’s victory over death began circulating among believers, His adversaries sought to suppress and distort this sacred truth. Terrified by the angel's appearance and the earthquake, the Roman guards fled into the city. Some reported what they had seen to the chief priests, fully aware of the severe repercussions they would face for any dereliction of duty. Consequently, they rushed to caution the Jewish leaders, hoping they would receive protection from the consequences of the law. The situation was deemed so crucial that a council of the Sanhedrin was summoned. It remains unclear how the Sanhedrin members interpreted the guards' accounts; whether they deemed it the result of dark forces, reminiscent of the Pharisees' belief that Christ's miracles arose from demonic power, or concluded that the guards had conspired with Christ’s followers, they were nonetheless concerned about the potential for this extraordinary event to gain traction among the multitude present in the city.

In light of their apprehensions and the threat of public outcry, the chief priests and elders resolved to twist and suppress the unpleasant reports using the very lips that had conveyed them. Engaging their customary methods, the Sanhedrin, as noted by St. John Chrysostom, 'having previously corrupted the blood of Christ while He was alive, now attempted to undermine the truth of the resurrection through bribery.' After providing the soldiers with sufficient funds and promising them immunity, they instructed the guards to propagate the false narrative that Christ's disciples had come by night and stolen the body while the soldiers were asleep. If this story reached the governor, they assured the guards that they would intervene to exonerate them and avert any penalties. However, the fabrications devised by Christ's adversaries immediately revealed their inherent contradictions. St. John Chrysostom remarked on how their actions trapped them: 'Had they not approached Pilate, and had they not requested guards, they might have been able to malign without consequences; instead, they acted in ways that only served to silence their own mouths.'

How could the disciples possibly attempt to appropriate the body of Christ, guarded by soldiers, especially when even a servant girl had once frightened the most courageous among them, and moments before, they had all dispersed upon witnessing an armed mob? How could they have approached the sealed tomb, moved a massive stone, entered undetected, and taken the body without waking the guards, if at least one of them had not noticed? Even if they had somehow accomplished this remarkable feat, would they have lingered instead of swiftly carrying the body away, arranging the then tightly-stacked burial cloths systematically? Finally, if the guards were indeed asleep, how could they claim to know and testify about events they did not observe?

These fundamental inconsistencies prompted further inquiries. The soldiers bore an obligation to remain vigilant, and allowing the body to be removed due to negligence would render them subject to grave penalties. Why, instead of facing judgment, did they escape unscathed and even receive rewards? Why did the Sanhedrin not seek them out for punishment? Instead of uncovering the truth through impartial investigation, the enemies of Christ, blinded by malice and hardened skepticism, sought to obscure the divine act with blatant lies and subterfuge. The guards accepted payment and complied with the instructions given to them, and so a rumor spread amongst the Jewish populace that many continued to believe. Could such absurdity be credible? 'It can,' observes St. Philaret, 'for a mind hardened in unbelief, akin to a nocturnal creature, perceives solely within the shadows of disbelief, clings to its own illusions, and evades the light of truth which dazzles its eyes.'

Upon learning of the Holy Myrrhbearers’ journey, Pilate was disconcerted. Fearing potential exposure regarding his unlawful decisions, he sent a report to Emperor Tiberius, detailing Christ's virtuous life and miraculous deeds. Pilate's correspondence with Tiberius concerning the life, crucifixion, resurrection, and miracles of Christ is particularly notable. He insisted that, after scrutinizing the accusations against Jesus, he found nothing wrong with Him. Despite his efforts to safeguard Jesus from the wrath of the proud Jewish leaders, he ultimately surrendered Him due to the clamor of the populace and the Jewish leaders’ demands. Following the crucifixion, various signs appeared in nature, and many dead were raised, prompting Pilate, filled with fear, to inform the powerful Caesar of all that had transpired with Jesus Christ, who now stood as a focal point of faith.

Ancient historians such as Justin and Eusebius recount that following the Roman governor's testimony along with the affirmations of Christ's followers, Tiberius, according to tradition, came to believe in Christ himself and sought the Roman Senate's approval to elevate Jesus to the status of a Roman deity. However, the Senate refused this proposal, primarily because Tiberius did not personally examine the matter and did not endorse Christ. Following the Senate's rejection, Tiberius, by royal decree, threatened punitive measures against anyone who dared to offend Christ’s followers. However, Pilate did not evade the apprehensions he harbored; he was summoned to Rome four years later due to grievances raised by the Jews. Consequently, he lost his authority and was exiled to Gaul, specifically to the city of Vienne, where, according to one account, he succumbed to remorse and despair, ultimately taking his own life. Another tradition suggests that Pilate repented, prayed to Christ, and received forgiveness from the Savior, an act memorialized by an angel bringing him salvation after his death.

Before Christ’s execution in Judea, there had been plans to mint a coin featuring a large image of Caesar on one side and a small profile of Pilate on the other. On the day of the trial, when Pilate's wife implored him not to condemn the Righteous One, she posed a question to her husband: 'How will you atone for your guilt if this man you've sentenced turns out to be the Son of God?' To which Pilate replied: 'If He is the Son of God, He will rise again, and I will not allow my likeness to appear on any coins while I am alive.' This account is confirmed by Pilate’s biographer, the learned Greek Hermidius, who noted upon establishing that Christ indeed rose from the dead, Pilate forbade his image from being used on currency. Such facts corroborated by Roman numismatics indicate that although coins with Caesar's image were minted in Jerusalem following the Savior’s execution, they bore no likeness of Pilate.

Those who deny Christ’s resurrection often claim there is a lack of evidence for it. But is this assertion grounded in reality? Labyritios, at the moment of Christ’s resurrection, was nearby with his officials, within sight of Christ's tomb. They witnessed the stone rolling away and a figure of extraordinary brilliance appearing above the resting place. Labyritios and his companions rushed to inform the authorities of this incredible event. Hermidius, serving as the biographer for the governor of Judea, had considered Christ a deceiver until the crucifixion. Driven by curiosity, he ventured to the tomb on the resurrection's night, intending to confirm that Christ would remain forever entombed. Yet, the actual events unfolded differently.

‘As we approached the tomb,’ Hermidius recounts, ‘daylight’s faint glow revealed the guards—two men sitting, the others sprawled on the ground—all remarkably still. As we approached, the replacements arrived, then a sudden brightness enveloped the scene. We couldn’t identify the source of this light until it became clear it emanated from a luminous cloud descending toward the grave, where a blindingly radiant figure appeared. A thunderous sound erupted, not from above, but resonated through the earth. The guards, seized by terror, fell down. Amidst this, a woman approached, calling out: ‘It has opened! It has opened!’ Suddenly, we realized a massive stone had rolled away from the tomb entrance almost on its own accord. Bewildered, we stood frozen. Moments later, the light dissipated, and normalcy returned. Yet, upon finally looking into the tomb, the body we anticipated was nowhere to be seen.’

Among those witnessing the resurrection also included Eishu, a renowned physician in close proximity to Pilate, commissioned to observe and report on the events surrounding Christ's burial. Notable in his achievements within both the East and Rome, Eishu closely monitored everything associated with Christ’s death, knowing the prophetic nature of the resurrection. Through the night leading to the resurrection, he and his medical assistants took turns staying awake, eager for any indication of the miraculous. 'We—the physicians, guards, and others,’ writes Eishu, ‘were well, alert, disbelieving of any likelihood of resurrection—yet, it occurred, and we saw it with our own eyes.’

V. P. Buzeskul, a prominent historian, remarked, 'The resurrection of Christ is validated by historical documentation as indisputably as the existence of Ivan the Terrible and Peter the Great. If one were to deny Christ’s resurrection, one must refute the existence of Pilate, Julius Caesar, Nero, and others with even greater reason.' This only scratches the surface of evidence supporting Christ’s resurrection. To encapsulate further sources, testimony has been noted from figures such as Epiphanius Africanus, Eusebius of Egypt, Sardonius Panidorus, Hippolytus the Macedonian, Ammion of Alexandria, Sabellius the Greek, Isaac of Jerusalem, Constantine of Cyrene, among others. Most notably, these individuals lived during Christ's time or in Jerusalem's vicinity, serving as eyewitnesses to either the resurrection itself or to the undeniable truths surrounding it.

Importantly, Jewish scholars from this period also spoke of the resurrection, albeit typically downplaying its significance. Reliable references appeared from Jewish writers like Urista the Gamian, Hapon of Mesopotamia, Sherboom-otoe, Ferman of Sarepta, Manakiah the physician, Naveen, and Miferkant. Miferkant, a member of the Sanhedrin and the treasurer who had provided Judas with funds for his betrayal, was among the first to investigate the commotion following Christ's resurrection, having approached the guards at the tomb. Shortly after giving his bribe and departing, it was then that the stone was miraculously moved, allowing him to see the light emanating from above the coffin. Miferkant documented these events in his work on the leaders of Palestine, a text considered one of the most comprehensive historical records.