The enemies of Jesus were not completely at ease with the death of Jesus. He had brought some people back to life, what if he would do the same for himself What if the disciples would take the body away from the tomb and then say that He had risen from the dead? Something had to be done to make sure that such a possibility would never arise. They got together and they agreed to go to the Procurator. "Next day, that is, when Preparation Day was over, the chief priests and the pharisees went in a body to Pilate and said to him, Your Excellency, we recall that this impostor said, while he was still alive, After three days I shall rise again.' Therefore give the order to have the sepulchre kept secure until the third day, for fear his disciples come and steal him away and tell the people, 'He is risen from the dead.' This last piece of fraud would be worse than what went before. 'You may have your guard,' said Pilate to them. 'Go and make all as secure as you know how.' So they went and made the sepulchre secure, putting seals on the stone and mounting a guard. " (Matthew 27:62-66) Of this latest move of the enemies of Jesus, most likely there was no knowledge on the part of the pious women who eagerly were waiting for the Sabbath to be over so as to return to the tomb and begin the preparations for the proper burial of Christ. After all their master was not a criminal, He was a very devout Jew and therefore He deserved a proper burial. The body should be washed, properly anointed and properly covered with a "clean shroud."

The Resurrection of Christ is recorded in the Gospel in the following manner: "Early in the morning on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb. She saw that the stone had been moved away, so she ran off to Simon Peter and the other disciple (the one Jesus loved) and told them, 'The Lord has been taken from the tomb! We don't know where they have put him!' At that, Peter and the other disciple started out on their way toward the tomb. They were running side by side, but then the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He did not enter but bent down to peer in, and saw the wrappings lying on the ground. Presently, Simon Peter came along behind him and entered the tomb. He observed the wrappings on the ground and saw the piece of cloth which had covered the head not lying with the wrappings, but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the disciple who had arrived first at the tomb went in. HE SA W AND BELIEVED. (Remember, as yet they did not understand the Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) " (John 20:1-10).

Painting of the Resurrection showing how the Shroud lay flat on the slab

In regard to this Gospel passage (John 20:9) there is a footnote in The New American Bible which reads: "There was some special feature about the state of the burial wrappings that caused the beloved disciple to believe. Some suggest that Jesus had passed through them without their being unrolled."

After the Passover rest, early in the morning, the women went to the tomb and found it was empty. The women went back to town and told Peter and John. The two apostles, according to the Gospel, quoted above, went running to the tomb. Peter and then John entered the tomb and saw the Shroud and the other linens lying on the ground. 'WE SAW AND BELIEVED." WHY? What did John see in the linens lying on the ground that convinced him of the Resurrection?

Some suggest that Jesus had passed through them without their being unrolled. In other words, when Jesus came back to life, He did not push aside the Shroud, as we do with the bed linens when we get up from bed, but having become now immaterialized, He passed through the Shroud. The Shroud and other linens which were over the body then became flat on the slab of stone. It seems indeed that the risen Body of Christ had become immaterial, spiritualized, as we may also see from the Gospel passage when our Lord on the same day appeared in the upper room even though the disciples "had locked the doors. " (John 20:19)