He Is Risen!

 

Most of us have heard the story of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Crucifixion was a public way of putting someone to death slowly, and with great pain. It is a great wonder what the Lord did for us on the cross, but if it stopped there, Jesus would have been only another good man who died at the hands of wicked people. We would then be serving a dead Jesus who could not save, and would be “of all men the most pitiable.” (1 Co 15:19) This brings us to the question, is the resurrection really true? Did Jesus really rise from the dead? Well, let’s take a look at the Scriptural and historical evidence to see.

After His death, Jesus’ body was taken down from the cross, wrapped in spices and linen, and laid in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. They laid His body there, because it was the preparation for the Sabbath and this garden tomb was nearby. They then would have rolled a large stone weighing 1-2 tons down an inclined channel, lodging it into place. It would have taken several men to roll it away from the outside, but it could not have been rolled away from the inside by a half dead Jesus who merely swooned on the cross and revived again after three days as some allege.

The day following, Matthew tells us that the chief priests and Pharisees came to Pilate, and said, “Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise.’ Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead.’ So the last deception will be worse than the first.” (Mat 27:63-64) So, Pilate agreed to give them a guard, and told them to make it as secure as they knew how. the tomb was then secured with a seal, a rope overlapping the width of the stone, with a glob of wax on either side of the stone to secure the rope. The seal carried the legal authority of Rome, and the Roman soldiers would have been there to witness it, since they were responsible for what was inside. To break this seal would have placed their careers (and their lives) in jeopardy. Second, the tomb was secured by a guard, typically four fully armed Roman soldiers who, again, would likely be executed if anything happened to what they were guarding. Two guards would watch while the other two rested. The chief priests and Pharisees sought to prevent any false reports of Jesus’ resurrection, but in actuality they made the miracle of the resurrection more astounding and even irrefutable. If there were false reports of Jesus’ resurrection, they would only need to demand the disciples show them the living body as proof, so this suggests the chief priests and Pharisees were afraid that Jesus actually would do what He said He would do. And why not?  They had seen Him raise Lazarus to life just a short time earlier. If he could raise Lazarus to life, why couldn’t He raise Himself to life again. He previously said of His life, No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.” (Jn 10:18) That’s a powerful God that can raise Himself from the dead.

On the first day of the week, as the women came to finish the preparation of Jesus’ body, there was a great earthquake, and an angel of the Lord descended from Heaven, rolled away the stone, and sat on it. These angels must be an awesome sight, for in many instances in the Scriptures when they are seen by men, the common response was that they were terrified. This was for good reason: if we remember after David had numbered the children of Israel, an angel of the Lord killed 70,000 men, and David was able to see the angel with a drawn sword in his hand stretched out over Jerusalem. Upon this, he and the elders fell on their faces (1 Chronicles 21:16). When the Syrians threatened to attack Jerusalem in the days of King Hezekiah, an angel of the Lord killed 185 thousand of their soldiers in one night (2 Kings 19:35). The angel who single-handedly rolled away the stone that had taken several men to put in place had no drawn sord, but Matthew tells us his countenance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. This band of well trained and fully armed Roman soldiers were so afraid that they trembled and became as dead men. As powerful as these angels are, they were created by an all-powerful God who is much stronger, much more powerful than they. Even the devil was created by none other than Jesus Himself. The stone was not rolled away to let Jesus out, for as we will see, He was able to enter into a room in which all the doors were locked. It was rolled away so that others could look in and see He was not there.

There are some challenges in reconciling the resurrection accounts of the four Gospels, but a careful study reveals there are no contradictions in their accounts. For a more detailed explanation of this, see the following articles at GotQuestions.org and Answers in Genesis. As John records, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early Sunday morning before it was daylight, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. She then ran and came to Peter and John, and said, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.” She said “we,” inferring that there were other women with her at the tomb, to which the other Gospel writers agree. When Peter and John heard this, they both ran to the tomb. John refers to himself in the third person, but he makes a point to tell us that he outran Peter to the tomb (maybe a bit of competition going on there). When John got there, he stooped down and saw the linen clothes lying there, but he did not go in. When Peter got there, he went in the tomb and also saw the linen clothes lying there. The mixture of ointments, aloes, and spices would have dried and hardened the linen clothes into something like a mummy or cocoon. This is interesting, because the structure of the Greek indicates that the clothes were still lying in a circular form as if the body of Jesus was still in them, and that it had just evaporated out of them. The napkin that was around His head was folded and set in a place by itself. John then went in after Peter, and when he saw the clothes, he believed.  They did not yet know the Scripture that said that Jesus must rise from the dead. We do not know what Scriptures John was referring to, but there are passages that refer to both Jesus’ death and resurrection (Isaiah 53:8-10, Psalm 22:14-15, 25-27, and Psalm 16:9-11). After this, they went away to their own homes.

Mary Magdalene, still outside the tomb weeping, stooped down to look in, and when she did, she saw two angels dressed in white sitting on either end of where Jesus’ body had been laid. They asked her why she was weeping, and she responded that they had taken her Lord and she did not know where they had laid Him. After she said this, she turned around and saw Jesus, but she did not recognize Him. He asked her the same question the angels did and who she was seeking? She supposed He was the gardener, and said that if he had moved her Lord to tell her, and she would carry Him away. Then Jesus said to her, “Mary” in that familiar way she was accustomed to, and she turned and said, “Rabboni” (teacher)! At this point it is likely that she hung onto Jesus, not wanting to let Him go, but He told her not to cling to Him, for He had not yet ascended to His Father. He told her to go tell His disciples that He was ascending to His Father and their Father, and to His God and their God.

There are a couple of things to take note of here: First, the fact that Mary clung to Jesus proves He had a physical body. Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that Jesus did not physically rise from the dead, but claim that it was just His spirit. However, if that were true, Mary would have had nothing to cling to. He did have a glorified body that was not restricted by our three dimensions, but it was a physical body. Second, the first witness of His bodily resurrection was a woman. If the disciples were trying to fabricate the story of the resurrection, they would not have chosen a woman to be their first witness, for women were not considered reliable witnesses in those days. So, Mary went and told the disciples of Jesus’ words.

So far, we know that John has believed and that Jesus had appeared to Peter (Luke 24:34, but we are not told of the rest of the disciples. The same day at evening, the disciples were gathered together behind locked doors for fear of the Jews, and Jesus appeared in the midst of them, saying, “Peace be with you.” He did not chide them for being fearful or express His disappointment that they left Him at His hour of trial, but proclaimed peace to them. Luke tells us they were terrified and frightened, supposing they had seen a spirit, but Jesus said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts?  Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.” (Luke 24:38-39) Then He showed them His hands, feet, and side. Many have claimed to have seen angels, but if I had my pick, I’d rather see the Man with the nail prints in His hands. They were still not quite sure what to think, so Jesus asked them for some food. They gave Him a piece of broiled fish and some honeycomb, and He ate it in front of them. This is yet more proof of His bodily resurrection, for a spirit cannot eat food. When they saw this, they were glad that they had seen the Lord. Again, He said, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you,” commissioning them to go out and share what they had seen and heard. Then He breathed on them, and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” This word that John used for breathed is the same Greek word in the Septuagint that is used in Genesis when God breathed the breath of life into man, and he became a living soul. It is the only time this word is used in the New Testament. Just as God breathed life into Adam and he became a living soul, so Jesus was giving them the Holy Spirit. They had seen the risen Lord, they believed on Him, and they were born again. Now if we remember in chapter 14 of John, Jesus said of the Holy Spirit that He dwelt with them, and would be in them (14:17). At this point the Holy Spirit indwelt them. However, Luke tells us that Jesus also said the Holy Spirit would come upon them to empower them to be His witnesses. He said, “Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.” (Luke 24:49)

Next Jesus tells them that whoever’s sins they forgive, they are forgiven, and whoever’s sins they retain, they are retained or not forgiven. Now if we were only to look at this verse, one might walk away with the impression that He was giving the disciples power to forgive or not forgive sins, but this is why it is important to balance Scripture with Scripture. In the Gospel of John alone, we have seen repeatedly that the only condition for salvation is belief (faith) in Jesus Christ alone. However, based off a person’s profession of faith in Jesus or rejection of Him, we can say whether or not their sins are forgiven. If you have believed On Jesus, you are forgiven, and if you reject Him, you are not. It is as simple as that.

Thomas was not present at this gathering when Jesus showed up, but the disciples told him about it. Thomas responded that unless he saw the nail prints, could place his finger in them, and his hand in Jesus’ side, he would not believe. So, eight days later, they were all gathered together behind locked doors (Thomas being with them), and Jesus came and stood in the midst of them. He used the same greeting, “Peace to you!”  He then told Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” Thomas replied, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus told him that he believed because he saw Him, but those who believe on Him without seeing are blessed. It can be easy to be like Thomas, for in our human nature our hearts can become hard due to sin. However, God has given us all the evidence we need to believe through His creation and written word, and those who accept Him off their testimony and the testimony of the Holy Spirit truly are blessed.

Lastly, John tells us the reason for writing his Gospel: “And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.” The resurrection was not made-up, folks!  Jesus was seen by the women at the tomb, He was seen by His disciples, and He was seen by over 500 people at once, of whom the greater part were still alive at the time the Apostle Paul wrote his first letter to the Corinthians (1 Co 15:6). With the exception of John, every disciple was martyred for their faith, and not one of them confessed to making up the story of the resurrection. Surely when facing death, one of them would have caved under the pressure. And when you have over 500 witnesses, this eliminates any possibility of hallucination. Charles Spurgeon stated, “I suppose, brethren, that we may have persons arise, who will doubt whether there was ever such a man as Julius Caesar, or Napoleon Bonaparte; and when they do, – when all reliable history is flung to the winds, – then, but not till then, may they begin to question whether Jesus Christ rose from the dead, for this historical fact is attested by more witnesses than almost any other fact that stands on record in history, whether sacred or profane.”

God’s desire is that you would read His word, and believe the testimony it bears of His Son. He desires that you would believe on His Son, and that you would have life in His name. Jesus is alive, and He wants to give you this same resurrection life. It is not His desire to condemn you for your past sins and failures, but He wants to offer you peace, the peace that comes from believing on Him. Remember, your sin debt has been paid in full; it is only up to you to receive it by faith. Will you do that reader? Come to Him, call on His name, and He in will no wise cast you out. Call on the name of Jesus, and then place your complete trust and confidence that He will forgive and save you from your sins and the punishment of Hell. He will not do it because you or I deserve it, but because He is faithful and just and always does what He says He will do. You will then be indwelt with the Holy Spirit, and you will be born again. If you are a believer, seek the empowerment of the Holy Spirit to be a bold witness of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and go and tell others of what Jesus has done for you.

Psalm 8 - A Call to Worship

As we saw in Psalm 19, it is not known when David wrote the 8^th Psalm, but it was at a time when David was again reflecting on nature, this time the night sky. As we recall from Psalm 19, his reflection on nature caused him to praise God for the goodness of His word and then to reflect on his own sin. In this Psalm, his reflection on the night sky causes him to have an attitude of humility and worship.

David begins by proclaiming, “O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth, Who have set Your glory above the heavens!” The first “LORD” is Jehovah, the covenant name for God for the Jewish people. The second “Lord” is Adoni, meaning lord or master. So, David is proclaiming with his mouth that Jehovah is his Lord. He goes on to say “How excellent is your name in all the earth?” God’s name refers to His reputation or character. Man may have a good reputation, but he still has faults. However, God’s reputation is entirely flawless. His reputation is excellent (great or majestic). In the English dictionary excellent means very good.

God has set His glory above the heavens: in Psalm 19 we see that the heavens declare the glory of God, but here we see His glory is above them. Solomon would later say, “But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You.” (1 Kings 8:27) The Lord said through Isaiah the prophet, “Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool.” (Isa 66:1) As big as this universe is, God is still bigger. Creation has glory, but God is truly glorious.

Next, David says that out of the mouth of babes (young children) and nursing infants, the Lord has ordained strength (praise). God has chosen the weak and foolish things of this world to put to shame the wise and the strong. (1 Co 1:27) He does this so that no flesh will glory in His sight. When we are good at something, we like to take the credit, forgetting that God has even given those gifts and abilities to us. However, when we are weak and vulnerable, we know we could not have done it if it were not for the Lord. Well, you don’t get much weaker and more vulnerable than a young child or a nursing infant, but if we recall it was these young children who were coming to see Jesus in the temple, and crying out, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” The chief priests and scribes were indignant, and said, “Do you hear what these are saying?” In other words, why don’t you stop them? Jesus replied to them by quoting from this verse in Psalm 8 “’Out of the mouth of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise.’” During His triumphal entry, the people were worshiping Jesus, and the pharisees told Him to rebuke His disciples. However, Jesus responded, “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.” Wow! What a statement. What would this look like for the stones to cry out in worship of the creator of the universe?

David said that when he considered the heavens, the work of the Lord’s fingers, the moon and the stars which He has ordained, he was left in awe that this great and majestic God who created everything, would give attention to or care for him, a mortal man. He said, “What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him?” For a God this big to pay attention to us, who in the grand scheme of things are so small, it takes humility on God’s part. This humility on God’s part caused David to be humbled as well and left in awe.

Genesis depicts God as speaking the universe into existence, but apparently His hands were involved as well. Genesis tells us that He set the sun, moon, and stars in their place in the heavens to rule the day and the night. This universe that is so vast, had everything set in its place by the fingers of God.

Not only is God mindful of man, He also became a man Himself. Paul wrote to the Philippians, “who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Phil 2:6-11) Jesus humbled Himself (made Himself of no reputation) by taking on human form to the end that He would go to the cross to redeem you and me. As Chuck Missler used to say, “He was crucified on a cross of wood, but He made the hill on which it stood. This is humility and love of the greatest kind.

God has made man a little lower than the angels, and crowned him with glory and honor. The word for angels here is Elohim, a Hebrew word that can be used to refer to God, angels, false gods, or even human rulers, so context is key in determining who is being referred to. Some modern translations have rendered this verse as making man a little lower than God, but I disagree with this rendering for a couple of reasons. First, the author of Hebrews quotes this verse in referring to Jesus, who states, “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.” (Heb 2:9) When the New Testament writers quoted the Old Testament, they used the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, and the Septuagint renders it as angels. Second, it just makes sense that it would be angels, since man is created with less glory and power than they were. So, God has created man a little lower than the angels, and has crowned him with glory and honor, and this is ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

God has given man dominion over the works of His hands. This includes livestock, the wild beasts, birds, and the animals of the sea. After He made Adam and Eve, He told them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” This flies in the face of the beliefs of the environmentalists who have placed creation and nature above mankind. However, as we can see, God made nature for man, not man for nature. I remember writing a college English paper in which I referenced this principle, and how classmates were offended that I would say such a thing. However, I was merely repeating what God had already said. I cannot imagine how this would go over today in a college classroom, a white male talking about subduing and having dominion over nature. This is not to squander or misuse it, but to be good stewards of it. Having said this however, as I have already pointed out, this is ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ (Heb 2:5-9) He was, for a little while, made lower than the angels, crowned with glory and honor, and set over the works of His hands. Although we do not see all things put under Him yet, it has been accomplished at the cross, and one day we will see it.  Every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

I want to share an interesting true story that was inspired by this Psalm. There was a young man who was fascinated by the seas and navigation who joined the navy in 1825. At one point he was bed-ridden, and while there, one of his children would read the Bible to him every day. One day, he was struck by the words in Psalm 8:8 “The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.” He had this verse read over and over to him until he finally resolved that, if God says there are paths in the seas, then he was going to find them if he recovered. He did recover, and began studying the seas. He charted the ocean currents and helped shippers understand them so they were more successful in crossing the oceans. His name was Matthew Fontaine Maury, and he is considered the father of modern oceanography. Again, the Bible is not a science book, but when it speaks to Science, it is always correct.

Lastly, David repeats the same phrase from verse 1: “O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth!” He begins with worship, tells us why he is worshipping, and then ends with worship. This should be our response as well. This great and majestic God with an excellent reputation who set the sun, moon, and stars in their place with His fingers, lowers Himself to care for us. He has given us dominion over creation, but became one of us that He could redeem us from our sin. Soon one day, all things will finally be put under His feet, and we will have eternity to worship Him for it.