THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST

Transcription

1 The Resurrection of hrist THE RESURRETION OF HRIST About e auor... Bill has been preaching since 1975 and currently preaches at e hipman Road congregation in Lee s Summit, Missouri where he has been since He attended school at Kansas ity School of Preaching and Ozark Bible ollege. He has served as an instructor in e Eigh and Lee School of Biblical Studies and e Mid-West School of Biblical Studies. He is a fellow laborer in e International Bible Studies Work. He and his wife Nancy have four children. Some of us put so much emphasis on e dea of hrist at we neglect His resurrection. Wiout e resurrection of hrist, e gospel is noing. Wiout e resurrection of hrist ere would be no need for e church. Wiout e resurrection of hrist, we would never be able to spend eternity wi God. But I m here today to tell you at Jesus hrist lived, died and was resurrected from e dead by e power of God, and is now sitting at e right hand of e Faer! The Significance of e Resurrection of hrist I am going to touch on a few points of is great eme. This is a simple, straightforward message. What does it mean for us? Everying! Several texts prove is point, but none so eloquently as 1 orinians 15:20-26: But now is hrist risen from e dead, and become e first-fruits of em at slept. For since by man came dea, by man came also e resurrection of e dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in hrist shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: hrist e first-fruits; afterward ey at are hrist's at his coming. Then come e end, when he shall have delivered up e kingdom to God, even e Faer; when he shall have put down all rule and all auority and power. For he must reign, till he ha put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy at shall be destroyed is dea. If hrist has not risen from e dead, e long course of God s redemptive acts to save His people ends in a dead-end street, in a tomb. If e resurrection of hrist is not reality, en we have no assurance at God is e living God, for dea has e last word. Fai is futile because e object of at fai has not vindicated Himself as e Lord of life. hristian fai is en incarcerated in e tomb along wi e final and highest self-revelation of God in hrist if hrist is indeed dead. But if hrist is raised from e dead, en God is over all ings, even dea. The Resurrection of Jesus as Fulfillment of Jesus Predictions and of Scripture (cf. Matew 17:9; Luke 24:46; John 2:22; 20:9; 1 orinians 15:4) Again, several texts point in is direction. Note one in particular, John 2:22; Ready To Give An Answer The 18 Annual Mid-West Lectures Page 1 not to be sold. For information contact e 39 Street hurch of hrist E. 39 Street, Independence, Missouri 64055

2 The Resurrection of hrist When erefore he was risen from e dead, his disciples remembered at he had said is unto em; and ey believed e scripture, and e word which Jesus had said. After many hours of studying is subject, I have come to e conclusion at e resurrection of Jesus hrist is eier one of e most wicked, vicious, heartless hoaxes ever conceived, or it is e most remarkable fact of history. Some of e Facts Relevant to e Resurrection Jesus of Nazare, a Jewish prophet who claimed to be e hrist prophesied in e Jewish Scriptures, was arrested, was judged a political criminal, and was crucified. Three days after His dea and burial, some women who went to His tomb found e body gone. In subsequent weeks, His disciples claimed at God had raised Him from e dead and at He appeared to em various times before ascending into heaven. From at foundation, hristianity spread roughout e Roman Empire and has continued to exert great influence down rough e centuries. Living Witnesses Testified of e Resurrection of Jesus The New Testament accounts of e resurrection were being circulated wiin e lifetimes of men and women alive at e time of e resurrection. Those people could certainly have confirmed or denied e accuracy of such accounts. The writers of e four accounts of e gospel eier had emselves been witnesses or else were relating e accounts of eyewitnesses of e actual events. In advocating eir case for e gospel, a word at means good news, e apostles appealed (even when confronting eir most severe opponents) to common knowledge concerning e facts of e resurrection. Background of e Resurrection of Jesus The New Testament witnesses were fully aware of e background against which e resurrection took place. According to Josh McDowell, e body of Jesus, in accordance wi Jewish burial custom, was wrapped in a linen clo. About 100 pounds of aromatic spices, mixed togeer to form a gummy substance, were applied to e wrappings of clo about e body. After e body was placed in a solid rock tomb, an extremely large stone was rolled against e entrance of e tomb. Large stones weighing approximately two tons were normally rolled (by means of levers) against a tomb entrance.a Roman guard of strictly disciplined fighting men was stationed to guard e tomb. This guard affixed on e tomb e Roman seal, which was meant to prevent any attempt at vandalizing e sepulcher. Anyone trying to move e stone from e tomb s entrance would have broken e seal and us incurred e wra of Roman law (89). But ree days later e tomb was empty. The followers of Jesus said He had risen from e dead. They reported at He appeared to em during a period of 40 days, showing Himself to em by many infallible proofs. Paul e apostle recounted at Jesus appeared to more an 500 of His followers at one time, e majority of whom were still alive and who could confirm what Paul wrote (1 Ready To Give An Answer The 18 Annual Mid-West Lectures Page 2 not to be sold. For information contact e 39 Street hurch of hrist E. 39 Street, Independence, Missouri 64055

3 The Resurrection of hrist orinians 15:6). So many security precautions were taken wi e trial, crucifixion, burial, entombment, sealing, and guarding of hrist s tomb at it becomes very difficult for critics to defend eir position at hrist did not rise from e dead. onsider ese facts: Fact #1: Broken Roman Seal The first obvious fact was e breaking of e seal at stood for e power and auority of e Roman Empire. The consequences of breaking e seal were extremely severe. The Roman auorities would have been called into action to find e man or men who were responsible. If apprehended, it meant automatic execution by crucifixion upside down. People feared e breaking of e seal (McDowell 89-90) Fact #2: Empty Tomb Anoer obvious fact after e resurrection was e empty tomb. The disciples of hrist did not go off to Aens or Rome to preach at hrist was raised from e dead. Raer, ey went right back to e city of Jerusalem, where, if what ey were teaching was false, e falsity would be evident. The empty tomb was too notorious to be denied. The resurrection could not have been maintained in Jerusalem for a single day or hour, if e emptiness of e tomb had not been established as a fact for all concerned. Fact #3: Large Stone Moved On at Sunday morning e first ing at impressed e people who approached e tomb was e unusual position of e one and a half to two ton stone at had been lodged in front of e doorway. All e Gospel writers mention it. Those who observed e stone after e resurrection describe its position as having been rolled completely away from e entrance of e tomb (See Matew 28:2, Mark 16:4, Luke 24:2, John 20:1). Now, I ask you, if e disciples had wanted to come in, tiptoe around e sleeping guards, and en roll e stone over and steal Jesus body, how could ey have done at wiout e guards awareness? Fact #4: Roman Guard Goes AWOL Matew 28:11-15 says at e Roman guards, upon realizing e body was gone, ran to tell e chief priests what had happened. The Priests en offered em money to lie and say at Jesus disciples had stolen e body. They said ey would secure eir lives if ey lied. These Roman guards fled eir post. They left eir place of responsibility. How could eir attrition he explained, when Roman military discipline was so exceptional? According to secular history is was one of e offenses at required e dea penalty. The fear of eir superiors wra and e possibility of dea meant at ey paid close attention to e minutest details of eir jobs. One way a guard was put to dea was by being stripped of his cloes and en burned alive in a fire started wi his garments. If it was not apparent which soldier had failed in his duty, en lots were drawn to see which one would be punished wi dea for e guard unit s failure. ertainly e entire unit would not have fallen asleep wi at kind of reat over eir heads (Tucker 342) Fact #5: Grave loes Tell a Tale In a literal sense, against all statements to e contrary, e tomb was not totally Ready To Give An Answer The 18 Annual Mid-West Lectures Page 3 not to be sold. For information contact e 39 Street hurch of hrist E. 39 Street, Independence, Missouri 64055

4 The Resurrection of hrist empty because of an amazing phenomenon. John, a disciple of Jesus, looked over to e place where e body of Jesus had lain, and ere were e grave cloes, in e form of e body, slightly caved in and empty. That s enough to make a believer out of anybody. John never did get over it. The first ing at stuck in e minds of e disciples was not e empty tomb, but raer e empty grave cloes undisturbed in form and position (John 20:2-8). Fact #6: Jesus Appearances onfirmed hrist appeared alive on several occasions after His resurrection. When studying an event in history, it is important to know wheer enough people who were participants or eyewitnesses to e event were alive when e facts about e event were published. To know is is obviously helpful in determining e accuracy of e published report. If e number of eyewitnesses is substantial, e event can he regarded as fairly well established. For instance, if we all witness a murder, and a later police report turns out to he a fabrication of lies, we as eyewitnesses can refute it. Over 500 Witnesses onfirm e Resurrection of Jesus Several very important factors are often overlooked when considering hrist s postresurrection appearances to individuals. The first is e large number of witnesses of hrist after at resurrection morning. One of e earliest records of hrist s appearing after e resurrection is by Paul. The apostle appealed to his audience s knowledge of e fact at hrist had been seen by more an 500 people at one time. Paul reminded em at e majority of ose people were still alive and could be questioned (I orinians 15:6). Let s take e more an 500 witnesses who saw Jesus alive after His dea and burial, and place em in a courtroom. Do you realize at if each of ose 500 people were to testify for only six minutes, including cross-examination, you would have an amazing 50 hours of firsand testimony? Add to is e testimony of many oer eyewitnesses and you would well have e largest and most lopsided trial in history. Hostile Witnesses onfirm e Resurrection of Jesus Anoer factor crucial to interpreting hrist s appearances is at He also appeared to ose who were hostile or unconvinced. I have read or heard people comment at Jesus was seen alive after His dea and burial only by His friends and followers. Using at argument, ey attempt to water down e overwhelming impact of e multiple eyewitness accounts. But at line of reasoning is so paetic it hardly deserves comment. No auor or informed individual would regard Saul of Tarsus as being a follower of hrist. The facts show e exact opposite. Saul despised hrist and persecuted hrist s followers. It was a life-shattering experience when hrist appeared to him (Acts chapter 9). Alough he was at e time not a disciple, he later became e apostle Paul, one of e greatest witnesses for e tru of e resurrection. Theories The following are some eories which some skeptics have promoted in an attempt to deny Ready To Give An Answer The 18 Annual Mid-West Lectures Page 4 not to be sold. For information contact e 39 Street hurch of hrist E. 39 Street, Independence, Missouri 64055

5 The Resurrection of hrist e resurrection of hrist. The Wrong Tomb? This eory assumes at e women who reported at e body was missing had mistakenly gone to e wrong tomb. If so, en e disciples who went to check up on e women s statement must have also gone to e wrong tomb (John 20:3). We may be certain, however, at Jewish auorities, who asked for a Roman guard to be stationed at e tomb to prevent Jesus body from being stolen, would not have been mistaken about e location. Nor would e Roman guards, for ey were ere! If e resurrection claim was merely because of a geographical mistake, e Jewish auorities would have lost no time in producing e body from e proper tomb, us effectively quenching for all time any rumor of a resurrection (Geisler 74,75) Hallucinations? Anoer attempted explanation claims at e appearances of Jesus after e resurrection were eier illusions or hallucinations. Unsupported by e psychological principles governing e appearances of hallucinations, is eory also does not coincide wi e historical situation. Again, where was e actual body, and why wasn t it produced (McDowell 82,83) Did Jesus Swoon? Anoer eory several centuries ago, is often quoted today. This is e swoon eory, which says at Jesus didn t die; he merely fainted from exhaustion and loss of blood. Everyone ought Him dead, but later He resuscitated and e disciples ought it to be a resurrection. It is impossible at a being who had been stolen half-dead out of e sepulchre, who crept about weak and ill, wanting medical treatment, who required bandaging, strengening and who still at last yielded to His sufferings, could have given to e disciples e impression at He was a onqueror over dea and e grave, e Prince of Life (McDowell 76-78). The Body Stolen? Then consider e eory at e body was stolen by e disciples while e guards slept. The depression and cowardice of e disciples provide a hard-hitting argument against eir suddenly becoming so brave and daring as to face a detachment of soldiers at e tomb and steal e body. They were in no mood to attempt anying like at. The eory at e Jewish or Roman auorities moved hrist s body is no more reasonable an explanation for e empty tomb an eft by e disciples. If e auorities had e body in eir possession or knew where it was, why, when e disciples were preaching e resurrection in Jerusalem, didn t ey explain: Wait! We moved e body, see, He didn t rise from e grave? And if such a rebuttal failed, why didn t ey explain exactly where Jesus body lay? If is failed, why didn t ey recover e corpse, put it on a cart, and wheel it rough e center of Jerusalem? Such an action would have destroyed hristianity not in e cradle, but in e womb! (McDowell 75,75) Ready To Give An Answer The 18 Annual Mid-West Lectures Page 5 not to be sold. For information contact e 39 Street hurch of hrist E. 39 Street, Independence, Missouri 64055

6 The Resurrection of hrist Real Proof: e Disciples Lives The most telling testimony of all must be e lives of ose early hristians. We must ask ourselves: What caused em to go everywhere telling e message of e risen hrist? Had ere been any visible benefits given to em for eir efforts prestige, weal, increased social status or material benefits we might logically attempt to account for eir actions, for eir whole-hearted and total allegiance to is risen hrist. As a reward for eir efforts, however, ose early hristians were beaten, stoned to dea, rown to e lions, tortured and crucified. Every conceivable meod was used to stop em from talking. Yet, ey laid down eir lives as e ultimate proof of eir complete confidence in e tru of eir message. onclusion On e basis of all e evidence for hrist s resurrection, and considering e fact at Jesus offers forgiveness of sin and an eternal relationship wi God, who would be so foolhardy as to reject Him? hrist has risen. He is alive! Works ited Geisler, Norman. The Battle For The Resurrection. (n.c.):(n.p.), (n.d.). McDowell, Josh. The Resurrection Factor. (n.c.):(n.p.), (n.d.). Tucker, T.G. Life in The Roman World of Nero and Saint Paul. (n.c.):(n.p.), (n.d.). Ready To Give An Answer The 18 Annual Mid-West Lectures Page 6 not to be sold. For information contact e 39 Street hurch of hrist E. 39 Street, Independence, Missouri 64055