The Crucibles of Jesus Pt. 2: An Unlikely Promise Kept: Luke 24:1-12

Transcription

1 The Crucibles of Jesus Pt. 2: An Unlikely Promise Kept: Luke 24:1-12 Example of a 1 st century rolling stone tomb alongside Route 6953 in Israel near Galilee Rolling stone tomb in Jerusalem: This tomb has been identified as the Herod family tomb. Herod died about 4 B.C. and was not buried in his family's tomb. The tomb is located outside the Jaffa Gate of the Old City in a park between the windmill and the King David Hotel. Rendering of the inside of a Jewish tomb. With body and ossuaries. After the body had been in the tomb for one year the family or friends of the deseased would gather the bones and place them in the ossuary. However the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea is described as a new tomb in which no one had ever laid. Therefore, there would have been no ossuaries. Caiaphas ossuary. Discovered accidently by workers in Opened a large burial chamber containing 12 ossuaries or bone boxes. Very important find that supports the text of the gospels since Caiaphas is mentioned in all the gospels as being the high priest at the time of the crucifixion of Jesus. 1

2 Heel bone of a crucifixion victim. In 1968 building contractors working in a suburb north of Jerusalem accidentally uncovered a Jewish tomb dated to the first century after the death of Christ. 6 Lying in a Jewish ossuary bearing the Hebrew inscription 'Jehohanan the son of HGQWL' were the skeletal remains of a man in his twenties, who had been crucified. The evidence for this was based on the right calcaneum (heel bone) of the individual, pierced by an iron nail 11.5 cms. in length. The nail penetrated the lateral surface of the bone emerging on the middle of the surface in which the tip of the nail had become bent. The bending of the tip of the nail upon itself suggests that after the nail penetrated the tree or the upright it may have struck a knot in the wood thereby making it difficult to remove from the heel when the victim was taken from the cross. Slide 11: Posture of Crucifixion based on this evidence. 2

3 Skull Hill north of Temple area. In a place called the Garden Tomb. Britsh General Charles Gordon visiting Jerusalem in Speculation began that this may be the likely spot for the crucifixion, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Golgotha (Aramaic) and Calvary (Latin) mean place of the skull. Obviously this hill fits the bill and there are tombs nearby. It was purchased in 1892 by a group from England and is now a nondenominational site that, if not the actual site of the crucifixion, burial, and resurrection, certainly can be imagined to be. The problem with this area as Jesus burial site is that the tombs are older than the 1 st century. 1 st Century Jerusalem and likely site of crucifixion and tomb. This is the likely site because in the 1 st Century it was a rock quarry outside the city gates but alongside a road and close to a gate as it is described in John. Great article by Joan Taylor writing for Associates for Biblical Research, a conservative publication, that describes the likelihood of this larger site for the crucifixion, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. There is a lot of evidence that Hadrian had a temple to Venus and Jupiter erected on the site that all the local Christians at the time knew to be the site of the crucifixion and resurrection. A statue of Jupiter was put right on the place of the resurrection in order to stick it to the Christians. In the early 4 th Century under Constantine, his mother, Helena was probably correct about the site and a church was constructed over it. 3

4 Church of the Holy Sepulchre. This church marks the likely site of the death and resurrection of Jesus. The church is just to the west of the Dome of the Rock (Al-Aqsa mosque) which has occupied the historic site of the Jewish Temple since 691 AD. The rotunda area of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre containing the likely place of the burial and resurrection of Jesus. Last year at Easter the title of my message was The Logic of the Incredible and the first point of that message was that the resurrection is an irreducible part of the gospel message. But even with that we need to define our terms. By resurrection we mean an actual bodily resurrection. In other words the body that was put in the tomb just after Jesus died left the tomb on the third day. When this event happened there was no body left in that tomb. But the body that was raised had gone through a transformation that was not anticipated by any idea of resurrection around at the time. The body that came out was certainly physical but it was also spiritual in a way the body that went in the grave was not. I think the best touchstone to this to help us understand it today is that the caterpillar that goes into the cocoon comes out of the cocoon. In other words, when it leaves there is nothing left but emptiness in the cocoon along with evidence that something had been there. But, in many ways what comes out, while it has continuity with what went in, is very much transformed. The Gospels do not explain the Resurrection; the Resurrection explains the Gospels. Belief in the Resurrection is not an appendage to the Christian faith; it is the Christian faith. - John S. Whale But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in dazzling apparel. 5 And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of 4

5 sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise. 8 And they remembered his words, 9 and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, 11 but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. 12 But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened. Luke 24:1-12 ESV What does Luke want us to know about the resurrection of Jesus that is important to our lives now? 1. Jesus keeps his promises and the Father fulfills his plan. a. The angel reminded the women that Jesus had predicted all of this and had, in fact, promised that he would rise. b. Each gospel writer not only recorded facts about the resurrection but they also each drew conclusions from it that were unique to his reading audience and so each writer is writing to a unique situation. Remember that Luke set out to write to a man named Theophilus about Jesus and that he had some purposes in writing to him. He says this in the opening of his gospel: Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, 2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, 3 it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught. c. Here s what Luke was trying to do. i. To write an orderly account: Chronological and topical order ii. So that Theophilus will have certainty about what he had already been taught. d. So in light of his purposes Luke, wanting Theophilus to have certainty, stresses the trustworthiness of Jesus and, in the end, the genius of God s plan. e. What Jesus promises he delivers. Here he delivered resurrection. If he can deliver on this promise he can deliver on all the other promises he has made. Perhaps the greatest to us is the promise of his presence in Mt. 28:20. i. Single mom or dad. You are not alone. ii. College student wondering what you do next, you are not alone. iii. Unemployed, you are not alone. iv. Sick. You are not alone. Jesus fulfilled in his promise of resurrection and he is currently fulfilling his promise to be with you. 5

6 f. Also here is a reference to the plan of God. The angel says, Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day, arise. i. His crucifixion and resurrection was not mere happenstance. ii. God wasn t just making things up on the fly. iii. The word must is strong. Jesus was obeying the will and the plan of the Father. His plan put into place since before the beginning of time. Hinted at right after the fall of man in the garden of Eden. God s words to the serpant, I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your offspring and hers. He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel. g. In Jn. 6:40 Jesus said, For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day. 2. The resurrection of Jesus will always be met with skepticism a. Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, 11 but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. Luke 24:10-11 ESV i. I don t have time to go into all the details the gospel writers give us and the variations we see of the women. In all four gospels 4 women are mentioned 1. Mary Magdalene who despite popular legend was never mentioned in Scripture as a prostitute. She was demon possessed, however, and Jesus delivered her. 2. The other Mary or Mary the mother of James. This would be the one who came to be known as James the less. 3. Joanna: Wife of Chuza who was a house steward of Herod Antipas. 4. Salome: Mother of James and John, wife of Zebedee. ii. When the women told the disciples what they had seen the disciples couldn t believe it. iii. Luke says that it seemed like idle talk to the disciples. The word used by Luke is a medical word and it is used only here in all of the New Testament. Doctors used this word to describe the rantings of someone who was in a state of delirium. That s what it seemed like to the disciples. These women were crazy. When you add to this the fact that the testimony of women was not allowed in court, you have a picture of some of the chauvinism of the day mixed with incredulity. 6

7 iv. In the gospel of John after Jesus does appear to the disciples when Thomas was not around, they tell Thomas. What was his response? Well we have it in Jn. 20: b. The disciples needed proof and Thomas needed proof, and they were believers. They had spent time with Jesus and knew what he could do. They needed convincing. c. How much more will people living here and now need convincing of the resurrection of Christ. Peter tells us to always be ready to make a defense to those who would ask us about the hope that is within us. How do we do that? i. Love each other. (Jn. 13:35 by this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love one for another. ii. Let that love keep you unified with your fellow believers: Jn. 17:23 I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me. iii. Be ready with evidence. (Acts 1:3) He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. iv. Jesus was not above proving his resurrection to the disciples. What kind of proofs did he offer? 1. He distinguished between being resurrected and only being a ghost or spirit. In verse 39 of this chapter after he appears to his disciples and they are frightened because they think they have seen a ghost. He says, See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have. 2. In John 20 he invites Thomas to check out his scars. He even went so far as to say, Then he said to Thomas, Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe. 3. In Jn. 21 he cooked a meal for them. 4. The point is that Jesus knew that they were going to need some convincing if they were to succeed in spreading the gospel and he gave it to them. 5. What convincing do you need? 3. Wise people will investigate the facts of the resurrection and then come to a decision. 7

8 a. But Peter rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened. Luke 22:12 ESV b. In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, 2 until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. 3 He presented himself alive to them after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. Acts 1:1-3 ESV c. The resurrection of Jesus did not happen in the dark. It is worth an honest and objective investigation. 4. Who Moved the Stone a book by Frank Morison was a critical book for my own spiritual development. 5. The first chapter of Morison s book is The Book that Refused to Be Written. He describes how he set out to write about the last week of the life of Christ but without the so called overgrowth of primitive beliefs. By that he meant the resurrection. But as he investigated a very different book emerged. He says, Slowly but very definitely the conviction grew that the drama of those unforgettable weeks of human history was stranger and deeper than it seemed. 6. As he investigated, Morison became convinced that the resurrection was the only logical explanation for the birth of the church that we see emerge in the book of Acts and as we know from history. As a college freshman I became convinced and that has never been shaken because no one has ever shown me any counter evidence proving that the resurrection didn t happen. According to the Apostle Paul, the stakes are high concerning the truth or falsehood of the resurrection. a. For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless. 15 And we apostles would all be lying about God for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave. But that can t be true if there is no resurrection of the dead. 16 And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sins. 18 In that case, all who have died believing in Christ are lost! 19 And if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are more to be pitied than anyone in the world. 1Cor. 15:13-19 NLT The resurrection of Jesus cannot be ignored. It has been proclaimed as true now for 2000 years. One must choose to believe it or not. There is really no 8

9 Next Steps: neutral ground. If true it means eternal life for all who believe. If false, then Jesus was nothing more than a nice guy who met a bad end. The resurrection proves that Jesus keeps his promises. It is also something that is hard to believe so we must know the evidence of it and invite others to explore the evidence. But above all we must understand what it means for everyone who says they believe it. If the resurrection is true and you believe it is true and if this Jesus you believe in calls you to deny yourself, pick up your cross daily and follow him and you believe that he said and meant this; then why in the name of God are you living your life in a marginal way concerning all of this? What can you possibly do that would be more important than obeying Jesus by making disciples? If you are a skeptic do your due diligence and make a choice. If you are a believer, let the resurrection assure you of your faith. 9