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The Resurrection of Jesus: An Unbroken Promise

Christ Lives

  • God’s plan was for the Messiah to come forth out of the grave, death could not hold
    Him.
  • Jesus predicted how long He would be in the grave.
    • Matthew 12:39-41 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous
      generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of
      the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s
      belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall
      condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater
      than Jonas is here,


1. A WATCH PUT OVER HIS GRAVE

  • The chief priests were afraid that the disciples would steal the body of Jesus, then
    claim that Jesus had risen.
  • Pilate put guards around the grave and secured it the best way possible.
    • Matthew 27:63-65 Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was
      yet alive, After three days I will rise again. Command therefore that the sepulchre
      be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him
      away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be
      worse than the first. 65 Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make
      it as sure as ye can.


2. JESUS CAME FORTH

  • There efforts to keep Jesus in the tomb were to no avail. The angel of the Lord
    descended from heaven, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like
    lightning, and his clothing white as snow.
    • The keepers of the tomb (guards) shook and became like dead men.
    • Mary Magdalene, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and the mother of James, and Salome,
      along with others made their way to the tomb. They wanted to anoint the body of Jesus with spices. As they came close they wondered who rolled the stone away. Christ was risen!
      The tomb was empty.
    • Matthew 28:1-8 In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. And behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye; for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you. And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word.


3. MANY SAW HIM

  • After His resurrection, about 500 people saw Him.
    • 1 Corinthians 15:4-8 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day
      according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.
    • Acts 1:3 To whom also he showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:
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Lazarus: A Lesson in Faith and Divine Timing

“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever” (Hebrews 13:8). Often in life, we desire and believe in outcomes that never materialize. Instead, we are met with events that are usually unwelcome. The resurrection of Lazarus serves as a prime example. Martha and Mary call for Jesus when Lazarus falls ill, confident in his ability to heal. They anticipate their brother’s recovery, but instead, Lazarus passes away. Four days post-mortem, Jesus arrives; Martha rushes to greet him, while Mary remains indoors, possibly angered by the unfulfilled healing of her brother. Martha, too, is distressed. We can see this because she says, “… if you would hadst been here, my brother had not died” (John 11:21). However, she still shows a little bit of faith by her next words, “But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee“(John 11:22).

After speaking with Jesus, Martha summons her sister Mary. Mary repeats to Jesus what Martha had said. Jesus recognized that both Martha and Mary were distressed. He was aware that their faith needed strengthening. Nonetheless, he showed compassion, which is evident from the fact that he wept alongside them. Martha possessed some faith, yet she struggled with doubt. However, “Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?” (John 11:40). Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead were laid and Jesus prayed. Afterwards, “…he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go” (John 11:43-44). Jesus took the faith she possessed, amplified it, and performed a miracle that bolstered the faith of Mary, the disciples, and everyone in that town.

Often, we become upset or angry believing that God is inactive. Yet, we are not privy to God’s plan. There are occasions when God intends to use us as witnesses to greater things, akin to what has been done before. Remember that Jesus is “the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever” Hebrews 13:8.

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Easter Victory: Embracing Jesus’ Resurrection

When I think about Easter Sunday many scriptures come to mind. Those scriptures are I Corinthians 11:24-26, I Corinthians 15:54-57, I Peter 2:24, John 3:16, and John 20:12-16. All of these scriptures have special meaning to me. The New Covenant was created by the death of Jesus. The elements of the Lord’s supper are only symbolic representations of the bigger picture. Jesus gives everyone the opportunity to be included in the New Covenant. Only Jesus was victorious over death, Hades, and the grave. Therefore, my trust is in him. It is wonderful that God loves me so much that he gave his only begotten son, Jesus. This great love was demonstrated by Jesus dying and three days later being resurrection. In addition, he endured a beating for my healing. I am greatly encouraged by the determination of Mary Magdalene. Despite the discouragement from the other disciples she stayed behind to look for Jesus’ body.Jesus is Victorious
On Easter Morning, Jesus rose from the dead. I Corinthians 15:54-57 says, “… “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Thanks be to God I do not have to fear death. The fear of death is sin. Jesus took away the power that sin had over us when he did and rose again. Now it does not matter what anyone says or does to me, I have victory over everything through Jesus.

Many years ago, my ex-stepdad was always threatening to blow the house to kingdom come because my mom and I was late getting home from church. After reading this scripture, it occurred to me that if he carried through on his threat, I would go straight to heaven because I have put my trust in Jesus. Therefore, I should not be afraid of dying. Jesus has already concurred death.

God Loves the World
John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Jesus rose again on Easter morning. That is my guarantee that the promise of everlasting life is true. Only someone who defeated death can fulfill such a promise. Therefore, I can be confident that as long as my trust is in him, I will not perish. I can also be confident that God really loves me. I have a son and in my human capacity, I could not give him up for anyone. Therefore, I know that God really loves me. He was willing to give up his son for 3 days so that I could be saved.

Healing
Every time I think about Easter, I cannot help but remember the pain and suffering that Jesus endured. I Peter 2:24 says, “who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.” Just to think that someone loves me so much that he would endure a beating so that I could be healed. He had to die to be resurrected, but he did not have to be beat. He could have chosen no to endure the beating before he died. However, I would not have the added blessing of healing.
Because Jesus endured the beating, I was able to go to Jesus and ask for healing for my husband. My husband is a construction worker. One day he came home with severe muscle pain in his shoulder. Because our trust is in Jesus, we were able to ask Jesus to heal the muscle. Because Jesus’ promises are true, my husband has not had any more problems with his shoulder. Sometimes Jesus gives doctors the knowledge to solve problems and other times he supernaturally solves the problem. This time he just healed the shoulder.

Determination
Lastly, I think about Mary Magdalene. She went to the tomb early on resurrection morning. She discovered that Jesus was not there. She then told the other disciples. They came and saw that the stone had been rolled away and then left. She stays behind. As she was weeping, “she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. Then they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.” Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, “Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him, “Rabboni!” (which is to say, Teacher).” (John 20:12-16). Unlike the men, she was determined to find Jesus. They went back home to hide, but she asked everyone she saw “where have you taken him?” At this time, she did not know that he was alive. She only knew that she had to find him.
I think about her and her determination. It did not matter to her that some people believed that he deserved death, nor did it matter that there was still people that hated anyone who closely followed Jesus. The other disciples were afraid that people would remember that they were closely associated with Jesus. We should all have the determination that Mary had. She stood by her friend even though she thought he was dead. He rewarded her determination by coming to her and talking to her. O joy, she must have felt to know that he was alive and was concerned about her tears.

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