"A Strange Conversation"

He Has Come

300 Sermon Illustrations from Charles Spurgeon (He Has Come! (Luke 19:10; John 3:17; 4:25–26

The state of the case since Jesus has come may be illustrated in this way. Certain of our fellow countrymen were the prisoners of the Emperor Theodore, in Abyssinia, and I will suppose myself among them. As a captive, I hear that the British Parliament is stirring in the direction of an expedition for my deliverance, and I feel some kind of comfort, but I am very anxious, for I know that amidst party strifes in the House of Commons many good measures are shipwrecked. Days and months pass wearily on, but at last I hear that Sir Robert Napier has landed with a delivering army. Now my heart leaps for joy. I am shut up within the walls of Magdala, but in my dungeon I hear the sound of the British bugle, and I know that the deliverer is come. Now I am full of confidence and am sure of liberty. If the general is already come my rescue is certain.Note well, then, you prisoners of hope, that Jesus has come. Do you not hear it? The gospel bugle is sounding. Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! The captain of our salvation has come; he is at our dungeon gates! He has come to our rescue! He has come! He has come!

Resurrection Sunday announces three things to the world: (1) there is an empty cross, (2) an empty tomb, and (3) a triumphant Christ. Resurrection in the Greek is anástasis, meaning the raising from death to new life in biblical usage specifically a raising of the righteous of all ages at the end of earthly history. There is no word for resurrection in the Old Testament. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is central to the New Testament and foundational for the theology of the Church. These events have been acknowledged as paramount from the early church. Paul argues that if Jesus did not bodily rise from the dead as the firstfruit of believers biblica faith is fallacy and ineffective, preaching is useless, apostolic witnesses were false, sin remains unforgiven, and believers have died without hope (1 Corinthians 15:12-19). The Old Testament contains many references to the decay of death, the depths of the grave, and Sheol as the pit of destruction. It addresses despairing circumstances and inevitable death with a confident hope in the living God: even through death disrupts the harmonies of life, it cannot destroy believers’ fellowship with the sovereign of life—God. The Old Testament do no speculate about what happens in the afterlife. They simply present the belief that faithful people will live because Yahweh lives, and He will not abandon His covenantal people in the pit.

In accord with Old Testament emphases, the Father raised the Son from the dead (Acts 2:24; Rom 4:24; 8:11; Heb 13:20). This also reflects the theme of the Son’s submission to the Father’s will. However, the Savior as personified life transitions from the Old Testament’s monotheistic life-in-God to a Trinitarian bestowal of the authority to bestow life from the Father to the Son: “The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand.… For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom He is pleased to give it” (John 3:35; 5:21). Thus, resurrection power issued from God and belongs to the Son, who is one with the Father in their deity.

Propositional Argument

Jesus’ bodily death and resurrection was foretold by the prophets, and without Christ’s bodily resurrection, then our preaching is vain, and our hope of eternal life dashed.

“What a Few Days”

Palm Sunday is a distant memory from where we find the Lord Jesus Christ. He enters Jerusalem to the roar of the crowds that shout “Hosana” and Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. He weeps over Jerusalem who murder those sent to her, cleanses the temple and curses a fig tree. He foretells the destruction of the temple and the tumults in the last days. He speaks of wars and rumors of wars, while the religious leaders plot to kill. As they celebrate the Passover, the feast that reminds Israel of God’s deliverance from Egyptian bondage, Jesus institutes his own supper so that those who receive salvation can reflect on his death. He identifies his betrayer and foretells of Simon Peter’s momentary misstep and reaffirms that all Scripture must be fulfilled in him. They sung a hymn and went to the Mount of Olives where he prayed three times for his father to “move this cup” while the inner circle disciples slip into slumber. He’s arrested and taken to the high preist’s house while Peter followed at a distance. He denies knowing Christ as the Scripture must be fulfilled. Jesus is blindfolded and brought before the Sanhedrin council for this kangaroo court. They asked if he was the Christ, but they did not get the answer they sought. He’s convicted in the court of church opinion. He’s sent to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor over Jerusalem and Pilate had the same question, but he handled Pilate differently. Pilat tells the religious leaders that he finds no fault. But, some of the religious leaders alleged that Jesus stirred the people,. To no avail, Jesus is taken to Herod for trial. The interesting fact here is Herod actually desired to see Jesus because he desired a sign from him. If you recall, it was father Herod the Great who ordered the slaughter of the first born sons in Bethlehem so that the Scripture might be fulfilled. He’s mocked yet again while being accused by the religious leaders. Jesus’ presence caused Herod and Pilate to become friends because they had a common issues. Pilate tries to reason with the religious only to be met with strong opposition, resulting in Pilate leaving Jesus’ fate in the hands of an angry mob.. The same crowd who celebrated him now days later shout “crucify him.” He was led down the Via Dolorosa, or the way of suffering or the path of suffering in Latin. The road was about 1/2 mile long, and Jesus made the trek with a cross estimated at 300 lbs, with the crossbar weighing an approximately 70-90 lbs that stood 3 to fur meters high. He carried his cross to Golgotha commonly known as the Place of the Skulls. He’s nailed to a tree between two thieves and lifted between earth and sky. Jesus’ last seven sayings on the cross are mention in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and John, but Luke mentions only three of the seven: (1) Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do, (2) Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise, and (3) Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. Jesus’ head drops into the lock of shoulder and he died....the centurion in Luke’s account declared Jesus’ innocence while other went home claiming certain victory over the rebel Jesus. The women watched from afar as Mary the mother of Jesus and now mother of John mourn the loss of her son and his teacher. Jesus’ death pierced her heart, so that might the Scripture might be fulfilled. Joseph of Arimathea begs for the body of Jesus and he buries him in his new tomb with guards placed....The third day morning Jesus rose with all power in his hand....There is still the buzz in the streets and the smell of death in the air

“He Rebuked Them: Don’t Let your Friday Experience affect your First day of the week”

Cleophas and his companion were walking to Emmaus and they were talking about “all the things that had happened.” (Luke 24:13-14). No doubt their reason was rattled and their faith shaken to its very core as they witness the death of Jesus by the hands of Roman soldiers. No doubt they heard that the mob chose the delinquent over the divine, the insurrectionist over Immanuel, the murderer over the Messiah, and the zealot over the Zenith. No doubt they had their own ideas and theories, but they could agree that Jesus was in fact dead. They heard about how the crowd jeered and mocked him even while dying, and how he forgave his enemies, promised a sinner a place in paradise, and placed his spirit in his Father’s hand. No doubt they mention that at the sixth hour, a funeral pall of darkness fell over the daylight sky while the veil in the temple was rent from top to bottom. Sun darken, rocks split, dead out of their graves....silent witnesses to the public resurrection. No doubt they revisited the earthquake that ensued after the Jesus commits his spirit. No doubt they heard that the dead came out of their graves and walk the streets of Jerusalem. But, if we lean in real close and eavesdrop, we know they agreed that Jesus died.....They picked up another traveler and they continued their conversation. The traveler asks what are y’all talking about, and they looking sad and stunned said in Luke 24:18-24

Luke 24:18–24 ESV

Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.”

Jesus listened to them talk about “Jesus” in past tense with present view. How can they talk in past tense with a present view. For many of us, we walk in a brand new week physically while stuck in the past of hurt, pain, and suffering. The two men were still stunned by Friday while walking in a brand new week They could not believe that this strange traveler hadn’t heard about the events of the last 72 hours. After they recounted the events of the last 72 hours, concluding with his resurrection, Jesus sees that Friday affected their faith, and he chides them for being slow to believe....He rebukes them by calling them foolish. The word foolish here means “ unwilling to use one’s mental faculties in order to understand.” Jesus is disappointed that two of his own disciples refused to employ their mental faculties to read and understand the Scriptures better. They saw Jesus die and assumed that was the end of the story. Neither Jesus or the disciples had the four Gospels or the epistles to read. The Bible of their day was the Old Testament, and Jesus is stunned that these two did not understand the Scriptures better. Their minds (hearts) lacked spiritual alertness so they failed to be convinced of the truth of the prophetic writings and also the Law. They failed to believe two important things: (1) the Hebrew Scriptures, and (2) their failure to believe the reports of the empty tomb and vision of angels. But their attitude would have been different if they had a thorough belief in all the evidence of the Scriptures. If they had accepted what the prophets had said, they would have believed the report of the women who went to the tomb. They were foolish or dull because they failed to believe that for the Messiah the way to glory had to be through suffering. They believed the predictions of the glory of the Messiah, but hadn’t taken to heart the predictions about the suffering. They believed the Scriptures in general, but did not believe the things dealing with the Messiah’s suffering and death, nor in the nature of his exaltation.

“He Reminded them: Suffering comes before Glory”

Paul says in Philippians 3:10-11

Philippians 3:10–11 ESV

that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Notice how Jesus answers their bewildered and sadden countenance in third person: his suffering was his admission into glory. Practical Application: “When you enter the door of suffering, know it leads to an entrance into glory.” Paul describes our suffering here as light and momentary that brings the believer from glory to glory. In third person, Jesus says that it was necessary....the word necessary here is edei meaning to be that which must necessarily take place, often with the implication of inevitability. Jesus’ statement shows the divine necessity of his suffering because humanity could not handle it. These followers of Jesus were still stunned that Christ actually suffered and died, while doing nothing to save himself. According to the Divine decree respecting the Messiah as expressed in prophecy, precisely the things which these two had allowed to destroy their hopes were a confirmation of them…the same Scripture where they found hope died when Jesus died. 1 Corinthians 15:3-5

1 Corinthians 15:3–5 ESV

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.

The word suffering here is πάσχω (pascho), meaning to experience something that comes from outside. Jesus dealt with the internal suffering in Gethsemane and the external suffering came during his Passion Week. The suffering Messiah/Christ is the narrative throughout the gospel. The necessity was based in prophecy. God’s decree expressed in prophecy. Behind the prophecies was God’s will and plan for the salvation of mankind. This was God’s will for Jesus. It was God’s plan that suffering must precede entering into his glory. Glory is the outcome of his suffering. He had to suffer and then enter his glory. It is was necessary to both suffer and to enter. The influence of “it is necessary” extends to the last part of the verse also. The two acts were necessary because they were both revealed and fulfilled; Jesus suffered to expiate the world’s guilt by his death and he also had to enter his glory to lay this sacrifice before God.

Jesus entered the realm of glory. God’s dwelling place, and there shared God’s power. Glory describes his exaltation at the right hand of God. This was the glory that the Son had before the world began (John 17:5). He entered his resurrection. Jesus was raised to reign next to God. Glory is the condition in which Jesus already enjoyed the company of he heavenly Father and from there he then appeared to his disciples.

“Recapitulated: Sometimes you have to tell your own story”

Cleophas and the other disciple still did not know that it was in fact Jesus walking with them. These two disciples were still talking about Jesus in the past tense, not realizing that their present and future was walking with them. Cleophas and the other disciple told one narrative: Jesus was a prophet who performed miracles, but the religious leaders saw him as a threat, and instead of embracing him, they sought to kill him. They succeeded by using the Romans to carry out their diabolical plan. We were hoping that he was the one, but it turns out that he is just like the others that came. He died and is still dead, even though he said destroy this temple and I will raise up again in three days. Its been three days, so our hope lies in Joseph’s new tomb…At this point Jesus knows they’ve totally missed some classes and some scripture reading. Jesus chose those the passages from the OT which concerned the Messiah and showed how they should be understood. The passages would concern the suffering of the Messiah, probably emphasizing the passages in Isaiah, and then there would be the passages about his glory in explaining the resurrection. The tow disciples did not realize at the time that the stranger was speaking about himself as pointed out the Messianic passages. This should not be taken to mean that he picked out proof-texts, rather he showed that throughout the OT there was a consistent divine purpose being worked out and ending with the cross. He picked out the symbols and types that pointed to the Messiah’s work and person. The strange traveler takes the scripture like Philip did with the eunuch; and explains the Scripture beginning Moses:

Isaiah 7:14 ESV

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Micah 5:2 ESV

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.

Jeremiah 31:15 ESV

Thus says the Lord: “A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.”

Hosea 11:1 ESV

When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.

Isaiah 40:3–4 ESV

A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain.

Genesis 49:10 ESV

The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.

Genesis 3:15 ESV

I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

Psalm 8:5–6 ESV

Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet,

Isaiah 9:1–2 ESV

But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.

Isaiah 11:10 ESV

In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples—of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious.

Isaiah 35:5–6 ESV

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert;

Psalm 41:9 ESV

Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me.

Zechariah 11:12–13 ESV

Then I said to them, “If it seems good to you, give me my wages; but if not, keep them.” And they weighed out as my wages thirty pieces of silver. Then the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—the lordly price at which I was priced by them. So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the house of the Lord, to the potter.

Psalm 35:11 ESV

Malicious witnesses rise up; they ask me of things that I do not know.

Isaiah 53:7 ESV

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.

Isaiah 50:6 ESV

I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting.

Psalm 69:4 ESV

More in number than the hairs of my head are those who hate me without cause; mighty are those who would destroy me, those who attack me with lies. What I did not steal must I now restore?

Isaiah 53:12 ESV

Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.

Psalm 22:16 ESV

For dogs encompass me; a company of evildoers encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet—

Psalm 22:1 ESV

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?

Psalm 109:4 ESV

In return for my love they accuse me, but I give myself to prayer.

Zechariah 12:10 ESV

“And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn.

Isaiah 53:9 ESV

And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.

Psalm 16:10 ESV

For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.

Psalm 49:15 ESV

But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol, for he will receive me. Selah

As Jesus recapitulates his narrative, the two disciples asked him to stay with them, and he obliged. Jesus sits at the table with them, and when he blessed, broke, and gave it to them, then they recognized that it was Jesus. Just as fast as he was there, he was gone…from the conversation to the table caused a revival of faith and hope in the risen Savior....You can get from Friday to your “first day of the week” through trusting God’s process on the way to Friday is to bring you into the first day of your week…Friday doesn’t stop the days from passing by......

When Sunday comes My trouble gone As soon as it gets here I'll have a new song

When Sunday comes I won't have to cry no more Jesus will soothe My troubled mind And all of our heartaches Every burden All of our misery All of our crying Every trial, every tribulation Will be left behind

When Sunday When Sunday Oh, when When Sun, Sunday When Sun, Sunday Comes I'm gonna behold his face (his face, his grace) And be searchin' for the saving grace (oh yes, I've got to see) I've got to see, I'm going to see Jesus for me, yes I am (Jesus for me) Yes (yes, Sun) Sunday (day)

Oh, when it comes I'm looking to light, ah, yeah When Sunday Oh, when it comes Yeah-yeah (on Sun)

You see, on Friday, they took him And they stretched him high and they stretched him wide (on Sun) And all day Saturday, there was no activity They thought Jesus really had died (on Sun) Oh, but early Sunday morning, hey

There came a shakin', there came a rockin' and there came a rollin' (on Sun) Ha, there was somebody, that was guarding The beginning of theGgod, they was standing there, yes standing They wouldn't let anybody come to the grave But I heard something going on on the inside (on Sun) You see, I heard that the Lord went to hell and preached a revival And then he said anybody that wants to come with me I'm going outta here, we're all gone, into our heaven

When Sunday comes I'm, (shout my troubles) shout my troubles (on Sunday) away I'm not gon' cry no more When Sunday comes I will see his grace, amazing I, when Sunday comes, I'll tell I'm gonna sing his praise, I'm gonna praise him I'll be delivered, I'll be healed I'll have dawn, I'll have peace, Sunday Oh, I'm gon' help you, oh Lord, I'll have victory I'll have peace, Sunday (thank you, Jesus) Oh, the people, oh, everything will be, oh, I can hardly wait, till Sunday (Till Sunday) when Sunday When Sunday Oh, when Sunday When it