The Resurrection and our Forgiveness
Notes
Transcript
Introducción
Introducción
We have all ready fairy tails:
Fairy tails like: Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty.
Both of these stories finish with the words: …and they lived happily ever after.
The princess and the princess marry and live happily every after.
At the end of both stories all conflict is resolved, the villains have lost, and the princesses marries her prince.
There are those that see the resurrection of Jesus Christ in much the same way.
They see the story of the resurrection of Jesus Christ as just another story, a legend, a fairy tail, that talks about a religious event - an important event for the christian faith - but something that lives in the life of the imagination and not in real human history.
They see the story of the resurrection of Jesus Christ as the christian version of - and they lived happily ever after.
However, the resurrection of Jesus Christ is much more than that. The resurrection of Jesus Christ:
Is part of human history
Demonstrates the reality of human sin
Demonstrates God’s power
Gives the assurance of God’s forgiveness
Is grounded in human history
Is grounded in human history
We must all agree that the Bible presents the event of the resurrection of Jesus Christ as a real event that occurred in history.
Jesus Christ was crucified and died on the cross.
Jesus Christ was buried in a borrowed tomb.
The entrance of the tomb was covered with one to two ton stone to prevent anyone from disturbing the tomb.
Preventing grave diggers from stealing any valuables.
Prevented others from removing the body and burying their own dead.
Prevented the disciples from removing the body and then falsely proclaiming that Jesus Christ had risen from the dead.
For this reason, the Bible is very careful about telling us that Jesus Christ was arrested on Thursday evening (as the Jews were celebrating Passover) and was crucified at the third hour of the day on Friday (9 AM).
Why would Mark give us such precise dates and times?
There would be no need to give these details if Mark was simply narrating a fairy tail.
Jesus has been buried.
His dead body lays in a cold damp tomb.
The eleven disciples have scattered out of fear for their own lives.
Peter has also run away after having denied Jesus Christ three times.
..and now Mark tells us:
1 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body.
2 Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb
1 Cuando pasó el sábado, María Magdalena, María la madre de Jacobo, y Salomé compraron especias aromáticas para ir a ungir el cuerpo de Jesús.
2 Muy de mañana el primer día de la semana, apenas salido el sol, se dirigieron al sepulcro.
Note how Mark gives us precise dates and times.
Once the day of rest was over (the Sabbath), the three women - were now able to buy spices to anoint the Jesus’ body.
The shops would have been closed on the Sabbath. They have now reopened and the women can finally buy the necessary spices to anoint Jesus’ body for a proper burial - even though he has already been dead for almost three days.
…but now it is Sunday morning, the first day of the week.
It is sunrise and the women are on their way to the tomb.
Mark, why give us all these details?
Mark is doing the work of any good journalist - he’s recording these details to show us that what is about to happen is not the product of someone’s imagination.
Mark is recording a historical event.
Mark is so detailed about his report that he even records the 1-2 ton stone that was rolled in front of the tomb.
3 and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”
3 Iban diciéndose unas a otras: «¿Quién nos quitará la piedra de la entrada del sepulcro?»
This is an important detail that demonstrate that this is an authentic record of this historical event.
Now, what is the point of all this?
Mark allows the angel to announce the news:
6 “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.
6 —No se asusten—les dijo—. Ustedes buscan a Jesús el nazareno, el que fue crucificado. ¡Ha resucitado! No está aquí. Miren el lugar donde lo pusieron.
The historical event is the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Resurrection is the idea of someone dying and then coming to back to life.
There are those that have suffered cardiac arrest and after receiving CPR they are revived.
This is not a resurrection.
Resurrection is what happens when someone has been declared dead.
There is no brain activity.
Their heart is no longer pumping blood.
…in fact, the resurrection that Mark records is the resurrection of Jesus - who has been dead for three days.
For this reason, the angel announces that Jesus of Nazareth, the same who was crucified and died on the cross, has been raised from the dead.
He is no longer lying lifeless in the tomb.
His body is not lying on the stone slab where he was laid.
This historical record tells us:
Jesus died.
Jesus was buried.
Jesus rose from the dead.
…the only way to disprove this historical fact is by locating Jesus’ dead body and announcing - Jesus did not rise from the dead - here is his body - Jesus is dead.
If this were to happen, the Christian faith would crumble because our faith depends on the fact of the resurrection
Paul said:
14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.
14 Y si Cristo no ha resucitado, nuestra predicación no sirve para nada, como tampoco la fe de ustedes.
If this historical event did not happen, then our faith is useless, it’s empty, it’s an absolute lie.
Therefore, we praise God, that the resurrection is rooted in human history - Jesus really lived, died, and rose from the dead.
Demonstrates the reality of human sin
Demonstrates the reality of human sin
Notice Mark’s honesty in his writing:
Where are the male disciples?
Where are those that claimed they would never leave Jesus?
Where is Peter who claimed that he would be willing to die for Jesus?
Why did the male and female disciples not believe Jesus when he said he would rise from the dead?
Jesus had already announced to his followers that he would rise from the dead on the third day.
31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again.
31 Luego comenzó a enseñarles: —El Hijo del hombre tiene que sufrir muchas cosas y ser rechazado por los ancianos, por los jefes de los sacerdotes y por los maestros de la ley. Es necesario que lo maten y que a los tres días resucite.
Jesus clearly told his disciples that he would suffer at the hands of his enemies, he would die, but after three days he would rise from the dead.
Well, it has been three days.
One would expect these faith filled followers of Jesus to simply be waiting to see the Lord Jesus risen from the dead.
One would expect them to be on the lookout for the living Jesus.
But that is not what we see.
We do not see the disciples in this entire narrative.
…and although these faithful women have come to anoint Jesus and by this they show their love and devotion to him -
They are doing what is appropriate for a corpse.
They seem to have either forgotten or disregarded Jesus’ promise that he would rise again.
So, at the resurrection of Jesus:
We do not find faithful believers.
We do not find strong faith in the disciples.
We find fear, lack of faith, and doubt.
Demonstrates God’s power
Demonstrates God’s power
However, despite the fact that the disciples are not shown as having a strong faith - this does not prevent God from demonstrating his power.
The women were so worried about the 1-2 ton stone - and yet God’s power rolled away the stone.
The women were on their way to anoint a dead man’s body - and yet God’s power brought it back to life.
The women were on their way to mourn the death of their beloved savior - and yet God’s power interrupted their plans.
The angel announces the results of God’s power:
6 “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.
6 —No se asusten—les dijo—. Ustedes buscan a Jesús el nazareno, el que fue crucificado. ¡Ha resucitado! No está aquí. Miren el lugar donde lo pusieron.
Paul explains God’s power in this way:
30 But God raised him from the dead,
30 Pero Dios lo levantó de entre los muertos.
God’s power was not manifested only in the healing of the sick, the paralyzed, in casting out demons, or giving sight to the blind.
God’s power was also displayed in the resurrection of his Son - Jesus Christ of Nazareth.
We should praise God that the resurrection of Jesus did not depend on the faith of his disciples.
God’s promises are fulfilled despite that fact that we lack a strong faith.
God will keep his word even though we falter in our efforts to trust his promises.
Gives the assurance of God’s forgiveness
Gives the assurance of God’s forgiveness
What did the resurrection mean to the unfaithful disciples?
Now that Jesus was alive, surely the angel would rebuke the women at the tomb, for not believing that Jesus would rise from the dead.
Surely, the risen Lord Jesus would rebuke his other disciples for scattering and fearing for their lives.
But, this did not happen. Look at what the angels tells the women after he announces the resurrection.
7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’ ”
7 Pero vayan a decirles a los discípulos y a Pedro: “Él va delante de ustedes a Galilea. Allí lo verán, tal como les dijo.”
The angel tells the women that they should go and share the good news with the disciples - Jesus is alive.
But look closely at what the angel says - go tell the disciples…and even Peter.
Go and tell Peter, the one who denied him three times.
Go and tell Peter, the one who had cursed Jesus saying that he did not know who Jesus was.
The angel tells the women, that they are on God’s mission to announce to the disciples and Peter - that Jesus will meet them in Galilee.
They were unfaithful - but Jesus accepts them despite their sin.
They were afraid - but Jesus considers them his disciples - even Peter, despite their lack of faith.
How could Peter know that he was forgiven for his denial of Jesus - had it not been for this announcement by the angel?
The risen Lord Jesus Christ, through this angel, declares forgiveness, a restored relationship, and love towards his unfaithful disciples.
This is what the resurrection of Jesus Christ announces to us - that because Jesus has been raised from the dead - we can have assurance that if we believe in him - we are forgiven and have peace with God.
Because Jesus rose from the dead, we can be sure that even our sin cannot separate us from his love.
39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
39 ni lo alto ni lo profundo, ni cosa alguna en toda la creación, podrá apartarnos del amor que Dios nos ha manifestado en Cristo Jesús nuestro Señor.