Easter 2026
Notes
Transcript
Jesus has faced His trial, and was not convicted, but instead a criminal had been chosen to be released in His place. He had been flogged, mocked, ridiculed, and forced to carry His cross to Golgotha - the place of the Skull. He was nailed to the Roman cross, like a common criminal, suffered, and died, all while completing the Will of His Father.
Being executed as a criminal, Jewish law prohibited His body from being placed in a tomb of honor - a family tomb - but instead was placed in a tomb that had never been used. His body would have been washed, wrapped, and perfumed. However, perfuming of the body was denied to criminals, pointing out why He had been anointed while with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. For the next seven days, Jewish custom was to pray, anoint the body further to prevent odor, sing, mourn, and after 7 days the funeral was over. But there would be no need for the funeral ceremonies - He was not there, but He IS Alive!
Easter is a time, not to review the death of Jesus, but instead to see His resurrection. The Christ that died that day is the same Christ that rose three days later - He IS the same yesterday, today, and forever. His conditions changed, but He remained the same. In the realm of the eternal He emptied himself, but He could not divest himself of himself. He took the form of a servant and became man, but He was still the Word that was in the beginning with God and was God. So it was in the Resurrection, and so it will be when He comes again in glory.
Easter is a time of joy for Christians, and it is a time of hope for the lost.
50 Now there was a man named Joseph, from the Jewish town of Arimathea. He was a member of the council, a good and righteous man,
51 who had not consented to their decision and action; and he was looking for the kingdom of God.
52 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.
53 Then he took it down and wrapped it in a linen shroud and laid him in a tomb cut in stone, where no one had ever yet been laid.
54 It was the day of Preparation, and the Sabbath was beginning.
55 The women who had come with him from Galilee followed and saw the tomb and how his body was laid.
56 Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments. On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.
Joseph was a secret agent - a Christian in disguise - until the death of Jesus. But, the crucifixion changed him.
Before, he was an upright man, a member of the Sanhedrin, the ruling body of Israel. He was highly educated, well liked, held in high esteem, and a leader of good quality and high morals. But even being a “good man” wasn’t enough, he was looking for the Messiah and the Kingdom of God. Even though he was searching, he was still scared. John 19:38
38 After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away his body.
Joseph probably had met Jesus and arranged private meetings with Him when the Lord had visited Jerusalem, but he feared making a public profession. His position and prestige were at stake. His peers, the other rulers, opposed Jesus. He believed in Jesus, but out of fear he kept his discipleship a secret.
How many persons are like Joseph? They are believers and good and just people; however they fear what their friends and fellow workers will say. They fear the loss of position, prestige, promotion, acceptance, popularity, friends, job, income, livelihood.
He was a man changed by the death of Jesus. This is seen in two facts.
Joseph actually went to Pilate and begged for the body of Jesus. This was a tremendous act of courage. The Romans either dumped the bodies of crucified criminals in the trash heaps or left the bodies hanging upon the cross for the vultures and animals to consume. The latter served as an example of criminal punishment to the public. Joseph also braved the threat of Pilate’s reaction. Pilate was fed up with the Jesus matter. Jesus had proven to be very bothersome to him. He could have reacted severely against Joseph.
The thing that turned Joseph from being a secret disciple to a bold disciple seems to be the cross, the phenomenal events surrounding the cross (the behavior and words of Jesus, the darkness, the earthquake, the torn veil, and other events). When Joseph witnessed all this, his mind connected the claims of Jesus with the Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah. Joseph saw the prophecies fulfilled in Jesus. He stepped forward braving all risks and took his stand for Jesus. A remarkable courage! A courage stirred by the death of Jesus.
He was a man who cared deeply for Jesus. The words and acts of these two verses express care and tenderness, love and affection, as well as courage and boldness. Joseph …
• took the Lord’s body down from the cross
• wrapped the body in linen
• laid the body in a tomb, a tomb wherein no man had ever been laid
• acted quickly, before the Sabbath began. Jesus died at 3 p.m. Friday afternoon which was the day of preparation for the Sabbath (see Mk. 15:33–34, 37). Work was forbidden on the Sabbath, so if anything was to be done with Jesus’ body, it had to be done immediately. Only three hours remained for work.
This act alone would leave no doubt about the effect of the cross upon Joseph. The cross changed his life. He was no longer a secret believer; he now demonstrated a public stand for Jesus. Position, power, wealth, fame—none of these can make us bold for Christ. Only true affection for Christ will make us bold, and only as we see the cross of Christ will affection for Christ be aroused.
The women demonstrated a fearless loyalty despite all danger. At the cross the men forsook Jesus, but not the women. The women demonstrated a deep affection for Jesus. They took their own money to buy spices and ointments to embalm Jesus. This they did because they loved Him. The women did not yet understand the resurrection of Jesus. They were preparing His body to lie and eventually to decay in the tomb. The true meaning of living forever—the human body being remade, recreated, and becoming incorruptible—had not yet been grasped by them.
1 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 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.
The tomb was empty. Discovering the empty tomb was the greatest discovery in human history. However, the great tragedy is that most people either are not aware that Jesus arose or do not believe that He arose. Every man has to discover the fact for himself. The empty tomb and the risen Lord have to become a personal discovery for every man.
Sunday, the first day of the week, early in the morning as the sun was rising, the women did not find what they expected. They instead found an empty tomb. Their worship began on Sunday, not the Sabbath, and they worshipped the resurrection of their Lord.
Jesus arose on the first day of the week, on Sunday morning. This means that He had been in the grave for three days just as He had said. His resurrection from the dead was a triumph, a conquest over death. Death reigns no more—its rule has been broken.
The stone had been rolled away. The body was missing from the tomb. But there was something different, the grave cloths were lying there with no body in them, the face cloth had been intentionally folded. He was not there...
Two angels appeared in all the brilliance of heaven with a message for the women. Why are you looking for the living among the dead? The angels proclaimed the glorious news: “He is not here, but is risen.” The angels reminded the women that Jesus had foretold His death and resurrection, “and they remembered His words”. But note what happened now. They knew they had been wrong. Conviction struck them, and they became the very first witnesses to the resurrection.
The disciples were quick to express their disbelief. The women rushed to the disciples to share the glorious news. But the news ridiculous to them. They had seen Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead, but they could not believe that He could raise Himself.
The disciples were without excuse. Christ had spent month after month drilling His death and resurrection into His disciples, but they still did not believe.
Peter continued on in his unbelief. Peter’s heart was still drawn to the Lord despite his enormous failure. Hearing that the body of Jesus was no longer in the tomb, he rushed to the tomb with his thoughts flying, wondering what had happened to the Lord.
Peter stooped down and saw the evidence: the linen clothes were lying off to the side by themselves. However, Peter did not grasp the significance of the evidence. John said he had rushed to the tomb with Peter and did believe, based upon the evidence of the linen clothes. He also verifies that Peter did not grasp the significance at this point. Peter just “departed,” wondering within himself what had really happened.
It is dangerous not to understand the Lord’s Word, not to take His Word at face value. Spiritualizing His words, unless the words are clearly symbolic, often leads to serious unbelief and problems. A person has to be open to the evidence of the resurrection. The tomb is empty; He is risen—and the honest and seeking man will be convinced by the Spirit of God. What is needed is to do as Peter did: run to the tomb to see what really did happen.
CLOSING
Today, we do not have to wonder, we do not have to guess, we can have faith in and place our hope on the resurrection of Christ and a LIVING Savior. In celebration of our living Savior, we will observe the Lords Supper.
As the deacons come forward and prepare the table, let us prepare ourselves as we are called to do in 1 Corinthians 11:28 “28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup.”
