HE IS RISEN
Notes
Transcript
HE IS RISEN
HE IS RISEN
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. And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him. Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me.
Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done. And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers, Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept. And if this come to the governor’s ears, we will persuade him, and secure you. So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.
Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Have you ever played that game Chinees whispers we make a like and someone at the front of the line has a message whispered into his ear and is asked to pass on the message to the next person and so on
When the last person is asked to tell you the message it can be so different from the original
or have you been called to be a witness in a crime and asked to give account of what you saw
as you listen to others who give their account they seem to differ from yours.
or have you been in a car accident and you have given your account of the incident but it seems to differ from that of a witness or the other driver.
according to the police witnesses are notably un relient so this is why they want to see other evidence like DNA or fingerprints to back up what an eye witness my say.
It’s not that witnesses are telling lies is just that an eye witness might not have seen the same as you because on their positioning or their mind might have focused upon another part of the incident.
So as we look at the accounts of the resurection we will see different accounts firstly because each of the accounts are written by different people and because they are writing from different standpoints and to differing types of people.
What do i mean lets take Matthew he was a Disciple of Jesus and a tax collector and as you read through his book you will find that his audience is the jews and an historical veiw so he will use alot more of what went on and the old testament scriptures to prove the Jesus is the messiah.
Luke was a very intelgent man as he was a physisian and who spent a long time with Paul so his veiw point would possible be leaning towards the gentile people and what they saw..
they would tell what they saw as in matthews case and the history
but what they had gleaned by testomony from others as in Lukes case
But when the witnesess are possible unriliable what do you do
Well you can look at the evidence so we will try and do this this morning.
I would ask every one to read
mark 16, luke 24, john 20.
And you will get a over veiw of what happened on that first Easter morning
Easter
Easter | ˈiːstə | noun the most important and oldest festival of the Christian Church, celebrating the resurrection of Christ and held (in the Western Church) between 21 March and 25 April, on the first Sunday after the first full moon following the northern spring equinox.
as read both matt mark,luke and john, we see that their is a key item that each of the writers pick up on but only matthew who give any reason for why this had happened
we know that from history and the jews who are always good at remmembering things and putting them into wrighten we read that Jesus had Died
Matthew in the previous chapter had wrote that some
When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus’ disciple: He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered. And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed. And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre. Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, 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. Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can. So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.
Her we see that two things that
And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre.
we see that the women see that there is a stone over the tome of the sepulchre it does not tell us wherether it was in front or on top but as we read the text in mark there is a discusion on how they would roll the stone away
Back in matt 27 we see that in the
Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate,
the jewish spiritual leaders of the day went to see pilate who was the one with all power in that region and said
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.
Here were a group of people who first called Jesus a deceiver who must have been in his presence and heard him say
That he would rise again on the third day
Here was a group of people who were frightened by Jesus whom they had managed to kill
Or so they thought.
here you see that its not the saducess and the pharisees that came to pilate
why you might ask
well the saducees didn’t believe in life after death so as Jesus is dead well thats the end of that.
and an independent person had stated when the soldiers went to break the legs of jesus he was already dead.
But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs: But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe.
How ever the Pharisees did believe in life after death and seeing that Lazerath had come to life after 4 days they didn’t want to see jesus walking around any time soon
in the talmud jewish writings they believe that the spirit of a person hovers around the body for 3 days before it goes away. this is why Jesus waited to go to see lazerath so that the people would belive that he was not just the the bringer of life but he is the resurection and life.
there is a difference. one is a conduent of the power to facilitate life
the other is the power to life
These Pharisees were afriad that what he said would come to pass taking into account all that they had seen and heard.
There was also fear that some one might come and steal the body but as wev’e already said he is dead so what would be the benifit of that, at that time we haven’t read of the disciples raising people from the dead with evidence so all they would have is a dead body
Yes you could auwgue that they could say he rose from the dead but they would need some people to verifie that.
These Pharisees were making sure by asking for a seal and a guard that this Jesus was staying in the tonb and no one was going to steel the body.
All of the gospels have a concern about this stone and how it was to be move or that it had been moved
Yes it had been moved into place by men and i guess it could be moved by men
but what have we forgotten about this weekend
if you had been living in Jerusalem at that time you would have had other things to worry about other than Jesus in the Tomb.
What are you taking about Pastor i can hear you say
Remember this was passover weekend you would be thinking of putting the blood on your door posts and your lintels You would be thinking about eating the passover meal
This would have been in the forfront of most people but what else
What else i hear you say lets look back
Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God. And many women were there beholding afar off, which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him: Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s children.
When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus’ disciple:
jerusalem temple the holy of holies is in the moutain range of moriah its the place where Abraham was asked of God to offer his son but at the last minute God spoke to Abraham and asked him to save his son and offer the lamb caught in the thicket
when Jesus Died yes out side the walls of Jerusalem we read that there was an earthquake we might just overlook this at this moment but the people whom live in isreal didn’t they were preparing for this passover and there was an earth quake
when we hear about an earthquake we see damage to offices and homes and peoples lives who are changed we are also aware of what we know as aftershocks
But pastor so there was a earthquake prove it
science now a scintific mag has proven that there was a substantial earthquake around the time that the bible states Jesus died and its strengh was 8.2 on the scale.
Here we see that not only eye witnesses state that there was an earthquake when christ died but our bible states that There was an earth quake that rolled the stone away.
The earthquake rolled the stone away but the body which is what we call something that had died was still in the tomb
however
Jesus said In
Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.
Yes there was an earthquake on the day that he died
and an earthquake on the day when he rose again
a song we use to sing in the carabean
no grave can hold my body down
There was no grave that could hold the very life sours of the universe
the grave could not hold him he was able to walk free of the cluthes of this world
Can yo image those soldiers that felt the quake and saw him walk out
just as jonah was spewed out of the belly of the fish after 3 days
so the earth rolled away the stone that was holding the very life force of our faith
Jesus is not dead for he is risen
Let all the world know that JESUS IS ALIVE
AND WE WHO CHOOSE TO FOLLOW HIM ARE ALIVE WITH THE SAME LIFE FOCE THE HOLY SPIRIT.
LETS PRAY.