Unbelievable
Scripture: Luke 24
There are many out in the world, people that you may know, who are not convinced of the authenticity of the Bible, are not convinced of the truth in the Bible, and are certainly not convinced that a dead man would come back to life again. To them, the Resurrection is simply unbelievable!
We can come alive again in Jesus Christ through an objective and reasonable belief, a reasonable faith, in the unbelievable Resurrection.
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I. The Reality: The Tomb is Empty
A. The Disciples Knew Jesus Was In The Tomb
50 Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man, 51 who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea, and he himself was waiting for the kingdom of God. 52 Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body. 53 Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid. 54 It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin. 55 The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. 56 Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment. ---Luke 23:50–56
B. The Pharisees Knew Jesus Was In The Tomb
62 The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. 63 “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ 64 So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.” 65 “Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard. ---Matthew 27:62–66
If the disciples wanted to steal the body, they could have done it when Jesus’ body was first laid in the tomb on Friday. They could have done it anytime before the tomb was sealed and the guard posted. The fact that the Pharisees sealed the tomb and posted the guards tells us that on Saturday, Jesus was still dead and in the tomb.
C. The Women Knew Jesus Was No Longer In The Tomb
1 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’” 8 Then they remembered his words. 9 When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. ---Luke 24:1–11
In those days, the words of women were not considered reliable testimony and women had no voice or opinion in society. Yet the Bible clearly places this responsibility of the discovery of Jesus’ resurrection in the hands of women.
Not only were women the primary discoverers, the story further denigrates the disciples by saying that they did not believe the women, for their words seemed to them like nonsense.
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II. The Revelation: Jesus Is Alive
A. Jesus Appeared Physically
/ After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.
---Acts 1:3
Jesus appeared phyically to:
- Two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Lk 24:13-32)
- The Eleven (Lk 24:33-43)
- The Twelve (Jn 20:24)
- 500 disciples (1 Cor 15:6)
If the disciples had only claimed to see Jesus a few times, and only in intimate settings with a few people, it could be dismissed as an unbelievable story. You could argue that the story could have been fabricated and pre-meditated, and thus unreliable. But Jesus appeared not to just to a few, but to many disciples, and over a period of 40 days.
B. Jesus Imparted Spiritually
And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. ---Lk 24:27
44 … This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” 45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. ---Lk 24:44-45
After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. ---Acts 1:3
The Scriptures about God’s plan of salvation became a reality and a revelation in their lives. This reality and revelation would so impact the disciples, as was with many others throughout history, that they would ultimately give up their lives for the gospel of Jesus Christ.
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III. The Resolution: Believe in Jesus
The reality of the empty tomb and the revelation of the risen Christ can only lead us to this one Resolution. Will you believe in Jesus?
The disciples did, and their resolve, their belief and faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God cost them their very lives. You may say, there were also cults whose leaders led their followers to death - are their beliefs true as well? The difference is that those cults were dependent on the founding leader - when the leader dies, the cult dies along with it.
36 Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. 37 After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. 38 Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. 39 But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God. ---Acts 5:36-39
There are many people who have chosen not to believe, they have chosen to stand in opposition to God, and many have chosen to go further, to wage war against God and to persecute His people. Yet in the face of all the persecution and difficulties and struggles, the true story of Jesus Christ as recorded in the 4 Gospels, as spoken of in the Bible, has impacted millions of lives across millennia, and is still going strong today.
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ---John 3:16
Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. ---1 Jn 5:12
All of us individually need to make this decision, to resolve to believe in Jesus.
Believe the Unbelievable. Believe in Jesus Christ. Believe in His death and His resurrection.