Sermon Tone Analysis

The 500 Witnesses

The five hundred witness that Jesus appeared unto after His resurrection were individuals in the Galilee area.

Jesus’ last appearance was a with Jewish pilgrims on the Mount of Olives as they journeyed to Jerusalem for the Feast of Pentecost.

Although 3000+ individuals were saved on the Day of Pentecost, many of those believers would not stay in Jerusalem but rather go back to their homes once the feast was concluded.

With the influx of pilgrims, the emerging church would go either unnoticed at first or would have been dismissed as a fringe group of pilgrims.

Resurrection Conspiracy

Refuting Sadducee Doctrine

Josephus tells us that the Sadducees (1) rejected the concept of fate and accepted the idea of free will, so that God could not be held responsible for evil, (2) did not believe that the soul exists after death and (3) did not believe that there were rewards and punishments after one died.

Josephus also mentions that the Sadducees observed nothing apart from the law and that they considered it a virtue to dispute with their teachers.

The Sadduccees took offence to Peter and John’s preaching concerning the resurrection.

The Sadduccees would see the message of Christ’s resurrection, especially in the Temple area, as a direct assault to their religious beliefs.

While before the Sadducee council, Peter refuted their doctrine of no resurrection by claiming that their authority came from Jesus of Nazareth whom the Sadducees crucified and yet was resurrected three days later.

Our Blessed Hope

Conclusion

Easter is the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection.

It is also a reminder of the blessed hope of we have through Jesus.