Chapter 108
JESUS’ RESURRECTION
Matthew 28:1-20
Before we begin this study let us pray.
Dear Heavenly Father, Almighty God,
We come before You in Jesus Christ’s Holy Name. Father God please open our eyes, ears and heart so we can truly see, hear, understand, believe and have complete faith in the truth and significance of Jesus’ resurrection.
Amen
INTRODUCTION
We begin this study by reading a chronology of Jesus’ resurrection. To do this we begin by reading from,
Matthew 28:2-4
[2] And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. [3] His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. [4] And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men.
Let us now read about Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome’s preparations for their visit to Jesus’ tomb. To do this we go to,
[1] Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him. [2] Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. [3] And they said among themselves, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?”
To read what occurred when the women arrived at the tomb. We go to,
Luke 24:2-4
[2] But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. [3] Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. [4] And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments.
We now continue our reading from,
Matthew 28:5-10
[5] But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. [6] He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. [7] And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.” [8] So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word. [9] And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. [10] Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.”
With all this in mind, let us now read about the conspiracy to invalidate Jesus resurrection. To do this we go to,
Matthew 28:11-15
[11] Now while they were going, behold, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all the things that had happened. [12] When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, [13] saying, “Tell them, ‘His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept.’ [14] And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will appease him and make you secure.” [15] So they took the money and did as they were instructed; and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.
With the above account in mind, we will now explore the glorious event of Jesus Christ’s resurrection along its implications. To do this we will review:
1. Three observations with respect to the resurrected Christ.
2. The message of Jesus’ resurrection.
3. Jesus’ Great Commission.
Let us begin with,
THREE OBSERVATIONS
The first observation to prove He was physically resurrected from the dead is the time when,
BEFORE HIS ASCENSION TO HEAVEN, JESUS APPEARED BEFORE MANY PEOPLE
First of all, as we read earlier, while the three women, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Salome, were on their way to tell the disciples they saw an empty tomb, Jesus revealed Himself to them. To refresh out memory let us reread,
Matthew 28:9-10
[9] And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. [10] Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.”
Not only did Jesus appear to the three women but He also revealed Himself to His apostles and over 500 hundred of the brethren. To see this let us read the following excerpt from Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth. This excerpt was written to encourage the members of the Church and all of us born-again believers in Jesus Christ to remain steadfast in our faith. The excerpt of interest is recorded in,
1 Corinthians 15:1-8
[1] Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, [2] by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. [3] For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, [4] and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, [5] and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. [6] After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. [7] After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. [8] Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.
The second observation is that,
THE RESURRECTED CHRIST WAS AND IS NOT A GHOST OR A SPIRIT
As we read the New Testament we discover that Jesus had and has a new physical, spiritual body. To see this let us consider the following attributes of Jesus’ resurrected body. We begin by noting that,
Jesus’ resurrected body was physical
Before we read some of the physical attributes of Jesus’ resurrected body let us first recall that,
Jesus physical remains are no longer in the tomb
First of all, let us recall that when the three women looked into the tomb, Jesus’ physical crucified body was no longer there.
Secondly, when Peter went to Jesus’ burial tomb he also found that Jesus’ body was absent. To see this we go to,
John 20:3-10
[3] Peter therefore went out, and the other disciple, and were going to the tomb. [4] So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first. [5] And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there; yet he did not go in. [6] Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there, [7] and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself. [8] Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed. [9] For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. [10] Then the disciples went away again to their own homes.
With the above in mind let us now review,
Some physical attributes of Jesus resurrected body
First of all, people were able to feel and touch Him. When we read about Jesus’ appearance to the three women let us recall that they held His feet and worshipped Him.
Another example that Jesus’ resurrected body was able to be felt and touched was when Jesus appeared to Thomas. To read what occurred we go to,
John 20:26-29
[26] And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!” [27] Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” [28] And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” [29] Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
Another incident that clearly reveals to us that Jesus’ resurrected body was and is also physical was when Jesus appeared to two men, who were on their way to Emmaus. To read what occurred we go to the meeting they had with the eleven apostles and read from,
Luke 24:33-43
[33] So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, [34] saying, “The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” [35] And they told about the things that had happened on the road, and how He was known to them in the breaking of bread. [36] Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, “Peace to you.” [37] But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit. [38] And He said to them, “Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? [39] Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.” [40] When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. [41] But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, “Have you any food here?” [42] So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb. [43] And He took it and ate in their presence.
Let us notice the following verses,
39-40 … Jesus told them that He has flesh and bones and is not a spirit.
41-43 … Jesus ate.
In reading the New Testament, we also discover that,
Jesus’ resurrected body was spiritual
To see this we first find that,
Jesus was able to appear and disappear
For example, let us read about one of the times when Jesus appeared to His disciples. The passage for this portion of our study is,
John 20:19-20
[19] Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” [20] When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.
To see that Jesus was also able to disappear, let us read how Jesus left the two men He accompanied on their way to Emmaus. The Scripture of interest is,
[31] Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.
We also find that,
Jesus was able to change His appearance
A good example of the is provided for us in,
Mark 16:12
[12] After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country.
As one reflects upon all we have covered thus far, one might ask; “Where is Jesus now?” The answer to this question brings us to the third observation. Specifically, the Bible teaches us that now,
JESUS IS IN HEAVEN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD THE FATHER
To see this let us read an excerpt from Peter’s explanation of what had occurred during the Feast of Pentecost. Let us recall it was during this feast when the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus’ disciples. To read the excerpt of interest we go to,
Acts 2:32-36
[32] This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. [33] Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear. [34] “For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he says himself:
‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand
[35] Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”’
[36] “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
The Bible also teaches us that while Jesus is at the right hand of God the Father He is interceding for all those that belong to Him. To see this we begin by reading from,
Hebrews 9:34
[34] For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;
Now let us read from,
Romans 8:31-34
[31] What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? [32] He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? [33] Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. [34] Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.
This brings us to,
THE MESSAGE OF THE JESUS’ RESSURECTION
First of all,
JESUS’ RESURRECTION WAS THE SIGN TO PROVE HE WAS AND IS THE ONE AND ONLY SON OF GOD
In other words, Jesus’ resurrection was the fulfillment of the prophecy He gave to some of the unbelieving Jewish scribes and Pharisees. To read what Jesus said we go to,
Matthew 12:38-42
[38] Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” [39] But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. [40] For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. [41] The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here. [42] The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the Wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here.
Secondly,
JESUS’ RESURRECTION PROVES THAT OUR SINS ARE FORGIVEN
To see this let us consider what the Holy Spirit wrote through the Apostle Paul as recorded in,
1 Corinthians 15:12-18
[12] Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? [13] But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. [14] And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. [15] Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise. [16] For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. [17] And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! [18] Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.
Third,
JESUS IS PREPARING A PLACE FOR THOSE WHO BELONG TO HIM
To see this let us go to the time when Jesus was preparing His disciples for His departure. The teaching of interest for this study is recorded in
John 14:1-3
[1] “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. [2] In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. [3] And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.
Fourth,
When Jesus Christ returns to this earth all those who belong to Him will be caught up to meet Him in the clouds. It will be at this time,
THE TRUE BORN-AGAIN BELIEVERS WILL BE GIVEN OUR NEW PHYSICAL/SPIRITUAL BODY
To see this let us first read the following excerpt from Paul’s first letter to the church in Thessalonica,
1 Thessalonians 4:15-17
"[15] According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. [16] For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. [17] After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.”
Now some, as the Sadducees, may ask; “How can this be? How will this occur? How can the dead be raised?” To find out, let us read what the Holy Spirit, through Paul, said to those in Corinth who asked these same questions. We find His response in,
1 Corinthians 15:35-49
"[35] But someone may ask, "How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?" [36] How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. [37] When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. [38] But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body. [39] All flesh is not the same: Men have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. [40] There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. [41] The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor. [42] So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; [43] it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; [44] it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. [45] So it is written: "The first man Adam became a living being”; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. [46] The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. [47] The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven. [48] As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. [49] And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven."
Notice that in verse 49 we are told that our new body will be like the one Jesus now has. To be sure that we have understood this verse correctly, let us read what is written in,
1 John 3:2
"[2] Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is."
For a foreshadowing of this event let us recall from our study in Chapter 106 that when Jesus physically died and descended into Sheol He went to Paradise. He did this to gather the faithful and true Old Testament believers in God, such as Abraham, who were waiting and longing for their Messiah. Thus when Jesus’ body was resurrected many of the bodies of those who belonged to Him were also resurrected. To see this consider the following,
Matthew 27:51-53
[51] Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, [52] and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; [53] and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.
This brings us to,
JESUS’ GREAT COMMISION
To explore this commission we begin by reading,
JESUS’ COMMISSION TO HIS APOSTLES
To read what Jesus said to them we go to the time just before He ascended back into Heaven and read from,
Matthew 26:18-20
[16] Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. [17] When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. [18] And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. [19] Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20] teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
However, before they were to begin to fulfill their commission they were to wait for the baptism of God the Holy Spirit. This was recorded for us by the Apostle Luke in,
Acts 1:1-8
[1] The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, [2] until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, [3] to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. [4] And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; [5] for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” [6] Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” [7] And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. [8] But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
This brings us to,
JESUS’ COMMISSION TO US, THE BORN-AGAIN BELIEVER IN HIM
To read Jesus’ commission to us, the true born-again believer in Him, let us prayerfully consider the following three commands.
The first command is that,
We are to utilize the spiritual gifts He, through the Holy Spirit, gave us
Just as Jesus told His disciples they were to receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them, it is the same with us. Namely, when the Christian is baptized in the Holy Spirit, He empowers the Christian to serve. The Holy Spirit does this by providing the born-again believer with spiritual gifts. It must be emphasized that these are not our natural gifts or talents but spiritual gifts given by the Holy Spirit. To see this, let us read from,
1 Corinthians 12:4-11
"[4] There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. [5] There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. [6] There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. [7] Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. [8] To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, [9] to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, [10] to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. [11] All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines."
Let us notice the following verses,
4 … There are different gifts, but all of them come from the Holy Spirit.
5 … There are different kinds of service, that is some may teach, some may evangelize, some may prophesy, etc.
6 … There are different kinds of working, that is spiritual gifts will take on various forms and manifestations.
7 … The Holy Spirit will give each member of the body of Christ at least one spiritual gift. Also notice these gifts are given for the common good, not for selfish ambition. (The operation or the activities of the members of the body of Christ, which is the church, is a separate study.)
8-10 … This is only a partial list of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
However, to expand upon the above a bit more let us also read from,
Ephesians 4:11-16
[11] And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, [12] for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, [13] till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; [14] that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, [15] but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—[16] from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
The second command Jesus gave us is that,
We are to love one another as Jesus loved us.
When Jesus was preparing His disciple for His upcoming death and resurrection, He gave His disciples the following commandment.
John 13:34-35
[34] A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. [35] By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
The third command is that,
We are to be a lamp for His light to shine through us
This command was given during Jesus’ sermon on the mountain. To read it let us go to where it is recorded in,
Matthew 5:14-16
[14] “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. [15] Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. [16] Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
CONCLUSION
Perhaps the best way to close this study is be reading what Jesus once said concerning the days that will proceed His return to earth. To do this we go to,
Luke 21:25-28
[25] “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; [26] men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. [27] Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. [28] Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.”
With this in mind let us close by prayerfully reading from,
Philippians 3:20-21
[20] For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, [21] who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.
AMEN!