John 20:11-17, “But Mary was standing outside the tomb weeping; and so, as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb; 12 and she beheld two angels in white sitting, one at the head, and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been lying. 13 And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.”
14 When she had said this, she turned around, and beheld Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, “Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (which means, Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren, and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.'”
Our celebration of the Resurrection of our LORD Jesus Christ has just passed. But, it had not passed
for Mary Magdalene. The greeting of angels did not erase her sorrow. Yet, while she spoke with the
angels, she saw Jesus –but in her agony she mistook Him for the gardener. It was only when He spoke
aloud her name that recognized Him. Instantly, and in pure love, she grabbed Him. “Teacher!” It was
understandable that she loved Him. Had He not forgiven her of many sins? Then, somewhat surprisingly,
He lovingly rebuked her saying, “Stop clinging to Me.” The King James translators unfortunately elected
to use the words, “Don’t touch Me!” It was not her “touch”; it was that she would not let go. I have found
You, LORD! I will never let You go!
But Jesus had other plans. Say, what about that repentant thief? Didn’t Jesus say to him, “Today you will
be with Me in paradise?” Where was that man? Is paradise heaven, or did Jesus mean someplace else?
I have attached some information, some visual, that will hopefully open your thoughts about paradise.
Meanwhile, there was something for Mary to do: “go to My brethren.” What He had told her was not to be
kept secret. It was to be shared –shared, so that others might share Him with those who had never heard. How
appropriate for us, as well! And in this age of electronic communication, it is easy for us to express our joy in
knowing Him with others. Remember His final thought to Mary: “…My Father…your Father…, My God… your God.”
We continue to hold each of you in our daily prayers,
Matthew 28:5-7, 11-15, “And the angel answered and said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid;
for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. 6 He is not here, for He has risen,
just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. 7 And go quickly and tell His disciples that
He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going before you into Galilee, there you will see Him;
behold, I have told you….”
11 Now while they were on their way, behold, some of the guard came into the city and reported to
the chief priests all that had happened. 12 And when they had assembled with the elders and counseled
together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, 13 and said, ‘You are to say, “His disciples came
by night and stole Him away while we were asleep.” 14 And if this should come to the governor’s ears, we
will win him over and keep you out of trouble.’ 15 And they took the money and did as they had been
instructed; and this story was widely spread among the Jews, and is to this day.”
The most incontrovertible fact of human history is that Jesus Christ arose from the dead! The maxim
is also true that “None is so blind as him who will not see.” The women who went early to the tomb
heard the angel say, “He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said.” But the guards reported to the
chief priests all that had happened. They were the first eye-witnesses. Fear must have struck the priests
just as it had the guards; nevertheless, to protect their position against their Messiah, they concocted a
lie –a lie that continues to this very day.
What proofs do Christians (and others) have that Jesus actually arose from the dead? I offer you 10 indisputable proofs. Read them carefully, then archive them on your computer for future reference.
PROOFS OF
THE RESURRECTION
OF JESUS CHRIST
Once again Resurrection Sunday is upon us. Of all the precious doctrines encompassed by the Holy Scripture, none is more vital than the Resurrection of our LORD Jesus Christ.
When it became necessary for our LORD Jesus to state in unequivocal terms precisely why He had come to Earth, He said, “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).
The Apostle Paul explained yet more precisely how the LORD’s salvation was to work, he wrote, “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved” (Romans 10:9). The apostle further supports his thesis with evidence cited in First Corinthians 15, the “resurrection chapter.”
Someone in more modern times stated that “the most incontrovertible fact in human history is the resurrection of the LORD Jesus Christ from the dead.” Quite evidently, it is so because with the passing of some 2,000 years, the fact of Jesus’ Resurrection has suffered no refutation.
Considering everything, we can offer the following spiritually logical truths in support of Jesus’ literal, physical, bodily resurrection from the grave:
I. First, Jesus’ body was not stolen!
1. Jesus’ enemies would not have stolen His body because that would have propagated the very prediction that He would rise from the dead.
2. Jesus’ disciples could not have stolen His body because Pilate established Roman guards to stand watch over the tomb lest His body be stolen.
(1) Ironically, many of Jesus’ disciples were not fully convinced of His Resurrection itself until His post-resurrection appearances.
(2) The very character and the later history of the disciples compels us to believe that they neither stole nor secretly carried away the body of Jesus.
II. In nearly 20 centuries, no body –except the Resurrected body of Jesus Christ– was ever found. Thus, the evidence needed to disprove Christ’s prophecy is missing.
III. The mathematical probability of anyone being able to perpetrate any hoax –especially concerning Christ’s Resurrection– over 20 centuries is astronomically negative!
IV. The prophecy prediction record of the Old Testament is 100 percent accurate!
V. Notice that the chief priests and the elders never questioned whether the tomb was empty. There is no record anywhere that they even questioned whether the guards’ report were true. They knew it was true!
VI. Notice that the soldiers were told to say that Jesus’ disciples came and stole the body away while they (the soldiers) were asleep! How could they have known what was going on if they were asleep?
VII. The leaders of Judaism in Jerusalem, who had put the LORD Jesus to death, had nothing to offer to contradict these disciples as they continued to preach Jesus and His Resurrection– because all Jerusalem knew the tomb was empty. If there had been trickery involved, sooner or later it would have been suspected, then proven.
VIII. Had fraud occurred, surely one of the disciples, even most of them, would have confessed it under the horrendous persecution they underwent. It may be possible to live a lie, but men seldom die for a lie –and most of these men died for what they believed.
IX. The result ultimately would have been that the message that Christ had risen would have suffered the fate of all such unfounded stories– it would have lost its power. Instead, this truth has swept the world, closed pagan temples, won millions of disciples, brought hope to a despairing humanity, was the very foundation truth of the early Church, and is as freshly glorious as ever!
X. But not only did Jesus come alive again, He did not disappear to leave the disciples speculating through all the subsequent days as to what had happened to Him. Instead, He appeared to them literally, visibly, frequently and in bodily form –to more than 500 believers following His Resurrection from the dead.
After more than 60 years in the Christian ministry, it has been my observation that those who persist in denying the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, are in the grip of some personal sin which they are unwilling to surrender in order to lay hold of Christ. As with physical survival, it is in the nature of man to embrace hope, not to disparage or deny it. Thus, when men engage in unmitigated attacks upon the only One who offers true hope to all mankind, it is undeniable proof both of man’s own decadence and of his love of sin. (– Gene L. Jeffries, Th.D.).
Luke 23:20-24, “And Pilate, wanting to release Jesus, addressed them again,
21 but they kept on calling out, saying, “Crucify, crucify Him!”
22 And he said to them the third time, “Why, what evil has this man done?
I have found in Him no guilt demanding death; I will therefore punish Him and release Him.”
23 But they were insistent, with loud voices asking that He be crucified. And their voices began
to prevail. 24 And Pilate pronounced sentence that their demand should be granted.”
The Romans did not invent crucifixion. The learned it from north Africans. Originally, it was
employed simply as punishment; but eventually became a means of execution to-the-death.
It was among the cruelest forms of execution ever known to man. Crude metal nails were
driven through the wrists, as the wrists were considered part of the hands, and through the
feet. The legs of the one executed had to bear up his entire body weight in order to breathe.
When he could not longer uplift himself, his body sank, cutting off his breathing and leading
to his death. It was unsightly cruel and demeaning.
Jesus spoke seven times, as He was dying on the Cross. In the midst of His intense suffering,
He cried out, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they are doing.” It was a cry for
the Father’s forgiveness of both the Romans and the Jews. Yes, the Jews provoked His
crucifixion, but the Romans carried it out. Thus, both Jews and Gentiles were guilty before
God.
Little is known of the two thieves who were crucified on either side of Jesus. One, however,
cried out to Him to save them all from this horrible death. The other looked to Jesus to
remember him when He came into His Kingdom. Jesus replied, “Today you will be with Me
in Paradise.”
Mary, His mother and John were among those who stood beneath the Cross; and as Jesus
saw them, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son!” And to John, He said, “Behold
your mother!” From that day, John cared for Mary in his household.
As Jesus bore the spiritual weight of the sins of mankind, the Father turned His face away,
and Jesus cried, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken Me?” The Father could not bear
to behold the sin that was being laid upon His Son. Undoubtedly, this was a huge portion of
the meaning of Jesus’ prayer back in the Garden of Gethsemane. It was a separation that
neither of Them had ever before encountered –and would never encounter again.
The enormous loss of blood from the scourging and now from the Cross prompted Christ to cry out, “I thirst!’ The soldiers gave Him some sour wine on a sponge. It was little comfort, but it signaled His awareness that all things the Scriptures had said were now fulfilled.
He then cried out ?????????? (tetelestai), “It is finished!” Everything the Scriptures had foretold of what Christ was to do on Earth, had been done, completed! He had, through His sacrifice on the Cross, satisfied the Father and provided for the forgiveness of the sins of every man, woman, and child who had ever lived or ever would live in the ages to come. It is now for mankind to believe upon Jesus’ sacrifice in order to be saved from the coming wrath of Almighty God!
Jesus’ final cry from the Cross were words spoken to His Father in Heaven: “Father, into Your hands I commend My spirit.” And thus He died.
“No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father” (Jn. 10:18 NAS).
John 18:12-14; 28-30, “So the Roman cohort and the commander, and the officers of the Jews, arrested Jesus and bound Him, 13 and led Him to Annas first; for he was father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was high priest that year. 14 Now Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it was expedient for one man to die on behalf of the people….”
28 “They led Jesus therefore from Caiaphas into the Praetorium, and it was early; and they themselves did not enter into the Praetorium in order that they might not be defiled, but might eat the Passover.
29 Pilate therefore went out to them, and said, ‘What accusation do you bring against this Man?’
30 They answered and said to him, ‘If this Man were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered Him up to you.’”
The Romans were a harsh and cruel people. They were, however, legally quite just. There was a sense of
justice in the Jews, too, although they were not careful to follow their own rules when it was to their advantage
to ignore them. (See the attachment.)
After His arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus was led away to Annas and then to Caiaphas for trials that were preparatory to that of the Romans. The Jews wanted Jesus dead, but they were not allowed to administer
the death penalty. Only the Romans could do that; thus, they needed the Roman procurator, Pilate. Pilate
questioned Jesus, but found no evidence whatsoever of wrong in Him. Pilate sent Jesus to Herod and Herod
found no wrong in Him. Still, the Jews cried out tumultuously for Him to be crucified. The Scriptures tell us that
Pilate was determined to free Jesus, but the persistent shout of the Jewish crowd finally compelled him to order
Jesus crucified.
Even today, tumultuous shouts of multitudes in the streets prevail over justice. We have all been wronged (or will be some day) by the overthrow of justice in favor of the insane clamor of those who oppose truth and righteousness. Nothing has changed. Even the supercilious Jews –Anas and Caiaphas—who stirred up the crowd, avoided entering the Roman Praetorium themselves, so as not to defile themselves and be unable to partake of the Passover. What utter smugness!
Just remember: Jesus Himself prayed earnestly and fervently to be delivered from all of this, yet it was the
will of His Father that the Son’s death on the Cross was to be for our deliverance. And so it was. Now, it is for us to proclaim truth and justice to all who will believe upon Him for their salvation! Praise the LORD for His
unspeakable gift through His Son!
Our prayers filled with love are offered daily for each of you,
Matthew 26:46-52, “Arise, let us be going; behold, the one who betrays Me is at hand!”
47 And while He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, came up, accompanied by a great multitude with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and elders of the people.
48 Now he who was betraying Him gave them a sign, saying, “Whomever I shall kiss, He is the one; seize Him.”
49 And immediately he went to Jesus and said, “Hail, Rabbi!” and kissed Him.
50 And Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you have come for.” Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and seized Him.
51 And behold, one of those who were with Jesus reached and drew out his sword, and struck the slave of the high priest, and cut off his ear.
52 Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword.”
The temperament of individuals are often quite different. That leads to various expressions, such as love and
hate. Betrayal, too, takes various avenues. Judas Iscariot was known to have stolen money belonging to Jesus and His disciples (John 12:4-6). It was Judas, who arranged to deliver Jesus to the Jewish leaders for a price.
The signal he had designed for identifying Jesus in the growing darkness of night was a kiss. Kisses are normally an indication of love, but this one was an indication of deceit. The most momentous betrayal in history is masked by a deceitful indication of love. Judas ultimately came to understand the evil he had done and took his own life in despair.
Peter, by contrast with Judas, immediately drew his sword and swung it at those who were seizing Jesus. In the
process, he cut off the ear of the servant of the High Priest. Yet, later on, Peter betrayed Jesus by denying that
he knew Him. “Sometimes silence is golden; sometimes silence is yellow.” Peter’s “cursing and swearing” were not the vulgar expressions that those words mean today. Rather, they were his avowing in the strongest terms that he did not know or affiliate with Jesus in any way. Peter came to understand what he had done, and he repented.
Are we like Judas or like Peter? That question depends upon where we are in our Christian life. Judas appeared to love Jesus by kissing him. Peter appeared to love Jesus by defending Him with the sword. But, truth be told,
neither behaved as he had ought. Our behavior often varies with the circumstances of the moment. We laugh at something impure and keep silent when we ought to speak up. How can we be what we ought to be? Stay in the Word daily! Read and absorb the meaning of Holy Scripture, the Bible. Pray about every circumstance! You need not always pray aloud; just talk to the Holy Spirit in the silence of your mind and follow His direction. You will know immediately whether you are living as He would have you to live. God bless you abundantly!
