The Resurrection of Jesus

Today is Easter Sunday. The day in which we celebrate what God was up to! Remember how Peter denied Jesus? Well, on the Day of Pentecost, Peter boldly preached in public in the very city of Jerusalem where Jesus was killed: “But God released Him from the horrors of death and raised Him back to life, for death could not keep Him in its grip” (Acts 2:24 NLT). Jesus was risen. He was and is no longer dead!

Luke tells us what happened on this most glorious day: 

“But very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. So they went in, but they didn't find the body of the Lord Jesus. As they stood there puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes. The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the men asked, "Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? He isn't here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what He told you back in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that He would rise again on the third day." Then they remembered that He had said this. So they rushed back from the tomb to tell His eleven disciples—and everyone else—what had happened. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and several other women who told the apostles what had happened” (Luke 24:1-10 NLT).

At first the apostles thought this news was nonsense. However, for the next 40 or so days Jesus appeared to them, ate with them, taught them, as well as over 500 people. They no longer thought this good news was nonsense as evident by people like Peter who boldly taught and witnessed to the resurrection of Jesus.

Question? If the death of Jesus achieved what God had planned for and nothing else can be added to it, then what was the purpose and meaning in raising Jesus to life?

Answer: The resurrection affirms the Lordship of Jesus Christ. It is said that the Resurrection was a divine endorsement of Jesus’ teachings, God’s confirmation that Jesus’ teachings were true.

Throughout the gospels Jesus made some big claims. He said that He was God (John 10:30). He spoke about His own death and resurrection well before it happened (Matthew 16:21). He claimed that no person can come to God unless they follow Him (John 14:6). If Jesus remained dead, then His teachings would be lies, His claims false, and there would be little hope.

As Jesus was raised to life, His teachings and claims are all affirmed therefore giving us hope that Jesus is who He said He is - Lord and Saviour. These affirmations give us hope – that we serve a real, living, loving God.

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ also promises that those who die in Christ will live with Christ in heaven. WE ourselves will be resurrected. The resurrection of Jesus Christ means that God offers new life to those who believe. Peter wrote: “What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we've been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for” (1 Peter 1:3 MSG). The resurrection of Jesus also gives the church a new mandate. When Jesus was raised to life He commissioned the church to be His witnesses.

And today we the church, God’s people, need to witness for Jesus by preaching the gospel of the resurrection, loving the unloved, defending the rights of the abuse, caring for the poor and standing up against injustices.

During this Holy Week we have journey together to the cross. Humanly speaking, everything looked hopeless. The kingdom that Jesus spoke of looked dead before it really got established. God’s plan was different. It was bigger and bolder than anyone had ever imagined. Daniel prophesied long ago: “How great are His signs, how powerful His wonders! His kingdom will last forever, His rule through all generations” (Daniel 4:3 NLT). Christ’s resurrection confirmed all of this. We have been redeemed, His Kingdom has come and will last forever, and now we are commissioned to share this good news. Christ is Risen! He is Risen indeed!

The Burial of Jesus

Yesterday we read about the death of Jesus and how He shouted from the cross “It is finished”. In the original language it is one word – tetelestai. It means that the job is finish or the debt had been paid for. Completed! Done! Finished. Christ’s mission to redeem us is completed.

Most, if not all, did not understand this. Luke tells us in 23:48, “And when all the crowd that came to see the crucifixion saw what had happened, they went home in deep sorrow. But Jesus' friends, including the women who had followed Him from Galilee, stood at a distance watching” (Luke 23:48-49 NLT). What was going on in their minds? What were they thinking?

We have very little information as to what happen from the cross to early Sunday morning. However, we are told about the burial of Jesus. Luke says, 

“Now there was a good and righteous man named Joseph. He was a member of the Jewish high council, but he had not agreed with the decision and actions of the other religious leaders. He was from the town of Arimathea in Judea, and he was waiting for the Kingdom of God to come. He went to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. Then he took the body down from the cross and wrapped it in a long sheet of linen cloth and laid it in a new tomb that had been carved out of rock. This was done late on Friday afternoon, the day of preparation, as the Sabbath was about to begin. As His body was taken away, the women from Galilee followed and saw the tomb where His body was placed. Then they went home and prepared spices and ointments to anoint His body. But by the time they were finished the Sabbath had begun, so they rested as required by the law” (Luke 23:50-56 NLT).

Matthew added another incident that happened on the Saturday: 

“The next day, on the Sabbath, the leading priests and Pharisees went to see Pilate. They told him, "Sir, we remember what that deceiver once said while He was still alive: 'After three days I will rise from the dead.' So we request that you seal the tomb until the third day. This will prevent His disciples from coming and stealing His body and then telling everyone He was raised from the dead! If that happens, we'll be worse off than we were at first." Pilate replied, "Take guards and secure it the best you can." So they sealed the tomb and posted guards to protect it” (Matthew 27:62-66 NLT).

On the Saturday, it appears that the guards were posted at the tomb with the body of Jesus lying inside.  For the disciples, followers and family of Jesus – it appears that they went back to their homes. Most likely they were still in shock. Grief was written all over their faces. Some of them would have recalled Jesus saying that He would be raised back to life. But Jesus was still in the tomb – dead. Saturday would have been a hard day. I think that they would have felt defeated.

Interestingly Peter makes a rather quick reference that has caused much debate of what perhaps Jesus did between his death and resurrection. 1 Peter 3:19 says, “So He went and preached to the spirits in prison” (1 Peter 3:19 NLT). I feel like saying “Peter, give us more detail”. Obviously the meaning of preaching "to the spirits in prison" is not completely clear, and commentators have explained it in different ways. The traditional interpretation is that between his death and resurrection, Christ announced salvation to God's faithful followers who had been waiting for their salvation during the whole Old Testament era.

The fact is, this whole period of time between Christ’s death and resurrection is rather silent. We have made a number of assumptions of what could have been and felt.

It isn’t unusual that we experience periods of silence – you know, those times when you are grieving or going through a hard time or seeking direction or prayers don’t seem to be answered. It is in these times that God seems to be silent. Like Easter Saturday where there was silence, God was actually up to something. He was about to do something so new and so full of hope and life.

When you do experience a period of silence, may you know the peace of God that He is up to something that in time will be revealed to you. God promises in Hebrews 13:5, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5 NIV). Today, ask God to grant you His peace that, if you are going through a challenging experience, you may know that He is actually up to something (Romans 8:28).

The Crucifixion of Jesus

Today is Good Friday – the day that Jesus was crucified. On Thursday Jesus was denied, betrayed, and then arrested. During the early hours of Friday morning various illegal trials took place during which Jesus was whipped and beaten and had a crown of thorns thrust on His head. Pilate brought Jesus out to the people hoping they would want Him released. However the people shouted for Jesus to be crucified. Luke tells us what happened:

“But the mob shouted louder and louder, demanding that Jesus be crucified, and their voices prevailed. So Pilate sentenced Jesus to die as they demanded” (Luke 23:23-24 NLT). Then in verse 33: “When they came to a place called The Skull, they nailed Him to the cross. And the criminals were also crucified—one on His right and one on His left” (Luke 23:33 NLT).

The Roman soldiers did their job well. The nails were driven through the wrists to support the weight of the sagging body. For six hours Jesus hung naked, covered with cuts and bruises, a crude crown of thorns spiking His head and every fibre of his body twitching in agony as his chest heaved great gulping breaths.

Crucifixions were a messy business. The Romans, who seem to have got hold of the idea of crucifixion from the Phoenicians in the Punic Wars, became expert at this most awful form of execution. They reserved it the lower class in the Empire. And in particular it was for the penalty for slaves. It was so degrading that it wasn’t talked about in polite Roman society.

So there was Jesus, the innocent one dying between two criminals. There were three words that Jesus said that are so important to understand and accept. John recorded the last words of Christ on the cross. He said "It is finished!" (John 19:30 NLT) and then He died. It is finished! 

When we compare the four gospels we find a most interesting thing. The other three do not tell us that Jesus said, "It is finished." But they do tell us that He died with a great shout (Matt 27:50; Mk 15:37; Lk 23:46). On the other hand, John does not speak of the great shout, but does say that Jesus' last words were, “It is finished.” The explanation is that the great shout and the words, "It is finished," are one and the same thing. “It is finished” is one word in Greek - tetelestai and Jesus died with a shout of triumph on his lips. He did not say, "It is finished," in weary defeat; He said it as one who shouts of victory. He seemed to be broken on the Cross, but He knew that his victory was won.

The word tetelestai is unfamiliar to us, but it was used by various people in everyday life in those days. For example when a job was completed, the servant would say to the master - TELELESTAI - meaning they have completed the job the master gave them to do. The Jewish people would bring their sacrifice to be offered. After the high priest examined and accepted it he would say - TELELESTAI - meaning “It is perfect”, “It is accepted!” For the merchant - when a person purchased something, the merchant would take the money and hand the person a receipt that said “TELELESTAI” meaning “Paid In full”. The debt had been fully paid.

When Jesus shouted out “It is finished” TETELESTAI He was declaring that the work He came to do was finished. Max Lucado writes, “The history-long plan of redeeming humanity was finished. The message of God to humanity was finished. The works done by Jesus as a Man on earth were finished. The task of selecting and training followers was finished. The job was finished. The song had been sung. The blood had been poured. The sacrifice had been made. The sting of death had been removed. It was over.” TETELESTAI.

There is another word that has a very similar meaning. Redeem. To redeem something is to pay that thing off; it is to clear a debt by payment.

The Bible writers refer to the work of Jesus on the cross as just this. His redeeming work is where the penalty for our sins have been paid in full. Paul says: “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace” (Ephesians 1:7 NIV).

Today, on this most significant day we remember the death of Jesus and how He had completed His mission. The work of redemption is finished. Our debts have been paid in full. Tetelestai. In prayer right now, pause and reflect on the death of Jesus, His immense sacrifice, the love and grace of God, and what this means for you today. 

  

Jesus on the Mount of Olives

On the Thursday night Jesus went to the Mount of Olives in the garden known as Gethsemane to pray. Luke wrote: 

“Then, accompanied by the disciples, Jesus left the upstairs room and went as usual to the Mount of Olives. There He told them, "Pray that you will not give in to temptation." He walked away, about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed, "Father, if You are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from Me. Yet I want Your will to be done, not Mine." Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened Him. He prayed more fervently, and He was in such agony of spirit that His sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood. At last He stood up again and returned to the disciples, only to find them asleep, exhausted from grief. "Why are you sleeping?" He asked them. "Get up and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation” (Luke 22:39-46 NLT).

Of the four Gospel writers, only Luke says, "Jesus… went as usual to the Mount of Olives" (Luke 22:39). Luke must have researched this point and found this was not an isolated occasion. Jesus went there frequently at night and perhaps often prayed all night. Only Luke tells us that an angel came down from heaven to strengthen Him and that His sweat became like great drops of blood. Matthew and Mark focus on the apathy of the disciples. They tell us Jesus came back to them three times and found them sleeping. Luke reminds us that while the disciples might have failed Him, God was there reassuring Him in the presence of the angel.

The request of Jesus reveals His humanity. He knew that within 24-hours He would be killed and the way that He was to die would be horrific and so He prayed: “Father, if You are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from Me”. Was Jesus trying to get out of His mission? I guess Jesus was showing his true feelings to God. He was only thirty-three; and no one wants to die at thirty-three. He knew what crucifixion was like; He had seen it. He was in an agony; the Greek word is used of someone fighting a battle with sheer fear. He could have turned back. He could have refused the cross. The salvation of the world hung in the balance as the Son of God literally sweated it out in Gethsemane; and He won. Jesus reaffirmed his commitment to do what God wanted. He prayed “Yet I want Your will to be done, not Mine”. After He finished praying fervently Jesus got and found His disciples not praying as He request but asleep.

Very late on Thursday night and early Friday morning was only to get more intense. Luke tells us that Judas arrived with a crowd of people. Judas kissed Jesus as a sign to the Jewish leaders that He was the One. A scuffle broke out between the disciples and the chief priests, the officers of the temple guard, and the elders. Jesus then said: “Am I some dangerous revolutionary, that you come with swords and clubs to arrest Me? Why didn't you arrest Me in the Temple? I was there every day. But this is your moment, the time when the power of darkness reigns” (Luke 22:52-53 NLT) and Luke wrote: “So they arrested Him and led Him to the high priest's home” (Luke 22:54 NLT). And there began a series of trials that were not only illegal but both the Jewish and Roman authorities struggled to accuse him with any truth.   

Thursday was one tough day and night for Jesus. He was betrayed from one of His own, denied by one of His closest friends, felt unsupported by the rest of his companions, prayed with absolute agony and then arrested. And the worst was yet to come.

Jesus was very low and felt alone. In the midst of this hard day we are told that “an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened Him” (Luke 22:43 NLT). And when we have one of those hard, hard days remember that God will come and strengthen you.

In your prayers now, reflect on what Jesus went through. Give thanks that He did this for you. And pray that God will give you the strength to face the good and hard days.

Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial

Jesus had just had His last meal with his disciples. At this event, Jesus turned the Passover Meal into a feast that would continue for the generations to come – the Lord’s Supper or Communion. Upstairs in a room they had gathered. This was to be no joyful occasion. It was here that Jesus spoke again about his pending death. It was here that Jesus told them that one of them would betray him. The mood was tense and sombre. Jesus added to this mood when He turned to Peter and said,

“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift each of you like wheat. But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to Me again, strengthen your brothers." Peter said, "Lord, I am ready to go to prison with You, and even to die with You." But Jesus said, "Peter, let Me tell you something. Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know Me." (Luke 22:31-34 NLT).

Then, within several hours, Jesus was arrested. In a courtyard officials and ordinary people asked Peter three times if he was one of Jesus’ disciples. Each time he said, “No I’m not” (John 18:17,25,27 GNB).

Luke tells us that Peter remembered what Jesus had said to him and “left the courtyard, weeping bitterly” (Luke 22:62 NLT). The guilt and the shame of his three denials got to him.

Well that was Peter just before the death of Jesus. The Peter after the Resurrection of Jesus was very different.  We know from records and traditions that Peter was instrumental in establishing the church in Jerusalem. Even when he was threatened of imprisonment, Peter continued to boldly declare that Jesus was the Messiah.

However, something needed to happen with Peter before he launched forth as a great leader of the new movement. A barrier had to be removed.

Within days or perhaps hours before Jesus ascended into heaven, Jesus went and joined his disciples at the beach during breakfast time. He made a b-line for Peter. There was some unfinished business between Jesus and Peter. The story is found in John chapter 21. Throughout the breakfast, nothing was said about “that” time. Finally Jesus, after they had finishing eating, asked Peter, “do you truly love me?” Wow, where did that come from? Peter knew. He said , “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you” (v15 NIV). Jesus asked again, “do you truly love me?” Again Peter said, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you” (v16 NIV).

By Jesus asking Peter three times “do you love me?” was a call to undo his three previous denials. With these three public reaffirmations of his love and loyalty to Jesus Peter was forgiven. Until that had been done Peter was not ready to be a follower of Jesus; the barrier of failure and sin has not been removed.

It must have hurt Jesus that not only had one of his own betrayed him, but one of his closest friend denied three times. It must knock the emotional wind out of God every time we deny Him. We may not verbal deny God, but sometimes by our actions we deny the power of God.

The Holy Week was tough for Jesus in so many ways – which included betrayal and denial. Today, reflect how each time by your actions or non-actions you knock the emotional wind out of God. Come and tell God how sorry you are. Then ask yourself if there is any unfinished business between you and God? Like He did with Peter, He will restore you.

Judas Agrees To Betray Jesus

Today we are looking at Judas who agreed to betray Jesus. Over the years Judas has had many books written about him. This is what Luke wrote what Judas did during the Holy Week: 

“The Festival of Unleavened Bread, which is also called Passover, was approaching. The leading priests and teachers of religious law were plotting how to kill Jesus, but they were afraid of the people's reaction. Then Satan entered into Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve disciples, and he went to the leading priests and captains of the Temple guard to discuss the best way to betray Jesus to them. They were delighted, and they promised to give him money. So he agreed and began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus so they could arrest Him when the crowds weren't around” (Luke 22:1-6 NLT)

With the other disciples, Judas shared a persistent misunderstanding of Jesus' mission. They all expected Jesus to make the right political moves. When he kept talking about dying, they all felt varying degrees of anger, fear, and disappointment. They didn't understand why they had been chosen if Jesus' mission was doomed to fail.

The exact motivation behind Judas's betrayal is unknown. What is clear is that Judas allowed his desires to place him in a position where Satan could manipulate him. Judas accepted payment to set Jesus up for the religious leaders. He identified Jesus for the guards in the dimly lit Garden of Gethsemane. It is possible that he was trying to force Jesus' hand: Would Jesus now rebel against Rome?

Whatever his plan, at some point Judas realized he didn't like the way things were turning out. He tried to undo the evil he had done by returning the money to the priests, but it was too late. The wheels of God's sovereign plan had been set into motion. How sad that Judas ended his life in despair without ever experiencing the gift of reconciliation God could give even to him through Jesus Christ.

Feelings toward Judas have always been mixed. Some have hated him for his betrayal. Others have felt sorry for him. Some have questioned God's fairness in allowing one man to bear such guilt.

The fact that Jesus knew Judas would betray him doesn't mean that Judas was a puppet of God's will. Judas made the choice. God knew that choice and confirmed it. About 55 days after this event, the Apostle Peter said, “God knew what would happen, and His prearranged plan was carried out when Jesus was betrayed…” (Acts 2:23 NLT). 

The actions of Judas ought to make us think again about our commitment to God and the presence of God's Spirit within us. Are we a true disciple or are we just a pretender? Judas's betrayal sent Jesus to the cross. So to do our actions. Our sinfulness sent Jesus to the cross. We can’t just point the finger at Judas or the Jewish leaders or the Romans. The Apostle Peter in that statement about God’s prearranged plan being carried out when Jesus was portrayed also added in the same breath: “…with the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed Him to a cross and killed Him” (Acts 2:23 NLT). You… that’s us!

Today, during this Holy Week, reflect on the question: Am I a true disciple of Jesus Christ or am I just a pretender? 

Jesus Clears The Temple

When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a foal of a donkey He went immediately to the Temple. What did Jesus do? Well Mark says that he looked carefully around but because it was getting late He left to go back to Bethany (Mark 11:11). What He saw must have upset Him. When Jesus left in the morning from Bethany He arrived back into the temple. Luke wrote this: 

“Then Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out the people selling animals for sacrifices. He said to them, "The Scriptures declare, 'My Temple will be a house of prayer,' but you have turned it into a den of thieves." After that, He taught daily in the Temple, but the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the other leaders of the people began planning how to kill Him. But they could think of nothing, because all the people hung on every word He said” (Luke 19:45-48 NLT).

The full deity of Jesus is evident during this Holy Week. I appreciate that the deity of Christ is hard to understand however we do see both Christ’s human and God side. Jesus knew that being Monday His death was now only days away. Full of emotion from this, plus being so angry at what was happening in God’s Temple, led Jesus to drive out the sellers.

Moneychangers and merchants did big business during Passover with crowds of people arriving. They both charge over above what was standard. Their stalls were set up in the Temple's Court of the Gentiles, making it all but impossible for non-Jews to spend any time in worship.

It was God’s desire for Gentiles to pray in the Temple (Isaiah 56:6-7).  Jesus became angry because God's house of worship had become a place of extortion and a barrier to Gentiles who wanted to worship. Similarly, Christians are right to be upset about sin and injustice, and should take a stand against them.

Today, as we journey together to the death and resurrection of Jesus, ponder upon these questions: 1) What thing or things really upset you that is stopping people from hearing the gospel and receiving justice? 2) What steps can you take to remove these barriers? 3) Reflect on this incident in the Temple and how it relates to the cross?

David Moyes