Jesus is Alive - Study 4/21/11
Jesus is Alive
Christianity is a historical religion. By that I mean that history has documented the events of the bible and that there was a person who lived named Jesus Christ. If you notice in the debates around Jesus Christ, few question the history of his existence. After all it is only 2000 years ago. Other world events that date beyond 2000 years are well documented what more the events of Jesus Christ. The real issue is what to do with Jesus. You either believe in Him or you don’t.
Did Jesus die? Yes he did. Was Jesus buried? Yes, he was buried. Did Jesus rise from the dead? Yes, He did. Yes Jesus was crucified, he died, he was buried and he rose again. But what does that mean to me?
First let’s read the account of Jesus death, burial and resurrection to confirm history. May be I may rise from death like Jesus did some day? Is it really possible or is that a fig of my imagination? Ok I get it. You and I may not be looking forward to rising from death because in order to rise, one has to first die and we are not comfortable with that proposition right now. However statistics shows that 1 out of every 1 person dies so the rate is very high and death is guaranteed. How about on the other hand, we expect Jesus’ soon return when we will be caught (rapture) up in the air to meet Him. That sounds more exciting. Are you then ready and looking forward to the rapture and living accordingly?
Matthew 27:45- 28:1-20
45 Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”[k]
47 Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, “This Man is calling for Elijah!” 48 Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink.
49 The rest said, “Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him.”
50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.
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.
54 So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God!”
55 And many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were there looking on from afar, 56 among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses,[l] and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.
57 Now when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. 58 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be given to him. 59 When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 and laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed. 61 And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the tomb.
62 On the next day, which followed the Day of Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate, 63 saying, “Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise.’ 64 Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night[m] and steal Him away, and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead.’ So the last deception will be worse than the first.”
65 Pilate said to them, “You have a guard; go your way, make it as secure as you know how.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard.
Mathew 28
1 Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. 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,[a] 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.
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,[b] 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.”
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.
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[c] 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.” Amen.[d]
Here are my observations in addition to the ones you may have:
1. Pilate had washed his hands and handed Jesus to be crucified. Anyone in doubt can check the history books to verify that there was a Roman Governor named Pilate. Again Christianity is not a mystical faith but one that is grounded in facts and history. History also confirmed that crucifixion was the form of Roman execution used for criminals and all that were condemned to die. The account shows that this was how Jesus died. He died on the cross.
2. Another evidence of historical fact is the geological shifting of the ground. You cannot hide earthquake. When Jesus, the creator of the earth cried out, everything shook. “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”. Amazing! Can you see the evidence that we have the same chance of being raised just like Jesus? That night “the saints who had died were raised. You still have doubts? “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you”. Romans 8:11. Do you have the Spirit of God? Then you are a candidate for resurrection and for rapture because both require new bodies.
3. Notice the bribery and corruption that was going on. The officials gave hush money to guards to keep them quiet vs. 28:11-15. Nothing has changed. People are still suppressing truth even till this day with money. It is obvious that the plot did not work. When the money ran out do you think the guards would still be saying that Jesus’ disciples came and stole his body? I don’t think so.
4. It just took one angel to roll back the stone of the grave. I believe it was for the benefit of the women so that they can see that Jesus was not in the grave. Jesus did not need the stone to be rolled away so he can come out. You and I needed to be assured that the tomb was really empty.
5. Jesus gives the reassuring word. “And as they went to tell His disciples,[b] 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.” The key word is “Rejoice”. Are you rejoicing? Death has been swallowed up. The grave could not keep Jesus and neither can it keep us. “Do not be afraid”.
6. We are destined to experience the same resurrection if we believe in and have faith in Jesus. Listen to Apostle Paul: 50 “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”[g] 55 “O Death, where is your sting?[h] O Hades, where is your victory?”[i] 56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” 1 Corinthians 15:50-57.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Saints of God! This is all we are living for to be with our Jesus who is alive and waiting to return to get us. What more are you expecting out of life than to rise from dead or if you are still alive to be changed in a blink of an eye! This is it. Not the next big in event in your life – marriage, children, graduation, job etc.
Lord, change my perspective and expectations. Grant me the heavenly vision to see your soon return that I may live accordingly. Amen.
If today, you do not believe in Jesus as your savior from sin, death is final for you. There is no hope of resurrection. Would you like to live again even if you die the first death? The second death is permanent after God’s judgment. Pray to God to give you His grace to believe in Jesus as savior from sin and from the judgment of God.
Are you Excited and Rejoicing? Happy Easter to you! Jesus is alive! Halleluiah!
Christianity is a historical religion. By that I mean that history has documented the events of the bible and that there was a person who lived named Jesus Christ. If you notice in the debates around Jesus Christ, few question the history of his existence. After all it is only 2000 years ago. Other world events that date beyond 2000 years are well documented what more the events of Jesus Christ. The real issue is what to do with Jesus. You either believe in Him or you don’t.
Did Jesus die? Yes he did. Was Jesus buried? Yes, he was buried. Did Jesus rise from the dead? Yes, He did. Yes Jesus was crucified, he died, he was buried and he rose again. But what does that mean to me?
First let’s read the account of Jesus death, burial and resurrection to confirm history. May be I may rise from death like Jesus did some day? Is it really possible or is that a fig of my imagination? Ok I get it. You and I may not be looking forward to rising from death because in order to rise, one has to first die and we are not comfortable with that proposition right now. However statistics shows that 1 out of every 1 person dies so the rate is very high and death is guaranteed. How about on the other hand, we expect Jesus’ soon return when we will be caught (rapture) up in the air to meet Him. That sounds more exciting. Are you then ready and looking forward to the rapture and living accordingly?
Matthew 27:45- 28:1-20
45 Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”[k]
47 Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, “This Man is calling for Elijah!” 48 Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink.
49 The rest said, “Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him.”
50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.
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.
54 So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God!”
55 And many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were there looking on from afar, 56 among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses,[l] and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.
57 Now when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. 58 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be given to him. 59 When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 and laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed. 61 And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the tomb.
62 On the next day, which followed the Day of Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate, 63 saying, “Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise.’ 64 Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night[m] and steal Him away, and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead.’ So the last deception will be worse than the first.”
65 Pilate said to them, “You have a guard; go your way, make it as secure as you know how.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard.
Mathew 28
1 Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. 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,[a] 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.
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,[b] 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.”
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.
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[c] 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.” Amen.[d]
Here are my observations in addition to the ones you may have:
1. Pilate had washed his hands and handed Jesus to be crucified. Anyone in doubt can check the history books to verify that there was a Roman Governor named Pilate. Again Christianity is not a mystical faith but one that is grounded in facts and history. History also confirmed that crucifixion was the form of Roman execution used for criminals and all that were condemned to die. The account shows that this was how Jesus died. He died on the cross.
2. Another evidence of historical fact is the geological shifting of the ground. You cannot hide earthquake. When Jesus, the creator of the earth cried out, everything shook. “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”. Amazing! Can you see the evidence that we have the same chance of being raised just like Jesus? That night “the saints who had died were raised. You still have doubts? “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you”. Romans 8:11. Do you have the Spirit of God? Then you are a candidate for resurrection and for rapture because both require new bodies.
3. Notice the bribery and corruption that was going on. The officials gave hush money to guards to keep them quiet vs. 28:11-15. Nothing has changed. People are still suppressing truth even till this day with money. It is obvious that the plot did not work. When the money ran out do you think the guards would still be saying that Jesus’ disciples came and stole his body? I don’t think so.
4. It just took one angel to roll back the stone of the grave. I believe it was for the benefit of the women so that they can see that Jesus was not in the grave. Jesus did not need the stone to be rolled away so he can come out. You and I needed to be assured that the tomb was really empty.
5. Jesus gives the reassuring word. “And as they went to tell His disciples,[b] 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.” The key word is “Rejoice”. Are you rejoicing? Death has been swallowed up. The grave could not keep Jesus and neither can it keep us. “Do not be afraid”.
6. We are destined to experience the same resurrection if we believe in and have faith in Jesus. Listen to Apostle Paul: 50 “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”[g] 55 “O Death, where is your sting?[h] O Hades, where is your victory?”[i] 56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” 1 Corinthians 15:50-57.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice! Saints of God! This is all we are living for to be with our Jesus who is alive and waiting to return to get us. What more are you expecting out of life than to rise from dead or if you are still alive to be changed in a blink of an eye! This is it. Not the next big in event in your life – marriage, children, graduation, job etc.
Lord, change my perspective and expectations. Grant me the heavenly vision to see your soon return that I may live accordingly. Amen.
If today, you do not believe in Jesus as your savior from sin, death is final for you. There is no hope of resurrection. Would you like to live again even if you die the first death? The second death is permanent after God’s judgment. Pray to God to give you His grace to believe in Jesus as savior from sin and from the judgment of God.
Are you Excited and Rejoicing? Happy Easter to you! Jesus is alive! Halleluiah!
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