Resurrection/Post-Resurrection of Christ John 19:38-20:31
The Death of Jesus The darkest moment in all of recorded history was the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. And we caused it! But this is not sad news for us! The death of Jesus shows us that God is good for 2 reasons: 1. God transformed man’s most evil moment in all of Time into the greatest good in all of Time (Solution to the Problem of Evil/Pain). 2. It completely satisfied God’s wrath toward sin, which means He can now love mankind freely! But God didn’t leave Jesus dead. He also raised him to life and defeated death and its power.
The Burial (John 19:38-42) Jesus’ death had a polarizing effect (caused people to pick sides). The disciples ran and hid, but 2 other men courageously stepped up to publicly bury Jesus’ body: Nicodemus & Joseph of Arimathea. Joseph of Arimathea- Wealthy man; Described as an “honorable counselor who was good and just”; Member of the Sanhedrin. Jesus’ bravery on the cross shamed these men out of their cowardice and selfishness.
75 lbs. of Perfume These 2 men didn’t just publicly declare themselves as Jesus’ disciples; they also sacrificed a large amount of money for Jesus’ burial They bought 100 “Roman pounds” (75lbs) of spices to wrap Jesus’ body up. Psalm 45:7-8 and Eph. 5:2 describe Jesus’ death as a sweet fragrance to God. How could God enjoy Christ’s death? Isaiah 53:10...Jesus’ death satisfied God’s hate for sin and opened salvation up for all mankind!
The Third Day (John 20:1-31) The Angel’s Announcement: “He is not here; he is risen!” (Matt. 28:6) The women were the first to hear this message. They came to the tomb expecting guards and stone, but found angels instead. Peter & John’s Reaction: After hearing the message from Mary, Peter and John ran to the tomb, only to find an empty grave. In the tomb they found Jesus’ burial rags neatly folded and rolled up. Why is this important?
Theories about Resurrection Swoon Theory: Jesus only passed out on the cross and then was resuscitated in the tomb. Jesus would have had to roll the stone away himself, fight off the Roman guards, then walk to town to appear as the “risen Lord.” Theft Theory: Jesus’ body was stolen. No one would have wanted to steal the body, and the Roman guards would’ve been under penalty of death if they allowed that to happen. Also, the cloths were neatly folded, meaning the body wasn’t stolen in a rush.
Theories about Resurrection Impersonation Theory: Someone who looked really similar to Jesus was pretending to be him and fooled his disciples. His disciples knew him intimately for 3 years, and you can’t fake Jesus’ wounds/miracles. Muslims believe God disguised Judas as Jesus, and the Jews killed the wrong man, sparing Jesus. Hallucination Theory: Everyone who “saw Jesus” after his death was just hallucinating. People never share the same hallucinations. Especially not 500 at one time. Plus, the disciples all doubted the resurrection at first.