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He was Here a Minute Ago

I would like to take a look at a simple question. If the resurrection of Jesus is true, how does that effect my life? Now you don’t have to be a Christian for this to apply. Believe it or not, the resurrection applies to everyone. I not only believe that the resurrection is the single most important event in Christianity, but in the history of the human race.

Jesus foretold of His resurrection in John 2:19 when He said, ” “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Bible mentions that the temple he was referring to was His body.

How do we know this happened? Since there are no photographs or videos from that time we should use our minds to evaluate the situation.

We know that when Jesus was crucified the disciples were afraid. It says in Luke’s Gospel that those who knew Jesus stood and watched these things from a distance (Luke 23:49). Also in John’s account we find the disciples all in a room with the door locked for fear of the Jews (John 20:19). As you could imagine, the disciples had ample reason to be afraid, the One they called the Messiah had just been put to death. What would stop the Jewish authorities from snuffing them out also? With all that in mind what could have happened to inspire the apostles to go into Jerusalem and preach the name of Jesus openly just a short time after He was crucified? The Bible tells us that the risen Jesus appeared to them. I would have to agree that if I saw the risen Lord in the flesh my fears would evaporate into thin air. The apostles went out and preached (Acts 2), and many believed. In the future many of the apostles and other believers would spread the Gospel of eternal life through Jesus even though it meant His horrendous execution. I see only one reason for that sudden change of attitude, the appearance of the risen Christ.

Another thing that testifies to Jesus rising from the dead is the empty tomb. We know Jesus was wrapped in burial cloth, put in the tomb and a large stone was rolled to block the entrance of the tomb. As if that weren’t enough the Jewish authorities asked Pilate to put Roman guards at the tomb to ensure no one would steal the body (Matt 27:62-66). They knew Jesus claimed He would rise and they wanted to prevent His followers from stealing His body. When some of Jesus’ women followers came to the tomb on the third day, the tomb was opened. Inside there was burial cloth and two men dressed in white asked, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?” (Luke 24:5)

Now what are some options we should look at?

The Jewish authorities took his body. This option makes no sense since they are the ones who went to great lengths to stop that from happening. Also a Roman soldier who did not guard what he was commanded well would most likely be put to death. If the Jews were going to steal the body they probably would not have asked to post a soldier. Let’s not overlook the fact that if the Jews stole the body they would give the appearance that Jesus spoke truth about rising in 3 days. This would contradict the purpose of all the provisions made to ensure Jesus would stay in the tomb.

The disciples took the body. This option isn’t likely because of their state of mind. They were locked in a room and very afraid of the repercussions of being a follower of Jesus. If they did some how manage to take the body (for argument’s sake), what would be the point. How would that deal with their fears. Sure they could go around and claim Jesus has risen, but why suffer all that persecution for what you know is a lie. It is highly unlikely the apostles be preaching openly in Jerusalem in front of the authorities if they had stolen the body. What gain was there in that if it were not true? Many suffer for what they think is true, but no one suffers and dies for what they know is a lie. Mat 29:11-13 tells us of how the Jewish authorities tried to pay the Roman soldiers off to say the disciples took the body. That tells me that neither the Jews or disciples took the body.

The final option is that Jesus did in fact rise from the dead. If that is true, we should evaluate the implications. This means that what Jesus said was true… everything. It would then make sense that since God has made this way to heaven, that rejection of this sacrifice would end up in the wrath of God being upon you yourself (John 3:36). So the choice is really ours, do we want God’s wrath on us or do we allow Jesus to take it. Remember, this is all God’s creation, who are we to tell Him how we’ll get to heaven. All God asks us to do is believe in His Son and what He did for us. Another way it’s said is that if we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in our heart that He rose from the dead we’ll be saved (Rom 10:9-10). All of this is important because in this belief is the sacrifice that God accepts for your sin, and nothing else matters. In this we stand righteous before God on the day of judgment because Jesus willingly died of His own choice (John 10:18) on the cross. If we follow Jesus now we will surely follow Him in the resurrection of our own bodies on the last day. Have a Blessed resurrection day. He is Risen!!