The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ
Today we will look at the most crucial point in our Christian faith, namely the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Paul makes this clear:
“If Christ was not raised from the dead, then all our preaching is useless, and our trust in God is useless. If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. If Christ has not been raised, then our faith is useless, and we are still under condemnation for our sins. In that case, all who have died believing in Christ have perished! If we have hope in Christ only for this life, we are the most miserable people in the world” (1 Cor. 15:14-19).
The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the very foundation of our Christian faith. The apostle Paul says: “I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me—that Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, as the Scriptures said” (1 Cor.15:2-4).
David was among many who prophesied of the resurrection of Christ:
“My body rests in safety. For you will not leave my soul among the deador allow your godly oneto rot in the grave” (Ps 16:10; Acts 2:26-32).
It is God who saved us and chose us to live a holy life. He did this not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan long before the world began—to show his love and kindness to us through Christ Jesus.And now he has made all of this plain to us by the coming of Christ Jesus, our Saviour, who broke the power of death and showed us the way to everlasting life through the Good News. (2 Tim 1:9-10)
but now has been revealed by theappearing of our SaviourChrist Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, (2 Tim 1:10)
Historical facts
In the New Testament we find the historical facts about the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ recorded by eyewitnesses. We may summarise these facts in this way:
Jesus died in a normal physical way – as he breathed his last (Luke 23:46).
Downcast, despairing, frustrated and full of fear his disciples deserted him and ran away (Mark.14:50).
The disciples were hiding in fear. They did not ask for his body or go to his tomb (Joh.20:19).
On Sunday morning the tomb was found empty (Luke 24:3). The linen wrappings that were used to wrap his body were there, while the cloth that had covered Jesus’ head was folded up and lying on one side (John 20:6-7).
Jesus left the tomb before the sealed stone used to close the tomb was rolled away (Matthew 28:2, 6).
Angles confirmed his resurrection (Luke 24:4-7). “Why are you looking in a tomb for someone who is alive? He isn’t here! He has risen from the dead! Don’t you 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 the third day?” (Luke 24:5-7).
Jesus showed himself to many reliable witnesses after his resurrection.
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary (Matthew 28:1-11)
Peter (Luke 24:34; 1 Cor.15:5)
Two disciples on the way to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35)
Ten disciples (John 20:19)
Thomas plus the ten disciples (John 20:24-29)
Disciples at the Sea of Galilee (John 21:1-14)
On the mountain in Galilee (Matthew 28:1-20)
Eleven disciples at the table Luke 24:33-49)
All the apostles together (Acts 1:4-8)
More than five hundred people at one time (1 Cor. 15:6)
James (1 Cor 15:7)
The disciples were changed from being timid, fearful, depressed, and full of despair with no hope to being so fully convinced of his resurrection that they were willing to give their lives for this truth.
Proofs of the resurrection
1. Jesus predicted his own resurrection (Matthew 12:38-40; 17:22-23; Mark 10:32-34; Luke 9:22-27; John 2:19-22)
2. The government knew about this and took their own precautions to hinder the fulfilment of his prediction:
They reassured themselves that he was really dead by piercing his side with a spear while he was still on the cross (John 19:33-34)
They saw to that he was buried in a safe tomb that was carved out of a rock (Matthew 27:59-60). They rolled a great stone across the entrance. The weight of the stone was probably more than two tons (Mark 16:1-4).
Guards were posted at the tomb (Matthew 27:62-66). Contemporary sources believe that there must have been from four to sixteen Roman soldiers (see also Matthew 28:11).
The stone was sealed to prevent anyone from removing the body (Matthew 27:66).
3. Facts that demands an explanation:
The Roman seal was broken
The tomb was empty
The heavy stone had been removed from the entrance
The amazing story of the Roman soldiers
The bribe they were offered to lie about what had taken place
The way the grave clothes were found, they were empty
The statements from many eyewitnesses who had seen the resurrected Lord
The only logical explanation is that Jesus was actually raised from the dead. The women didn’t go to the wrong tomb. They observed his burial in the private tomb of Joseph from Arimathea (Matthew 27:61; Mark 15:47; Luke 23:55). The people that saw Christ after the resurrection did not have hallucinations, for so many people could not have had the same hallucinations at the same time. Jesus was not like a ghost after the resurrection, he ate with them and allowed them to touch him (Luke 24:39-43; John 20:27; 21:13). The disciples could not have stolen the body being as fearful as they were and if they had done so they would not have been able to preach so powerfully of his resurrection nor have been willing to die for that testimony. Neither would it have been in the interests of the government to steal the body. The argument that Jesus wasn’t really dead doesn’t make sense when we think of the suffering he endured on the cross. Before the crucifixion he was so weak that he could not carry his own cross due to beatings and bad treatment. The Roman officer was obvious an expert fully competent to declare him dead (Mark 15:44-45; John 19:33). When he was buried he was wrapped in linen and embalmed with about fifty kilos of balm and covered with a cloth through which would have had to breathe. Even if he simply lost consciousness before he was buried, he would not have been able to survive the wrapping and embalmment, much less have been able to free himself from it to get out of it and then remove the stone!
Raised to life
Jesus was raised to life by a sovereign act of God through the mighty power of his Spirit. There is no other explanation than what the Bible tells us:
With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to the cross and murdered him. 24However, God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life again, for death could not keep him in its grip (Acts 2:23-24)
This is the same mighty powerthat raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honour at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. (Eph 1:19-20)
But the fact is that Christ has been raised from the dead. (1 Cor.15:19-20)
What does the resurrection of Jesus Christ declare?
Jesus Christ is the Son of God (Romans 1:4)
Jesus is now the Sovereign Lord over all created things (Matthew 28:18; Ephesians 1:17-23; Colossians 1:16-18; Acts 2:31-36)
Jesus is the appointed Judge (Acts 17:31; 2 Corinthians 5:10)
There is a Priest on the throne of God (Hebrew 10:11-12; 7:23-25)
Believers are justified (Romans 4:25)
Death is defeated (Romans 6:8-9; Acts 2:34; Hebrew 2:14-15)
There is a new birth into a living hope (1 Peter 1:3)
The resurrection of all humans is guaranteed (1 Corinthians 15:20-22; 2 Corinthians 4:14)
Exercise:
How convincing are the historical facts and proofs of the resurrection of Jesus Christ?
What is the most important thing that the resurrection of Jesus Christ declares to you?
Continue to memorise the previous Bible verses, and add this one to your list:
Yet we have this assurance: Those who belong to God will live; their bodies will rise again! Those who sleep in the earth will rise up and sing for joy! For God’s light of life will fall like dew on his people in the place of the dead! (Isaiah 26:19)