Can this be real? That Jesus died and then came back to life?
• What does it mean to us if He is dead? Does it really matter?
The truth is, it matters. If Jesus claims to be God and comes from heaven, and He remains dead, then there is no hope for anyone.
• Death ends everything. Death will be the end for everyone.
• Life will be meaningless. So man created theories about the after-life, but not none of them can come back to affirm their theories.
• Except Jesus. Jesus came back to life and did not leave earth for another 40 days.
• He talked about His death and resurrection before He dies. And He talks about it after He is risen.
The resurrection of Jesus is the foundation of our faith. Without the resurrection, there is no Christianity.
• If there is no resurrection, the grave will be our final destination.
• But Jesus rose again, and He appeared to His disciples and many others.
This is not easy for anyone to accept. The idea that “Jesus has risen” is ridiculous to the human mind. It is unbelievable, unless, God exists.
• It is difficult for people to accept, it was equally difficult for the people in Jesus’ time to accept. Many doubted. Some denied it actually happened.
• We are going to look at the reactions of these people.
THE WOMEN
Matthew 28 tells us of a group of women, with Mary Magdalene, going to the tomb early in the morning on the first day of the week.
• They were the first to witness the empty tomb and hear from the angels.
• In Mark and Luke accounts, they brought along spices to anoint Jesus’ body, obviously expecting to see a corpse.
Just two days ago, this group of women were among the few who were at the foot of the cross watching Jesus crucified and died. They saw His death close up!
• So we can imagine their emotions. They had given up their lives following Jesus, thinking that He would possibly be the leader who could liberate their people from the Romans. They had high expectations.
• But now, whatever hopes they might have in Jesus were dashed with His death. It ended everything.
• It is difficult for anyone, then and now, to think that death is not an end. Can there still be hope with death?
No. Unless God steps in.
• 28:2 “There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven” and rolled the stone away from the tomb, revealing it.
• The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; He has risen, just as He said.”
This wasn’t a scene from everyday life. It was an act of God; it was a miracle.
• Whatever that has just happened was impossible and incomprehensible to the human mind. Only God could have done it.
• Miracles are possible only because God exists. Only a belief in God makes this comprehensible.
The angel has to calm the women, “Do not be afraid…” (28:5). When Jesus appeared, His first words were, “Do not be afraid…”
• Even when they hurried away from the tomb, 28:8 says they were still afraid.
• Mark’s account says they were trembling and bewildered (Mk 16:8) even as they run back to tell the other disciples.
• They were afraid because this wasn’t normal. It was out-of-the-ordinary. That’s what makes it so difficult to believe.
THE DISCIPLES
When they broke the news to the disciples, even these followers of Jesus for over 3 years had their doubts.
• Luke 24:11 “… they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense.”
• It sounded that way. Many of us could have said the same when we first heard about Jesus. “All these are nonsense.”
If you find it hard to believe that Jesus rose again, you are in good company.
• Initially, that was the same struggle the disciples had. In fact, Jesus prepared them for this. Jesus told them earlier that He would be raised again.
• Matt 17:22 Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. 23They will kill him, and on the third day He will be raised to life.” And the disciples were filled with grief.
• It was interesting to note that their reaction was grief, even though Jesus ended the line with “I will be raised to life.”
• They were not really listening. They heard only the first part. It was selective listening. The second part makes no sense. The “raising to life” is impossible.
Despite all these preparations, the disciples struggled to believe.
• One of them, Thomas, even said (Jn 20:25), “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.”
Many of us started our relationship with Jesus the same way.
• We had our doubts. We could not believe Jesus. We find it hard to believe that He is from God and that He died and rose again to save us from sin.
God did not ask us to believe Jesus because that’s easy. He asks us to believe Jesus because that’s the truth.
• Jesus is the way and the truth and the life. No one can come to God the Father except through Him. (cf. John 14:6)
• Jesus died for our sin and rose again, giving us the hope of a relationship and a new life with God. His resurrection is an historical fact worthy of our faith.
We saw in John’s account the disciples Peter and John making an attempt to find out the truth for themselves. They ran to the tomb.
• They saw the evidences – the stone rolled away, the tomb was empty, the strips of linen lying there, the burial cloth (used to wrap Jesus’ head) folded up. (Jn 20:6-7).
• John says the disciples were willing to believe, even though “they still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.” (John 20:9)
We have the FIRST GROUP, the women terrified but hopeful.
• We have the SECOND GROUP, the disciples doubtful but willing to believe, and they made attempts to know the truth.
THE GUARDS
• Matthew 28 tells us of a THIRD GROUP at the tomb that day - the guards.
• They went back to the city, reported everything that has happened to the chief priests (Matt 28:11), like reporters on site telling all that they’ve seen.
28:12-14 “When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, 13telling them, "You are to say, `His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.' 14 If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble."
• That was their response. No attempt to find out the truth. They created a fake news within the four walls of their secret chamber.
• If the governor hears of anything, we will help to cover it up and keep you from trouble.
• 28:15 “So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.”
• So now we know why our government is so concerned about fake news. The people believe them.
It was a deliberate cover-up. No attempt to find out what happened. It was a DENIAL of the truth.
• It really doesn’t matter what the truth is. It wasn’t what they wanted to hear. They chose to ignore it, to deny it, to bury it.
• But why? Why would people do that? It didn’t fit their agenda. The truth was not what they want.
The priests and elders had the chance to know the truth but they refused to take it up.
• They chose to stay indoors and devise a plan. Not for a lack of evidences, but an unwillingness to confront the truth.
• They cannot handle the truth. They do not want the truth. They chose to bury it.
Are we struggling in the same way today?
• It is fine to have our fears (like the women), it’s fine to have our doubts (like the disciples), but it’s quite another thing to ignore the truth.
• Are you willing to know the truth and believe in Jesus?
Let me close with this thought. Jesus was willing to help them believe.
• Jesus appeared to the disciples a couple of times. He stayed on after His resurrection for another 40 days on earth. He did not depart immediately.
• Jesus initiated all the moves to meet up with His followers.
• When Thomas missed out on His first appearing before them, Jesus came back a second time, addressing Thomas directly.
Listen to what the angel said to the women in 28:7 “Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’” It’s an appointment to meet!
• Jesus said the same in 28:10 “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
• Even before Jesus was arrested at the Garden of Gethsemane, He has already said, “But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.” (Matt 26:32)
• It was planned for, even before His death and resurrection.
• A specific, geographical spot on the face of earth has been identified as the place where the risen Jesus would be found. It’s at GALILEE.
The disciples went to Galilee as they were told, “to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go.” (Mt 28:16)
• They met the resurrected Jesus. They saw Him and worshipped Him. They heard Him. Jesus gave the great commission to them.
• They were with Jesus, geographically and chronologically speaking, in time and space. We believe their eye-witness accounts.
It might be hard for some to believe, but it is equally hard for us to deny.
The evidences are there. Jesus died and rose again. He is our Saviour and He is with us today. He is our ONLY HOPE.
• Believe Jesus. We are forgiven of our sin and reconciled with God because of Jesus.
• Acts 4:12 “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
