The Reality Of The Resurrection
Text: Mark 16:1-8
Intro: Today we celebrate what is commonly called Easter. The word “Easter” is used but once in all of the Scriptures (Acts 12:4). The Greek word from which it is transliterated is “Pascha,” which means, “Passover.”(1) It was during the Passover week that Christ was crucified.
Often in today’s society, the celebration of Easter means little more than Peter Cottontail and Easter baskets full of colorful eggs. I’ve always had a problem with that concept. For one thing, no one has ever explained to me the obvious anomaly of rabbits laying eggs once a year at Easter. I’m also very surprised that our scientists haven’t done some in-depth research to discover the reason for this quirk of nature.
Seriously, I know that the practice of hunting colored eggs, and eating chocolate Easter bunnies is all about tradition, and fun for the kids. But the truth is that Easter has nothing to do with bunny rabbits and brightly colored eggs. It is a celebration of the resurrection of our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Resurrection is a very important doctrine to the Church of Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul said, “And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins” (1 Cor. 15:17). In essence, Paul has said that if the resurrection of Christ is nothing but a hoax and a lie, then we are still lost in our sins; and everything we believe in and hope for with reference to salvation is absolutely meaningless.
Although no amount of proofs would ever satisfy those who refuse to believe, there is much scriptural evidence of the Resurrection. This evidence gives comfort and assurance to the Christian however. With these thoughts in mind, I want to examine some of the evidence of the Resurrection of our Lord.
Theme: We see evidence of the Resurrection in…
I. THE EMPTY TOMB
A. Notice The Announcement Of The Angel.
1. The angel at the tomb declared the resurrection to be a fact.
Matt. 28:1 “In the end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulcher.
2 And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.
…………………………………………………….
5 And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.
6 He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.”
NOTE: [1] Be careful to understand that the angel of the Lord did not roll away the stone to let Jesus out of the tomb, but to let men see that He was not there.
[2] Folks, the angel said, “He is not here: for he is risen.” It doesn’t take a scholar to understand that statement, only faith.
The Tomb Is Empty
Little Philip, born with Down Syndrome, attended a third-grade Sunday School class with several eight-year-old boys and girls. Typical of that age, the children did not readily accept Philip with his differences, according to an article in Leadership Magazine. But because of a creative teacher, they began to care about Philip and accept him as part of the group, though not fully.
The Sunday after Easter the teacher brought L’eggs pantyhose containers, the kind that looks like large eggs. Each receiving one, the children were told to go outside on that lovely Spring day, find some symbol for new life, and put it in the egg-like container. Back in the classroom, they would share their new-life symbols, opening the containers one by one, in surprise fashion.
After running about the church property in wild confusion, the students returned to the classroom and placed the containers on the table. Surrounded by the children, the teacher began to open them one by one. After each one, whether a flower, butterfly, or leaf, the class would ooh and ahh.
Then one was opened, revealing nothing inside. The children exclaimed, “That’s stupid. That’s not fair. Somebody didn’t do their assignment.”
Philip spoke up, “That’s mine.”
“Philip, you don’t ever do things right!” the student retorted. “There’s nothing there!”
“I did so do it,” Philip insisted. “I did do it. It’s empty. The tomb was empty!”
Silence followed. From then on Philip became a full member of the class. He died not long afterward from an infection most normal children would have shrugged off. At the funeral this class of eight-year-olds marched up to the altar not with flowers, but with their Sunday School teacher, each to lay on it an empty pantyhose egg.(2)
2. The angel reminded the women that Jesus’ prediction of His resurrection had been fulfilled.
Luke 24:6b “…remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,
7 Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.
8 And they remembered his words,
9 And returned from the sepulcher, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest.”
B. Notice The Awkwardness Of The Jews’ Excuse.
1. An audacious lie was concocted to explain the missing body of Christ.
Matt. 28:12 “And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers,
13 Saying, Say ye, his disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept.”
NOTE: [1] This was an absurd explanation for the missing body of Jesus, since the penalty for a Roman soldier sleeping on watch was death. It rarely, if ever, happened.
[2] This excuse was doubly absurd when one considers the fact that even if the soldiers had fallen asleep, they would likely have been startled awake by the noisy work of the body snatchers trying to roll the heavy stone from the mouth of Jesus’ tomb. This would have been no small task.
[3] It is more than likely that the chief priests believed that a miracle had taken place. Had the Jewish elders really believed that the body of Jesus had been stolen away, instead of offering big money to the soldiers to lie, they would have offered a bigger reward for the recovery of the Christ’s missing body. By so doing, they would have put to silence any further talk of His resurrection.
[4] During the early 1920’s, a Communist leader named Nikolai Bukharin was sent from Moscow to Kiev to address an anti-God rally. For an hour he abused and ridiculed the Christian faith until it seemed as if the whole structure of belief was in ruins. Then questions were invited. An Orthodox Church priest rose and asked to speak. He turned, faced the people, and gave the Easter greeting, “He is risen!” Instantly the assembly rose to its feet and the reply came back loud and clear, “He is risen indeed!”(3)
2. The absurdity of this concocted lie is evidenced by the grave clothes.
Luke 24:12 “Then arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulcher; and stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves, and departed, wondering in himself at that which was come to pass.”
John 20:6 “Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulcher, and seeth the linen clothes lie,
7 And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.”
NOTE: [1] Had the disciples stolen the body of Jesus, they would have been in a hurry to acquire Christ’s body and leave before the guards discovered them. It seems highly unlikely that they would have taken the time to unwrap the burial clothes from Christ’s body before making their getaway.
[2] John 19:39 says that about one hundred pounds of embalming spices were used to embalm the body of Jesus. According to some scholars, since some of these spices came from the resin of trees, they would likely have made the grave clothes stiff after a few hours in the coolness of the tomb. The appearance of the wrappings would have looked much like a hollow cocoon, having the general shape of a body, though devoid of the body itself.
[3] It is also unlikely that the body snatchers would have taken the time to neatly fold the napkin that had covered the face of Jesus. This fact is interesting in that when a Jew was dining with someone and had to leave the table for some reason, the custom was that their napkin was neatly folded and placed beside their plate. This indicated that they would be returning.
II. THE EYEWITNESSES’ TESTIMONY
A. They Testified Of Christ’s Vitality.
1. Eyewitnesses said that after Christ’s resurrection, He walked and talked.
a. He walked and talked with the disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35).
b. He led the disciples out as far as Bethany and blessed them just before His ascension (Luke 24:50-53).
2. Eyewitnesses said that after Christ’s resurrection, He could be touched.
John 20:26 “And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.
27 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.”
3. Eyewitnesses said that after Christ’s resurrection, He could taste.
Luke 24:42 “And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb.
43 And he took it, and did eat before them.”
B. They Testified Of Christ’s Visibility.
1. He was seen of the women (Luke 24:10).
2. He was seen of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-15).
3. He was seen of the eleven disciples in the upper room (John 20:24-29).
4. He was seen of seven disciples at the Sea of Tiberias (John 21:1-25).
5. He was seen of 500 brethren at once (1 Cor. 15:6).
6. He was seen of Paul the Apostle on the road to Damascus (1 Cor. 15:8).
III. THE ETERNAL TENANT
A. He Is The Power Of The Resurrection.
1 Pet. 3:18 “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened (“made alive”(4)) by the Spirit:”
B. He Is The Proof Of The Resurrection.
John 16:7 “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.”
Acts 2:1 “And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
………………………………………………………….
4a And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost…”
NOTE: Jesus is alive and well, and His indwelling Holy Spirit is the proof that Jesus is our resurrected Savior and Lord. Phillips Brooks offers these beautiful words concerning our resurrected Lord:
Tomb, thou shalt not hold Him longer;
Death is strong, but Life is stronger;
Stronger than the dark, the light;
Stronger than the wrong, the right;
Faith and Hope triumphant say,
Christ will rise on Easter Day.(5)
Theme: We see evidence of the Resurrection in…
I. THE EMPTY TOMB
II. THE EYEWITNESSES’ TESTIMONY
III. THE ETERNAL TENANT
End Notes:
(1) James Strong, S.T.D., LL.D., The Exhaustive Concordance Of The Bible, published by MacDonald Publishing Company, McLean, Virginia 22101; #3957 of the Greek Dictionary Of The New Testament, pg. 56.
(2) Acquired from bible.org.
(3) Dr. George Sweeting, Today In The Word, September 1989, pg. 8.
(4) Charles B. Williams, Williams New Testament, Copyright © 1986 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee; pg. 515.
(5) Phillips Brooks.
