Reading: Luke chapter 23 verse 47 to chapter 24 verse 12
Ill:
• In many countries when someone important dies;
• The flags are lowered to half-mast.
Ill:
• When we remember the people who died in two world wars we observe a silence.
• A mark of respect.
We are breaking into the narrative when Jesus is suspended on the cross,
• Hanging between heaven and earth,
• And has been hanging here for the past three hours.
• When Jesus died God did something in respect of him,
• He blotted out the sunlight for three hours.
• Luke chapter 23 verse 44:
• “It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour,”
• The sixth hour was noon, when the sun should have been at its highest,
• But instead darkness covered the entire area.
Question: What is its significance of the darkness?
Answer: The Gospel writers don’t tell us, but there are several possibilities.
• It may symbolize the reign of moral darkness.
• Darkness is a symbol in the Bible of ignorance, spiritual blindness, and evil.
• But it also may represent the Father’s anger;
• At the way his only begotten Son is being treated.
Chapter 23 verse 46:
46Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”
When he had said this, he breathed his last.
• With a deep sigh,
• And after a few final words Jesus released a final breath into the darkened sky.
• His head bowed forward. His body slumped. Jesus was dead.
• At least, that was what the people saw.
• To the enemies of Jesus’, the sight bore a measure of satisfaction;
• To His friends, the sight was one of total despair.
• Their hopes were gone, their spirits broken,
• They had nothing left.
Note: (I mentioned this morning):
• That the final words spoken by Jesus on the cross,
• Are a quote from Psalm 31 verse 5.
• These words were actually a bedtime prayer that Jewish children used.
• They show us how the Lord died:
• Confidently;
• Safe in the care of his heavenly Father.
• Willingly;
• “No-one takes my life from me…………lay it down”.
• And victoriously;
• “I commit” he was in total charge of his life and situation.
(a). Reactions to Jesus Death:
• In the final verses of chapter 23,
• Luke isolates four reactions to Jesus’ death.
(1). An experienced Soldier (verse 47):
47The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said,
“Surely this was a righteous man.”
• The person nearest to Jesus when He died,
• And the first to respond was a centurion.
• As the commander of the crucifixion detail,
• He had observed many men die on Skull Hill.
• If they ended up here, they were always the worst sort of men,
• Normally they would have been foaming and snarling with hate ill: tongue cut out.
But this man (Jesus) was different.
• Instead of curses, verse 43 tells us:
• His lips uttered an offer of forgiveness, he made a promise of paradise to a dying thief,
This tough hard experienced soldier:
• Must have thought he had seen it all as far as crucifixions are concerned;
• But he had never seen anyone die like this man!
• Watching the way Jesus died must have made the centurion wonder,
• Could He be the King they say He is?
• Then, when Jesus breathed His last, he made his declaration;
• N.I.V: “Surely this was a righteous man.” N.A.S. “Certainly this man was innocent.”
• The word used means much more than innocent of a crime,
• But is used to describe one who lives with high standards, "upright, just, fair."
(2). A diverse crowd (verse 48-49):
And all the people that came together to that sight, beholding the things which were done, smote their breasts, and returned. 49And all his acquaintance, and the women that followed him from Galilee, stood afar off, beholding these things.
Luke next draws our attention to the people scattered around the base of the hill:
• A crowd made up of sympathetic believers,
• And curious onlookers and outright hostile enemies!
THE DISCIPLES:
• Some of the disciples gathered and looked on;
• Shattered by the events of Jesus’ crucifixion, they looked on, all their hopes now gone.
• They had expected Jesus to usher in his kingdom, to be God’s Messiah, a powerful king,
• But instead they stared at what seemed to be ‘a defeated criminal.’
• Scared that they too might be arrested and killed,
• The disciples watched the crucifixion from a distance (verse 49).
• Most of them kept their distance and did not get involved,
• Amazingly, they did not even ask for the body of Jesus.
SYMPATHETIC BELIEVERS were also there:
• Probably made up of those whom Jesus had healed,
• Those who had been genuine seekers, the spiritual hungry, who he had shown the way to.
• The sinners and tax collectors
• Who had found a friend and someone who offered them forgiveness.
• They all had come to the cross.
• And when Jesus died, I guess a part of them died too.
• When it was over, they drifted away, clinging to one another;
• And, Luke says, “beating their breasts” - wailing in unrestrained grief.
THE ENIMIES of Jesus were also there:
• The Pharisees and the other religious leaders,
• Maybe those who had lost money when Jesus upturned the tables in the market place.
• Also those people who were disappointed with Jesus,
• Because he refused to over-throw the Romans.
Ill:
• Rembrandt picture of The Three Crosses.
• Self portrait in the crowd, because he was guilty in causing the death of Jesus!
(3). A Believing Council Member (vs 50-53):
50Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man, 51who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea and he was waiting for the kingdom of God. 52Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body. 53Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid.
54It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin.
• Joseph of Arimathea is described as a wealthy man,
• And a devout Jew. He is described as a good and righteous, person, a man of integrity.
• He believed that the Jewish council,
• The Sanhedrin had acted wrongly in condemning Jesus.
• How much he spoke up for Jesus previously, we do not know,
• But he speaks up for him here in verse 52.
Bravely Joseph decided to ask for the body of Jesus; and surprisingly he was allowed to claim it.
• It was a brave act because as a Jewish leader he put his reputation,
• His occupation, possibly his life on the line.
• John in his gospel tells us that Nicodemus;
• Who was also a member of the Jewish Council called the Sanhedrin;
• He supported and helped Joseph in the difficult task of burying the body of Jesus.
• (John chapter 19 verses 38-42)
Ill:
Jewish custom dictated the proper procedure.
• [The body was] usually washed and straightened and then;
• Bandaged tightly from the armpits to the ankles in strips of linen about a foot wide.
• Aromatic spices, often of a gummy consistency,
• Were placed between the wrappings or folds.
• They served partially as a preservative;
• And partially as a cement to glue the cloth wrappings into a solid covering.
When the body was thus encased,
• A square piece of cloth was wrapped around the head;
• And tied under the chin to keep the lower jaw from sagging.
Tenderly and solemnly, Joseph and Nicodemus these two friends of Jesus:
• Prepared His body.
• But they had to move quickly, for the sun was setting. The Sabbath was at hand.
• The Jewish Sabbath started at 6p.m. after that time all work became illegal.
• Jesus had died at 3p.m.
• So they only had three hours to get Jesus from the cross and embalmed in the tomb
• So they had very little time to properly prepare the body of Jesus.
• Which is why they probably did a temporary job embalming the body,
• With plans to return after the Sabbath was over.
Ill:
• The body was normally placed inside the tomb;
• On a sand-covered stone bench; a table slab.
• After a twelve-month period of decomposition,
• The bones were collected and placed in an ossuary.
Verse 53 says; “They placed the body in a new tomb”:
• Some people believe this was his own tomb that he gave to Jesus.
• Others say this was probably not Joseph’s tomb,
• Because it was too far away from his own home, (Arimathea was north of Jerusalem)
• And too near to the place of execution (ill: slum area - want something much better).
• Joseph and Nicademus probably may well have purchased the tomb earlier on;
• When they knew Jesus was going to be crucified:
• Knowing Passover was soon to start and it would be impossible to buy anything then,
• They planned ahead and purchased the tomb and spices and bandages.
Note: The new tomb:
• By placing Jesus in a new tomb;
• They fulfilled the Old Testament prophecy of Isaiah (chapter 53 verse 9).
• And they kept the Romans from doing their usual practice,
• Of throwing a victim on the garbage dump outside the city.
• Dead bodies of criminals were left for the dogs and vultures to dispose of.
• And that is what happened to the two thieves crucified with Jesus.
Question: What is the significance of placing Jesus in a new tomb?
Answer: By placing Jesus in a new tomb:
(a).
• Luke points out to us that it was an unused tomb:
• That meant that it was fit for a sacred purpose.
• Like the unridden colt Jesus used when entered Jerusalem.
(b).
• It also counteracts any suggestion that when Jesus’ body is missing on resurrection morning
• That the women mistake it for another burial.
(3). A Group of Women (verse 55-56):
55The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. 56Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.
Lingering behind Nicodemus and Joseph:
• Was a caring group of women from Galilee.
• They followed Nicodemus and Joseph as they carried the body away;
• And saw the tomb and how His body was laid.
• But due to the Sabbath law they were unable even to embalm the body!
Ill:
• The American inventor Thomas Jefferson, was a great man,
• But he had a big problem, he could not accept the miraculous elements in Scripture.
• So he edited his own special version of the Bible;
• In which all references to the supernatural were deleted.
• In editing the Gospels, Jefferson confined himself solely to the moral teachings of Jesus.
• The closing words of Jefferson’s Bible are these:
• "There laid they Jesus & rolled a great stone at the mouth of the sepulchre & departed."
• How sad, a story with a defeated and tragic ending.
The women no doubt felt like the closing paragraph Edison’s Bible:
• Life was hopeless and Jesus was dead.
• All they could do was wait:
• Encased in strips of linen, Jesus’ body resting the cool, silent tomb
• Friday night, all day Saturday, and through another long dark night they waited.
Ill:
• The date: June 18th, the year: 1815, the occasion: the Battle of Waterloo.
• The enemy: the French were under the command of Napoleon.
• They were fighting the Allies; who were the British, Dutch, and Germans,
• Their leader was Wellington.
In the days before radios and television coverage:
• The people of England depended on a system of semaphore signals
• To find out how the war was going.
• One of these signal stations was positioned on the tower of Winchester Cathedral.
• One foggy night an important message was received.
• You could only just make out the message,
• It flashed the signal: "W-E-L-L-I-N-G-T-O-N---D-E-F-E-A-T-E-D- -."
• And then due to the fog it was totally obliterated, impossible to read.
• The news of defeat quickly spread throughout the city.
• The whole countryside was sad and gloomy
• When they heard the news that their country had lost the war.
A few hours later the fog lifted, and to everybody’s surprise their was more to the message,
• The message actually had four words, not two.
• The complete message was: "W-E-L-L-I-N-G-T-O-N- -DE-F-E-A- T-E-D- -T-H-E- - -E-N- E-M-Y!"
• It took only a few minutes for the good news to spread.
• Sorrow was turned into joy, and defeat was turned into victory!
I’m sure you can see the application:
• Good Friday looked like Christ was defeated,
• But Easter Sunday revealed the full message;
• Christ alive!
• The enemy – death, devil and sin defeated.
(B). Reactions to Jesus Resurrection:
(1). Material Evidence (verse 1-3):
1On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
• The first day of the week for Jews, of course,
• Was the day after the Sabbath -- Sunday. This is the third day since Jesus’ burial.
• While modern westerners might measure days in 24-hour periods,
• The Jews measured time differently, counting each portion of a day as a whole day.
• The Greek adjective used in verses 7 and 46,
• ‘Tritos’ means "third in a series."
Some of the women are named for us in verse 10:
• These women travelled with Jesus from Galilee,
• They on certain occasions attached themselves with others to Jesus and the disciples.
(see Luke 8: 1-3. Matthew 17:22-23; Mark 9:30-32).
3 things to note:
(1). THE STONE.
These women returned to the tomb with great faith and courage:
• They knew that a huge stone that they would be unable to move locked up the tomb.
• The grave of Jesus would have been a small cave,
• A natural cave;
• Or man-made hole in the side of a rock or carved out of the stony hillside.
• These tombs were then sealed by a large round stone,
• It would have been rolled down into a groove in front of the tomb’s entrance.
The grave was secure:
• Also the chief priests and Pharisees wanted to make sure that nothing happened;
• So they had secured a Roman guard for the tomb;
• And “set a seal on the stone” (Matthew chapter 27 verses 62-66).
Note:
• A resurrected body doesn’t need stones removed for it to escape,
• It can go right through material things (see John 20:19, 26).
• The stone was removed not to let Jesus out,
• But to let the people see in! So they could see the empty tomb.
(2). THE EMPTY TOMB.
• Their hearts beating wildly, the women rushed into the burial chamber.
• To their astonishment, the tomb was empty.
• Last Easter Sunday we looked into the questions of who stole the body,
• If you want to know more, read a book.
(3). THE GRAVE CLOTHES.
• The women rush to find the disciples (verses 9-11),
• But they did not believe them.
• Peter and John (according to John 20:3-6) went to the tomb to investigate,
• There was no body present only the grave clothes.
• All that remained of Jesus were the mummy like wrappings,
• Strangely they were still moulded in the shape of the body.
Note:
• This detail is important because it indicates to us no robber stole the body of Jesus.
• A robber would not have stopped to take off the strips of cloth.
• Fold them back up neatly.
• A robber would have left them scattered and littered over the floor
Quote:
• Some believe that Jesus’ risen body passed through his burial clothes,
• So that the myrrh-soaked grave wrappings
• May have resembled a butterfly’s chrysalis
• After the insect has unfolded its wings and taken flight,
• The shell remaining but the body gone.
• We just don’t know.
What we do know:
• Is that for Peter these things were very mysterious;
• How could His body be gone and the grave clothes remain intact?
• The men searched one another’s eyes for answers,
• But flashes of confusion and fear were all they found.
(2). Supernatural Appearance (verses 4-7):
4While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead?
He is not here; he has risen!”
• When the women entered the tomb,
• They encountered something they were not expecting,
• A light exploded; and a voice boomed out.
• And the women, Luke tells us, were “terrified.”
• The experienced the kind of panic that sends us running for our lives,
• Fear gripped the women’s hearts as they trembled before the angels.
The heavenly beings continued:
“He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’”
• In verse 5 the angelic being very gently rebukes the women,
• “Why do you look for the living among the dead?”
• Then the angel reminded them;
• That Jesus had clearly taught them on more than one occasion he would rise again.
Ill:
Luke chapter 9 verse 22, & chapter 18 verses 32-33.
• In a society and culture that looked down on women,
• God chose women to give the most dramatic announcement in all history:
He is not here; he has risen!
(3). Personal Responses (verses 8-12):
(1). THE WOMEN.
• As the rumbling voices faded and the angels’ glory dimmed,
• A light clicked on in the women’s minds. Yes! Jesus had risen just as He said He would
“Then they remembered his words.
9When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. 10It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles”
(2). THE DISCIPLES.
• We can imagine that when the disciples heard the wonderful news,
• They lit up with joy…………….Wrong!
• Look again at verse 11:
• “But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense”
Ironically, the first sceptics of the Resurrection were Jesus’ own disciples:
• They thought the story was “nonsense.”
• They thought the women were deluded!
Quote William Barclay tells us,
“The word used is one employed by Greek medical writers to describe the babbling of a fevered and insane mind.”
• Dr Luke actually uses a medical term to describe what the men thought of the women;
• “You’re crazy,” the disciples scowled.
(C). PETER AND JOHN.
• But Peter, accompanied by John,
• Ran to the tomb to see for himself (see John 20:3-9).
“Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.”
Peter and John may or may not persuaded by an empty tomb,
• Or by the words of the women.
• But these things were important links in the chain of their understanding.
• Soon for them it would be an encounter with the living Christ,
• A face to face experience that they would never forget,
• So real was this encounter that these once cowardly men,
• Would now publicly declare him before others, and even die for him!
Final Application:
• Christians believe that is true, Jesus is alive!
• This fact is the pillar upon which all Christian truth rests.
• Because he is raised, sin can be forgiven.
• Satan’s doom is sealed. Death is not the final conqueror.
• Because He is raised,
• We shall be raised someday also.
• Like Jesus’ body,
• Our bodies will be in their glorified state;
• They too will burst forth from the grave and be reunited with our souls,
• And we will live with Him forever. What a wonderful hope!
