SERIES ON PASSION WEEK
EASTER SUNDAY-"Why Is The Resurrection So
Difficult to Believe?"
Text-Acts 26:1-32
Introduction-
You will recognize that what I have just read was
the Apostle Paul’s defense of the Christian faith
before King Agrippa. It is specifically stated
by the Apostle Paul that he knew that Agrippa
believed the prophets(vs. 27), yet, he thought
Paul mad when he proclaimed to him the resurrection
of Christ Jesus from the dead. Why was it so
difficult, and incredible a thing for him to
believe that God, the Creator, could raise the
dead? Indeed, why is it so difficult for us to
accept by faith in our own day and age? Surely,
if there is a God in Heaven, and there is, and
if He is all powerful, and He is, if He spoke
the worlds into existence, and delivered His
chosen people from Egyptian slavery through
mighty miracles, and did so many other unimagin-
able things, why think it strange, or impossible,
or unreasonable, that He could raise the dead?
And, more to the point, why did not even the dis-
ciples of Jesus believe it? They doubted even
as they saw Him ascend back to the Father! He
had told them at least three times that He was
going to go to Jerusalem, and that He would be
brutally killed, and crucified, yet, they just
couldn’t take it in. It was too incredible a
thing for them to accept and believe, at that
point in time. Here are some of the references
that He made to this:
Matthew 26:2-"Ye know that after two days is the
feast of the passover, and the Son of man is be-
trayed to be crucified."
Matthew 20:18-19,"Behold, we go up to Jerusalem:
and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the
chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall
condemn him to death. And shall deliver him to
the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to
crucify him: and the third day he shall rise
again."
Mark 8:31-"And he began to teach them, that the
Son of man must suffer many things, and be re-
jected of the elders, and of the chief priests,
and scribes, and be killed, and after three days
rise again."
Matthew 17:22-"And while they abode in Galilee,
Jesus said untothem, The Son of man shall be
betrayed into the hands of men: vs. 23 And they
shall kill him, and the third day he shall be
raised again."
Even the beloved apostle John doubted his resurr-
ection, and he had stayed closer to Jesus during
His ordeal than any of them. But, when he heard
of the resurrection, and ran to the burial place
of Christ, he halted, and was apparently afraid
to go in, at first, out of fear, or unbelief.
Why was it so hard to believe? I want to give
at least 3 reasons.
I. IT WAS HARD TO BELIEVE BECAUSE THEIR HEARTS
WERE TORMENTED WITH GRIEF AND LOSS.
We can only begin to imagine how they must have
felt. They had been with Jesus(the disciples),
had heard His messages, and witnessed His mira-
cles, had seen Him do astounding and amazing
things, that defied all human reasoning, yet,
when they went through the grief process, they
just couldn’t believe that the one that they
knew had been so brutally scourged and crucified,
the One whose body was in shreds from the awful
beating, the One who had a spear thrust into His
side, could ever live again.
II. SECONDLY, IT WAS HARD FOR THEM TO BELIEVE,
BECAUSE THEIR MINDS WERE CONFUSED WITH IDEAS
THAT THEY FOUND SO DIFFICULT TO ACCEPT.
They wanted Jesus to be a political Savior, and
set up a kingdom in which they could rule and
have power and wealth, and peace, yet, He went
in another direction. His way was the cross,
the crown and kingdom rule would come later.
III. THIRDLY, IT WAS SO HARD FOR THEM TO ACCEPT,
BECAUSE THEIR HUMAN SPRITS WERE CRUSHED WITH
HOPELESSNESS.
They had forsaken all, and followed Jesus. They
had believed in Him. Now, it appeared, He had
failed them. All their hopes and dreams had
vanished, and they felt utterly hopeless and
helpless.
Back to King Agrippa, as Paul stood before him
rehersing the Christian faith-why, if he believed
the prophets, could he not accept the resurrection?
God is revealed as the God of the living. Had
not David proclaimed, and many others, that those
who believe in Him would dwell in the House of
the Lord forever, even though they had to walk
through the valley of death?(Psalm 23)
So, modern day man, so far removed from these
events, and truths, do you find it hard to believe?
Is it a thing incredible to you? Like John, the
beloved disciple, seeing these things and hearing
about them in God’s Word, are you afraid to venture
into the tomb, and see? He is not there! He has
risen! Believe, and be saved.
Romans 10:9-10
"That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the
Lord Jesus, and shall believe in thine heart that
God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be
saved. For with the heart man believeth unto
righteousness: and with the mouth confession is
made unto salvation."
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