A MONOLOGUE ON THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST
We call it Good Friday today. However, for the first followers of Jesus it was the darkest day they had ever experienced. Their Lord had been taken from them and had been crucified on a Roman cross, and buried before sundown. For them it was Black Friday, the darkest day they had ever known.
Black Friday turned into gloomy Saturday. They were literally overwhelmed with grief beyond words. They were completely disillusioned for they had hoped that Jesus had been the Messiah. Now he was dead. That they were certain of. Some of them had seen Jesus die. They had seen the soldier pierce his side and the blood and water rush out. They saw Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus take the lifeless body of Jesus down from the cross, hastily anoint the body, wrap in in linen cloths, and place it in Joseph’s tomb which he had prepared for himself and his family. All their hope was gone.
But then came Sunday, and everything changed. They began that Sunday just as dreary as they had been on Saturday. By Sunday evening they were rejoicing in the presence of the risen Lord.
But we are getting ahead of ourselves. Let’s look at what really happened on that day of resurrection. No single Gospel account gives us the full account of the resurrection, but if we look carefully at all of them then we might be able to harmonize the events of Resurrection Day. Let’s see how those first Christians came to meet the risen Lord.
Jesus had been crucified and buried on Friday. The followers of Jesus had faithfully observed the Sabbath which began around 6:00 PM on Friday. But at 6:00 PM on Saturday, the Sabbath had ended. The women who had followed Jesus made a brief visit to the tomb, and then had gone out to purchase spices so they could finish the task of anointing the body of Jesus the next morning. They had no doubt wanted to give their Lord a proper funeral the next day.
But something happened during the night while it was still dark. There was an earthquake. An angel descended and rolled away the stone from the tomb. The guards were terrified, fainting at the sight of the angel, or was it something else that frightened them? Was there a movement from within the tomb? Jesus rose from the dead. We are not told how the resurrection took place, but wouldn’t you like to have an instant replay of the event? We must add, that the stone was rolled away, not to let Jesus out of the tomb, but to let the disciples in.
Early in the morning, the women started for the tomb. Mary Magdalene had apparently gone on ahead of them, intending to meet the other women at the tomb. When she arrived she found the stone rolled away and the tomb empty. Immediately, she ran to tell Peter and John. The other women arrived shortly after sunrise. They were discussing who would roll away the stone so they could anoint the body of Jesus. Upon their arrival, they too saw that the stone had been rolled away and the body of Jesus gone. Filled with grief, they believed someone had desecrated the body of their Lord. Suddenly, two bright shinning figures appeared to them. One of them said, “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. Come and see the place where he lay. 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.’ Now I have told you.”
Meanwhile, Mary Magdalene had gone to the lodging place of Peter and John and reported: “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”
Peter and John immediately began running toward the tomb. John, being the faster, and perhaps the youngest, out ran Peter and arrived at the tomb first. John paused at the entrance and looked in. Peter arrived and rushed on into the tomb, and he “saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus’ head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen.” Finally, John also entered the tomb. “He saw and believed.” Then they went back to their home.
Mary Magdalene remained outside the empty tomb. Meanwhile the other women shared their meeting with the angels with the other disciples of Jesus. They told the disciples what the angels had instructed them. However, the disciples did not believe the women.
Mary Magdalene stood outside the tomb weeping. Bending over, she looked into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. They asked her? “Woman, why are you crying?” She responded, “They have taken my Lord away, and I don’t know where they have put him.”
At this, she must have heard something behind her, for she turned and looked. She saw the figure of a person but did not recognize who it was, possibly because of the dimness of the light in the tomb, and the blindness caused by her tears. “It must be the gardener,” she thought. The stranger asked, “woman, why are you crying, who is it you are looking for?”
“Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will come and get him,” she replied.
Jesus spoke to her in that familiar voice, “Mary.”
Mary turned toward him and cried out, “Rabboni!” which means, “My Master” or “My Teacher.” She had gone to the tomb to mourn, now she fell at his feet to worship. Mary Magdalene, the woman from whom Jesus had cast out seven demons, who had faithfully served him, and who had stood by him on the cross, was given the privilege of being the first person in history to witness the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead.
Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”
Hurriedly, Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” She then told them what Jesus had said to her. Mary had a thrilling story to tell. The other women had told them of the appearance of the angels and they had not believed them. Mary told them that she had seen the Lord Himself. Still they did not believe. HAVE YOU MET THE RISEN LORD?
Meanwhile, the other women were on their way back to the sepulcher, discussing their encounter with the angels. Suddenly Jesus appeared to them. “Greetings,” He said. They came to Him, clasped His feet and worshiped him. The too had met the risen Lord. They had heard from the angels that Jesus had risen from the dead. Now they saw the risen Christ for themselves. HAVE YOU MET THE RISEN LORD?
On Sunday afternoon, two disciples were walking toward the village of Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were discussing the things which had happened during the past few days. Suddenly, Jesus began walking with them, but they did not recognize Him.
Jesus asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”
They responded, “Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?”
“What things,” Jesus asked.
“About Jesus of Nazareth. He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.”
Jesus said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory? And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in the Scriptures concerning himself.”
As they arrived at the village of Emmaus, Jesus acted as if He were going on further. They invited Him to stay with them as evening was approaching. They still had not recognized that it was Jesus.
“When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, ‘were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”
Excitedly, they rushed back to Jerusalem where they found the disciples gathered together. Those two had met the risen Lord and wanted to share the good news with the others. HAVE YOU MET THE RISEN LORD?
As the two disciples entered into the upper room, all out of breath, they were told, “It is true, the Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” We are not told anything about the meeting of Jesus with Simon Peter. It was a meeting so personal and so private that it is not recorded for us. Who knows? Perhaps one day in heaven we’ll be given an instant replay of Peter’s encounter with the risen Lord. Then the two disciples from Emmaus told them how Jesus had spoken to them on the road and how they had recognized Him in the breaking of bread.
Because of their fear of the Jews, the doors were locked. While the were still talking about the experiences of that day, Jesus suddenly stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” He showed them his hand and his side. He wanted them to know that it was He Himself they were seeing and not a ghost. It is noteworthy that the wounds are still in the hands and feet of Jesus.
The disciples were filled with joy when they saw the Lord. Moreover, the Lord gave them a purpose. “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” Then Jesus breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” the risen Lord filled them with his peace, gave them his purpose, and assured them of his power. HAVE YOU MET THE RISEN LORD?
For some reason known only to God, Thomas was not present that first Easter Sunday evening. Could it be that he wanted to grieve in private? We don’t know why, we just know that he wasn’t there. He missed a golden opportunity to meet the risen Lord.
When Thomas was told that the other disciples had seen the Lord, he refused to believe. He said, “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.” What a difficult week it must have been for Thomas. The others were filled with joy and excitement. “They must be crazy. How could Jesus be alive. I saw him die. I saw them pierce his side, and bury him. He can’t be alive. Still, these fellows have never lied to me before, no…it can’t be true….
A week passed and the disciples were again gathered together. Thomas was with them this time. Though the doors were locked, Jesus appeared to them again. “Peace be with you.” he said to the entire group. Then Jesus spoke to Thomas who by then must have been wide eyed with amazement. “Put your finger here, see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe. Thomas said to him, “MY LORD AND MY GOD.”
Then Jesus spoke again, “Because you have seen me, you have believed: blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John adds, “Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” HAVE YOU BELIEVED IN THE RISEN LORD?
After this, the disciples of Jesus went to Galilee. They went there according to the Lord’s instruction. While waiting for Jesus to arrive, Peter decided to go fishing. Several other disciples decided to go with him. Of course they caught nothing. Early morning, a lone figure was walking on the shore of the Sea of Galilee. He cried out to the fishermen in the boat, “Any fish boys?” When they answered in the negative, the stranger told them to cast the net on the other side of the boat. They did and hauled in a great catch. John recognized the stranger and said, “It is the Lord.” They hurried to shore and found Jesus cooking breakfast.
After breakfast, there was a meaningful time of public restoration for Simon Peter. Peter had denied the Lord three times and three times that morning, Jesus asked him, “Peter, do you love me.” Each time Peter responded in the affirmative, and each time Jesus instructed him, “Feed my lambs. Take care of my sheep. Feed my sheep.”
Then somewhere on a mountain in Galilee, Jesus met with five hundred brethren at one time. It was there that he gave the Great Commission which we find in Matthew 28:18-20. “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” It is fitting to note that the Great Commission was given to more that just the eleven apostles. It was given to the rank and file of the church.
Finally, Luke tells of another meeting with the disciples back in Jerusalem. It was probably in the same upper room. Jesus opened their minds that they might understand the Scriptures. He gave them the gospel which they were to proclaim to the whole world. Luke 24:46-47 gives a summary of their message. “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” The church of Jesus Christ must never depart from this message. The cross, the resurrection, repentance and forgiveness of sin is at the very heart of what we are all about.
Jesus instructed them to remain in Jerusalem until they had been clothed with power from on High. At Pentecost, Jesus empowered them to be his witnesses to the entire world.
Jesus then led the disciples out to the Mount of Olives in the vicinity of Bethany, where he lifted up his hands and blessed them. They asked Him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel? He said to them, ‘it is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight” (Acts 1:6-9).
For a long while the disciples just stood there transfixed and gazing up into the sky. Suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
They worshiped Jesus and then returned to Jerusalem, filled with great joy. For the next ten days they waited, they worshiped, and they prayed. Then on the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit empowered them to fulfill the Lord’s Great Commission to the entire world.
You and I are now a part of that great movement to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth. We are to keep on proclaiming the good news of the gospel until that day when our Lord returns and “the kingdoms of this world shall become the Kingdom of our Lord and His Christ.”
There were a number of people who met the risen Lord following the resurrection and prior to his ascension. Since the day of Pentecost, countless millions have had that encounter with the risen Lord. The good news is that Jesus Christ continues to reveal himself, even today. Remember what Jesus said to Thomas? “Because you have seen me, you have believed; Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
HAVE YOU MET THE RISEN LORD?
