HE IS BACK FROM THE DEAD
Matthew 28:7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of your into Galilee. There you will see him. Now I have told you.’
Matthew tells us that Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to Jesus’ tomb early on Sunday morning. Jesus had been crucified on Friday, Saturday was the Jewish Sabbath and now they could go and not break the Jewish laws for touching the dead on the Sabbath. Joseph of Arimathea had given his tomb for Jesus’ burial, and it had a big stone stone rolled against the entrance. Possibly the women hoped that the guards, possibly the gardener or someone that was near by could help them roll back the stone so they could properly finish the preparations for Jesus’ body. Friday because of the time, they had to hastily leave his body unfinished in the normal burial customs. When they arrived at the tomb a great earthquake began to shake, and an angel of the Lord came down and rolled back the stone. The soldiers that had been assigned to guard the tomb shook, and became like dead men or fainted. The angel told the women not to be afraid and that they could go inside and look, because Jesus Had risen from the dead. Then suddenly Jesus appeared to them, and it says that they worshiped him. He told them that they were to tell his brothers to go to Galilee, and they would see him there.
What an amazing thing it had to be for the women, and later the rest of his disciples to see and touch the resurrected Jesus. I Corinthians 15;6 tells us that Jesus appeared to more than 500 people at one time. Acts 1:3 tells us that he showed himself to his apostles and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. It also says that he appeared to them over a period of forty days, and spoke to them about the kingdom of God before rising up into the sky right before their eyes.
The resurrection of Jesus is as important for us to believe as anything else about Jesus. Jesus atonement for the sins for humanity was complete at the cross. His resurrection was not for his benefit, but for our benefit. It not only gave us assurance of his victory over sin and death, but for the wonderful hope for our own resurrection. Paul in I Corinthians 15 speaks to the importance of it. He says that if Christ has not been raised, their preaching is useless and so is faith in Jesus. He even says that to preach Christ’s resurrection and it not be so is to be a false witness about God. Then he adds that if Christ has not been raised then we are still in our sins, and they who believe are to be pitied more than all men.
Then Paul emphatically declares that Jesus has indeed been raised from the dead, and is the firstfruits of those that died. For death came through Adam, but life came through Jesus Christ. Jesus was the first of only many with each resurrection happening in turn. In other words, as each Christian dies in a twinkling of an eye they are raised to great glory and in the image of Jesus. (I Cor 15:52) Christians are raised imperishable, in power and with spiritual bodies. Death has been swallowed up in the victory of Jesus on Calvary’s cross.
The stone was rolled back for us to have hope knowing that just as death could not hold Jesus it will not hold us either. While we see our loved ones in the casket, it is only the shell or tent as scripture puts it. It might as well be a plie of our old cloths on a manakin. Common sense tells us that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God just as it says in I Cor 15:50. Yet even in the days of Paul there were people that had a hard time believing in the resurrection of the dead. Maybe it was because the Sadducees taught for so long that there was no resurrection of the dead that hardened many to the thought of a resurrection.
For years there have been testimonies from people that have had what is called a near death experience. They experienced momentary death to be revived and tell of an out of the body experience. In my experiences as a pastor I have had two people confide with me that they had come out of their body and seen their lifeless body before reentering it. One time I had been called to the hospital, because one of my parishioners had a massive heart attack was was in surgery. He survived and in a few weeks later he called to see if I might come to his house and talk with him. I had talked to him several times in the hospital, so in some ways I was a little surprised to hear the serious tone in his voice. After arriving at his house he quickly got to the reason why he had called me. He started off by explaining that I knew him, and that he knew that I knew that he wasn’t crazy. This was a little strange way to start the conversation, because he was always a very serious person, and really didn’t like to talk too much, at least to me. The reason was possibly because he wasn’t very committed to Jesus. He was more of a three piece suit person that might focus on the major holidays for attending church. He looked at his wife and then at me and said without a smile, I wouldn’t blame you if you do think I am crazy. I just have to tell someone - I died in surgery. I told him that I knew that, and I had been outside his room praying for him. He hung his head and said, “You don’t understand. I could see my body. I was above my body and I could see everyone working on me and I remember everything they said. When I told the doctor he said it was impossible and wanted to know who told me all that was said. He became very angry and said it was not appropriate for anyone to discuss what was said or done in the surgical room. Even after I told him once again that no one had old me, and that I saw and heard it all myself he turned and angrily left the room. Then he added,’I am not crazy am I?’” I told him that he was not crazy, and that is what the Christian faith is all about. Jesus conquered sin and death, so that even though our body would die, our soul will continue to live and go to be with Jesus in heaven. Then he asked why he didn’t go to heaven. I told him that it was maybe because I was outside his room praying that he would live. He hung his head once again and said thanks. From that Sunday as long as I was there I could always count on looking out at the congregation on Sunday morning, and seeing him sitting there in his three piece suit. I knew he had become a believer. Maybe it was the hard way, but still a believer in the resurrection and of Jesus.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for conquering sin and death. Thank you also for showing us that there is hope beyond our last breath. We love you so much.
