In Matthew, when Mary Magdelene and the other Mary arrived at the tomb, shortly after daybreak, there was one angel sitting on top of the large stone sealing the tomb. After an earthquake in which he moved the stone, she was told that Jesus had risen. In Mark, the stone already had been moved when Mary Magdelene arrived, and she was accompanied by both the other Mary and Salome. They walked into the tomb and a young man (angel) was seated where Jesus should be. In Luke, the stone had already been removed when the women got there. These women were not specifically identified, but were the ones who had been following Jesus. In Luke’s description, there were two angels in the tomb. John takes a different path as well. Only Mary Magdelene was at the tomb. She had arrived before sunrise to see the tomb open and empty. John also says there were two angels present. She ran to tell Peter and John, who were the next people to arrive at the empty tomb.
Notice that each of the four different writers have described an event that they were not eyewitnesses of. Certainly, they heard Mary Magdelene talk about the event. When faced with a traumatic event, do we always have perfect recollection of the order? If you asked people on Wall Street on September 11 the exact order of events, certainly there would be much disagreement. Sometimes, the person asking the questions in an interview can put his own bias into the situation and deduce a different fact.
On that resurrection day, there were many different descriptions of the events that transpired. Luke says that Jesus appeared to Peter before He appeared to the 11 remaining disciples. John says that Jesus appeared to 10 of the 11 remaining disciples as Thomas was not present. Thomas did not see Jesus for another eight days. Mark, writing through the eyes of Peter, did not describe Peter seeing Jesus before the time that He appeared to the 11 disciples. There is so much that doesn’t seem to fit, and yet…
There is one aspect that all of them describe in exactly the same way…
Jesus is risen! They saw Him, spoke with Him, didn’t recognize Him at first in the different descriptions and even touched the nail holes in his hands and feet. He wasn’t just badly injured at the cross, making a miraculous recovery. The centurion put a spear into His side and blood and water gushed outwards to ensure that He was dead. A body was never discovered. Have you seen Him?
3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. 6 After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. 7 After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. 8 Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time. 1 Corinthians 15:3-8
In a court case, the most irrefutable evidence is an eyewitness and in the case of the resurrection of Jesus, there were over 500 eyewitnesses! That’s enough for all of us who know Jesus as our Lord and Savior. When you have felt His existence in your day-to-day lives, it is easy to believe that on that morning almost 2,000 years ago, He who had been killed was alive again! The death of Jesus was an amazing event, as He carried our sins on His shoulders to shield us from the punishment we had earned in our own sinful lives. Yet without the resurrection, it all would have been for nothing. Because He lives, we too can live!
5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:5-11
Jesus is risen, indeed! Walk in the joy of the celebration of His life, death and resurrection. “I serve a risen Savior, He’s in the world today. I know that He is living whatever men may say; I see His hand of mercy; I hear His voice of cheer, and just the time I need Him, He’s always near. He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today! He walks with me and talks with me along life’s narrow way. He lives, He lives, salvation to impart! You ask me how I know He lives, He lives within my heart!”
No comments:
Post a Comment