Category: Gospel Events

Then They Remembered

Luke 24:1-12

Remember how he spoke to you when he was still in Galilee, saying, ‘It is necessary that the Son of Man be betrayed into the hands of sinful men, be crucified, and rise on the third day’?” And they remembered his words (24:6b-8 CSB).

The historical authenticity of the resurrection of Jesus Christ is crucial to the Christian faith. Let us make no mistake. It does matter what we believe about the resurrection of Christ. Consider 1 Corinthians 15:14, 19. This Resurrection Sunday, let’s examine Luke’s account of this historical event. As we read the Four Gospels, we can discern that each one is a genuine account. No attempt has been made to smooth out the details. People told what they saw, and Matthew, Mark, Luke and John recorded their testimony.

The twenty-third chapter of Luke’s Gospel ends on a somber note. Jesus died, was buried, and then his followers rest on the Sabbath. Death and bondage fill the air. But then comes Sunday and a new age begins! Let us worship with our minds as Luke presents three important facts that filled that Sunday morning.

There was doubt concerning the resurrection of Jesus. Look at the identity of those who doubted. We might expect that Luke would record the unbelief of Christ’s opponents. But he does not. Instead, we hear of the unbelief of his followers!

  • The women doubted (24:1). Their love and loyalty to Jesus is commendable, but not their unbelief. You can be sincere, but wrong. The women went to anoint a dead body (observe the spices), and not to greet a risen Savior on his triumph over death. They had death, not life, on their minds.
  • The apostles doubted (24:11). None of them made an early trip to the tomb in order to see if Jesus had risen, as he said. They were sure that he was dead and gone. They continued to doubt, after others claimed he was raised. You can almost hear them talking among themselves, “What crazy women… Old wives tales!”

People commonly whitewash the failures of founders of movements. “Look at what great people they were!” The Bible does not do that. When God tells us about the greatest day in history, he openly discloses the failure of his people.

Consider the significance of their unbelief. Christ’s followers were not under a delusion. Such people seek something to fuel their false hopes. These people had abandoned hope. Their King, Teacher, and Friend was dead and that was all they would believe. The disciples were not ready to believe anything. They were skeptics. They dismissed testimony with a wave of the hand. They required irrefutable proof to change their minds. We sometimes marvel at the faith of Paul: that he was turned from persecutor to apostle. But the change of mind of these people was also remarkable. What about you? Have you had a change of mind about Christ’s resurrection?

There was evidence for the resurrection of Jesus. Some people play games with words. They say that no one actually saw Jesus rise from the dead, and therefore it is a non-historical event. Such people are too clever by half. Suppose we have a corpse of a man before us, but no one saw him die. The corpse is proof that the man is dead, regardless of whether or not anyone saw him die. We would not say that his death was not a historical event, because no one witnessed it. Beware of deceivers! Instead, in a few words, Luke presents two lines of evidence for Christ’s resurrection.

First, there is the evidence of the empty tomb. A theft did not take place by the disciples. The Roman guard was there to prevent any such theft (Matthew 27:62-66). Besides, people do not venture everything and die for a known lie. Nor did his enemies steal Christ’s body. They would have produced the body of Jesus and destroyed Christianity in its infancy. A swoon did not occur. Jesus clearly had died. Skilled executioners pronounced him dead (Mark 15:44-45), and there was the spear thrust (John 19:34) that showed clear evidence that he had died. In addition, Jesus showed himself to his followers as Lord of life, and not as someone barely alive.

Second, there was the evidence of the empty grave clothes (24:12; cf. John 20:5-8). Consider the manner of burial (cf. John 11:44; 19:38-40). His body had been wound in strips of cloth with spices intermingled in them. The empty grave clothes provide witness that Christ’s body was not stolen (why would they take a mangled body and leave the strips of cloth that were wound around him. Also, Jesus Christ was raised as no one had ever been raised before him (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:20-23; Colossians 1:18; John 20:19).

Those who oppose Jesus Christ have a major problem. Here is evidence that will stand the test in a court of law. The tomb where Jesus had been buried and which the Roman government guarded to prevent theft was empty, except for one thing. Inside that tomb were empty grave clothes. What group of fearful men or women is going to overpower trained guards whose life depends on preserving their watch? And if they could do that, would they unwind the grave clothes from the body, reform them to look like a body had disappeared, and carry off a mangled corpse? The idea is absurd. You have one good alternative at this point. Bow before the Risen Christ and confess that he is Lord.

There was testimony concerning the resurrection.

The angels testified (24:5-6). Their words convey a mild rebuke. Notice how they frame this rebuke. They do not ask why they seek the “risen” but the “living”. Do you look for the living in a cemetery? Consider Revelation 1:18. Every believer should realize that he or she is accountable to the living Lord Jesus Christ (John 5:24-27). Their words provided an explanation at the same time. He has risen! Death, that ancient foe of mankind, made its ultimate mistake. It met its Master!

Christ’s own words testified (24:7 cf. 9:22). His words spoke of divine necessity (cf. Acts 2:23; 4:28). His words had foretold the key events that had happened: his suffering, his death by crucifixion, and his resurrection. This should teach us the importance of knowing and understanding Christ’s words (Mark 1:15; Matthew 7:13-14; 9:37-38; John 14:3). They provide a framework for understanding life.

The women testified (24:8-10). Then they remembered Christ’s words (NIV). Suddenly, God the Holy Spirit helped them comprehend what Jesus had told them. For this reason, they went and spread the message of what they had seen and heard. Compare 24:22-23. All believers should provide a similar testimony.

Then they remembered Christ’s words. What about you? Do you know in your heart that Christ has been raised from the dead? How is the knowledge of Christ’s resurrection changing your life?

Grace and peace
David

Christ Was Buried

1 Corinthians 15:3-5

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve (NIV).

First Corinthians Fifteen is a grand presentation of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ from the dead and of certain hope of resurrection, because we are in Him, the Risen One. Followers of Jesus in our time need to feed their souls on the Risen Lord over all during this time of the corona pandemic. The media daily and incessantly feeds us with reports of death and despair. I do not downplay the seriousness of our situation, but we need to hear all of reality, not just the dark side of sin and death where the world delights to live in. We need to remember the ancient Christian greeting on Resurrection Sunday: “Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!”

Yet we must remember that the path to total victory led through the dark valley of the Lord Christ’s death on the cross. On that cross he died for our sins. He died because we had rejected the true and living God as our God, because we had refused to love him most of all, and because we had rebelled against him by doing what he had forbidden and by not doing what he told us to do. Yes, we were and are sinners, and the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23a CSB). For this reason Christ died for our sins, in order to rescue us from the righteous consequence and judgment for sin. Praise God that he provided the way of rescue from judgment through Jesus Messiah.

After he died, some good men, Joseph and Nicodemus, buried Jesus’ body according to the Jewish burial customs of that day. Christ had died, so they buried him. Notice that our text says he was buried. It is said this way, not because Christ’s soul-spirit was in the grave, because that day Jesus himself was in paradise. Jesus had said to one of those crucified with him “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43 ESV). Instead, it is written that he was buried because he was and is truly human, and every human has a functional unity between the inner person (the soul-spirit) and the outer person (the body). What can be said of one part can be applied to the whole. So then, he was buried, because his body was buried.

One day, unless the Lord Jesus returns first, we will die and our bodies, our earthly remains, will be buried or otherwise disposed of. But when we bury a Christian’s body, we bury his or her body in the certain hope of the resurrection! The grave is not the end for the believer in Jesus. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body (1 Corinthians 15:42b-44a NIV). So, when Christ raises us from the dead by a powerful shout of his voice, we will come forth from the grave in his image (1 Corinthians 15:49).

Yes, Christ was buried, but death and the tomb could not hold him. He came out from the grave in great power and glory. “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!” (Luke 24:5b-6a NIV) Tomorrow on Resurrection Sunday (what some call Easter Sunday), you probably will not be able to gather with others to celebrate Christ’s resurrection from death and the grave, but you can still joyfully sing: “Up from the grave He arose, with a mighty triumph o’er his foes; he arose a victor from the dark domain, and he lives forever with his saints to reign! He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!” (Robert Lowry)

Grace and peace in Jesus Christ the Risen Lord,
David

The Lord’s Supper and Changes (Part Two)

Luke 22:14-23

And he took bread, gave thanks, broke it, gave it to them, and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way he also took the cup after supper and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you (22:19-20 CSB).

The time for the beginning of the new age and Christ’s new covenant had come (22:19-20).

Jesus instituted a new meal of remembrance

A meal is a sign of death and life. Whatever you eat has come to the end of its life. Yet you have life through the death of what you eat. Life is given that life might continue. The Lord uses the physical sign to teach us this spiritual truth. We live because Jesus died. So we must think of his death that gives us life.

A meal also is a time and sign of sharing. He “gave it to them”; “for you”. At the Lord’s Table, we join with others who confess they receive life through the death of Jesus Christ. It is a time for Christ’s new family to share their faith in the Lord Jesus together. As the apostle Paul later wrote, we “proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes”. We preach this shared faith and hope to one another.

The Lord Jesus Christ event to focus on himself.

It is too easy to become self-centered, including during the Lord’s Supper when we are supposed to be celebrating God’s glory in Christ. It is an occasion to declare God’s worth. The Lord Jesus wants us to think on him; he wants us to recall his great act of deliverance. He wants us to think on him, our Redeemer and Rescuer.

It is to spur us on during our time of separation from him. (You see, we need to remember him, because he is not physically present with us now, and we so weakly rely on our physical senses.) We live in a brief interim, like a business trip, until Jesus comes to restore all things (Acts 3:21).

Are your thoughts fixed on Jesus?

But look, the hand of the one betraying me is at the table with me. For the Son of Man will go away as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!” So they began to argue among themselves which of them it could be who was going to do it (22:21-23 CSB).

Jesus spoke of the trials of the new (22:21-23). The new age arrives through troubles. Salvation comes through judgment. The judgment we deserved fell upon Jesus the Messiah.

Here was a time of the struggle of the purpose of God versus the schemes of evil. It was a time of faithfulness versus unfaithfulness. Christ’s people still must stay true to the Lord and the gospel, because some false brothers among us won’t. Yet this trial was the time of God working out his ultimate victory. There was also uncertainty about the identity of the traitor. The betrayer acted like he wasn’t the man, though he had already sold Christ over to his enemies. The faithful disciples questioned themselves. True believers know their weakness, since we all struggle constantly with remaining sin. We learn the desperate evil that is still in our hearts and know too well where it could end. How are you doing in this struggle?

Lessons:

  • Let those who follow Jesus remember that we are part of the ongoing story of God’s glory in Jesus Christ. 
  • Set your heart on the reign of God that will soon come. Our Lord’s return is nearer now than when we first believed. Are you ready?

Grace and peace,
David

The Lord’s Supper and Changes (Part One)

Luke 22:14-23

When the hour came, he reclined at the table, and the apostles with him. Then he said to them, “I have fervently desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks, he said, “Take this and share it among yourselves. For I tell you, from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes” (9:14-18 CSB).

One day when I was a young teen, I bought a couple of “surfer shirts” for a dollar or two each. I think that they were the first clothes I had ever bought with my own money. I wore those shirts for years—through high school, college, and our first ten years or so of marriage. Finally, Sharon convinced me that it was time to get rid of those shirts. It was time for a change.

God is working out a long-term plan to display and to share his surpassing glory through the Lord Jesus Christ. Part of that plan involved his choice of a nation through which he would bring forth his Son, Jesus Christ. He made a covenant or solemn agreement of relationship with that nation, Israel. He administered that covenant through priests and sacrifices and the observance of laws and rituals. Everything in that covenant pointed to a better covenant in Christ that he would make with people chosen by grace from all nations. 

In our text the Lord Jesus began to establish changes. These are changes from the law or old covenant made at Sinai to the new and better covenant in Jesus Christ. But like throwing away my surfer shirts, people have trouble accepting that God has made changes in Christ. Some people want to hang on to the laws and the rituals; others want to hang on to the old people with their separate physical, national existence; others want to stay with both. But Jesus says that a new day has come with a new covenant made by his blood. This new covenant brings with it a new people, a new spiritual nation in Christ Jesus and with better, eternal promises. Let’s think through these matters.

The time for the fulfillment of the law or old covenant had arrived. This meant the time for the fulfillment of its ceremonies, like the Passover (22:14-18).

The Passover was a time for family and neighbors to remember together God’s mighty act of redemption (Exodus 12:3-4; 24-27). Jesus acted as the head of the family to lead them in the remembrance. So in the previous section, he took charge in making sure everything was ready (Luke 22:7-13). His apostles were his family for that meal. Jesus eagerly desired to share this remembrance with them. He could recall what he did to bring Israel out of Egypt. So he leads the celebration of God’s faithfulness and power. He could use this celebration to continue to point them to his greater exodus (Luke 9:31). As everything for Israel pointed back to the exodus from Egypt, so everything for the new covenant assembly points back to the greater exodus of the cross and the resurrection.

The old Passover celebration had reached the end or goal of its purpose. Jesus was about to die as the ultimate and final Passover Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7). Listen to and meditate on his words “before I suffer” (cf. Mark 8:31; 9:30-32; 10:31-34). His mind was fixed on what the Father had given him to carry out.

The next Passover that Jesus will partake of with his disciples is the one in the kingdom of God, which John later calls “the wedding supper of the Lamb” (Revelation 19:9). Now we must remember that “kingdom of God” equals “the reign of God”. The reign of God that Jesus is speaking of began with his appearance, was proclaimed in his teaching, was established by his death and resurrection, and will be fulfilled in the new heaven and the new earth. Here Jesus points to the fulfillment. But first he had to suffer and die as the Lamb of God to deliver his people from sin, guilt, and punishment. Then he could enter into glory (cf. 1 Peter 1:11).

Grace and peace,
David

Jesus Overwhelmed with Sorrow (Part Two)

Mark 14:32-42

He went a little farther, fell to the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, “Abba, Father! All things are possible for you. Take this cup away from me. Nevertheless, not what I will, but what you will.” Then he came and found them sleeping. He said to Peter, “Simon, are you sleeping? Couldn’t you stay awake one hour? Stay awake and pray so that you won’t enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” Once again he went away and prayed, saying the same thing (14:35-39 CSB).

View the manner in which he faced this supreme trial.

Jesus faced it with complete self-control. You can see this part in his interaction with his disciples. Though he faced unspeakable horror, he also exercised self-control, so that he could minister to them. Such self-control is certainly the fruit of the Holy Spirit, through whom Jesus exercised his ministry. A day is coming in your life when you will need such a strong Savior to get you through life’s hardest times. Some of you are in or almost in the hardest time of life: old age. This is the season of life when you lose your friends, you lose your spouse, you lose your money, and you lose your health. But in such a time, you can rely on Jesus. He has the strength you need.

Jesus faced it with prayer. Jesus did not hesitate to bring this concern to his Father. He spoke that tender word of affection: “Abba”. This is awe-inspiring! Though he knows that the Father’s all-powerful hand is posed to strike him, Christ walks toward that hand in humble prayer. It is too great a thought for me to present. May God give you grace to understand! Jesus continued in prayer. Three times he prayed the same thing. And Luke tells us that each time, his intensity increased.

How are your prayers? Are they increasing in number and fervency? Is your trust deepening as you pray? Move toward the Father. Draw near. Jesus died so that we go boldly to the throne of grace.

View his submission to do God’s will.

It is impossible to understand fully what the Lord Christ experienced here (14:36). Part of the difficulty is that he is unique—both God and man. How his two natures interacted in his one person is beyond our categories of thought. How much of divine knowledge mingled with his Spirit-given understanding of God’s word is not revealed.

However, Christ Jesus truly experienced great conflict at the thought of his penal-substitutionary suffering for sinners. He, pure and holy, had to bear human sin—the sin of many—and pay the full price. Consider Hebrews 5:7. During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission (NIV). Yet in all this he was obedient. Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered (Hebrews 5:8 NIV).

In spite of the conflict, Christ determined to God’s will. He left all options to God’s will (Mark 14:36; cf. Matthew 26:39, 42). We all have too much of a demanding attitude in our prayers. We can fall apart when we don’t get our way. How precious is God’s will to you? Christians get so wrapped up in wanting to know God’s will for their lives—until it crosses theirs. I could give many examples, but I’d probably pick out ones that I haven’t had problems with, at least yet anyway. But be honest with yourself before God. Are you willing to let God choose for you and then to be content? Really?

In God’s will, Jesus would drink the cup. This cup is spoken of in the Old Testament (Psalm 75:8; Isaiah 51:17; Jeremiah 25:15-16) and in the New Testament (Mark 10:38; Revelation 14:10; 16:19). Is anyone glad for the Savior who would drink the cup in the place of people like you and me? And so, Jesus went forth to do God’s will (14:42)! Thanks be to God for Jesus Christ!

My friend, have you ever really turned from your rebellion against God to seek undeserved mercy at the feet of the Lord Jesus? I plead with you now. Today is the day of salvation. Come and receive the free gift of salvation.

Grace and peace,
David

Jesus Overwhelmed with Sorrow (Part One)

Mark 14:32-42

Then they came to a place named Gethsemane, and he told his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” He took Peter, James, and John with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. He said to them, “I am deeply grieved to the point of death. Remain here and stay awake.” He went a little farther, fell to the ground, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from him (14:32-35 CSB).

Every learner or disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ needs to have extensive and deep knowledge of the saving work that Jesus accomplished on our behalf. One weakness of the contemporary church is that we fail to think much about the Gospels, especially this section of the Gospels about the redeeming events. This week is an excellent opportunity to open one of the Four Gospels and to start to read from the time of the Triumphal Entry to the end of that Gospel. Invest time in thinking about what the Lord has done for you.

In this post, let us look together at what our Lord experienced, as he drew near to the time when he would give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45 NIV). Let us contemplate this event like we were hearing of it for the first time. Let the words of the passage reverberate in your inner person.

View the distress of soul that the Savior endured.

What was the character of this distress? The ocean waves of great grief started to roll over his soul. I remember one day when I was body surfing at Seaside Heights, New Jersey and I should not have been. It was too dangerous, especially for my swimming skill level. My feelings then and now, though they still make me tremble, are nothing to waves of grief beginning to crash down on Jesus at this time. For another idea of human experience like this, listen to Ps 116:3 before we continue. The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave [Sheol] came upon me; I was overcome by trouble and sorrow (NIV).

  • Christ was deeply distressed. This is a word of sharp surprise (cf. Mark 9:15; 16:5). Jesus was shocked by the anguish that hit him.
  • He was troubled. He was in a state of anxiety or distress. He was troubled, so that our hearts might not be troubled.
  • He was deeply grieved to the point of death (cf. Mark 6:26; Luke 18:23). This is the shock of hearing of great tragedy that makes your knees buckle. Some of you know too well what I mean.

What was the cause of this distress? It was caused by what the Savior would soon experience. Now from all the Scriptures, we must discern what this cause is. Simply stated, it was not physical death. Please don’t make the Lord weaker than his followers, many of whom have faced the cruelest deaths with joy for his sake. Instead, it also included everything it means to be the propitiation for our sins (1 John 2:2). Read on your own what the Lord said through Isaiah the prophet (Isaiah 53:4-5, 10-11).

The New Testament Scriptures describe this in various ways. They say that he bore our sin (1 Peter 2:24). He became a curse for us (Galatians 3:13). And as Bengel said long ago, “Who would have dared to use such language if the apostle had not gone before him?” And he was being forsaken by his Father (Mark 15:34).

To update into modern English what John Flavel said, “Ah, what is divine wrath that Christ staggered when the cup came to him! Could he not bear it, and do you think you can endure it? Did Christ sweat drops of blood about it, and do you make fun of it? Poor deceived person, if it staggered him, it would totally blow you away!” Run to Christ, my friend! Thanks be to God for Jesus Christ!

Grace and peace,
David