The Resurrection

Matthew 28:6

Three days after Jesus’ crucifixion, two women visited His tomb. There, an angel told them, “He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay” (Matthew 28:6). Notice three things the angel told these women about the resurrection of Christ.

Resurrection

1. It was Physical

“He is not here; for He is risen…”

There are many people who say they “believe” in Christ’s resurrection, but they cannot accept the fact that it was physical. They call it only a “spiritual resurrection”, not a literal, bodily resurrection.

Others falsely claim that the disciples were under such mental duress that they actually hallucinated Jesus was physically raised from the dead. These skeptics falsely profess that the bodily resurrection of Christ is neither historic nor credible.

However, the bodily resurrection of Jesus is one the fundamentals of our Christian faith. Without it, we cannot be saved. Paul said as much: “And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!” (1 Corinthians 15:17).

2. It was Promised

“…as He said.”

We all need encouraging reminders, especially after deep hurts and disappointments. That is why, before His death and resurrection, Jesus plainly promised His disciples: “…that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day” (Matthew 16:21).

If that foretelling was not enough, the Lord, once again, prophesied to them: “…the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And the third day He will rise again.” (Matthew 20:18-19).

But the disciples forgot what Jesus “said”, as we all often do. That is why we need the Bible to remind us of what Christ has already promised. I say with Peter: “Lord, to whom else shall we go? You have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68).

Resurrection
Resurrection

3.It was Provable

“Come, see the place where the Lord lay.”

Muhammed’s remains are still in Medina, Saudi Arabia. They are under the Green Dome, which is visited by millions of Muslims, every year. It is an undeniable fact that he is dead. No one claims otherwise.

During an 1962-1963 archaeological dig in China, the ashes of Buddha were found in a gold bottle wrapped in silk cloth within a copper bowl that was kept in a casket. It is a proven certainty that Buddha is not alive. He is dead.

However, I have been to the place where Jesus was buried, in Jerusalem. He is not there. He is risen!

Paul gave one of the greatest proofs for Christ’s resurrection after His death on the cross:

He (Jesus) was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve.  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. After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Then last of all He was seen by me also (1 Corinthians 15:5-8).

The greatest evidence for the resurrection of Christ is a person who has been transformed by Him. I say with hymnwriter, Alfred Ackley: “You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my heart!” Does the risen Lord live in you?

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