CSI: Jerusalem: The Empty Tomb
[powerpress] (Pastor Rollan remembered the Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 missing plane search.)
People are murdered every day. It is a great loss to family and friends, but very rarely does an individual's death impact the whole world. In Jesus, there is a different response, because it is the murder of the man who claimed to be God.
Did Jesus ever say or think that He was God? Last week we answered that question by looking at Jesus' response to His prosecution and the charges at the crucifixion that were placed above Him. These claims were supposedly all validated by His resurrection from the dead after His death on the cross. The apostle Paul, writer of approximately three-fourths of the New Testament letters, said it this way:
Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 1:1-4 NIV)
Today, we will look at what happened at the crime scene after the murder of Jesus to answer two questions: "Based on Matthew's account, is there substantial evidence for the historic resurrection of Jesus?", and "What does that mean for us today?"
Did Jesus really rise from the dead?
The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.” “Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard. (Matthew 27:62-66 NIV)
As a part of Jewish burial practices, after a family placed the body of a family member in a tomb, a stone was placed over the entrance and sealed with clay. Here, however, the seal that was described was one of increased security, more than likely having an apparatus of a chord attached to both the stone that blocks the entrance and the rock face of the tomb. Soldiers were appointed to guard the tomb. At the anchoring of both ends wax imprints would have been placed with a Roman seal to expose any tampering.
After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, “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.” So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.” (Matthew 28:1-10 NIV)
What actually happened that day, and is there any way to know?
How you answer determines not only whether you believe Jesus lives, but how you will live in response with your life.
“If Jesus rose from the dead, then you have to accept all that he said; if he didn't rise from the dead, then why worry about any of what he said? The issue on which everything hangs is not whether or not you like his teaching but whether or not he rose from the dead.” ―Timothy Keller, The Reason for God: Belief in an Age of Skepticism
Early this year, as we studied the first letter to the Corinthian church written by the apostle Paul, we looked at reasons that we can have confidence in the biblical account of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. These can be found on our website under the series entitled, Built to Last.
The apostle Matthew continued to provide solid reasoning for this conclusion because of the following variables:
Top 10 Reasons to believe in the Resurrection (David Letterman, who will be retiring in 2015, is being replaced by Stephen Colbert.)
1) The birthplace of the gospel - The gospel began in Jerusalem- the very place, which if their claims were false, the religious leaders could stamp it out. The apostles were continually making reference to the life and miracles of Jesus that they had seen with their own eyes (Acts 4:18-21; 5:27-32). The honesty of the eleven worshiping Jesus, but some doubting (Matthew 28:17) before the Great Commission, speaks of the historicity of the account.
2) The recuperation of the disciples - If it were not true, the apostles would not have had the strength to pull off the farce. The first leaders of the Christian movement were despondent after Jesus' crucifixion and would hardly be those you expected to lead a revolutionary movement based on the claim that they saw their executed hero raised to life (John 21). Jesus' closest disciples were the ones who were too scared to attend His trial, deserting Jesus at His arrest (Matthew 26:55, 56). Peter, the sole straggler, even denied Him when questioned about their affiliation (Matthew 26:69-75). These would not be the people you would expect to plot an abduction of Jesus' body from trained, armed Roman guard.
Who would die for a lie? Let us remember the martyrdom of the apostles.
“I would never die for my beliefs because I might be wrong.” ― Bertrand Russell
3) The danger to the guards - The guards at the tomb would be risking their lives losing the body of Christ. It is unlikely that they all would have fallen asleep while on duty guarding the tomb since the penalty for such negligence under Roman rule could be execution.
4) You can check the tomb. - The empty tomb was in a well known and documented place, in the family tomb of the wealthy councilman, Joseph of Arimathea (Mark 15:42-47), but the body of Jesus is still missing. After enduring the beatings and torture that Jesus did prior to the crucifixion, without intense medical attention, He would not be alive (at the very least because of blood loss), nor have the strength to move the boulder and make an escape.
5) The women's report - The report of the first witnesses of the empty tomb and the resurrection of Jesus are women. The honesty of this account written to a Jewish audience of the time would have testified to its veracity since the debated status of women in that culture was considered less valuable than men and their testimony was considered by some rabbis as inadmissable in court (Matthew 28:1-10). The truthfulness of this claim is even more clearly seen as it has the women as the ones who courageously go to the tomb to fulfill their responsibilities for Jesus' burial juxtaposed to the men cowering in hiding in Jerusalem. This painted picture would have been an offense and not fabricated for any advantage, knowing the Jewish audience to whom Matthew was writing.
6) The names of the witnesses - The specific names of the women and apostles who were involved in the post-resurrection appearances would have been easily verified or discounted since these figures were well known in the early Christian community.
“It is not more surprising to be born twice than once; everything in nature is resurrection.” ― Voltaire
7) The report of the bodies being raised - It was not an apparition or a hallucination. (Jesus had the disciples touch His wrists and side, ate with them, and had the women grasping His heels.) It was a bodily resurrection.
Matthew records the bodies coming back from the grave. It is unlikely that such easily rejected details would be included if it were a myth. There was no need for such an inclusion.
8) Jesus was beat down. - Could Jesus Himself have escaped from the tomb? The type of torture that Jesus went through would have medically necessitated His death based solely on the amount of blood lost, punctured heart, and exposed organs through the scourging. He would not have had the strength to then get up, move the stone from the tomb, overcome the soldiers, and make His escape.
9) The monotheistic Jews worshiped Jesus. - Blasphemy was condemnable by death in that culture (John 8). Though the apostles and Paul the Pharisee knew that to ascribe worship to anyone but the one true God was punishable, they promoted the worship of Jesus, because they had evidentiary proof. You and I are to worship Him in kind today.
10) Jesus changes lives as He receives worship. - Jesus, upholding (Matthew 5:17-20) all of the law of the Jews as a rabbi, knew that in receiving worship (Matthew 28:17-19), He was, in fact, fulfilling the law because of His unique identity as the promised incarnate Messiah (Matthew 4:8-10; Daniel 7).
The way that the resurrected Jesus has continued to change lives, work miracles, and heal people throughout history all over the world is proof of this.
“I know the resurrection is a fact, and Watergate proved it to me. How? Because 12 men testified they had seen Jesus raised from the dead, then they proclaimed that truth for 40 years, never once denying it. Every one was beaten, tortured, stoned and put in prison. They would not have endured that if it weren't true. Watergate embroiled 12 of the most powerful men in the world-and they couldn't keep a lie for three weeks. You're telling me 12 apostles could keep a lie for 40 years? Absolutely impossible.” ― Charles Colson
What does the resurrection mean for us today?
One-Minute Sermon: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WGnEuGwvXqU&feature=share
Make no mistake, as a church plant, we are here to build a community of true worshipers of God through winning people to Jesus and making disciples. Our message, like the resurrection of Jesus Christ, must be both intellectually credible and metaphysically satisfying to avoid the placebo effect (Timothy Keller in Who Is Jesus podcast).
Because Jesus was resurrected from the dead, according to the Bible, anyone who puts their trust in Him is, among other things:
1) Forgiven - Forgiven rebellion against a holy God (Romans 5:1-11)
Of what do you need to be forgiven?
2) Reconciled - Someone brought back into friendship with a loving Heavenly Father (II Corinthians 5:14-6:2)
How do you need to be reconciled to God?
3) Freed - Free from sin - its punishment and power (Colossians 1:21-23)
What destructive habits or attitudes do you need freedom from today?
4) An Heir - Is an heir with Jesus to a literal Kingdom God is bestowing upon His servants (Romans 8:17)
5) The forthcoming recipient of everlasting life - with an imperishable body that will never spoil (I Corinthians 15)
6) A person with hope - access to resurrected relationships, life purpose, and dreams (Luke 19:1-10)
What needs to be resurrected in your life today?
7) Restored - Someone who has the ability to see marriages, life trajectories, and emotions restored (Acts 3)
What needs to be restored?
8) Adopted - An adopted child with a loving family, called the church, to whom they can be intimately known, encouraged, and loved (Ephesians 1)
Do you know the love of the Father?
9) Called - A person who has a significant life call within and through the church (Ephesians 2)
How are you answering the call of God?
10) A witness - One who will be a witness to Jesus' resurrection life and power to the world (Matthew 28:18-20)
The answer to all of these things began at the cross of Jesus and are today made possible because of His empty tomb!
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. (John 3:16-18 NIV)
What side of the Cross do you stand on today?
Second City Church: CSI: Jerusalem Sermon Series 2014