Risen! The Story of Easter

Luke 24:1-8

The date of the first Easter celebration was likely April 5th, 33 A.D. In other words, it has been 1,982 years since Jesus rose from the grave. To be clear, the Bible doesn’t specify the exact date of either Jesus’ crucifixion or resurrection, nor is it an essential salvation truth that we must ascertain. However, scholars studying evidence from astronomy and history have narrowed the possible dates down to just four...with A.D. 33 being the most likely year.

The week of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection was filled with lots of activity as people were arriving in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread. On Thursday evening of that week Jesus washed the disciples’ feet, shared the Last Supper with them in the Upper Room, spoke with them about His impending death, dismissed Judas to complete his betrayal, prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane and was arrested, all by midnight Thursday to very early Friday morning. Through the pre-dawn hours of Friday, Jesus was unjustly tried by the religious leaders and political leaders so that by 9 a.m. on Friday, He was already condemned to die and crucified on Calvary.

From 9 a.m. till noon Jesus spoke three times from the cross and at noon the skies became eerily dark for three hours from noon until 3 p.m,. At that time Jesus spoke briefly four more times from the cross and indicated that He had accomplished His Father’s will in coming, which was to pay the sin debt of all mankind.

After Jesus had given up His Spirit to His Father, His body had to be buried before the Sabbath Day began at sunset. Joseph of Arimathea, with the assistance of Nicodemus took His body, wrapped it in a burial cloth and laid it in a nearby garden tomb. The opening to the tomb was sealed with a large stone that was rolled in front and Roman guards were placed outside to prevent any nefarious plot by His disciples to steal His body (Matthew 27:62-66).

During the following hours of Friday, Saturday and early Sunday all of His disciples were despondent, dejected and for the most part trying to remain inconspicuous. They did not yet believe that Jesus would rise from the dead and you can imagine the depth of painful emotions and fears they were experiencing as they wondered what would happen to them now that Jesus was gone.

It seems likely that Peter and John were still in Jerusalem, possibly at John’s house during the Sabbath between Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. The other disciples probably went to Bethany until the Sabbath ended, excluding Thomas who may have gone to some more distant place to stay.

On Sunday, April 5, 33 A.D., Mary Magdalene with Mary, the wife of Cleopas, set out very early that morning (Matthew 28:1; Luke 24:1) headed to Jerusalem, accompanied by Cleopas. They first visited John’s house where Cleopas remained while the women went on to the tomb. They were joined by Salome, Joanna and Susanna as they made their way to the garden where Jesus had been laid, to finish the preparations of His burial. As they walked toward the garden tomb they discussed among themselves how they were going to remove the stone (Mark 16:3) in order to gain access to Jesus’ body.

It is with their arrival at the garden tomb that we first learn that this is not going to be just another Sunday at the beginning of a new week. In fact, the events of this day were going to change the course of history and eternity forever.

As the women entered the garden where Jesus’ tomb was located, they "looked up" and immediately recognized that the enormous stone had already been removed (Mark 16:4). Mary Magdalene turned around and began running back to the city in panic and fear to tell Peter and John that someone had taken the body of Jesus (John 20:2). The other women continued on to the tomb and upon entering, saw two angels, one of which spoke to them and commissioned them to return to the disciples of Jesus with a specific message (Matthew 28:7; Mark 16:7).

When Mary Magdalene arrived back in Jerusalem where Peter and John were staying, she told them that the body of Jesus has been taken and the women (“we”) did not know where they had laid Him (John 20:2). Peter and John began a foot race to the tomb to see for themselves what had happened (John 20:4), followed by Mary Magdalene. John got there first, but didn't go into the tomb. Peter, however, ran right inside when he arrived (John 20:6), which led John to enter, also. Upon seeing the empty tomb and the grave clothes of Jesus, they both returned to Jerusalem (John 20:3-10; Luke 24:12). Peter was still somewhat confused by all that he had seen and what had happened.

After Peter and John left the tomb, Mary Magdalene remained and encountered the angels who asked her why she was crying (John 20:13). It’s in the following moments after her encounter with the angels that the very first post-resurrection appearance of Jesus occurs (Mark 16:9). As Mary turned to leave, Jesus spoke to her and asked, “Woman, why are you crying? Who are you looking for?” She didn't immediately recognize that it was Jesus speaking to her...until He called her by name (John 20:16). She fell at His feet and clung to Him as He commissioned her to go to His disciples and tell them she has seen Him alive.

The four other women that had gone to the tomb with Mary Magdalene that morning had returned to Jerusalem, but not until after Peter and John had left on their foot race to the garden tomb. Consequently, they waited for Peter and John because the message they were told to communicate specifically included Peter’s name separately (Mark 16:7; Matthew 28:7). These women had initially been too frightened to say anything, but they quickly processed what they heard and delivered the message to Peter & John when they returned. After doing so, they left for Bethany (where the remaining disciples may have gathered) to tell the other disciples that Jesus was alive (Matthew 28:7; Mark 16:7). As they were on their way, the second post-resurrection appearance of Jesus occurred. It is to these women that Jesus appeared as they made their way along the road to Bethany (Matthew 28:8). He reiterated the message they had been told by the angels to share with the disciples and instructed them to tell His disciples that they were to meet Him in Galilee at a specific place (Matthew 28:10).

Though all the disciples ultimately heard the report of the five women who had seen Jesus (excluding Thomas who apparently wasn’t with Peter/John in Jerusalem or with the other eight disciples in Bethany), they still didn’t believe that He was alive (Luke 12:10f.; Mark 16:11)!

Later that morning Jesus appeared a third time and on this occasion it was to Peter, perhaps while he was visiting the tomb again after being told by Mary Magdalene that she had seen Jesus alive (Luke 24:34; 1 Corinthians 15:5).

There were also two men that set out from Jerusalem to go to Emmaus sometime after hearing from the four women about seeing/hearing the angels: Cleopas (his wife Mary was one of the women reporting that they had seen the empty tomb and angels) and another unnamed disciple. While they were walking toward their destination and discussing everything they had heard, Jesus appeared to them, though they were supernaturally prevented from recognizing Him (Luke 24:13-32). Since these men left Jerusalem before Mary Magdalene reported seeing Jesus alive and because they had not yet heard the report of the other women who were met by the living Christ on their way to Bethany, these two men only knew the message the angels had delivered to the women...evidenced by their discussion as they journeyed with their yet unrecognized guest (Luke 24:13-32). When they arrived in Emmaus with their travelling companion, they broke bread together and the men immediately realized that the One who had been journeying with them was none other than the resurrected Christ. This was the fourth appearance of Jesus after His resurrection.

By the evening of that Sunday, ten of the disciples had gathered in Jerusalem where they heard the report from Cleopas and the unnamed disciple that they had seen Jesus alive (Luke 24:34; Mark 16:13) at Emmaus. There was palpable excitement in the room as they discussed the possibility that Jesus could really be alive, though it was tempered by a measured skepticism. They had now heard from four different sources (Mary Magdalene, the other women, Peter and finally, from the two disciples returning from Emmaus) testifying to the resurrection of Christ.

In those moments while the disciples were discussing all they had been told, as well as listening to the eyewitness testimony of the two coming from Emmaus, Jesus appeared in the room with them (Luke 24:35-49; John 20:19-23). This was His fifth appearance after His resurrection. He showed them His hands and feet to prove He was not a ghost, He explained the scripture about how He was to be crucified and rise again, He ate a meal with them, told them to be witnesses of what they had seen and to wait for the coming Holy Spirit.

It would be eight days (including resurrection Sunday) before Jesus would appear the sixth time (John 20:24-29). The disciples were gathered again in a room behind a locked door when He suddenly appeared in their midst. This time Thomas, who was not there when Jesus first appeared to the disciples the previous Sunday night, was with them, but he still remained skeptical that Jesus had risen. With this appearance, Jesus gave him the opportunity to touch the nail prints in His hands and the wound in His side. Thomas believed because He had seen Jesus for himself, which prompted Jesus to make a wonderful pronouncement for those who wouldn’t see Him in the flesh in this world.

“Then Jesus told him, ‘You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.’” (John 20:29)

During the forty days following Passover and leading up to Jesus’ ascension, He appeared a total of ten times. Sometimes it was to individuals. On other occasions it was to groups. And, once we are told that He appeared to more than 500 at one time (1 Corinthians 15:6). These eyewitnesses gave incontrovertible evidence that Jesus had been raised from the dead.

In addition to the six appearances of Jesus just mentioned, He was also seen...

1. In Galilee by the seven at the Lake of Tiberias (John. 21:1-23)
2. In Galilee on a mountain with the apostles, as well as 500+ others (1 Corinthians 15:6)
3. At Jerusalem and Bethany by James (1 Corinthians 15:7)
4. At Olivet and His ascension (Acts 1:3-12)

Added to these appearances are the ones that occurred after He had ascended…

5. To Paul near Damascus (Acts 9:3-6; 1 Corinthians 15:8)
6. To Stephen outside of Jerusalem (Acts 7:55)
7. To Paul in the temple (Acts 22:17-21; 23:11)
8. To John on Patmos (Revelation 1:10-19)

What develops within you as you see these fourteen different eyewitness accounts given by various people that saw Jesus alive is that it is impossible for this many people to have made up the story of His resurrection or to have maintained the story with this type of accuracy...if Jesus had not risen from the dead.

Added to the eyewitness accounts of the resurrected Jesus is all the other evidence that proves He was alive. Most people would concur that this evidence correlates perfectly with the resurrection appearances.

Consider the additional evidence…

• the tomb was empty
• the apostles immediately had a new-found courage to tell others about Christ
• skeptics of Jesus were changed by His resurrection (James, the half-brother of Jesus, Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus, not to mention 3000 plus Jews on the Day of Pentecost)
• women were the first witnesses of His resurrection, which no first-century writer would have included had it not been true
• the overwhelming number of eyewitnesses that saw Him
• there was no body and there were no bones of Jesus that have ever been produced
• the Roman authorities conspired together to cover up the missing body of Jesus
• the empty grave clothes were left undisturbed and in place in the tomb
• the willingness of the Apostles to die as martyrs for the testimony of Christ’s resurrection
• the consistent message of the early church in proclaiming Christ’s death, burial and RESURRECTION in the face of such severe persecution (Acts 2:22-36; 3:13-18; 4:10-12, 33; 5:29-32; 10:37-43; 13:27-37; 17:23, 30-32; 23:6; 24:14-16; 25:19; 26:68, 22-23; Romans 1:3-4; 6:9; 1 Corinthians 15:1-58; 2 Corinthians 4:10-14; Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 1:19-23; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 2:12; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 4:14; 1 Timothy 3:16; 2 Timothy 2:8-11; Hebrews 13:20; 1 Peter 1:21; etc.).

Charles Colson, whose initial fame came during the Nixon administration and the Watergate scandal, later became a believer in Jesus Christ and founded Prison Fellowship and Breakpoint. He said, “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.”

One of the foremost scholars on the resurrection of Jesus is Dr. Gary Habermas. He has been researching the resurrection of Christ since 1975 and has catalogued over 3,400 academic works on the fate of Jesus from conservative, critical and skeptical scholars in English, German and French.

From this research Dr. Habermas has been able to show that of the 3,400 works studied, the majority of writers accept the following 12 events as historical fact:

1. Jesus died by crucifixion.
2. Jesus was buried.
3. His death caused the disciples to despair and lose hope, believing that His life was ended.
4. The tomb was empty a few days later.
5. The disciples had experiences that they believed were literal appearances of the risen Jesus.
6. The disciples were transformed from doubters who were afraid to identify themselves with Jesus to bold proclaimers of His death and Resurrection.
7. This message was the center of preaching in the early church.
8. This message was especially proclaimed in Jerusalem, where Jesus died and was buried earlier.
9. The church was born in Jerusalem and grew rapidly.
10. Orthodox Jews who believed in Jesus made Sunday their primary day of worship.
11. James, the half-brother of Jesus, converted to the faith when he saw what he believed was the resurrected Jesus.
12. Paul was converted to the faith after his experience which he believed was with the risen Jesus.

These twelve assertions by noted scholars considering the resurrection affirm the facts we have been considering in this message. They show that even if you are a skeptic and aren’t completely sure what happened to Jesus on Easter Sunday morning, YOU STILL KNOW SOMETHING HAPPENED ON EASTER SUNDAY MORNING that changed the course of history and eternity. I’m just glad WE can say that WE know what happened that first Easter Sunday!!

Dr. John Walvoord, the well known theologian said, “The evidences for the resurrection are so abundant that they constitute one of the greatest apologetics for Christianity.”

Dr. E.J. Carnell, in his book, The Case for Orthodox Theology states, “The most celebrated event in the New Testament is the resurrection of Christ. The resurrection enjoys this place of honour because it verified Christ’s victory over sin and death (Romans 1:4). Certainly no event since the world began has been so fully proved by the concurrent testimonies of so many people. Therefore, if we entertain a view of history that excludes the resurrection of Christ, we do more than repudiate Biblical history.  We repudiate the very possibility of history, for other past events have less evidence in their favour.”  (p. 90)

Dr. Paul Maier is the distinguished professor emeritus in the Department of History at Western Michigan University. He made this observation about Christ’s resurrection, “If all the evidence is weighed carefully and fairly, it is indeed justifiable according to the canons of historical research to conclude that the tomb in which Jesus was buried was actually empty on the third day.”

Dr. Simon Greenleaf, was once among the greatest legal minds in the history of America. He was a famous professor of law at Harvard University Law School. He wrote three volumes on the Laws of Legal Evidence, which were used to evaluate evidence to see if it is credible. He was a skeptic and would sometimes mock Christians in his law classes. Some of the Christians got tired of his tactics so they challenged Dr. Greenleaf to take his three volumes on the Laws of Legal Evidence and apply his expertise along with his evidentiary principles to the resurrection of Christ. After considerable persuasion he accepted the challenge. In the process of applying his principles of evaluating the evidence, he became a believer. He went on to write a book: The Four Evangelists, According to the Laws of Legal Evidence Administered in the Courts of Justice. Dr. Greenleaf concluded that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is one of the best established facts of history.

Even the non-evangelical theologian, Dr. J.A.T. Robinson found the evidence for the resurrection to be compelling. He writes, “When we turn to the gospels, their evidence on the empty tomb is in substance unanimous. There are, indeed, differences of detail which at times have been given exaggerated prominence...None of these, however, is the kind of difference that impugns the authenticity of the narrative. Indeed they are all precisely what one would look for in genuine accounts of so confused and confusing a scene...But details of description apart, the basic witness is extraordinarily unanimous...Many in fact will continue to find it easier to believe that the empty tomb produced the disciples’ faith than that the disciples’ faith produced the empty tomb.” (Robinson, J. A. T. 1962. “Resurrection in the New Testament,” The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible. G. A. Buttrick [Gen. Ed]. New York: Abingdon Press, pgs. 46,48,49.)

On April 16, 2011, Lee Strobel wrote an article for the Wall Street Journal entitled, How Easter Killed My Faith In Atheism. Mr. Strobel received a journalism degree from the University of Missouri and a Master of Studies in Law degree from Yale Law School and became a journalist for The Chicago Tribune and other newspapers for 14 years. It was during his years as a journalist that his world got turned upside down by the resurrection evidence. He writes…

“It was the worst news I could get as an atheist: my agnostic wife had decided to become a Christian. Two words shot through my mind. The first was an expletive; the second was ‘divorce.’

“I thought she was going to turn into a self-righteous holy roller. But over the following months, I was intrigued by the positive changes in her character and values. Finally, I decided to take my journalism and legal training (I was legal editor of the Chicago Tribune) and systematically investigate whether there was any credibility to Christianity.

“Maybe, I figured, I could extricate her from this cult.

“I quickly determined that the alleged resurrection of Jesus was the key. Anyone can claim to be divine, but if Jesus backed up his claim by returning from the dead, then that was awfully good evidence he was telling the truth.

“For nearly two years, I explored the minutia of the historical data on whether Easter was myth or reality. I didn’t merely accept the New Testament at face value; I was determined only to consider facts that were well-supported historically. As my investigation unfolded, my atheism began to buckle.

“Was Jesus really executed? In my opinion, the evidence is so strong that even atheist historian Gerd Lüdemann said his death by crucifixion was ‘indisputable.’

“Was Jesus’ tomb empty? Scholar William Lane Craig points out that its location was known to Christians and non-Christians alike. So if it hadn’t been empty, it would have been impossible for a movement founded on the resurrection to have exploded into existence in the same city where Jesus had been publicly executed just a few weeks before.

“Besides, even Jesus’ opponents implicitly admitted the tomb was vacant by saying that his body had been stolen. But nobody had a motive for taking the body, especially the disciples. They wouldn’t have been willing to die brutal martyrs’ deaths if they knew this was all a lie.

“Did anyone see Jesus alive again? I have identified at least eight ancient sources, both inside and outside the New Testament, that in my view confirm the apostles’ conviction that they encountered the resurrected Christ. Repeatedly, these sources stood strong when I tried to discredit them.

“Could these encounters have been hallucinations? No way, experts told me. Hallucinations occur in individual brains, like dreams, yet, according to the Bible, Jesus appeared to groups of people on three different occasions – including 500 at once!

“Was this some other sort of vision, perhaps prompted by the apostles’ grief over their leader’s execution? This wouldn’t explain the dramatic conversion of Saul, an opponent of Christians, or James, the once-skeptical half-brother of Jesus.

“Neither was primed for a vision, yet each saw the risen Jesus and later died proclaiming he had appeared to him. Besides, if these were visions, the body would still have been in the tomb.

“Was the resurrection simply the recasting of ancient mythology, akin to the fanciful tales of Osiris or Mithras? If you want to see a historian laugh out loud, bring up that kind of pop-culture nonsense.

“One by one, my objections evaporated. I read books by skeptics, but their counter-arguments crumbled under the weight of the historical data. No wonder atheists so often come up short in scholarly debates over the resurrection.

“In the end, after I had thoroughly investigated the matter, I reached an unexpected conclusion: it would actually take more faith to maintain my atheism than to become a follower of Jesus.

“And that’s why I’m now celebrating my 30th Easter as a Christian. Not because of wishful thinking, the fear of death, or the need for a psychological crutch, but because of the facts.” (http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2011/04/16/how-easter-killed-my-faith-in-atheism)

The facts is...Jesus is alive and that changes everything.

So, what is the significance of Christ’s resurrection to us? The list of answers to that question is too long to include in a single message, but let me give you five ways His resurrection impacts you and me.

1. The resurrection gives us a clear demonstration of the power of our God.

Ephesians 1:19-21 tells us that it is the power of the Father that raised up Jesus from the dead.

2. The resurrection proves Christ’s power to forgive our sins.

By rising from the dead, Christ is able to apply what He purchased on Calvary, which is His payment for our sin debt that brings eternal life to all that receive it. (1 Corinthians 15:17; cf. Romans 4:25)

3. The resurrection demonstrates that all Jesus taught is true and to be obeyed.

Because Jesus is shown to be God by His resurrection (Romans 1:4), everything He taught concerning His person, work, Heaven, Hell, future judgment, His promises, commands, etc. is all true and to be heeded by His followers. The words He spoke weren't those of some raving lunatic, but they were the words of the Lord God!

4. The resurrection gives us power to live the Christian life.

Romans 6:4 (NLT) says, "For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.” How can you live the Christian life? By the same power that raised up Christ from the dead.
 (Cf. Ephesians 1:19)

5. The resurrection assures our own resurrection from the dead.

Because Jesus conquered death and we are “in Christ” we, too, will conquer death.  “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.” (1 Thessalonians 4:14-17; cf. 1 Corinthians 4:14)

Now, all that remains is for you to allow the stone of unbelief to be rolled away from your own heart and receive Christ as your personal Savior. Will you do it now?