Tag Archives: Easter

Easter: A Christian Holiday

Posted on by
1

Being a Christian, I know that Easter is a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. But most of the world does not see it that way. And it seems that they purposely reject the Christian belief of the resurrection. Their talk is on crazy things like, “Do you eat the ears of the chocolate bunny first, or the tail?” Or they talk about all the different traditions of the Easter eggs. I heard one TV commentator say that on Easter Christians remember the crucifixion and the death of Jesus. It was shocking to me that they did not include His resurrection. Maybe they believe that most Christians don’t really believe in His resurrection.

At any rate, more and more these days the media does not include themselves as Christians, and they are not willing to say (or they are told not to say) that Easter is a celebration of the resurrection of Christ; rather to say that it is a belief of Christians.

I have also included here all (or most) of the biblical references on the resurrection of Christ, using all the words referring to it: resurrection, raising, raised, rise, rose, and risen. I found altogether 120 occurrences of the words, and I used 35 of the verses that I thought were best.

In conclusion, I am a little surprised at how many resurrection verses there are. Hence the resurrection of Christ is very important in Christianity and we cannot dismiss it. We don’t emphasize it enough; we don’t talk about it enough. Nonchristians certainly don’t talk about it—and that is understandable. But Christians don’t talk about it very much either—and that is not understandable! We need to do better at proclaiming this topic of the resurrection, and also what it implies for us.

Resurrection (of the 41 occurrences, only six are used)

Matt 27:53

and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.

Acts 4:33-34

And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord

Rom 1:4

and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.

Rom 6:5

For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection,

Phil 3:10-11

 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,

1 Peter 1:3

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

Raising (just one occurrence)

Acts 17:31

because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”

Raised (47 occurrences, 15 used)

Matt 16:21

From that time Jesus began to show to 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.

Matt 17:23

and they will kill Him, and the third day He will be raised up.” And they were exceedingly sorrowful.

Matt 26:32

But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee.”

John 21:14

This is now the third time Jesus showed Himself to His disciples after He was raised from the dead.

Acts 2:24

whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.

Acts 2:32-33

This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses.

Acts 13:33-34

God has fulfilled this for us their children, in that He has raised up Jesus. As it is also written in the second Psalm:

‘You are My Son,

Today I have begotten You.’

34 And that He raised Him from the dead, no more to return to corruption, He has spoken thus:

‘I will give you the sure mercies of David.’

Rom 4:23-25

Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, 24 but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, 25 who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.

Rom 6:4

Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

Rom 8:11

 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

Rom 10:9-10

that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

1 Cor 6:14

And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power.

2 Cor 4:14-15

knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, and will present us with you.

Eph 1:19-20

and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power 20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,

2 Tim 2:8

Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my gospel,

Rose (3 occurrences)

Mark 16:9

Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons.

1 Cor 15:4

 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,

2 Cor 5:15

and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.

Rise (14 occurrences, 3 used)

Matt 20:19

and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And the third day He will rise again.”

Matt 27:63

 saying, “Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise.’

Mark 8:31-32

 And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.

Risen (14 occurrences, 7 used)

Matt 17:9

Now as they came down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, “Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man is risen from the dead.”

Matt 28:6-7

 He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 7 And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.”

Mark 16:6-7

6 But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. 7 But go, tell His disciples — and Peter — that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.”

Luke 24:6-7

6 He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, 7 saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.'”

Luke 24:33-35

So they rose up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, 34 saying, “The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!”

Rom 8:34

Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.

1 Cor 15:20-21

20 But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

What the Bible Says about the Resurrection — 5 Points

Posted on by
Reply

But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling clothing; 5 and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living One among the dead? 6 “He is not here, but He has risen. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, 7 saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.” 8 And they remembered His words, 9 and returned from the tomb and reported all these things to the eleven and to all the rest (Luke 24:1-9).

Five things the Bible says about the Resurrection

1 Jesus’ resurrection is prophetic (Psalm 16:10)

For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol;

Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.

2 Jesus’ resurrection is promised (John 2: 19-21)

Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”  20 The Jews then said, “It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” 21 But He was speaking of the temple of His body.

3 Jesus resurrection is declared (Romans 1:3-4)

Concerning His Son, who was born of a descendant of David according to the flesh, 4 who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead, according to the Spirit of holiness, Jesus Christ our Lord.

4 Jesus resurrection is a priority (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.

5 Jesus’ resurrection is sobering (Acts 17:30-31)

“Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, 31 because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.”

Source: Sunday sermon at Revive Church

Easter: A Christian Holiday

Posted on by
Reply

Easter is to be a wholly Christian holiday. It is the celebration of the resurrection of Christ, and also the Christian’s resurrection to new life in Christ. The non-Christian can have no part in this holiday—because he or she has not been resurrected into new life. They have no spiritual life. They are spiritually dead.

If the non-Christian tries to celebrate Easter at all, its real meaning will be foreign to them. They will not be able to relate to it. I suppose they can acknowledge the miracle of Jesus’ resurrection, but it will have no meaning for them. And I wonder if they even truly believe in His resurrection.

So, for the non-Christian, the only meaning they can possibly get from Easter is that it is a time for family and friends to come together and to share a meal together. And they would say that it is especially for the kids: to enjoy the chocolate Easter bunnies and the traditional Easter egg hunt. These times will serve as a diversion from thinking of the real meaning of Easter.

Now for those of you non-Christians who traditionally show up at church on Easter Sunday; you of course are welcome. And I invite you to listen to the pastor and the music. But please, don’t think just by going you will get any points with God—for an entrance into heaven. The best thing you can do is to seek God and listen to His voice. Ask Him how you can be saved from your sins and from a life of sin. He is waiting for you to come to Him and truly believe in Him.

13 Post-Resurrection Appearances of Jesus

Posted on by
8

Jesus was alive on this earth for thirty-eight days after His resurrection.  During that time, I’m sure hundreds of people saw Him.  Here are thirteen of His appearances that are recorded for us in the Bible in chronological order.

1. He appeared to Mary Magdalene as a gardener (Mark 16:9-11; John 20:11-18). How fitting that this woman was chosen as the first to see Jesus.  For she was one of the most grateful to Him for what He had done for her—He delivered seven demons out of her; and from that time on she became one of those who stayed close to Him and ministered to Him of her substance (Lu. 8:2).  The third day after Jesus’ death, early Sunday morning she and two other women came to the tomb where He was lying to put spices on His body.  But they found that the tomb was empty!

So Mary and the other women ran to tell the disciples.  When Peter and John heard the news they ran to the tomb to see for themselves.  Sure enough, the body of Jesus was gone!  I’m sure they were confused and wondered what happened to it.  They went home.

Meanwhile, Mary stood outside the tomb and was crying.  And two white robed men asked her what was wrong.  “Someone has taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where He is.”

Just then she glanced over her shoulder and saw someone she thought was a gardener.  “Why are you crying?” He asked her.  “Who are you looking for?”

“Sir,” Mary said, “Do you know where Jesus is?  Have you taken Him away?”

“Mary!” Jesus said. 

Mary then recognized Him, and she ran and told the other disciples the good news that He was alive!

2.  He appeared to the other two women who were with Mary Magdalene—Salome and Mary the mother of James (Matthew 28:9-10). At first all three women were together, but apparently Mary Magdalene broke off from the other two.  I suppose she was younger and a faster runner.  Anyway, as these two women were going to tell the disciples that the body of Jesus was missing, Jesus suddenly appeared to them and greeted them.  Unlike Mary Magdalene, they knew Him right away—I suppose by His usual greeting.  They ran to Him, held His feet and worshiped Him!

3.  He appeared to Peter (Luke 24:34).  We don’t know the details of this appearance, only that when the two on the road to Emmaus came back to Jerusalem the disciples gave them the news that Jesus appeared to Peter.  So I am guessing that Peter is the third on the list to see Him.

4.  He appeared to two men on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-32).  Since Jesus resurrection at sunrise, about four or five hours had passed by when He appeared to two men traveling eastward to the village of Emmaus.  We are not told how He appeared to them, but I suppose He just suddenly appeared out of thin air.  The scripture doesn’t say that the men were startled, so I suppose they thought He just sort of snuck up on them as they were talking.  Anyway, Jesus joined into their conversation, but the men didn’t recognize Him. God kept it from them.  They were talking about how sad and disappointed they were in Jesus death and how they thought for sure He was their Messiah.

Well, still being unrecognized, Jesus reminded them from the scriptures about how Jesus would have to suffer before entering into His time of glory.  And He explained to them from Moses and the prophets about who Jesus was. When they sat down to eat, as soon as Jesus took a loaf of bread and asked God’s blessing on it, suddenly they recognized Him!  And at that moment He disappeared!

Within the hour they returned to Jerusalem and were happily greeted with the repot that Jesus had risen and appeared to Peter.  But they had similar news to tell of their own!

5.  He appeared to the apostles, except for Thomas (Luke 24:36-43; John 20:19-25).  When the two men from Emmaus arrived in Jerusalem where the apostles were staying, it was Sunday evening.  They probably immediately began to tell their story.  But just as they were getting into it, Jesus appeared and said to them, “Peace be with you.”  As you can imagine, they were terrified and thought He was a ghost.  But Jesus tried to convince them that He was not.  He said to them, “Look at my hands and feet and side and touch me.”  And He asked them to give Him something to eat, and He ate a piece of fish in front of them. (This indicates to me that in our resurrected bodies we will be able to eat food and enjoy it.)

6.  He appeared to the apostles with Thomas (John 20:26-29). Thomas was not with the disciples when Jesus appeared to them on Sunday evening, and when he heard that Jesus had appeared to them, he didn’t believe it.  He told them that he wouldn’t believe it unless he saw the nail wounds in His hands and wound in His side. Well, eight days later, on a Monday, Jesus appeared to them again, this time with Thomas present.  Jesus again greeted them with, “Peace be with you.”  And He gave Thomas a great opportunity to believe.  He said to him, “Put your fingers here on the wounds in my hands and touch the wound here in my side.”  Then Thomas believed and said, “My Lord and my God!”

7.  He appeared to seven of His disciples on the shores of the Sea of Galilee (John 21:1-25).  Sometime after Jesus appeared to His disciples in Jerusalem, a few days later Jesus appeared to seven of His disciples beside the Sea of Galilee—Peter, Thomas, Nathaniel, the two sons of Zebedee, and two others.  As it happened, they were fishing in a boat not far from shore, and they fished all night without a catch.  The next morning Jesus appeared on the shore.  They saw Him but they didn’t recognize that it was Him. 

He said to them, “Have you caught any fish?” 

They said no.

Then Jesus said, “Throw your nets on the other side of the boat and you will catch plenty.”

Well, I think you know the rest of the story.  They indeed caught fish—153 of them; big ones!  Peter was the first to recognize Jesus, and he was so excited to see Him that he jumped out of the boat and swam to shore to meet Him.  There on the shore they all had fish for breakfast. And Jesus was the cook!   

8. He appeared to the apostles on a mountain in Galilee (Matthew 28:16-20; Mark 16:15-18).  This appearance was not unexpected like the others. It was a pre-arranged meeting, and a very important one.  I think it was the meeting that was spoken about by the angels and by Jesus on the very first day of His resurrection (Matt. 28:10); He also told them about this meeting at the last supper (Matt. 26:32).  We call the contents of this meeting the Great Commission.  There on the mountain, overlooking miles of country, Jesus commissioned them to go out into all nations and make disciples.

9.  He appeared to over 500 brethren (1 Corinthians 15:6). Paul tells us that Jesus           was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve, then by over 500 brethren at once.  Thus it seems logical that this group would have seen Him sometime after the meeting on the mountain with the eleven (I don’t know why Paul refers to the apostles as the twelve, because at this time there were eleven).

10.  He appeared to His brother James (1 Corinthians 15:7).  We don’t know where this appearance was, but if James still lived in Nazareth perhaps it was there.  I wonder if Jesus popped in to visit His entire family!

11.  He appeared to the apostles and ate a meal with them (Acts 1:3-8; Luke 245:44-49).  Acts 1:3 tells us that during the forty days after His crucifixion Jesus appeared to the apostles from time to time to prove to them in many ways that He was alive.  On this particular day—I think it was the very day of His ascension—He was eating a meal with them in Jerusalem. And He opened their minds to understand the scriptures about Him.  He told them that after He left He would send to them the Holy Spirit and that they should stay in Jerusalem and wait until He came to them and filled them.

12.  His ascension (Acts 1:9-12; Mark 16:19-20; Luke 24:50-53).  After the meal He had with His apostles in Jerusalem, he led them to the place where He would ascend—which was in Bethany, on the Mount of Olives.  As far as I can tell from looking at a map, it was about a two mile walk.  I wonder what they discussed as they were walking.  I wonder if they were aware of what was actually going to happen.  When they arrived at the place it seems from the text that very little was said, except a final blessing.  He lifted His hands and blessed them. And while He did this He was taken up to heaven.  Wow! I’m thinking that the Father was saying to Himself and to Jesus, “The time has come; come on Home!”

13.  He appeared to Paul (1 Corinthians 15:8; Acts 9:1-6; 18:9-10; 23:11).  As far as I can understand from the text, Jesus appeared to Paul three different times: 1) On the road to Damascus he saw His presence as a very bright light that temporarily blinded Him, and he heard His voice; 2) he saw Him in a vision; and 3) the night before he was taken to Rome, Jesus stood by him and encouraged him.

Source: This is a slight adaption of my original post, on April 2, 2013.