Behold the Man! - Part Three

In the last blog post 'Behold the Man! - Part Two we considered the Man Jesus of Nazareth being led out to be crucified on a Roman Cross. In this blog post we will look at His resurrection and ascension to Heaven.

 Matt 27:62-66:

"(62) On the next day, which followed the Day of Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate,

(63) saying, "Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, 'After three days I will rise.'

(64) Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and say to the people, 'He has risen from the dead.' So the last deception will be worse than the first."

(65) Pilate said to them, "You have a guard; go your way, make it as secure as you know how."

(66) So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard."

 At the end of Luke chapter 23 we learn that Jesus was buried the same day He died.

Luke 23:54-56:

"(54) That day was the Preparation, and the Sabbath drew near.

(55) And the women who had come with Him from Galilee followed after, and they observed the tomb and how His body was laid.

(56) Then they returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils. [Day 1] And they rested on the Sabbath according to the commandment." [Day 2]

Matthew 28:1-7:

"(1) Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. [Day 3]

(2) And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it.

(3) His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow.

(4) And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men.

(5) But the angel answered and said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.

(6) 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." 

The angel tells the women not to be afraid, that Jesus had risen from the dead. His next words are very touching, "Come, see the place where the Lord lay."  Remember, this is an angel of the Lord! He acknowledges that Jesus is the Lord, the One who has supreme authority in heaven and on earth. The Lord of Glory - as Son of Man - had taken to Himself power and authority to rise from the dead. 

In Matthew 28:11-15 we find out what the terrified guards do next.

"(11) Now while they were going, behold, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all the things that had happened.

(12) When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers,

(13) saying, "Tell them, 'His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept.'

(14) And if this comes to the governor's ears, we will appease him and make you secure."

(15) So they took the money and did as they were instructed; and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day."  

Mark 16:9-14:

"(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.

(10) She went and told those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept.

(11) And when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe.

(12) After that, He appeared in another form to two of them as they walked and went into the country.

(13) And they went and told it to the rest, but they did not believe them either.

(14) Later He appeared to the eleven as they sat at the table; and He rebuked their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen." 

Now it is important to note that Jesus after He had risen from the dead appeared only to His disciples; those that were His followers. He did not appear to the general population! They did not deserve to see Him as they had rejected Him from being their Messiah and King. 

These verses in Mark 16:9-14  tell us that the Lord Jesus appeared first to Mary Magdalene; then He appeared to two disciples as they walked from the city into the country. Later that day, Jesus appeared to His remaining eleven disciples [apostles]; who had accompanied Him during His public ministry. 

In John chapter 20 we learn that Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early in the morning; saw that it was empty and ran and told Simon Peter and John. "They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him." [John 20:2]. Simon Peter and John ran to tomb. John outran Peter but did not go into the tomb. Peter arrived and went straight in. John then followed Him. 

John 20:6-7:

"(6) Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there,

(7) and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself." There was no body only the grave clothes. The handkerchief that had been around His head was neatly folded and was separate to the grave clothes. The Lord Jesus had indeed risen from the dead! 

Matthew 28:6:

"(6) He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay." The angel rolled the heavy stone away from the tomb entrance. Now note this - Jesus was not there; because He did not have to wait for the angel to come and roll back the stone so that He could walk out of the tomb! In His resurrected body, a new spiritual body, He simply passed through the stone walls of the tomb! His new body is a body made for living in Heaven and was, and is, vastly superior in every aspect to His body made for living on Earth. 

When the Lord appeared to Mary Magdalene He told her in John 20:17, 18 "(17)...'Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them', "I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God."

(18) Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her."  

That same day in the afternoon we have another incident. In Luke 24:13-27 two of Jesus' disciples are walking from Jerusalem to the village of Emmaus. Jesus joins them and asks them what they are talking about to each other. They ask Him if He is the only stranger in Jerusalem that does not know what has happened. (19) And He said to them, "What things?" So they said to Him, "The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people,(20) and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death, and crucified Him. 

Please take note of what their next words are. (21) But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened.

(22) Yes, and certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us.

(23) When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive.

(24) And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see."  

Jesus' disciples had hoped that Jesus of Nazareth would redeem Israel from the yoke of Roman bondage and rule in pomp and glory. Instead He had been condemned to death by crucifixion. They were confused and bitterly disappointed by the events as they occurred. On top of this they did not believe those who had actually seen the risen Lord."(25) Then He said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!

(26) Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?"

(27) And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself" 

Luke 24:28-31:

"(28) Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and He indicated that He would have gone farther.

(29) But they constrained Him, saying, "Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent." And He went in to stay with them.

(30) Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them.

(31) Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight." 

Mary Magdalene did not recognise the Lord until He spoke personally to her. These two disciples did not recognise the Lord even when He conversed with them. It was not until He took the bread, broke it and gave it to them that they recognised Him. It is my personal belief that when He broke the bread that the two disciples saw the nail scars on His hands; and instantly realised it was Jesus risen from among the dead. They hastened back to Jerusalem and found the eleven disciples [apostles] and other disciples gathered together in the same place. 

Luke 24:35-43:

"(35) And they told about the things that had happened on the road, and how He was known to them in the breaking of bread.

(36) Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, "Peace to you."

(37) But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit.

(38) And He said to them, "Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts?(39) Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have."

(40) When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet.

(41) But while they still did not believe for joy, and marvelled, He said to them, "Have you any food here?"

(42) So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb.

(43) And He took it and ate in their presence." 

Jesus here shows His disciples that He is not a ghost or just a spirit. He has a "flesh and bones" body that is capable of eating normal food; "broiled fish and some honeycomb" The other interesting point to note is that His resurrection body has no blood! The body made for life on Earth requires blood to keep it alive. Leviticus 17:11 "For the life of the flesh is in the blood..." The resurrection body is a spiritual body and does not need blood. 

John 20:24-29:

 (24) Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.

(25) The other disciples therefore said to him, "We have seen the Lord." So he said to them, "Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe."

(26) And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, "Peace to you!"

(27) Then He said to Thomas, "Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing."

(28) And Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!"

(29) Jesus said to him, "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." 

Matthew 28:16-20:

(16) Then the eleven disciples [apostles] went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them.

(17) When they saw Him, they worshipped Him; but some doubted.

(18) And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.

(19) Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

(20) teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.

These verses from Matthew chapter 28 have been described as the 'Great Commission'. It is not just for the apostles and disciples of that era. It is current even now! 

It is very important to note that Jesus was on earth after His resurrection for 40 days; before He ascended back to God the Father. It seems that He appeared to His disciples and apostles intermittently and not every day. He ascended to Heaven on the 40th day. 

Acts 1:1-3:

"(1) The former account I [Luke] made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,

(2) until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen,

(3) to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God."  

Luke 24:50-53:

"(50) And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them.

(51) Now it came to pass, while He blessed them, that He was parted from them and carried up into heaven.

(52) And they worshipped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy,

(53) and were continually in the temple praising and blessing God. Amen."

Bethany is on the eastern slopes of the Mount of Olives; so Jesus ascended from the Mount of Olives. Note, that He led His disciples out as far as Bethany; it does not say that they were actually in Bethany. The ascension was a private affair and was not intended to be a public viewing. If we read Luke chapter 24 straight through we could easily assume that Jesus ascended within a few days of His resurrection. However, Luke sets us straight in Acts chapter 1. 

Let's now look at what the apostle Paul has to say on Jesus' resurrection.

1 Corinthians 15:3-8:

"(3) For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,

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

(5) and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve.

(6) 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.

(7) After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles.

(8) Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time." 

Now let's have a look at Hebrews chapter 1. When I consider this chapter in Hebrews I get a distinct impression of the joy with which the Son of God was received back into Heaven. 

Hebrews 1:1-3; 8-9:

"(1) God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets,

(2) has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;

(3) who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,..."

 "(8) But to the Son He says:"Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of Your Kingdom.

(9) You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your

God has anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions."  

Oh what joy there must have been in Heaven the day Jesus the Son of God ascended to the Father! What joy there would have been in the Father's heart! The question of sin had been dealt with in a truly glorious manner. The work of Calvary meant multitudes of wayward sinners would be reconciled to God.  Heaven was rejoicing that day; angels and redeemed souls (in Paradise) rejoicing and worshipping together! And you and I can rejoice knowing that it has taken place!

 

This concludes the blog posts on "Behold the Man!" If you are interested in looking into this subject in more detail, I will be publishing soon a new Ebook with the same title 'Behold the Man'. The Ebook will be available at my author page at https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/JRPeasey. 

Jon Peasey

Biblical Perspectives blog www.jon-peasey.blogspot.com

Ebooks author page https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/JRPeasey

[All Scriptures quoted are from the New King James version; unless otherwise noted. Words enclosed in [ ] are inserted for clarity. Words in bold type emphasise a point. You may notice some verses are quoted with ... at the beginning, ending or elsewhere in a verse. Only the relevant part or parts of the verse that relate directly to the current subject matter is quoted.]

[If you have any questions or comments you are invited to contact me via the comments section below.]

 

 

 

 

Behold the Man! - Part Two

In 'Behold the Man! - Part One' blog post we looked at the unjust trial by the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate of Jesus of Nazareth. We also looked at the hatred and envy of the Jewish religious leaders and how they falsely accused Jesus of blasphemy against their God. The outcome of these events was that Jesus was condemned to death by crucifixion instead of a murderer named Barabbas. Barabbas was set free and Jesus was led out to be crucified.

John 19:17-18:

"(17) And He, bearing His cross, went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha,

(18) where they crucified Him, and two others with Him, one on either side, and Jesus in the centre."

Mark 15:22-23:

"(22) And they brought Him to the place Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull.

(23) Then they gave Him wine mingled with myrrh to drink, but He did not take it." The wine was mingled with myrrh to create a sedating effect to ease pain. However, Jesus refused the bitter drink because it was not part of the Father's will for Him. Jesus would bear the full pain and anguish of the crucifixion for us.

It is interesting to observe the time line in the sequence of events at Golgotha. In the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke the events are recorded as Jewish time. In the Gospel of John the events are recorded as Roman time. So what appears to be an anomaly is really the same time but recorded according to Jewish or Roman time. For instance, The Roman 6th hour was 6:00 am in the morning; as it was counted down from midnight. The same time according to the Jews was the beginning of the 1st hour. So when we read in Mark 15:25: "Now it was the third hour, and they crucified Him." it is 9:00 am Roman time. For those of us who live in countries on Roman time; Jesus was crucified mid morning.

Mark 15:29-32:

"(29) And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, "Aha! You who destroy the temple and build it in three days,

(30) save Yourself, and come down from the cross!"

(31) Likewise the chief priests also, mocking among themselves with the scribes, said, "He saved others; Himself He cannot save.

(32) Let the Christ, the King of Israel, descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe." Even those who were crucified with Him reviled Him."

Isaiah 53:3-4 tells us prophetically that, "(3) He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. (4) Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted."

Now we will have another look at the time line. Matthew 27:45 tells us, "Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land." This is Jewish time; the Roman time is from noon until 3:00 pm. We noticed earlier that Jesus was crucified at the third hour in Jewish time but 9:00 am Roman time. So at the sixth hour in Jewish time, but noon in Roman time, Jesus had been on the cross for three hours duration. The events we have already looked at occurred during these three hours. However we are now about to enter a phase of vast significance!

We must go softly here as we are on holy ground. God drew a veil of thick darkness over Golgotha from noon until 3:00 pm. The reason for this was that the question of sin was about to be dealt with. This event was not for the eyes of mankind. Jesus was on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins. He was there as the sin-bearer, the substitute for you and me! In those three hours of darkness He was all alone - no one to help Him. He had already been despised and rejected by mankind; now He was about to be forsaken by God.

His physical sufferings and mental anguish were a prelude to what would be even worse - being made sin!

2 Corinthians 5:21:

"For He [God] made Him [Jesus] who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."

Isaiah 53:6:

"All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all."

1 Peter 2:23-24:

"(23) [Christ] who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously;

(24) who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness--by whose stripes you were healed."

Can you grasp this? God made Jesus sin for us! God caused to meet upon Jesus the iniquity of us all! Jesus personally bore my sins, and yours, on the cross in the three hours of darkness! Jesus paid the penalty for my sins!

In those three hours of darkness Jesus met and exhausted the full wrath and fury of a sin-hating, holy, righteous God against sin. We can never know what He passed through and how it affected Him. But we do know that He did it all alone and came out victorious to give us salvation full and free. What a Saviour! Jesus went into the darkness of Golgotha to ensure that you and I would not have to go into "...the blackness of darkness forever." [Jude 1:13]

Hebrews 9:26:

"...but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself." One sacrifice by Jesus Christ was sufficient to put away sin! It never has to be repeated!

Hebrews 10:12:

"But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God."

Mark 15:34-36:

"(34) And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" which is translated, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"
(35) Some of those who stood by, when they heard that, said, "Look, He is calling for Elijah!"

(36) Then someone ran and filled a sponge full of sour wine, put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink, saying, "Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to take Him down."

"My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" this cry is foretold in Psalm 22:1. Jesus already knew the answer. He was forsaken because He was the sin-bearer. Habakkuk 1:13

"You [God] are of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on wickedness..."

John 19:28-30:

"(28) After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, "I thirst!"

(29) Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth.

(30) So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!"...

Mark 15:36 and John 19:29 are part of the same incident. The difference is that in the Gospel of John we also learn that Jesus cries out "I thirst!"

Let's now take a closer look at John 19:30:

"So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit." Two extremely significant events occur here. Firstly, He cries out "It is finished!" thus signifying that He had settled the question of sin forever; and that He was victorious against the wrath of God regarding sin. Secondly, "...bowing His head, He gave up His spirit."

Matt 27:50-54:

"(50) And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.

(51) Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split,

(52) and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised;

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

(54) So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, "Truly this was the Son of God!"

In Matthew 27:50 the Greek word used for yielded up is aphiemi and has the thought of: to send, an intense form of to go; in other words to dismiss forceably.

Why is it important to focus on these words? For this reason; crucifixion did not kill Jesus of Nazareth. As has already been pointed out He was not subject to death because He was, and is, sinless. Therefore death had no claim on Him. The only way He could die was to dismiss His own human spirit.

John 10:17-18:

"(17) Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again.

(18) No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father."

Please note carefully what is in these two verses. Jesus lays down His life in order to take it up again. "No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself." No man took Jesus' life He chose to lay down His life for you and me. "I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again" The penalty for sin is death! Jesus voluntarily died to pay the penalty and clear our debt of sin.

The moment Jesus dismissed His human spirit and died, two major events occurred. The thick curtain in the Temple which veiled the Holy of Holies from the Holy Place was torn in two - from the top to the bottom. At the same time there was an earthquake in Jerusalem. The earth quaked and rocks were split open by the earthquake. The Roman centurion and the crucifixion squad were terrified. The centurion declared publicly that, "Truly this was the Son of God!"

Returning to Golgotha, an extremely significant event now takes place.

John 19:31-37:

"(31) Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.

(32) Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him.

(33) But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs.

(34) But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.

(35) And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe.

(36) For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, "Not one of His bones shall be broken." [Psalm 34:20]

(37) And again another Scripture says, "They shall look on Him whom they pierced." [Zechariah 12:10].

The two criminals had their legs broken to speed up their deaths. Jesus had already died so the soldier took a spear and thrust it up into His side to make sure that He was really dead. The blood that flowed from His side is the blood that makes atonement for us before God.

Leviticus 17:11:

"For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul." 1 John 1:7 "But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin."

It's time to return to the scene at Golgotha.

John 19:38 "After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took the body of Jesus.

Matthew 27:59-60:

"(59) When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,

(60) and laid it in his [Joseph's] new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed."

In the next blog post we will look at Jesus' resurrection and ascension to Heaven.

Jon Peasey

Biblical Perspectives blog www.jon-peasey.blogspot.com

Ebooks author page https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/JRPeasey

[All Scriptures quoted are from the New King James version; unless otherwise noted. Words enclosed in [ ] are inserted for clarity. Words in bold type emphasise a point. You may notice some verses are quoted with ... at the beginning, ending or elsewhere in a verse. Only the relevant part or parts of the verse, that relate directly to the current subject matter is quoted.]

[If you have any questions or comments you are invited to contact me via the comments section below.]