Passion Week of Christ (Part 14)
The Resurrection and Ascension of Jesus

(28:1-15) Introduction: Matthew reports five significant events
surrounding the resurrection—events that stir interest and challenge
action.
    1.    The time of the resurrection (v.1).
    2.    The first witnesses of the resurrection (v.1).
    3.    The miraculous events of the resurrection (v.2-4).
    4.    The appeals of the resurrection (v.5-10).
    5.    The attempt to discredit the resurrection (v.11-15).

1. The time of the resurrection. Jesus arose after the Sabbath was over,
that is, on Sunday, the first day of the week.
2. The first witnesses of the resurrection. The first witnesses were
women, not men, not even his own disciples. The women took the lead in
love and care for the Lord Jesus
3. The appeals of the resurrection.

The appeals of the resurrection are a message within themselves.
a. Fear not. There are three reasons why the person who seeks after
Christ should not fear. (1) God knows the person who is seeking after the
Messiah. (2) He knows the movement of every heart. (3) The person who
seeks diligently shall find. Christ has been crucified to save every man.
    Christ has now risen from the dead and conquered death.

b. Come, see: believe. Note that the angel reminded the women of the
Lord’s words: "He is risen, as He said." Note also that the women were
told to "come, see the place." They were eyewitnesses of His
resurrection.

c. Go quickly and tell the glorious news. Sharing the glorious news is
essential. It is the greatest news of all history: Christ is risen. He
shall meet you and you shall see Him.

4. The attempt to discredit the resurrection.
    1.    The guards reported the resurrection.
    2.    The authorities were baffled and they took counsel to
decide what to do.
    3.    The authorities bribed and assured the soldiers of
protection from Pilate.
    4.    The lie was found out; the truth marched on.

Not everyone is eager to accept the bodily resurrection of Jesus as a
historic fact. Some deny it for philosophic, religious, or even
"scientific" reasons. But the testimony of the Gospels has to be
accounted for in some way, and there are essentially only five theories
which have attempted to deny the historic reality of Jesus’ bodily
resurrection.

1. A Stolen Body—the disciples came and stole Jesus’ body and then
propagated the hoax of his resurrection. This was the original theory
concocted by the Jews (Matt. 28:11-15).

However, we are immediately confronted with two problems: motive and
ability. How could eleven cowering disciples sneak past an armed Roman
guard, roll away the stone (without waking them), remove the body, and
then propagate this hoax of a resurrection? Even if they could, why
would they? None of the Eleven believed it even after someone claimed to
see Jesus. And for a Jew to desecrate a burial site, especially one of
such dignity, is unprecedented.

2. The Swoon Theory (especially promoted in The Passover Plot)—Jesus
never really died, but only swooned and then resuscitated. But consider
the facts. After the flogging, Jesus was handed over to trained
executioners and crucified. When Joseph of Arimathea asked for the body,
Pilate had the centurion double check his work. They made sure of Jesus’
death by piercing his side with a spear. The copious flow of blood and
water indicated either a punctured or ruptured heart. Afterward, he was
wrapped with linens and 75 lbs. of spices. Even if he was barely alive,
this surely would have suffocated him. After that he was placed in a cool
tomb which was sealed with a huge stone. Surviving such physical shock
and then escaping from the tomb would, indeed, be almost as miraculous as
the resurrection itself.

3. The Wrong Tomb—The women, then Peter and John, went to the wrong tomb
and mistakenly thought Jesus was raised. However, this was a private
tomb, not a public cemetery. There were no other tombs with which it
could be confused. Besides, it is difficult to think that Mary, Jesus’
mother, would forget so quickly where they laid her son, especially when
the tomb was marked by a huge stone and an armed guard.

But the weakest point of this theory is that it doesn’t explain where the
body of Jesus was and why the Sanhedrin could not produce it on the day
of Pentecost.

4. Hallucination—The disciples wanted so badly for Jesus to be raised
that they hal-lucinated his appearances. The study of psychology
effectively demolishes this theory. Groups of people don’t
simultaneously see the same hallucination (cf. 1 Cor 15:6). Furthermore,
it takes a certain psychosis to hallucinate.

Now, we might believe that two or three of the disciples might be in such
a state at some point in their lives, but not all of them at the same
time. A worse problem is the fact that none of the disciples expected a
resurrection and therefore could not have hallucinated one. Again, this
theory also leaves the body of Jesus unaccounted for.

5. Myth—The Gospels are a literary "fiction" with little basis in
historic reality.

If this were a mere literary fabrication, however, we could almost
certainly expect a number of differences from what we actually have in
the Gospels. For example, the women would not likely have been the first
witnesses. And Peter & Company likely would have expected it and
immediately believed. Surely somebody would have claimed to have seen the
actual event.

There are a number of things that can only be accounted for by the
literal, bodily resurrection of our Lord:
1. the conversion of 3,000 people on the day of Pentecost so close to the
time and place of Jesus’ death
2. the transformation of Peter and Paul
3. the martyrdom of the Apostles
4. the continued belief in Baptism and the Lord’s Supper
5. the day of worship changed from the Sabbath (Saturday) to Sunday
6. the unswerving testimony of the early church that this event actually
took place
7. the changed lives of millions of Christians throughout history.

Acts 1:22: "...beginning from John's baptism to the time when Jesus was
taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his
resurrection.""

Acts 4:2: "They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were
teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the
dead."

Acts 23:6: "Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the
others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, "My brothers, I am a
Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee. I stand on trial because of my hope in
the resurrection of the dead.""

Acts 24:21: "...unless it was this one thing I shouted as I stood in
their presence: 'It is concerning the resurrection of the dead that I am
on trial before you today.'""

1 Corinthians 6:14: "By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and
he will raise us also."

The Power of God: Demonstrated in Christ’s Exaltation, 1:19-23
Ephesians 1:18-21: "I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be
enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called
you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, {19} and his
incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the
working of his mighty strength, {20} which he exerted in Christ when he
raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly
realms, {21} far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and
every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in
the one to come."

(1:19-23) Introduction: this is a great passage covering a much needed
subject—the power of God. If men ever needed anything, they need the
power of God in their lives.

If men have ever been gripped by evil and shame, bitterness and hate,
lust and immorality, cursing and anger, robbery and assault, murder and
war, selfishness and greed, division and strife, disappointment and
emptiness, boredom and purposelessness, it is today.

Men desperately need the power of God to help them in their daily lives
and to right the wrongs of society.

The glorious news is that God offers His power to men—if they will only
turn to Jesus Christ. He promises His power to all believers.

Note that this passage is a continuation of the prayer of Paul. He is
praying that the Ephesian believers might know God personally and
intimately, for God gives His power to those who truly come to know Him.
Coming to know God is the key to receiving the power of God.
    1.    God’s power: A great power (v.19).
    2.    The power that raised Him from the dead (v.20).
    3.    The power that took Him to heaven and set Him at God’s
right hand (v.20).
    4.    The power that exalted Christ above all creatures: in
this world and in the next world (v.21).
    5.    The power that exalted Him as the Supreme Head of the
church (v.22-23).

1. (1:19) God, Power of: when a believer really knows God, he experiences
power—the power of God Himself. Note how God’s power is described:
* It is "exceeding" (huperballon): surpassing, unlimited, immeasurable,
beyond imagination.
* It is "great" (megathos): mighty, explosive, beyond measure. This is
the word from which we get the English word megathon which measures
atomic explosives. Imagine the great explosive power of God!

The thing to note is that God’s power is to us-ward; that is, God takes
His power and extends it, presents it, makes it available to the
believer. How do we know this? Because of what God did for Christ. What
God did for Christ He will do for us. God’s power is demonstrated by what
He did for Christ.

2. (1:20) Power—God, Power of—Jesus Christ, Resurrection—Resurrection:
believers are to experience the power of God—the same power that raised
Jesus Christ from the dead. Imagine the enormous power needed to raise a
person from the dead. God wrought such power when He raised Jesus Christ.
The point is this: when God raised Jesus Christ, He demonstrated three
things for men. He showed men that He had the power to do three things.

1. The power to raise Christ shows that God has the power to conquer all
the trials and temptations of life.
When God exercised the power to raise Christ, He conquered the most
powerful trial that faces man—death. And in conquering death, God
demonstrated that He has the power to conquer any trial or temptation of
man, no matter what it is.

1 Corinthians 10:13: "No temptation has seized you except what is common
to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what
you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so
that you can stand up under it."

2 Corinthians 12:9: "But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you,
for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the
more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me."

2. The resurrection of Jesus Christ shows that God has the power to give
man a new life and the power to live a new life before Him.
After Jesus Christ had been raised from the dead, He was not living His
old life, the life He had before His death. He was a new Man; He had a
new life. He had been raised from the dead to live a new life before God
forever. He walked before God in newness of life.
Romans 6:4: "We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death
in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory
of the Fa-ther, we too may live a new life."

Ephesians 4:24: "...and to put on the new self, created to be like God in
true righteousness and holiness."

3. The power to raise Christ from the dead shows that God has the power
to raise men from the dead.
The believer shall experience the great resurrection power of God and be
resurrected from the dead.
2 Cor. 4:14: ".....because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus
from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in
his presence."

1 Thess. 4:16-18: "For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with
a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call
of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. {17} After that, we who
are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the
clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord
forever. {18} Therefore encourage each other with these words."

3. (1:20) Power—Jesus Christ, Exaltation: believers are to experience
the power of God—the same power that took Jesus Christ to heaven and set
Him at God’s right hand.

God did not just have the power to resurrect Jesus Christ, He had the
power to take Jesus Christ into another dimension of being—into the
spiritual world, that is, the world of the Spirit. God brought Jesus
Christ to Himself and set Him at His own right hand. He is literally
there; His body is in heaven—the spiritual world and dimension of being.

The point of God’s power is clear: He took Christ into heaven and exalted
Him in order to demonstrate that He has the power to take men to heaven
and to exalt them.

Acts 7:55-56: "But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven
and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God.
{56} "Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at
the right hand of God.""

4. (1:21) Power, God—Believers, Exalted: believers are to experience the
power of God—the same power that exalted Jesus Christ above all
creatures, both in this world and in the next world. Being seated at the
right hand of God simply means having the highest seat of honor and
authority in the universe.

What God did was exalt Jesus Christ to rule and reign over all authority,
no matter how great or powerful. Christ has been exalted above "all
principality, and power, and might, and dominion." And to make sure
nothing is excluded—Jesus Christ has been exalted above "every name that
is named, not only in this world, but in that [world] which is to come"
(Ephes. 1:21). All things are placed in subjection under Him.

"Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which
is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of
things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth" (Phil.
2:9-10).

The point is this: God gave Jesus Christ the authority to rule and reign
over all; He demonstrated that He has the power to exalt us to rule and
reign with Christ. This God promises to do.

5. (1:22-23) Church—Jesus Christ, Head of Church: believers are to
experience the power of God—the same power that made Jesus Christ the
head of the church. Jesus Christ paid the supreme price to start and
build the church: He died for it. Therefore, God has given Him the
supreme position over the church.
The point is this: if God had the power to create the church and to make
Christ the head of the church, then He has the power to make the body
function and work for Christ.

God has the power to get us busy for the Lord—the power to help us in our
witnessing—the power to stir us to proclaim the message of
reconciliation and to minister to the desperate needs of a world lost and
reeling under the weight of sin, darkness, starvation, disease, and
suffering.

The church completes all for Christ. William Barclay again points out
that the church is the instrument through which the fulness of Christ
fills all in all—everything. Jesus Christ is working throughout the world
and in human history to bring about God’s eternal plan for the world.

He is working and fitting everything into its proper place bit by bit,
and He is doing it through the church. The church is the instrument of
God for bringing His will about on earth.

Again, the point is that God has the power to use the church and its
believers to work out His eternal plan for the world. Just think—the
church is the body upon the earth that God is using to work out human
history!

Last modified: April 18, 2006