Title: Meaning of Resurrection (Matthew 28:1-10)
Contents
Easter is the day that brings the meaning of eternal life and the joy of faith to us believers along with the new spring, when all things are revived. The three major festivals in Christianity are Easter, Christmas, and Thanksgiving. If you ask what is the happiest season among them, any Christian will pick Easter.
There are many people who believe in the virgin birth of Jesus, believe in the crucifixion, and in the Second Coming, but they say they do not believe in the resurrection. “It’s okay if someone dies! How can a dead person die and come back to life?” Those who say they do not believe or doubt the resurrection try to deny the resurrection by stating the following four things.
The first is the robbery theory.
This is the doctrine of H.S. Raimarus. His theory is this: As the disciples followed Jesus, they lost interest in work and became accustomed to playing and eating. So, when Jesus died, he panicked and manipulated a miracle to continue playing and eating, hiding the body of Jesus without anyone knowing and spreading the resurrection. that it has become Jesus' disciples came in the middle of the night to steal the body of Jesus and lie to them that he was resurrected.
Ryimarus's doctrine is erroneous in the following several ways. First, those who believe only in God the Creator and do not believe in the God of salvation who enters into history and saves. Second, they believe in the inspiration of the Bible only to support their claims. In Matthew 28:12-13, it is written, “They gathered with the elders to discuss and give money to the soldiers, saying, Say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him while we were sleeping.’” It was said that the soldiers received money and did what they were taught (Matthew 28:15).
The second is Docetism.
It is also called fantasy or imaginary theory.
It was claimed by D.F. Strauss in the 19th century. The disciples who loved Jesus and the women around Jesus wanted to see Jesus so much that they appeared in their imaginations. Mainly, Gnostics and Manichaneans claimed that Jesus did not appear after the real resurrection, but appeared in the illusion of the optic nerve. It is only shown as a fantasy. There is also a concept called imaginary pregnancy during pregnancy. I'm not even pregnant, but I have morning sickness and want to eat something sour, and it turns out I'm not pregnant.
The third is the stunner.
19th century German rationalist HEG Paulus claimed that Jesus fainted after bleeding a lot, but he woke up from the cold air and the smell of frankincense in the stone tomb. By coincidence, an earthquake occurred and the stone door of the tomb rolled down. . When Jesus came out wearing the garden keeper's clothes, he mistakenly thought he was the garden keeper. He stayed with the disciples for 40 days and tried to heal them, but realizing that it was impossible, he gathered people and blessed them and went over the mountain to Galilee. It was obscured, and it seemed as if he ascended on a cloud and disappeared. The two people wearing white clothes are not angels, but a secret society organized to create resurrection, but they are action members mobilized to create resurrection.
Paulus' fault is that the Roman soldier in John 19:34 confirmed death and pierced his side with a spear, so blood and water were spilled. How can he wake up without blood and water?. Also, the branch is treating Jesus' disciples as fools who don't even know whether they woke up from a coma or rose from the dead.
The fourth is the operation theory (Drama).
It was the manipulation of the resurrection of Jesus. That is, the story is made up. It is that the story of the resurrection of Jesus was made into a drama and weaved the story together as if decorating a drama. This is not real, it is just a story made up of drama. The fourth is denial.
There is no such thing as resurrection. The Sadducees in the Bible (Matthew 22:23) are their representatives. These are those who deny neither the Bible nor the power of God. However, the Bible testifies that Jesus Christ was resurrected and became the firstfruits of the resurrection and became the hope for all believers. What lessons does the resurrection of Jesus teach us?
1, The resurrection of Jesus proves that Christianity is the religion of life.
It can be said that the most important part of the Christian faith is the belief in the resurrection. Verse 7 of the text testifies of the resurrection of the Lord, saying, “He rose from the dead…”. There are several pieces of evidence that the resurrection of Jesus cannot but be true.
① Lies do not last long, but it is the fact that the resurrection of Christianity has been passed down for 2,000 years. The historicity of 2,000 years tells us that the resurrection was true.
② Since there is a resurrection in the world of creatures, there is inevitably a resurrection also in people.
When a maggot dies, it revives as a fly, and when a slug dies, it revives as a cicada. The pupa resurrects from a caterpillar to a butterfly. Even if the egg seems dead, if you incubate it for 20 days, you will see the mystery of life when you see a chick reborn in it. When a water calf dies and sheds its skin, it is the providence of God that teaches us about resurrection through the natural world to be resurrected as a dragonfly. It is God's providence that new life sprouts from a dead seed with spring energy. When a tree branch that was bare during winter sprouts, you will learn about the resurrection of the human body in the dynamism of life.
③ If you look at the first fruits of a tree, all the fruits of that tree after that are the same, so the resurrection must be true. Because Jesus was resurrected and became the first fruit of the resurrection of all believers (1 Corinthians 15:20).
④ It is not just one or two people who witnessed the resurrected Jesus, but seeing that many people witnessed the resurrected Jesus, the resurrection must be true. Evidence that the Resurrection is not true is more difficult than proof that He has been resurrected. The resurrected Jesus appeared 12 times and showed himself to many people.
Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:5, to the pity of those who claim that there is no resurrection: “He appeared to Cephas, and later to the twelve, and then to more than 500 brothers at one time, of whom most of them are still alive, and some have fallen asleep, and after that, he appeared to James, and then to all the apostles, and lastly to all the apostles, like those born of infertility. He has also seen me.” Paul confesses that he met the risen Lord in the Damascus event.
The resurrection of Jesus tells us that Christianity is the religion of life. The resurrection of Jesus proves that Christianity is a living religion. Sakyamuni (566-486 BC) was born as the son of Gabira Seongju in India, and left the world at the age of 29 to practice. He taught self-overcoming, compassion, and kindness through suffering, but he died and left a grave. Confucius (551-479 BC), the founder of Confucianism, was interested in politics, but without success, he resigned and trained disciples. I did. Socrates (469-399 BC) was the greatest philosopher in Greece who searched for truth through the question-and-answer method. Muhammad also founded Islam and left many disciples, but he left a tomb in Mecca. But no one left the empty tomb except Jesus Christ. It proves that Christianity is the only religion of life and a living religion that has overcome death.
Because the Lord is resurrected, we believe that we will also be resurrected. Jesus said in John 11:24-25, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me will live even if he dies, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” Only the Lord broke the power of death and overcame the power of death. If you look at the order of resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15, Jesus is the first, then 󰡔those who are attached to him󰡕resurrect, and finally, everyone is resurrected to be judged. There is only the difference between the resurrection of life and the resurrection of death, but all people will be resurrected. We pray that you will come out of the resurrection of life.
2, The resurrection of Jesus proves that Christianity is the religion of the Word.
It would be meaningless to say that Jesus was resurrected by chance, but it is very meaningful because he was resurrected according to the Word. Verse 6 says, “He is not here, but has risen, just as he said. Come and see where he lay.” The resurrection of Jesus has already been revealed in the Bible and is resurrected according to what he said.
Christianity is a religion of revelation. Revelation is the way God reveals Himself. God is revealing Himself to men by the Word, by sending His only begotten Son, Jesus, by crucifying Him, by raising Christ from the dead, and by the gift of the Holy Spirit.
In verse 6, “He was not here, just as he had spoken” was resurrected according to the prophecy of the word, which shows the greatness of the word. Those words created heaven and earth. The words 󰡔Let there be light󰡕 When you do, there is light. When the Word said, Let there be the firmament, the firmament was formed. Christianity is a religion of the Word. The Word was with God in the beginning (John 1:1), and “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld the glory, the glory of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14) “He said.
If the resurrection of Jesus happened by chance, then that resurrection is meaningless. However, through the prophets of the Old Testament, he foretold the death and resurrection of the cross and was resurrected to fulfill the power of the word.
Today, these words deliver us from death and deliver us from disease, poverty, and oppression. The Word is transforming us into a new person. Therefore, we pray that you will kneel before the Word and have faith to humbly wait for the Lord's work today.
3, The resurrection of Jesus gave hope to the disciples (verse 9).
After Jesus died on the cross, the discouraged disciples went down to the Sea of Galilee and then to Emmaus. The moment they lost their only hope, they went down to their hometown in despair and frustration, trying to get back to their old jobs. In Luke 24:13, two discouraged disciples were going down to Emmaus, and the resurrected Jesus appeared on their way and accompanied them. On the way, the Lord inquired about what had happened in Jerusalem recently, starting with the writings of the prophets, and when he explained everything about him in detail, their hearts were warmed and their eyes were opened so that they could discover the risen Lord. . After meeting the Resurrection Lord, the disciples began to change into a new form of life.
The discouraged disciples had hope, showed courage, and became bold. He was able to preach the gospel boldly in front of the swords and spears of Roman soldiers, and even martyrdom. What changed them?. The resurrection of Jesus changed their lives.
The resurrection of Jesus gives courage to those who are discouraged and gives hope to those who are discouraged. Isaiah 40:28-31 says, “Have you not known, have you not heard? And understanding is limitless; he gives strength to the weary, he gives strength to the weak; even the youth grow weary and weary, and the young man stumble and fall; I will run and I will not get weary, I will walk and I will not get weary.”
In verse 9, Jesus appeared to the women and asked, “Are you in peace?” In verse 5, the angels said to the women, “Do not be afraid,” and turned their frustration into hope and hope. The resurrection of Jesus gave hope to those who were discouraged and gave courage to those who were frustrated.
Today, in the name of the Lord, I pray that those who have suffered due to various problems in life will receive new hope and hope as they meet the Lord of the Resurrection.