The Life-Changing Truth about Jesus’ Resurrection
Matthew 27-28
Today is Easter Sunday, the day on which millions of Christians around the globe are celebrating Jesus’ resurrection. And this morning I want to cover four questions about Jesus’ resurrection –
- First, why is Jesus’ resurrection so important?
- Second, what does the Bible say happened?
- Third, why should we believe Jesus rose from the dead?
- And fourth, what difference does it make that Jesus rose from the dead?
So first, why is Jesus’ resurrection so important? There are many reasons, but the one I want to focus on is that Jesus’ resurrection is important because Jesus himself said he would rise from the dead. Which means that Jesus’ credibility is at stake in whether or not he rose from the dead.
To see this let’s turn to Matthew 17. If you need a Bible please raise your hand so we can bring one to you. In the Bibles that we are passing out Matthew 17 is on page 823.
Look at what we read in Matthew 17:22-23 --
22 As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man [that’s the term Jesus used to describe himself] is about to be delivered into the hands of men,
23 and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day." And they were greatly distressed.
So here Matthew tells us that Jesus himself said he would be killed and then rise from the dead. But if Jesus said he would rise from the dead, and then he did not rise from the dead, that would cast doubt on everything else he said.
Which is huge because Jesus brought us great news. He did say we have all sinned, that sin has broken our relationship with God, and that because God is just he must punish us forever.
But he also taught that God loves us so much that he made a way for us to be forgiven – by sending Jesus, his own son, to be punished on the cross in our place for our sins. And – he taught that God would raise him from the dead, which would show us that everything Jesus taught was true. Which means that if we will turn from our sin and trust our lives to Jesus Christ, we will be forgiven by God and know his love and care forever.
So Jesus Christ brought us wonderful news. But since part of this wonderful news was that he would rise from the dead, then if he did not rise from the dead we could not be sure of anything else he said.
But if he did rise from the dead – which would be absolutely miraculous – then we could know that everything else he taught was true.
So everything hangs on whether or not Jesus rose from the dead. So did Jesus rise from the dead?
What does the Bible say happened when Jesus rose from the dead? Now let me give you some background. For three years Jesus had traveled all around Israel with his disciples. And during those three years he worked astonishing miracles.
Now, junior highers, if someone at school asks how on earth you can believe that Jesus worked miracles -- what would you say? It’s because the stories in this book about Jesus come from people who were actually there.
For example, Matthew was actually there when Jesus worked his miracles. Matthew saw these miracles with his own eyes and wrote his gospel so we would know what Jesus did. So for three years Jesus worked astonishing miracles, which show us that he was the Son of God, and that he deeply loves us. That’s why he –
- Healed a man who had been blind from birth.
- Multiplied five loaves and two fish into enough food to feed 5000.
- Commanded a gale-force storm to stop, and it did.
- Raised Jairus’ daughter from the dead.
So Jesus worked astonishing miracles. And he also brought us the wonderful news of how we could be reconciled to God and know his love and care forever.
But the religious leaders were jealous. And so they set out to kill him, just as Jesus had said. They arrested him, beat him, and nailed him to the cross, where he hung for hours, and then died. And to make sure he was dead, the Roman soldiers plunged a spear into his side.
Then a man named Joseph asked permission to take Jesus’ body down from the cross and bury him. He was given permission, took Jesus’ body down, and laid it in a tomb which had been carved out of the rock. The large stone was rolled over the entrance, and soldiers were assigned to guard the tomb so no one could steal the body.
That was Friday night. All Saturday the guards watched over the tomb. And all Saturday night they continued. But Sunday morning something happened.
Look at what Matthew tells us in chapter 28. Start reading in verse one –
1 Now after the Sabbath [Saturday], toward the dawn of the first day of the week [Sunday], Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb.
2 And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it.
3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow.
4 And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men.
5 But the angel 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 has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay.
7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you."
8 So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.
9 And behold, Jesus met them and said, "Greetings!" And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him.
10 Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me."
So early Sunday morning, there is a great earthquake, and an angel shining with brilliant light comes down from heaven and rolls back the stone. That was not so Jesus could get out; Jesus had already risen from the dead and left the tomb. The reason the angel rolled back the stone was so the women and others could see that Jesus had risen. But when the angel does this, the guards are so frightened they fall down like dead men.
Then Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, arrive. The angel tells them that Jesus has risen from the dead, and he invites them to look inside the tomb and see that it’s empty. Then he urges them to go tell the rest of the disciples that Jesus has risen.
So, just as Jesus had said, he rose from the dead. But this brings us to our next question -- why should we believe Jesus rose from the dead?
Think about this. If tomorrow someone at work asked why you believe that Jesus rose from the dead what would you say? Many people think we’re supposed to believe in the resurrection because of some sort of blind faith. They think faith shouldn’t need evidence. And that we’re supposed to believe without any evidence.
But that’s not what you find in the New Testament. Again and again the New Testament calls us to believe in the resurrection because of evidence. You can see that right here in Matthew 28.
Here in this passage the reason people believe in the resurrection because of the evidence. And three crucial pieces of evidence are mentioned.
First, in verse 6, the angel invites the women to look inside the tomb and see the place where Jesus body had been laying. Notice verse 6: “Come, see the place where he lay.” He wants them to see for themselves that the tomb is empty.
Second, in verse 7, the angel tells them that Jesus wants the disciples to go to Galilee where they will see him. Read verse 7 –
“Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him.”
It’s when they see Jesus for themselves, physically alive after dying, that they know he rose from the dead.
And then third, in verse 9, Jesus chooses to meet these two women so they can see him and touch him for themselves. Read those verses again –
9 And behold, Jesus met them and said, "Greetings!" And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him.
So Jesus did not want the disciples to rely on some kind of blind faith. He wanted them to believe based on the evidence – the empty tomb, seeing Jesus for themselves, touching Jesus for themselves.
Here is one more example. Turn to 1 Corinthians 15, on page 961 in the Bibles we passed out. This letter was written in 55 a.d. – maybe 22 years after Jesus rose from the dead. It was written to the city of Corinth, which was in modern-day in Greece, hundreds of miles from where Jesus died and rose again.
And the Christians who lived in Corinth knew Jesus rose from the dead, but they were not sure that they would be raised from the dead. So in this chapter Paul says that since Jesus rose from the dead, they, too, would be raised from the dead. You can see this in verses 1-8. Let’s read these verses and notice the evidence he gives for why they believe Christ rose from the dead –
1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand,
2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you--unless you believed in vain.
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,
4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep [that is, they died].
7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.
8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.
Notice that here he reminds them of how they know that Jesus rose from the dead. He lists all the people who with their own eyes saw Jesus alive after the cross. He mentions Cephas (v.5), all the 12 (v.5), 500 brothers who all saw Jesus at one time (v.6), James (v.7), all the apostles (v.7), and Paul himself (v.8).
So one reason we should believe in the resurrection is because of all the people who, with their own eyes, saw Jesus alive from the dead.
And there is no good reason to doubt their eye-witness testimony.
It makes no sense to think that they were lying. Think about it. Believing in Jesus’ resurrection did not bring you money or fame. It brought you beatings, persecution, and in many cases death. So why would they lie?
And it makes no sense to think they were hallucinating. Hallucinations are not group events; you don’t have 500 people all hallucinating the same thing at the same time. And what the eye-witnesses describe is physical encounters with Jesus, where they ate with him, drank with him, and touched him. Those are not hallucinations.
So we have no reason to think these witnesses were lying or hallucinating; which means we have every reason to trust their report.
So what this means is that all the evidence points to the fact that Jesus Christ rose from the dead. There is no evidence to the contrary. So we’re not supposed to believe in the resurrection based on some sort of blind faith. The reason we are to believe in the resurrection is because of the evidence.
So I stand here today and tell you -- look at the evidence. Look at the historical documents of eye-witness accounts. Look at the number of people who saw Jesus. Look at how they were willing to die because they knew Jesus was real and rose from the dead. I call you to look at the evidence, and based on the evidence believe that Jesus Christ rose from the dead.
Questions?
What difference does it make that Jesus rose from the dead?
It makes all the difference. Because Jesus Christ rose from the dead, we can trust everything he said. So, because of Jesus Christ rose from the dead – everything he taught was true --
There is a God
We have sinned against God, and face his judgment forever
In great love God sent Jesus to be punished in our place so we could be forgiven
To be forgiven we must turn from our sin and trust our lives completely to Jesus Christ
And when we do he will forgive us and bring us into relationship with God so we can know his love and care for ever.
This is all true. So turn to trust Christ. Keep strong in your trust in Christ. And help everyone you can come to trust Christ.
Why? Because he is risen!