The Miracles of Jesus - The Miraculous Resurrection of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

 

By: Chorebishop George K. Toma D.Min

 

Today I will talk about the Resurrection of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ according to the book of (Luke 24: 1-12) “AND on the first day of the week, early in the morning, while it was yet dark, they came to the tomb and brought the spices which they had prepared; and there were with them other women. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. And they entered in, but they did not find the body of Jesus. And it came to pass as they were confused about this, behold, two men stood above them, and their garments were shining; And they were afraid and bowed their faces to the ground; and they said to them, Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, he has risen; remember that he spoke to you while he was in Galilee, Saying that the Son of man had to be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and rise again on the third day. And they remembered his words. And they returned from the tomb, and told all these things to the eleven and to the rest. They were Mary of Magdala, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and the rest who were with them, who told these things to the apostles. And these words appeared in their eyes as delusions; and they did not believe them. But Simon rose up and ran to the tomb; and he looked in and saw the linen laid by itself, and he went away wondering in himself concerning what had happened.”

 

According to the Jewish calendar the first day of the week starts the day after Sabbath or Saturday. So, it is then clear that the Lord’s Day is a Sunday. It means on Sunday morning it happened the Resurrection. In the book of Luke it is mentioned that the women came to the Tomb with their species in early morning on the day following the Jewish Sabbath. However, when they arrived, they found out that the Tomb was open and the body of the Lord was not there. They started to ask the following questions:

• What had happened to the body?
• Who took Him?
• Where did they put Him?

While the women were so puzzled and confused because of that, two men with white sparkled garments appeared to them and started to remind the women with what Jesus already told them before as it is written in (Luke 24: 5 – 7):

• “...Why do you seek the living among the dead?”
• “ He is not here, he has risen; remember that he spoke to you while be was in Galilee,”
• “Saying that the Son of man had to be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucifies and rise again on the third day.”

It is also written about the suffering in (Luke 18: 32-33) “For he will be delivered to the Gentiles, and they will mock him and spit in his face. And they will scourge him and curse him and kill him; and on the third day he will rise again.”

 

As we know about the Jewish tradition that it is not allowed for any Jew to perform any labor on Jewish Sabbath (Saturday). That’s why the women, who had brought spices to the Tomb of Jesus to complete the ritual embalmment, were not allowed to do earlier because of Sabbath. It is clear for us that these women came to Jesus’ Tomb, because they had a great love for Him. They wanted to express their love to Jesus and to serve Him even though our Lord was dead according to their minds and thinking.

 

According to the tradition in the Assyrian Church of the East we also observe same Biblical practice for the deceased. On the Third Day we celebrate a Requiem Mass for the deceased, then men and women go to the grave-site with a jar of blessed water, incense, and candles to complete the prayers for the deceased.

 

In our present time we do not need to look for Jesus among the dead because of the followings:
1. He lives and He exists in the hearts of the believers as it is written in the book of (John 14:19) “ ...because I live, you shall live also.”
2. He lives and is present among us and also is the Head of the Church upon earth as it is written in the book of (Matthew 28:20) “...I am with you always, to the end of the world. Amen”

 

As we know through reading the Bible that the Angles of our Lord always appeared as men and delivered God’s Messages to human beings. Below are two examples of the messages, which confirm and make very clear for us that no one is exempt from death.

1. St Paul mentioned about that in (Hebrews 9:27) “And just as it is appointed for men to die once, and after their death, the judgment;”

2. (Ecclesiastes 7:2) “It is better to go to the house of mourning than to the house of feasting; for this is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart.”

 

If we compare between the days of the Prophets and of Jesus we realize from our reading that all of the Prophets died, however, we read in the New Testament that Our Lord Jesus conquered death by death. Death had no control on Him, because He is the Son of God. Read (Romans 6:9) “We know that Christ rose from the dead, and dies no more; and that death has no more dominion over him.”

 

The foundation of our Church is the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus. It means if there is no resurrection, then there is no Christian faith, as it is written in the book of (1 Corinthians 15: 13,14) “And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ also has not risen; And if Christ is not risen, then is our preaching in vain and your faith is also in vain.” Actually Resurrection, within itself, gives us a solid proof that Jesus is the Son of God, Who is working so hard to destroy sin, death and Satan. Without Jesus there is no hope beyond the grave. In other words, if Jesus did not come from death, we would assume that our life ends with death. It means if Jesus stayed in the Tomb, we would stay as well.

 

In addition to the above we can ask ourselves this question: What is the meaning of life, if we have no hope beyond the grave? St Paul said that our live would be miserable if we have hope in Jesus just in this life. Read (1 Corinthians 15: 19) “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, then we are of all men most miserable.” Let us ask, why our life would be miserable? The answer for this question is, because Resurrection is very important for the Christian, it is our duty then to be sure and have no doubt that Jesus Christ is risen. By reading the Bible we find out that Jesus informed us many times about His Death and His Resurrection.

 

As humans we ask always for proof or witness for any incident. Below are four points, which represent the proofs of Resurrection.

 

1. The First Proof: The Tomb was Empty

While women on the first day of the week and in the early morning were going to the Tomb holding spices and other embalming materials, they were unhappy, and thinking to find a way to remove the stone from the Tomb. They were puzzled, because they didn’t have any idea about the situation at the Tomb, and whom they are going to meet there. They were worried because they didn’t have any clear picture about how much angry the soldiers or how much hostile the people would be. However, God has His Own Plan and has His Own Way to solve their problems. God read the hearts and minds of these women. He knew how much they are faithful for His Son Jesus, that’s why He opened all the doors for them and knocked down all obstacles. This applies for us too. God will do the same as He did for the women if we have desire to serve His Son and we are honest in our ministry.

 

There was no need to remove the door or stone from the Tomb to take the Body of Jesus out, because He had risen. The only reason behind removing the door was that God wanted to help the women, who came willingly to minister to Jesus. At the same time they were honored to be witness for the empty Tomb. The empty Tomb was truly a sign and witness of the Power of God and also the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

In the present time we honor the tombs of the saints. We visit them, because they contain the body of the saints. However, we honor the Tomb of Jesus not because He is there, but because He is Risen.

When women found out that the Tomb was empty, they ran to the Disciples and witnessed the Resurrection of Jesus. We can read about that in the book of (Matthew 28: 8-10) “And they went away hurriedly from the tomb with fear and with great joy, running to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said to them, Peace be to you. And they came up and laid hold of his feet and worshipped him. Then Jesus said to them, Do not be afraid; but go and tell my brethren to go to Galilee, and there they shall see me.” For this reason these women were the first people who had announced the Resurrection of Jesus, because they witnessed the empty Tomb, and the Angles told them that Christ is risen.

After the women saw the empty Tomb, the first reaction was to run back to the Disciples and to tell them about what did they see, hear, and witness. At the beginning the Disciples didn’t believe the women. But Simon ran toward the Tomb and he found out that the Tomb really was empty, and the linen laid by itself as it is written in (Luke 24: 9-12) “And they returned from the tomb, and told all these things to the eleven and to the rest. They were Mary of Magdala, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and the rest who were with them, who told these things to the apostles. And these words appeared in their eyes as delusions; and they did not believe them. But Simon rose up and ran to the tomb; and he looked in and saw the linen laid by itself, and he went away wondering in himself concerning what had happened.”

 

This was a good sign for Simon to believe that Jesus had risen from the dead. Based on what Simon experienced at the Tomb, he started to proclaim Jesus Christ. He was able to touch the hearts and minds of thousands of people. His first sermon was so powerful and effective, that around three thousands people accepted Jesus Christ and were baptized, as it is written in (Acts 2: 38-41) “Then Simon said to them, Repent and be baptized, every one of you in the name of the Lord Jesus for the remission o sins, so that you may receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise was made to you and to your children, and for all of those who are far off, even as many as the very God shall call. And he testified to them with many other words and besought them, saying, Save yourselves from this sinful generation. And those men among them who readily accepted his word and believed were baptized, and about here thousand souls were added in that day.”

 

Today in this world we can play the role of Simon. In other words, if we proclaim Jesus in full confidence and faith, we will be able to touch hearts and minds of many people and they will convert into the church.

 

For those, who believe that Jesus never died, we say that if that was the case then why did the rulers seal the Tomb, and place guards there? To proof that Jesus died we encourage you to read about it in the following books:

• (Matthew 28: 12-15) “So they gathered with the elders and took counsel; and they gave money, not a small sum, to the guards, Telling them, Say that his disciples came by night and stole him while we were sleeping. And if this should be heard by the governor, we will appeal to him and declare that you are blameless. So they took the money and did as they were instructed; and this word has gone out among the Jews even to this day.”
• (John 19: 33 –37) “But when they came to Jesus, they saw that he was dead already, so they did not break his legs. But one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. And he who saw it testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows well that what he said is true, that you also may believe. For these things happened that the scripture might be fulfilled, which said, Not even a bone shall be broken in him; And again another scripture which said, They shall look on him whom they pierced.”

Nobody can believe the theory, which mentioned that Jesus’ Disciples came during the night while the guards were sleeping and stole Jesus’ Body as it is in (Matthew 28: 12-13) “So they gathered with the elders and took counsel; and they gave money, not a small sum, to the guards, Telling them, Say that his disciples came by night and stole him while we were sleeping.” Then, what is the job of the guards? What was the reaction of their high-ranking officers? For sure if this was the case, then the guards supposed to be executed for not completing and fulfilling their job.

 

There was another theory, which stated that the Disciples were in a hallucinating and imagining condition. This condition let them believe that Jesus is alive. In fact this theory is wrong, because Disciples themselves didn’t understand Jesus when He was talking about His Resurrection. They didn’t believe the women, who came and told them about the empty Tomb, that’s why Simon ran to find out by himself, as it is written in (Luke 24: 11) “And these words appeared in their eyes as delusions; and they did not believe them.”

 

2. The Second Proof: Eyewitnesses:

In the book of Acts it is mentioned that there were forty days from the time of Jesus’ Resurrection till His Ascension. During this time He appeared to His Disciple around ten times. Some examples are:

• Read (Acts 1: 2-3) “Until the day when he ascended, after he, through the Holy Spirit, had given commandments to the apostles whom he had chosen, The very ones to whom he had also shown himself alive, after he had suffered, with many wonders during the forty days, while appearing to them and talking with them concerning the kingdom of God;”

• Read (John 20: 12-16) “And she saw two angels in white sitting one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. And they said to her, Woman, why do you weep? She said to them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him. She said this and turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, Woman, why do you weep? And whom do you want? She thought he was the gardener, so she said to him, My lord, if you are the one who has taken him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will go and take him away. Jesus said to her, Mary. She turned around and said to him in Hebrew, Rabbuli! Which means, My Teacher.”

• Read the story of two Disciples on the Road to Emmaus.
  (Luke 24: 13-31) “...And they drew near to the village to which they were going; and he made them think that he was going to a far place. But they urged him and said, Remain with us; for the day is spent and it is near dark. So he entered to stay with them. And it came to pass, as he sat at table with them, he took bread and blessed it and broke it and gave it to them. And immediately their eyes were opened and they recognized him; and he was taken away from them.”

• Read the whole chapter (9) in the book of (Acts). It is about Jesus appearing to St Paul on the Damascus Road “...Saul answered, saying, Who are you my Lord? And our Lord said, I am Jesus of Nazareth whom you persecute;...”

• Read (1 Corinthians 15: 4-8) “And that he was buried, and that he rose again on the third day according to the scriptures; And that he appeared to Kepa, then to the twelve; After that, he appeared to more than five hundred brethren at once, of whom a great many are still living though some are dead. And after that, he appeared to James; then to all the apostles. And last of all he appeared to me also, ignorant and imperfectly trained as I was.”

3. The Third Proof: The life changing

If we take a look at the Disciples’ life after Jesus was Crucified and before they encountered with Him, we will notice that they were hopeless, disappointed, and lacking courage. Even Simon denied him three times at the time of the condemnation as it is written in (Matthew 26: 69-75) “Now Peter sat outside in the courtyard; and a maidservant came up to him and said, You also were with Jesus the Nazarene. But he denied it before all of them, saying, I do not understand what you are saying. And as he was going to the porch, another one saw him and she said to them, This man was also there with Jesus the Nazarene. Again he denied it with oaths, saying, I do not know the man. After a while, those who were standing came up and said to Peter, Truly you also are one of them, for even you speech proves it. Then he began to curse and to swear, saying, I do not know the man. At that very hour the cock crowed. And Peter remembered the word which Jesus had said to him, Before the cock crows, you will deny me three times. And he went outside and wept bitterly.” Some of them returned to their jobs of fishing. However, everything changes after they encounter with Jesus. Simon Peter changed the time he saw the Lord after Resurrection, and in the day of Pentecost he was given the Power to proclaim the riches of Jesus without fear or hesitation. Other Apostles changed their lives also after they encountered Jesus. They were so attached to Jesus, that nothing could separate them from their love of God. They were ready to go through what Jesus went through and to accept the crown of martyrdom. It is recorded in tradition that Simon Peter was hung on a cross upside down. We can read about true love of Disciples to Jesus Christ in the book of (Romans 8: 35-39) “ What shall separate me from the love of Christ? Tribulation or imprisonment or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword? As it is written, For your sake we die every day, and we are accounted as lambs for the slaughter. But in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life nor angels nor empires nor armies nor things present nor things to come.”

 

4. The Fourth Proof: Witness to the Resurrection of Jesus

If we compare the work of our Lord now a days with the work in the time of our forefathers, we can say truly and with confidence that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever as it is written in (Hebrews 13: 8) “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever.” Two thousand years ago Jesus touched the lives of the people, and He is touching the lives of people of the present time in the same way. Today many people are and will be ready to be witness to the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives. They are ready to testify and witness how their lives changed from drugs to a clean life and from abusive situations to that of peace and love. Even the life of the thief changed the time he recognized and believed in the Power of Resurrected Lord. Read (Acts 17: 28) “ For in him we live and move and have our being, as some of your own wise men have said, For we are his kindred.”

 

In conclusion I would like to ask you some questions. Each one is responsible for his/her own answers:

• In your accepting of Jesus, can you trust Him in the same courageous way as our forefathers did?
• Are you ready to trust Jesus in order for you to be used by Him in your daily affairs?
• Are you ready to be responsible to give your reasons and explanations for your trust and faith in Jesus when others confront you?
• Are you afraid or not to be responsible for your faith to those who would ask you?
  

Summer Theology Course
At Mar Gewargis Church
July 19, 2006
Summary of the lecture prepared by Jenny Soro