The Advent of Easter, Part XXIV by Pamela Christian—Copyright © 2019
Note: Sequence of events are imagined as extracted from the four Gospel accounts of Jesus’ resurrection.
The day after the Sabbath, before dawn on the first day of the week (Sunday), Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Salome, brought spices to prepare Jesus’ body for burial. As they approached the tomb, they discussed who would help them roll away the entry stone. No doubt, they also wondered if the guards would even allow them to have the stone moved since Pilate had ordered the tomb be secured.
Suddenly, there was a great earthquake for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, rolled back the stone, opening the tomb entrance, and sat upon the stone. In extreme fear the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. 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.”
Peering inside, the women saw the body of Jesus was missing, and a young man sitting on the right side where Jesus’ head would have been and another seated where His feet would have been, both dressed in a dazzling attire. The women were greatly alarmed. The men said to the women, “Why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking? Mary Magdalene replied, “They have taken away my Lord and I do not know where they have laid Him.” As she turned, she saw a man she thought was the gardener and said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” The man replied stating her name, “Mary” and in that instant she recognized the man was Jesus.
Finally realizing Jesus had indeed risen and was no longer dead, she gathered here senses and ran with the other women in fear and great joy, to tell Jesus’ disciples what they’d experienced. On the way Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And the women came up, taking hold of His feet, worshiping Him. Jesus instructed, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and to your Father, to my God and your God.”
While the women were on their way to inform the disciples, some of the guards went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. When the elders were assembled, they conspired to have the guards tell the people Jesus’ disciples stole the body in the night while the guards were sleeping. The elders assured the guards they would protect them from the Roman governor’s wrath, and the guards were bribed with a sum of money. We need to understand for the guards to state they were sleeping while on duty would elicit their death sentence. Yet this story became wide-spread among those who did not believe Jesus was bodily resurrected. The theory of the stolen body remains a popular argument for the empty tomb to this day.
When the women arrived to tell the disciples everything, the disciples listened but concluded the women must be delusional in their grief. However, apostle Peter who had denied Jesus, and apostle John, identified as the one closest to Jesus, both ran to the tomb. Peter arrived first and remained outside the tomb, only stooping to peer inside. When John arrived, he immediately went inside and saw Jesus’ body was gone. When Peter followed John inside, they noted the linen cloths lying in one place, with the face cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, folded up in a place by itself. At this they both believed Jesus had indeed risen from the dead. They then returned to their homes is awestruck wonderment.
From this day Jesus appeared to many people at various times, before He fully ascended. The gospels of Luke and John, both record many other instances where Jesus appeared after His resurrection. And 1 Corinthians 15:6 records Jesus’ appearance to over 500 men and women. Jesus provided different instruction and interaction at His various appearances. At one point He reminded the disciples to faithfully await the coming of the Holy Spirit—the Comforter Jesus promised would arrive when He was gone. The Holy Spirit arrived on the day of Pentecost, exactly fifty days after the start of Passover, as recorded in the book of Acts.
We need to better understand the tremendous significance of the Old Testament holidays and celebrations ordained by God and their foreshadow of the many realities about Jesus—the Promised Redeemer.
God first delivered the Israelites from the oppression of slavery and established the Day of Passover—the day death passed over the Israelites, who obeyed by placing the blood of the Passover Lamb to be eaten that night, over the doorposts of their home. This symbolizes how we who place our faith in Jesus, the sacrificial Lamb of God, have the penalty of sin, which is death, pass over us.
The ceremony of First Fruits, also known as the Sheaf Offering. Or Waving of the Omar) was originally an expression of gratitude to God for providing the early harvest, was a foreshadow of Jesus the first-fruit or first-born of many who would be restored to relationship with God through faith in Jesus.
The seven-day celebration of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, not only commemorates the Israelites quick departure from Egypt, but points to Jesus, who is the Bread of Life.
Exactly fifty-days or seven weeks after Passover God ordained Pentecost—which is the second or late celebration of the harvest known as Shavout—to foreshadow the harvest of people who would come to faith in Jesus. Acts chapter two tells of the amazing events in the first Pentecost following Jesus’ Ascension bringing thousands of people to faith and relationship with God.
The evidence of God lovingly interacting in the lives of humanity, is beyond overwhelming. It is my hope and prayer that you are among those who decipher the evidence properly, to come to an intimate and abiding relationship with God, through faith in Jesus, the Christ—the One whom we celebrate at Easter because He is Alive!
May this song bring it all home for you: He’s Alive!
For April 21-22, 2019 read and meditate on the following Scriptures:
Matthew 28:1-20; Mark 16:1-20; Luke 24:1-53, John 20:1-21:25 and; Acts 2.
For additional study:
https://www.ucg.org/the-good-news/the-wave-sheaf-how-an-ancient-ceremony-foreshadowed-jesus-role
https://www.ucg.org/the-good-news/the-wave-sheaf-offering-a-ceremony-foreshadowing-salvation
https://www.hebrew4christians.com/Holidays/Spring_Holidays/Unleavened_Bread/Anavah/anavah.html
http://www.eaec.org/newsletters/2012/vol-15-3/the-passover-week.htm
http://ad2004.com/prophecytruths/Articles/OriginalPassover.pdf
https://www.cog-pkg.org/publications/PassOverChart2.pdf
https://www.gotquestions.org/temple-veil-torn.html
http://www.bible.ca/archeology/bible-archeology-exodus-route-travel-times-distances-days.htm
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