Monday, June 12, 2006
Mark 16:6-7 "Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. But go, tell His disciples -- and Peter -- that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you."
I BELIEVE ON THE THIRD DAY HE ROSE AGAIN FROM THE DEAD
Have you ever wondered why Jesus spent 40 days here on earth after His resurrection from the dead, and before He ascended into heaven? His work on earth was completed, wasn't it? Why did He stick around?
First, we see that Jesus repeatedly appears to His many followers at different times and different places in order to convince them that He was surely alive and had risen from the grave. The New Testament records at least 10 different resurrection appearance of Jesus during those 40 days and to more than 500 different people! Jesus' resurrection from the dead is a historical fact!
During this time Jesus also continues to instruct His followers about what they had not yet understood, and what they would need to understand for the future, promising them the Holy Spirit who would help them understand all these things.
His physical appearances and His instruction was preparatory for one final thing: Jesus also commissioned His followers to proclaim the news of His resurrection from the dead, of which they were witnesses, and the forgiveness of sins He had won for all people through His life, death and resurrection. We have come to call this Christ's Great Commission. But did you know that Jesus issued this commission to His followers repeatedly during those 40 days? Each of the Gospels records a commission to preach the Gospel, but at a different location (cf. John 20:21-23 spoken on Easter Sunday evening; Matthew 28:18-20 spoken on a mountain in Galilee; Mark 16:15-16 spoken in a room in Jerusalem; and Luke 24:46-47 spoken shortly before His ascension into heaven). This was so important that Jesus said it not once, but repeatedly to His followers.
Through His death the payment for our sins was paid. Through His resurrection our salvation was assured, and now Jesus tells His followers, "you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8). Thanks be to God that we too are witnesses of the fact of Jesus' resurrection!
