The Risen Lord - 240313

SPEAKER A Hello, I'm Rod Butler. Welcome to let God speak. Perhaps the greatest event in human history happened on a Sunday morning. Jesus of Nazareth rose from the dead and left behind an empty tomb. This event is the basis for the hope of us all that Jesus will raise back to life all those that died with their faith in him. Join us as we discuss this momentous event in the ministry of Jesus and conclude our studies on the Gospel of Mark. On our panel today we have Kaysie Vokurtka and Uriahs St Juste. Welcome, Uriah. Welcome, Kaysie. SPEAKER B Thank you. SPEAKER A Before we commence our discussion, let's bow for prayer. Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for the Gospel of Mark. And as we have this discussion now, we ask for your blessing on this programme and we ask for the Holy Spirit to guide our discussion, guide our words, and may this be a blessing to our viewers, too. We pray in Jesus name. Amen. SPEAKER C Amen. SPEAKER A Well, today we're going to examine the 25 verses which are Mark's account of Jesus being taken down from the cross to when he permanently ascended back to heaven. The events are described in Mark 1543 to mark 1620. Now, by comparison, Matthew and John describe the same period in 30 verses and Luke in 60 verses. But as we have seen, Mark's gospel is told in a terse, fast moving style, with little commentary from the gospel writer himself. I'm going to read a verse now, and this verse highlights a specific detail that's in the gospel. This is Mark, chapter 1542. And now when the evening was come, because it was the preparation that is the day before the Sabbath. Now, Kaysie, why is this detail here of the time important? SPEAKER B Well, it helps us to understand the sequence of events and the days they occurred. And so from this we can see that Jesus died on a Friday afternoon and he was placed in Joseph's new tomb that same day. It was preparation day, as I just mentioned. And then he rose on the Sunday morning. So it meant that over the Sabbath, the period in between, he was resting. He was dead, but he was resting. Now, it's very interesting if we have a look. In Luke, chapter four and verse 16, we read a detail about Jesus life which is relevant here. And it says, so he came to Nazareth where he had been brought up, and as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and stood up to read. So this is just to highlight how Jesus kept the Sabbath during his life. But it's interesting, even in his death, he kept the Sabbath because he was resting. He didn't rise till the Sunday morning. And this is important for establishing the fact that the 7th day, Sabbath day, was not abolished at Jesus death. SPEAKER A Look, staying with this concept, jesus rose on a Sunday morning. Now, many christians today believe that the resurrection is the basis for Sunday sacredness. What does the New Testament say is that basis? SPEAKER B Well, that's a very interesting question, because the New Testament does actually say something about a memorial of the resurrection. And it's in colossians two and verse ten through to twelve. And it says, and you are complete in him who is the head of all principality and power. In him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ. And here's the key. Buried with him in baptism, in which you also were raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. And so basically this is saying that baptism is actually what is a memorial of Jesus resurrection, because it can symbolise the newness of life that we can experience through faith in Christ. And so there's actually nothing in the New Testament that talks about the resurrection being a basis for Sunday sacredness. It's something quite different. SPEAKER A Okay, well, Yaray, a question for you. Mark writes, on five occasions that he was going to Jerusalem, he would be killed, he would rise from the dead, and the disciples were being forewarned. Did they take notice of that? Did they remember that detail? SPEAKER C In spite of the fact that so many times, five times, as you've noted, that Jesus told them that he would rise, not just rise again, but on the third day, very specifically, they did not take notice of that promise that Jesus made. And when Jesus was arrested in Gethsemane, they fled. And when he was suffering on the cross, the Bible actually records his mother Mary. And John was the only disciple that remained at the foot of the cross. And Jesus seemed to have been left on the cross by his disciples alone to suffer and die? I and for them, the fact that he was arrested, the fact that he was crucified, it deflated their hopes that he was the messiah. And in spite of the fact that Jesus promised them that he would rise again, that seemed to, they seemed to have taken no notice of it, and they have forgotten the promises that he had made. SPEAKER A Interesting, isn't it, Kaysie, what's your view on that? How they could forget a warning about his imminent death? SPEAKER B Well, I mean, they had been listening to him for years, talking about what his beliefs are and the kingdom of heaven and the promises in relation to that. And they had their own idea of what the kingdom of heaven was going to be. And it was different to what Jesus was trying to teach them. They thought that the kingdom of heaven was going to be Jesus helping to establish Israel as an earthly kingdom again. That would free them from the Romans and they would be independent. And so all of his miracles and feeding the 5000 and healing people, all of these things they were interpreting from that lens that, wow, this guy is so powerful. You know, he can do all of these things. He's going to set up this amazing earthly kingdom. And they were so engrossed in that. And when Jesus in the midst of all of that was telling them about his upcoming death, it didn't fit their view. It didn't fit in what they wanted to see. And so they ignored it like it just made no sense to them. They forgot about it. They just overlooked those things because it didn't fit. And there's a lesson for us today in that, you know, there might be a whole lot of things that we read in the Bible about what God is telling us. And if we pick and choose only what we want to hear, it can lead to trouble. SPEAKER A Yeah. We've got to be open to what the Bible is actually saying, not what we want it to say. SPEAKER B Exactly. SPEAKER A Yeah. It's a very important lesson. Well, let's launch into chapter 16, the last chapter book of Mark. I'm going to read the first four verses, then I've got a question for you, Uriah. And when the Sabbath was passed, this is Mark, chapter 16, verses one to four. And when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of James and Salome had bought sweet spices and they might. That they might come and anoint him. And very early in the morning, the first day of the week, they came into the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. And they said among themselves, who shall roll away the stone from the door of the sepulchre? And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away. For it was very great. So, Uriah, why was rolling away this stone of such great importance to these ladies? SPEAKER C Matthew records a very interesting event that although the disciples, as we've said before, they did not believe Jesus promised that he would rise again on the third day. But the jewish leaders, the Pharisees and the chief priests, they believed it with certainty. And if we read in Matthew, chapter 27, verse 62 to 66, it says on the next day which is the Sabbath which followed the day of preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered together to Pilate saying, sir, we remember while he was still alive how that deceiver said, after three days, I will rise. Therefore, command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night and steal him away and say to the people, he has risen from the dead. So the last deception will be worse than the first. Pilate said to them, you have a guard. Go your way. Make it as secure as you know how. So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard. So this was actually done on the Sabbath. The day after the preparation date, the chief priests on the Sabbath went to to Pilate to ask for a God to be placed at the tomb, because they remembered Jesus promise, and the disciples did not remember that promise. And it's interesting that the women would not have known about this God. So when they would have kept the Sabbath, they would have kept the Sabbath. And even the spices that they prepared, they prepared on the preparation day. But there was no time to anoint his body, and they rested on the Sabbath. So the first opportunity after the Sabbath had passed, they went, and they would not have known that this God would have been there. And who, even if Jesus had not resurrected this God, would have been there to help them roll the stone away? SPEAKER A So they thought, here we are, women. We got to roll this massive stone away. How are we going to do that? SPEAKER C But, of course, Jesus wasn't there, and the stone was rolled away, correct? SPEAKER A Yes. It's a sad reflection that the religious leaders themselves broke the Sabbath to try to keep Jesus in the tomb. Now, Kaysie, there was a cover up, or attempt to cover up the resurrection. Tell us about that. SPEAKER B Yeah, it's very fascinating to see the flow of events here. In Matthew 20 812 14, it describes it. It says, when they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, saying, tell them his disciples came at night and stole him away while we slept. And if this comes to the governor's ears, we will appease him and make you secure. So it's very interesting because the very reason the guards were put there was so that the disciples couldn't come and steal him away. Right? And so now the excuse is that the guards would have slept. Right? I don't know how they could sleep when you're trying to move a stone away like that would wake you up. Right. But even if they had slept, that would mean the death penalty for the guards, and they would be in huge trouble. Which is why then they said, you know, we'll appear as the governor, for your life's sake, basically. And so all of this, you know, even if the disciples had. If this was true and the disciples had stolen it, like they weren't arrested for doing that, that would have been a problem as well. And so all of this cover up story, it points more to the fact that this actually did happen, because otherwise, why would this be necessary? It wouldn't be necessary. It would have all worked to plan. So it actually adds weight to the fact that Jesus did rise from the dead. SPEAKER A It's ironic that all those steps they put in place to try and stop it happening actually propelled the story further that it did happen. Uriah, is there any doubt that Jesus rose from the dead? SPEAKER C The easiest thing to prove at the time, if there was any doubt that Jesus resurrected, was to simply go to his tomb and show that his body was still there because it was known. And you mentioned the fact that all these measures were put in place actually helped to prove that Jesus was resurrected. The guards fled, and they never claimed that his disciples came because they were afraid that that would have happened. They never claimed that that happened. They never claimed that it's all a hoax. His disciples, there's no record of that. And there's no record of the leaders at the time claiming that Jesus body is still in the tomb. So the fact that his tomb is empty is evidence that he rose from the dead? SPEAKER A Indeed it is. We have another proof, too, about his resurrection. What's that? What was this other ultimate proof about his resurrection? SPEAKER B Yeah. So going back to the gospel of Mark, in chapter 16, verses five to seven, we can find a bit more information. And it says, and entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe, sitting on the right side. And they were alarmed. But he said to them, 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. And so this is basically an angel here, where it says, young man, that is an angel. And he was talking to the women who had come to the tomb. And basically he said, jesus is going to go and he is going to find you. You'll see him. And that is probably one of the biggest things, because there were so many eyewitnesses who saw Jesus alive after he was resurrected on earth. And because of just the vast number of witnesses, eyewitnesses, this is an additional proof that he did indeed raise from the dead. SPEAKER A Yes. That is the eyewitnesses. I mean, how do you refute that? It's very powerful evidence. Your honour. In verse seven, the angel actually singles out Peter. Why would he do that? Why would the angel single Peter out? SPEAKER C In Matthew, chapter 26 and verse 75, there's an account to remind us of what Peter did. And it says, and Peter remembered the word of Jesus, who had said to him, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times. So he went out and wept bitterly. Peter had felt terrible about what he had done, denying Jesus his master, his friend. And he bitterly repented for doing so. And Jesus would have been conscious or sensitive to how Peter felt. And so he singled out Peter. It was a message that Jesus was sending to Peter to let him know that he had been forgiven. And there's a powerful lesson in this for us today. When we make mistakes, when we deny Jesus, when we disappoint him, when we sin and we confess with our heart, he forgives us and he restores us. Jesus didn't discard Peter. Peter became one of the most powerful apostles in spreading the gospel. And Jesus wanted him to know that he was forgiven and he was still loved. SPEAKER A And when we fall and we do betray Jesus with the things we do, he wants us back in the saddle. That's right. As his witness. Well, Kaysie, the three women who went to the tomb, they were the first to know that Jesus had risen, because they were the first there. They were the first humans that experienced that. And the angel spoke to them. Were that news? Were they over the moon with joy? Were they elated with the news? SPEAKER B You would hope so. You would have thought so, because he had primed them so much that they would expect this outcome. But we have a different response recorded. And so in Mark 16 eight, it says, so they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. So I think they were probably given what we have been discussing about the mindset that they were at. They had lost all hope. They thought Jesus was gone. They'd come to the tomb to add spices to his burial. Like this was a shock. To come to the tomb and find it like this. It was a complete shock to them. They've probably never seen an angel before in real life, although he looked like a young man. And so that would have shocked them. And then they would have thought, you know, what is this? You know, are we going to say anything? Probably not. They would have been afraid of what people would think what the rulers or the priests might have said if they found out. And they may have heard the rumours about not wanting anyone, Jesus to have been shown to escape from the tomb. So they could have had all manner of thoughts swarming around in their head that they were trying to process at this time. So, yeah, interesting response. SPEAKER A Yeah, they were afraid. Well, if I read just the next couple of verses, this is verse nine and verse ten, it says now, when Jesus was risen early, the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils. And so this is the risen Jesus appearing to Mary. And she went and told them that had been with him as they mourned and wept. So this is interesting because, you know, Mary had clearly believed Jesus had risen. She goes to tell the disciples the good news. Uriah, how did that great news go down with the disciples? SPEAKER C Well, not very well. The next verse, verse eleven says, and when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe. So here there was an eyewitness Mary has seen and reporting back to them that she had seen the risen Jesus. And they didn't. They thought maybe this was just some crazy woman being hysterical and they doubted what she had seen. Now, Luke, in Luke, chapter 24 and verse eleven says, and their words seem to them like idle tales and they did not believe them. You know, it's a reflection of the culture. Women were not very credible because people probably believe women gossiped and told tales. And for them, it was mysterious. That did not even the fact that it was the third day didn't even jolt their memory that Jesus said the third day he would rise, which is. SPEAKER A Yeah, you think that would. SPEAKER C You would think they would be saying, hang on, wait a minute. And they would count and say, hey, possibly not even the possibility. They totally dismissed it and they did not believe Jesus was risen. SPEAKER A That is remarkable to think about, Kaysie, was the concept of someone being raised from the dead a new thing for the disciples? SPEAKER B Absolutely not. Basically, Jesus had raised. At least we have recorded a few different people. There may have been more. There was the widow of Nain's son in a funeral procession. You know, the person is raised. There was no question this was a resurrection. Then there was Jairus daughter, twelve year old, who was sick, died. And then Jesus came and she was raised. And then one of the most spectacular one, which had multiple eyewitnesses and were close friends of Jesus, was that of Lazarus. And the resurrection of Lazarus was so compelling that the jewish leaders wanted to kill Lazarus. Because of his witness to Jesus power. And this was only recent. This was only not long before the crucifixion. So they had a fresh account of a resurrection possibility happening. And, yeah, they forgot about that. SPEAKER A Well, we sort of say, well, you know, that was, we'd be different, but Uriah, would we be different? Is there a lesson for this unbelief in us today? SPEAKER C Now, these are the disciples. They were disciples chosen by Jesus. They spent three and a half years with Jesus, and Jesus is teaching them the scriptures, the prophecies of his messiahship from the Old Testament. And they did not believe because they had a different understanding. Even though Jesus told them that he would die and rise again, they thought that he would have set up his earthly kingdom. So they had those views. And even when they were told that Jesus resurrected, they did not believe. So it seemed they were willing to hold on to their views and not be open minded to. To truth from the scriptures. And there's a message for us today that we must be careful that we don't hold on to our views with a closed mind, without being open to the truth of the scriptures as they are revealed to us by the Holy Spirit. In acts, chapter 17, verse ten and eleven, the Bible says, then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they had arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more fair minded, the Bible says, than those in Thessalonica. Why? In that they received the word with readiness and searched the scriptures daily to find out whether these things are so. So instead of holding on to what we grew up on in terms of our beliefs, the Bible is encouraging us to be open minded, to search the scriptures and be ready to accept truth when we encounter it. SPEAKER A Yeah, that's a very important point. Very important. I just want to read verse 14. It says, afterward he appeared unto the eleven as he sat at meat and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed, not them which had seen him after he was risen. So he reprimands his disciples again. Talking about parallels for us today, Kaysie, what's the parallel there? Are we being reprimanded by the Lord today? SPEAKER B Well, it's interesting. That principle was, you know, there were eyewitnesses and they shared, and then the people who heard didn't believe. And the gospels basically are the testimony of many of those eyewitnesses. And as we read that, read the Gospels and these records, you know, if we don't believe, we're basically in a similar situation. And Jesus actually prayed that those who would hear these testimonies of the eyewitnesses would believe. And we find that in John 1720. And it says, I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in me through their word. And so jesus foresaw that there would be generations and generations of people who would believe because of someone else's testimony. And this has God's blessing on it. And so he was praying for that. SPEAKER A Yes, indeed. Well, after that, in verse. Well, the next verse, Jesus, he does something else. Uriah Mark writes, he gets straight to the point in his very brief style. He's got the moaning and groaning disciples, but he puts them to work again. How does he do that? What do they have to do? SPEAKER C He gives them their mission. In verse 15 and 16 of mark 16, he said to them, go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptised will be saved, but he who does not believe will be condemned. A very simple statement, a mission statement, that they need to share the gospel, their personal experience, their testimony, their eyewitness account that Jesus has risen, died and rose again. That was what they were supposed to consume their time with. SPEAKER A Okay, was that going to be a dangerous task, Kaysie, going to all the world? SPEAKER B Potentially. And so Jesus then promised protection for them. And we read that in the next couple of verses, in verse 17 and 18, where he talks about, they will cast out demons and speak with new tongues, and they will take up serpents. If they drink anything deadly, it will not hurt them. They will heal the sick and they will recover. And so Jesus was giving them promise to give them encouragement in their travels. SPEAKER A So there was protection promised, but there was also signs. If those things happened, they knew they were doing the Lord's work. That's an important point, Uriah. But unfortunately, not all missionaries are protected, are they? We have martyrs. How can you reconcile that fact with what Jesus is saying here? SPEAKER C Jesus one words answers that question. In Matthew, chapter five, verse eleven and twelve, he said, blessed are you when they revile you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for my sake, rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. So the Bible doesn't teach that christians are always protected. Christians should expect to be persecuted. And Jesus says that they should rejoice when it happens. They need to endure their affliction patiently. SPEAKER A Yes, and verses 19 and 20, it goes on to say, so then after the Lord had spoken with them. He was received up into heaven and sat on the right hand of God, and they went forth and preached. And so ends the book of the Gospel of Mark. That's all we have time for, so thank you for that. The Gospel of Mark concludes with the risen Jesus, commissioning his followers to go to the farthest parts of the world to make disciples. They had seen Jesus die and then had walked and talked with him risen from the dead. They absolutely knew that Jesus presence would be with them always and this was a solid foundation for their faith. The fantastic news is that Jesus is our risen saviour and is alive today. Right now, he commissions you and me to go forward to all the world to tell of his saving mercy, love, grace and forgiveness. Well, we're glad you've joined us on let God speak today. Remember, all past programmes plus teachers notes are available on our website, 3abnaustralia.org dot au dot. Email us on [email protected] dot au dot. Join us again next time as we commence a new series of studies on another gospel, the Gospel of John and God blessed. SPEAKER B You have been listening to let God speak, a production of 3ABN Australia television. To catch up on past programmes, please visit 3abnaustralia.org.au. Call us in Australia on 02 4973 3456. Or email [email protected]. we'd love to hear from you.