Jesus appeared to many people after he rose from the dead. He ate with them and helped them to understand how from the beginning the scriptures had prophesied not only his coming, but that he had to suffer and die.
He also told his Disciples to wait until he sent his power to them through the Holy Spirit before going back out into the world to share the message of Christ. Then 40 days after he rose from the dead, he ascended into heaven as many of his disciples watched. Continue reading →
Oh what a glorious Sunday morning! What a new day! An angel came down from heaven and rolled the stone away from the tomb. The angel didn’t open the tomb to let Jesus out, however. The stone was rolled away so the world know that Jesus Christ had risen from the dead. Death could not keep Jesus in the grave!
Beginning with Mary Magdalene, Jesus appeared to many of his followers including the remaining eleven of the Twelve Disciples as word spread that he was alive. The news threw the world into confusion.
The guards who were on duty to guard the tomb were bribed into saying that they fell asleep and that the Disciples stole Jesus’ body while they were asleep. Under normal circumstances they would have been killed for falling asleep and failing to properly guard the tomb.
According to the author Mark who also wrote the book of Acts, Jesus appeared to people and taught them for 40 more days. He also ate with them revealing that his body was real. (Acts 1:1-3)
Read the following passages for more information about Jesus resurrection and his activities in these final days on earth.
Enjoy “Was it a Morning Like This?” by Sandi Patty
“He’s Alive” written and sung by Don Francisco
Where was Jesus Christ’s Spirit when his body laid in the tomb? The version of The Apostles’ Creed we are following in this series of discussions says he descended to the dead. Some denominations say that Jesus descended into hell. Other denominations omit this line from the Creed.
This phrase may have been included in the Creed simply to mean Christ was fully dead. The Bible is not clear on what happened with Christ’s Spirit during the days between his burial and his resurrection. For this reason, many theologians have drawn different conclusions.
Some believe Christ simply resided with the dead. Others teach that Christ went to hell and preached to the spirits there. I am not going to attempt to project any conclusions about this.
If you want to know more, read this article from Christianity Today: “Did Jesus Really Descend to Hell?”
For your reflection – “They Could Not” by Sandi Patty
Jesus’ body was laid in an empty tomb that had recently been carved out of a rock. It belonged to Joseph of Arimathea, a Pharisee who secretly believed in Christ. Nicodemus helped Joseph prepare Jesus’ body for burial with spices and strips of cloth to wrap the body, while Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of Jesus, watched from a distance to see where his body was laid. A huge stone was then rolled in place to close the entrance to the tomb.
The following passages each tell of Jesus’ burial in the tomb:
Listen to “Who Am I?” words by Rusty Goodman, sung by the Altar of Praise Chorale