Acts 1:3-5; Luke 23:50-56, 24:1-8, 24:36-46; Mark 15:43-45

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​The Proof of Christ's Death

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What did Joseph ask Pilate for in Luke chapter 23 v 52? It was the body of Christ.

Before handing over the body, Pilate consulted with the Centurion to see if Jesus was a long time dead (Mark 15 v 43-46).

Remember, the Centurion was expert at causing death and confirming death, and he confirmed that Jesus had been dead for a while.
So Joseph said He was dead, the Centurion said He was dead, and Pilate said He was dead.

In Luke 23 v 53, Joseph received permission to take the body (Mark 15 v 45 uses the word for corpse, i.e. a dead body ). Joseph took it down, wrapped it carefully in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre. Note the "it " refers to the body he had asked for. So he took the body down, he wrapped the body, he laid the body in a sepulchre, or tomb.

The Lord Jesus was now buried.

 

If we look at verse 55 of the same chapter, the women beheld the sepulchre -

that is, WHERE the body was laid. But they also beheld HOW the body was laid.
So here we are learning much about the body of our Lord Jesus.

 

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Look at Luke 24 v 1-8.
The women were coming to anoint the body of the Lord Jesus.
But when they came to the sepulchre, something was missing!
What was it ? The body of the Lord Jesus.
They are told 'He is not here, but is risen'. In verse 8 we are told they remembered His words.
 

Look down at verse 23: the two disciples on the road to Emmaus are relating to a so-called stranger the recent events. They tell Him about the women who found not His body, and how they were told that He was risen.

If we go back to Luke 23and count the references to the body of Jesus, we find one in v52, three in v 53, one in v55, one in chapter 24 v3 and one in 24 v23. Seven in all.

 

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The Proof of Christ's Resurrection

Coming now to Luke chapter 24 v36-46:

The Lord Jesus comes to the room where the disciples are gathered.

He stands in their midst, He speaks to them.
They are terrified and frightened. Why? They think that He is a spirit.

But He says, "Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself ". He tells them to take a good look.
Then He tells them to touch Him, for He says, "a spirit has not Flesh and Bone as ye see me have. "
Now think: They hear Him, they see Him, they handle Him.

Next He says, " Have you any meat? " They give Him a broiled fish and a honey comb, and He ate it before them. So now they had seen Him eating.

This all proves that He was not a spirit, but that He had risen bodily. That is, the same body in which He lived, the same body which hung upon the cross, the same body that was taken down and wrapped in linen and laid in the sepulchre, it was the same body that rose from the dead.

The very same ... but simply changed.
This was not a phantom, this was not a spirit, He was truly alive in the same body.

 

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Let us look at John 11.

This describes the resurrection of Lazarus, the brother of Martha and Mary.

As we read this we will ask the question ... Was Lazarus dead?

From v14 we conclude ... he is dead.
From v17 we conclude ... he is dead.
From v21 we conclude ... he is dead.
From v32 we conclude ... he is dead.
In v37 the Jews say he is dead.
Also in v39 he is dead.
So in these verses we will all agree ... he is dead.

Now verse 44 - he is dead... isn't that right ? No, it's not ... in this verse he is alive! 

Alive again. What has happened ?
Christ has spoken, Lazarus has heard and responded, and he has been raised.

Now note in v44: 'He that was dead came forth, wearing the grave clothes: bound hand and foot' and separate from this he has a napkin bound or wrapped about his head.
Jesus says, "Loose him and let him go ".

Now the question again: Was Lazarus dead? The clear answer - Yes !
Now he is alive. Is he a spirit? No!
He is alive in a body. He still has the grave clothes and the napkin around his head. They are told to take the grave clothes off from him. They can see and they can feel he has a body.

Look at John 12 v1-3: Lazarus sat at the table with Jesus when they made Him a supper, i.e. something to eat. I take it Lazarus would have had something to eat also.

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Now, let us compare and contrast the account of the raising of Lazarus with the account of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.

We will find that there are similarities:
Both tell us they were dead.
Both tell us that people believed them to be dead.
Both tell us they were buried.
Both tell us they were dead for a number of days.
Both tell us they were raised.
Both tell us they were seen after they were raised.
Both tell us about their hands and feet.
Both tell us they could be handled.
Both tell us they had a body in resurrection.
Both tell us they could eat in resurrection.
Both tell us that people believed they were alive.
I trust you will agree with all the above.

Now we will look at the differences:
Lazarus died. He was passive in this.
Lazarus was raised. He was passive in this.
Lazarus was powerless to prevent his death.
Lazarus was powerless to affect his resurrection.
Lazarus did not predict his death.
Lazarus did not know how long he would be dead.
Lazarus did not know years before how he would die. 

Jesus died. He was active in this.
Jesus rose from the dead. He was active in this.
Jesus predicted His death.
Jesus knew how and when and where He would die.
Jesus was in control of His death.
Jesus has authority over death; as another put it, 'He commanded death to come, and death responded as a servant and came.'
Jesus knew how long He would be dead, and he stated it.
Jesus had power to dismiss death as a servant and He did and death responded as a servant.
Jesus had power to rise from the dead, and He did.

Especially note this point:
Lazarus after four days was in the process of corruption - his sister said in John 11 v 39,

"Lord, by this time he stinketh: for he has been dead four days. "

However, Peter in Acts 2v25-28 quotes Psalm 16 v 8-11, then in verse 31 says of Christ: " Neither His flesh did see corruption ". In v 27 Peter refers to Christ as the Holy One: God's Holy One saw no corruption. Even after days in the grave, the Holy body of the Lord Jesus saw no corruption.

So when Lazarus was raised His body was changed - the corruption was gone.
When the Lord Jesus was raised there was no corruption, yet His body was also changed.

We read in Philippians 3 v21 of His glorious body or His body of glory.

His body was the same body but changed into a body of glory.

He will always have that body, He will come again in that body, He will reign forever in that body.

And, wonder of wonders! We who are saved will one day have a body like His body of glory.
What a prospect, all based on the bodily resurrection of our Lord Jesus.

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I have a book on my bookshelf called Who moved the stone?
It was written by a lawyer called Frank Morrison. He set out to write a book refuting the resurrection of Christ. He was very sure of himself, and his ability and intellect.

 

He began the quest with great zeal, sure that it would prove that Christianity was based on a false foundation. After studying the doctrines of the New Testament, and the record of the Gospels, He concluded that Christianity is based on a very firm foundation.

It was so firm that he became a believer in Christ.

It was so firm, that he wrote the book Who moved the stone?

The title of the first chapter is this: 'The book that refused to be written'.
In it he tells why he could not write the book he set out to write.
You ask 'Why was it?' Because of the evidence, the many infallible proofs.
 

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'The Lord Jesus showed Himself alive after His passion

by many infallible (irrefutable, undeniable) proofs'

Acts 1 v 13

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May we all be blessed by this knowledge: Christ is risen, and is alive forevermore.

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