The Ascension

Acts 1

 ¹ The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, ² until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen,

[The "former account" referred to here is the gospel of Luke. Like the Gospel of Luke, Acts is written for Theophilus, who is generally believed to be a gentile of some rank within Roman society, also a believer. These two books together present a comprehensive study of the redemption of mankind. First through the incarnation to the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ, then through the Holy Spirit, working in the apostles, to establish the church.]

 

³ to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.

[Jesus appeared to his disciples over a 40 day span after his resurrection, and continued to teach them about the kingdom of God. It took all these appearances to convince his disciples that his resurrection was not just a dream. This assurance that the resurrection was real was essential to their ability to lead the church.]

The Holy Spirit Promised

⁴ And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, "which," He said, "you have heard from Me; ⁵ for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now."

[Remember Acts is just book 2 of Luke. So Jesus is reminding them of what he told them before.

Luke 24:
44 Then He said to them, "These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me." 45 And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.

46 Then He said to them, "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 And you are witnesses of these things. 49 Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high."

 

So Jesus tells them, somebody needs to preach to all nations, and because you have witnessed all these things, you are elected. To empower them for this mission they were to wait for the baptism or washing of the Holy Spirit. Then they would be equipped to preach about Jesus and the Kingdom of God.]

 

⁶ Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, "Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?"

[So right in the middle of Jesus showing them how they would preach about the kingdom of God, they ask "What about Israel, aren't you going restore the kingdom here". So instead of them teaching all nations about God's kingdom, they were more interested in Jesus being King of Israel. Their focus was inward not outward. They were worried about the political future of Israel. Again this was the common misconception that Messiah would appear as a military ruler.

 

This represents one of the two bad attitudes that churches sometimes fall into, where believers try to hurry things along and establish God's kingdom here on earth, right now. We get wrapped up in politics, and who is in charge here. And forget that Jesus cared more about who was going to make it to God's kingdom, not how soon it would get here.

 

The other end of the spectrum, are those who completely ignore the earth. As long as they personally lead pious holy lives, and surround themselves with people who do the same, then the rest of the world can take care of themselves.

 

Both attitudes are wrong. We are to lead lives filled with worshiping God, while teaching the world to do the same. This is the way that God has chosen, to redeem mankind. Through the atonement of Christ, and the Spirit led preaching of his witnesses.]

 

⁷ And He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. ⁸ But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

[Jesus has to tell them, not yet. There will be a reign of Christ on earth, but first there is work to be done. Jesus told them not to worry about when, God knows and will make it happen. He said, "you shall receive power" when the Holy Spirit comes, then you "shall be witnesses". Starting from Jerusalem, then spreading throughout Judea, to Samaria, all the way to the end of the earth.

Revelation 7:
9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, ¹⁰ and crying out with a loud voice, saying, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!"

 

People from all nations will be in God's kingdom. If you read the rest of the book of Acts you find the gospel spreads out from Jerusalem throughout the Roman Empire just like Jesus said it would.]

Jesus Ascends to Heaven (Acts 1)

⁹ Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. ¹⁰ And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, ¹¹ who also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven."

[Back in September we studied John 14-16 where Jesus was teaching on the Holy Spirit, and he foretold all that was going to happen to him.

John 16:
7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.

Here we have one of those theological mysteries. Why did Jesus have to leave, in order for his disciples to receive the permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit? I have thought about this and I have a few ideas, but I haven't found the Biblical answer, so I really don't want to speculate a lot on the subject. But I do know what Jesus has been doing since the ascension.

John 14:2 says "I go to prepare a place for you". So we know at least part of the time since Jesus ascension has been dedicated to preparing a place in the heavenly kingdom for those who trust in Christ.

Romans 8:27 and Hebrews 7:25 both say Jesus lives to make intercession for us. The meaning of that word refers to making a plea or a deal on your behalf, like an attorney or an agent. Speaking for you, working for you.

We talked about Jesus role as our advocate, as part of the resurrection lesson:

Acts 17:
31 because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead."

Since our advocate and intercessor is also the judge, I think we have the best deal possible.

Finally as Christ ascended two angels appears and gave them this promise: "This same Jesus who was taken up from you into heaven", will come again the same way you saw in leave. Jesus coming in the clouds is the hope of every believer.]

The Great Commission

Matthew 28 (also Mark 16 and Luke 24)

¹⁶ Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. ¹⁷ When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted.
[How do you doubt after seeing the Lord resurrected? I think for many of the disciples the death and resurrection of Christ followed by brief his appearances, must have seemed like a dream. For 3 years they knew who Jesus was to them. He was a teacher, and a miracle worker, and their constant companion and mentor. But now his constant presence was seemingly taken away from them, and the resurrection and re-appearance of Jesus was difficult to understand. So some of the disciples doubted their own understanding of Jesus. Who was he really, and what did all of this mean? ]

 

Luke 24
⁴⁴ Then He said to them, "These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me." ⁴⁵
And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.
⁴⁶ Then He said to them, "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, ⁴⁷ and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

[Just like with John the Baptist, Jesus deals with doubt by revealing to them how he was fulfilling scripture (Matthew 11). As John the Baptist' disciples saw and heard, the things they witnessed Jesus doing, was foretold in the Law of Moses, the Old Testament Prophets, and the Psalms. Jesus gave them an important context of scripture, by which they could understand what they had experienced. So he "opened their understanding". The light bulb came on, and they began to see Jesus as the fulfillment of all that God had promised to the nation of Israel.

 

Along with their new understanding he restates their purpose. They were to preach "repentance and remission of sins", in Jesus name. And this preaching was to be to "all nations, beginning at Jerusalem".

 

All the way back in Genesis 18 God promised Abraham that all the nations of the earth were going to be blessed in him, and this promise was repeated 6 other times throughout the Old and New Testaments. If the grace of God was only available to the Jews, then God's promise would not be fulfilled in Jesus. So the preaching was to begin in Jerusalem and spread to all nations. This also matches the words of the Angel proclaiming the birth of Jesus in Luke 2 "I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people". It wasn't yet good tidings to "all people", until the preaching of Jesus began to reach "all people".]

Matthew 28

¹⁸ And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.

[Verse 19 I think is one of the more misunderstood passages in the Bible. How many of you have been in a missions conference where this verse is featured with an emphasis on the word "Go"? The odd thing is that in the original language, the word translated "Go" is not even a verb, It is a participle that means "going". The verb is "make" as in "make disciples", so some translate this "as you are going, make disciples", or the way I like to see it "Everywhere you go, make disciples of all nations". I like to read it this way because some see "Go" and immediately turn off their brains with the thought that "I'm not a missionary, I've never left home, so this is not for me." But when we read this as "everywhere you go", then we understand the command is to make disciples, at home, at work, at school, at the store, wherever you are. Once you understand this, you will see that the Great Commission is not just for missionaries, but for all those who trust in, and follow Christ.

Now removing Go as a verb does not diminish the idea of world missions. Logic tells you that if you want to preach to "all people", you need to go where "all people" are. And this is what Jesus told his disciples in Acts 1 when he promised them the Holy Spirit "you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth". Just like in Luke 24:37 they start with Jerusalem and extend out to "all nations". But look at the "alls" in the Great Commission:

• All Authority – given to Jesus
  
• All nations – make disciples
  
• All things – teach and observe
  
• Always – Jesus is with us]
  

How appropriate that Jesus promise to be "with us always" mirrors the promise of his birth. Matthew 1: ²³
"Behold,
the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us."

Mark 16

¹⁵ And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. ¹⁶
He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.

[This is Mark's account of the same instructions. This should remind us of our motivation. All who do not believe will be condemned. Some translations will say damned, both are correct and should make the meaning here very clear. The only way to save someone, is to make them a disciple of Jesus. Making a disciple includes, preaching the Gospel, Baptizing those who trust Christ, and teaching what Jesus taught. This process of mentoring new believers like Jesus mentored his disciples is often overlooked, but very important. The process should look something like this:

• I do; you watch.
  
• I do, you help.
  
• You do; I help.
  
• You do; I watch.
  

Using this formula we can teach believers to repent and confess our sins, pray for all our needs, study God's word, love those around us, worship and praise God together, live lives that honor God, give to the church, and witness where God gives us the opportunity. Disciples learn all these things from people who do them religiously. So we fulfill the Great Commission.]

Jesus Restores Peter

John 21

[After Jesus' resurrection he began to appear at different times revealing himself as the risen Lord to his followers. First he appeared to Mary Magdalene (John 20:11), then again with the other women (Matt. 28:9). Mark 16 and Luke 24 record his appearance to two 'disciples' who were not among the 12 Apostles but were close enough to tell the others (Luke 24:33). There is also an unrecorded appearance to Peter that is mentioned indirectly in Luke 24:34, and 1 Cor. 15:5. After that, Jesus began to appear to his 11 remaining disciples, first to everyone but Thomas in John 20:19

²¹ So Jesus said to them again, "Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you." ²² And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit.

This passage is generally called the commissioning of the Apostles.

Then he appeared to all eleven in John 20:26. In John 20:29 Jesus speaking to Thomas says "Because you have seen me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed." ³⁰ And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; ³¹ but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.

John 21 opens with what is called the "Breakfast by the sea". Peter and some of the disciples were fishing and Jesus appears and asks "Children, have you any food?" The say they have caught nothing so Jesus tells them to cast the net again, and it comes up full. When Peter realizes it is the Lord he put on his outer garment and jumps into the water, to get to shore ahead of the boat that was just 100 yards away. They arrive to find Jesus has a fire going with fish and bread cooked. Jesus then feeds them the food he has prepared. The story ends with:

¹⁴ This is now the third time Jesus showed Himself to His disciples after He was raised from the dead.

By this time Jesus had appeared at least 6 times, so it seems John was referring to Jesus appearing to the main group of his original 12 disciples. Remember Jesus usually had other followers or disciples with him but he had specifically chosen the 12.

Luke 6:
13 And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles: ¹⁴ Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; ¹⁵ Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot; ¹⁶ Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor.

Since Jesus had already appeared to, and commissioned his remaining disciples, why had Peter lead them back to their prior work as fishermen? It would seem Peter had some doubts about his future as a preacher.

story that we did not really cover in detail. It is generally called "the denial of Peter".

Matthew 26:
31 Then Jesus said to them, "All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written:

      ' I will strike the Shepherd,
      And the sheep of the flock will be scattered.'
(Zechariah 13:7)

 ³² But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee."
³³ Peter answered and said to Him, "Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble."
³⁴ Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times."
³⁵ Peter said to Him, "Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!"

Later in the chapter, as Jesus is being questioned by the Sanhedrin Council we see Jesus' prediction come true.

⁶⁹ Now Peter sat outside in the courtyard. And a servant girl came to him, saying, "You also were with Jesus of Galilee."
⁷⁰ But he denied it before them all, saying, "I do not know what you are saying."
⁷¹ And when he had gone out to the gateway, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, "This fellow also was with Jesus of Nazareth."
⁷² But again he denied with an oath, "I do not know the Man!"
⁷³ And a little later those who stood by came up and said to Peter, "Surely you also are one of them, for your speech betrays you."
⁷⁴ Then he began to curse and swear, saying, "I do not know the Man!"
Immediately a rooster crowed. ⁷⁵ 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's failure in the council courtyard, has perhaps left him to question his calling, or at least his ability to serve the Lord. And this is how we find Peter In John 21 after Jesus serves them breakfast.

John 21

¹⁵ So when they had eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?"
He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You."
He said to him, "Feed My lambs."

 

[When Jesus asked "do you love me" the Greek word for love is Agapao referring to the unconditional love or devotion, with which God loves us. He also said "more than these", meaning these things. What things, the things there around him, his boat, his nets, his friends, his life as a fisherman. Peter answered "you know I love you" but his word for love in Greek was Phileo, which is brotherly love or affection. Jesus replies "Feed my lambs" the greek word for feed is bosko which means to feed and care for the young sheep.]

¹⁶ He said to him again a second time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?"
He said to Him, "Yes, Lord; You know that I love You."
He said to him, "Tend My sheep."

[Again Jesus asks for devotion and Peter offers affection. Jesus tells him to poimainó tend or shepherd the flock.]

¹⁷ He said to him the third time, "Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?" Peter was grieved because He said to him the third time, "Do you love Me?"
And he said to Him, "Lord, You know all things; You know that I love You."
Jesus said to him, "Feed My sheep.

[The 3^rd time Jesus uses Peter's word for love phileo. As if to say "Peter I'll take you as you are, but I'll make you what you need to be". Peter acted annoyed that Jesus asked him three times, but remember how many times Peter had denied him. And Jesus told him to feed, bosko or tend and feed the flock.]

 

¹⁸ Most assuredly, I say to you, when you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you wished; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will gird you and carry you where you do not wish." ¹⁹ This He spoke, signifying by what death he would glorify God. And when He had spoken this, He said to him, "Follow Me."

[Before Peter denied Jesus, he had promised to die for him. Here Jesus seems to indicate that Peter would glorify God when he would be martyred for preaching Jesus. Early Church tradition holds that Peter was crucified upside down, for the faith. Just as Jesus did when he first called Peter, he ends with the words "follow me".]

 

²⁰ Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following, who also had leaned on His breast at the supper, and said, "Lord, who is the one who betrays You?" ²¹ Peter, seeing him, said to Jesus, "But Lord, what about this man?"
²² Jesus said to him, "If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me."

[Finally Peter looks at John and says "Hey Jesus what about him", If I will die for you, what will John do. But Jesus had a different plan for John. Church tradition holds that John was the last surviving Apostle. The story goes that the Romans tried to kill John by boiling him alive in oil, but he survived. And the Romans were so freaked out by this, that they stranded him on the Island of Patmos, where he would receive the vision and write the final Revelation of Jesus Christ, the last book of the Bible. Jesus says to Peter "what is that to you? You follow me". Don't worry about John, just follow me. Most of you know that Peter did become a preacher, and he was the Pastor or shepherd of the Church at Jerusalem. What a great lesson for us how Jesus took a servant, who had failed, fed him, renewed his calling and restored him to service.]

The Resurrection

After last week's lesson we had a good discussion about the thief who was saved on the cross, among other things. I have one correction I said the sign that said Jesus – King of the Jews, written in three languages. I mistaken called the 3^rd language Aramaic, when it was Latin, that is recorded in John 19:20, that was a part of the first lesson on the Crucifixion, and I got it wrong when I tried to recall it from memory, during the second lesson.

Also Russ asked for the reference for the dead saints resurrected with Jesus and that is from Matthew 27:53 and that lesson was from the end of August.

John 20 (Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24)

[If you read the resurrection story in all 4 gospels, you can get a little confused. Mary Magdalene comes to the tomb multiple times, Jesus appears multiple times, and some see two angels while other saw only 1. What I will try to do is make a timeline of events using all 4 gospels and not which details are from each gospel

The tomb visited:

 ¹ Now the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark

[John starts with Marry Magdalene, the other gospels will Add Mary the mother of James, Salome, Joanna, Luke adds "and other women". So it seems the women who saw Joseph do a rush job on the burial of Jesus planned to meet at the tomb early Sunday morning. Mary "went….while it was still dark", Matthew says she "as it began to dawn…..she came", and Mark says they "came….when the sun had risen". So the leave the houses where they are staying when it's still dark, and the begin arriving at the tomb shortly after dawn.]

 

The stone rolled away:

Matthew 28: ² And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. ³ His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. ⁴ And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men.

[Only Matthew had this part of the story. Just as the earth quakes at his death, so it did again at his resurrection. Remember the guards here, as we will read more about them later.]

 

The tomb found empty by the women: (back in John 20:1)

….and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.

 

Mark 16

⁴ But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away—for it was very large. ⁵ And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed.
⁶ 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. ⁷ 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."

[John says nothing about the angels in the empty tomb, Matthew is similar to what we read in Mark, Luke 24:4 says they saw two "men", so at least one of the women saw a second angels and told it to Luke]

 

The women tell the disciples that the tomb is empty: (John 20)

 

² Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him."

[Luke 24:11 says that the disciples did not believe the women saying "their words seemed to them like idle tales". So they go to see the tomb for themselves.]

 

The tomb found empty by Peter and John:
³ Peter therefore went out, and the other disciple [John], and were going to the tomb. ⁴ So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first. ⁵ And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there; yet he did not go in. ⁶ Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there,
⁷ and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself. ⁸ Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed. ⁹ For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. ¹⁰ Then the disciples went away again to their own homes.

[So Peter and John see the empty tomb and the burial cloth laying there. Verse 8 says John "saw and believed" but verse 9 says they didn't understand that he was resurrected. So what did John believe? He believed that the tomb was empty and the body of Jesus was gone. You will find most did not believe that Jesus was alive until they saw him alive. So the disciples go back home, but Mary Magdalene stays behind at the tomb.]

Mary Magdalene Sees the Risen Lord:

¹¹ But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb. ¹² And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. ¹³ Then they said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?"
She said to them, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him."

[After Peter and John were gone, having seen the empty tomb but not the angels, Mary looks in again, and sees and talks with two angels.]

¹⁴ Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. ¹⁵ Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?"
She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, "Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away."
¹⁶ Jesus said to her, "Mary!"
She turned and said to Him, "Rabboni!" (which is to say, Teacher).

[So Mary is crying and distressed at the disappearance of Jesus' body. But when Jesus speaks her name then she recognizes him turns to grab him.]

¹⁷ Jesus said to her, "Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, 'I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.'"

 

Jesus appears to the other women

Matthew 28

⁹ And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, "Rejoice!" So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. ¹⁰ Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me."

[So Mary tells the other women and as they are going with her to tell the disciples, Jesus appears again and is seen by the other women with Mary Magdalene]

 

The women tell his disciples they have seen Jesus (back in John 20)
¹⁸ Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her.

[So Mary Magdalene is the first to see the resurrected Jesus. Like before she goes to tell the disciples. Mark 16:11 says again that "when they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they did not believe". So again when Mary tells them what she saw, again His disciples do not believe, until they see him for themselves.]

 

The report of the guards to the Sanhedrim Council

Matthew 28

¹¹ Now while they were going, behold, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all the things that had happened. ¹² When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, ¹³ saying, "Tell them, 'His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept.' ¹⁴ And if this comes to the governor's ears, we will appease him and make you secure." ¹⁵ So they took the money and did as they were instructed; and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.

 

[So the guards report to the priest, who assemble the council. Just as the bribed Judas, so they also bribe the guards. This is very risky for the soldiers, for they could be scourged or even killed for being asleep when they are on duty. But they take the money and tell the lie. This is really crazy to think they could sleep through an earth quake, and not hear the stone being rolled away and at least two men dragging his body out of the rock tomb. But what the council feared the most was wide acceptance among the Jews, of a resurrected Jesus. Because once you believe the resurrection, it is impossible to deny Jesus is the Lord, the true Son of God.

 

In Acts 17 Paul said this: 29 Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man's devising. ³⁰ Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, ³¹ because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead." ³² And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, "We will hear you again on this matter." ³³ So Paul departed from among them. ³⁴ However, some men joined him and believed……]