#1540 John 20 Part 2 Doubting Didymus

 

11 But Mary was standing outside the tomb crying; and so, as she was crying, she stooped to look into the tomb; 12 and she *saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been lying. 13 And they *said to her, “Woman, why are you crying?” She *said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.” 14 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 crying? Whom are you seeking?” Thinking Him to be the gardener, she *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 in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (which means, Teacher). 17 Jesus *said to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brothers and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.’” 18 Mary Magdalene *came, announcing to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and that He had said these things to her.

Jesus Appears to His Disciples

19 So while it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and while the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and *said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 And when He had said this, He showed them both His hands and His side. The disciples then rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with 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. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they have been retained.”

24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples were saying to him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”

26 And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus *came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then He *said to Thomas, “Bring your finger here, and see My hands; and bring your hand here and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.” 28 Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus *said to him, “Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are those who did not see, and yet believed.”

Why This Gospel Was Written

30 Therefore many other signs Jesus also did in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name. John 20: 11-31

John 20: 1-31

V. 11 She stooped to look into the tomb - Now John had seen it and believed, but Mary is still weeping for her Lord. 

V. 12 And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and one at the feet - Angels means messengers, and in this case spiritual beings in the form of men, white being a reflection of their holy place of calling. They stand before the Lord in heaven always on the ready to be sent out. Look at their positions, remember the ark of the covenant. 

One at the head and the other at the feet: “So were the cherubim placed at each end of the mercy-seat: Exodus 25:18, 19.” (Clarke) - E Word

…6And again, when God brings His firstborn into the world, He says: “Let all God’s angels worship Him.” 7Now about the angels He says: “He makes His angels winds, His servants flames of fire.” 8But about the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever, and justice is the scepter of Your kingdom.… Hebrews 1: 6-8

V. 16 Rabboni - He was her teacher, she was a disciple of Christ. She is the first person to see the risen Lord, and considering the times, of which the writers would be well aware, this is extraordinary. Women could not give testimony in court at this time, but here, the first witness that Jesus makes Himself known to is a woman. This flies in the face of reason, against culture, tradition, the legal requirements of that age, but to whom is God beholden? No man. This seems wasteful, a testimony that will be thrown out by the Pharisees, yet this is pleasing to the Lord. Are women not also made in the image of God? He has given us different roles based upon our genders, both physically and within the church, but they are not an assessment of greater or lesser value and worth. It is the culture as always that is wrong, not God for choosing a woman to be the first witness to the risen, living Savior. 

“Never was a one-word utterance more charged with emotion than this.” (Tasker) “Jesus can preach a perfect sermon in one word.” (Spurgeon)

iv. “In the garden of Eden, immediately after the Fall, the sentence of sorrow, and of sorrow multiplied, fell upon the woman. In the garden where Christ had been buried, after his resurrection, the news of comfort — comfort rich and divine, — came to a woman through the woman’s promised Seed, the Lord Jesus Christ. If the sentence must fall heavily upon the woman, so must the comfort come most sweetly to her.” (Spurgeon) - E Word

V. 17 Go to My brethren and say to them - The first born of many brethren; these are the words of adoption, of familial belonging.

This also argues for the historic truth of this account. If someone fabricated this story, they would not make the first witnesses to the resurrection women, who were commonly (if unfairly) regarded as unreliable witnesses.

ii. “Celsus, the anti-Christian polemicist of the later second century, dismisses the resurrection narrative as based on the hallucinations of a ‘hysterical woman’.” (Bruce) - E Word

V. 18 I have seen the Lord - Peter and John have seen the empty tomb, John has believed, and Mary has seen Jesus, but this is going to be a hard sell for others, and rightly so. People say things all the time, and we should 1. Consider the source. 2. Consider the story, what is the likelihood? 3. Consider the surrounding events and couldn't this be a vision brought about by longing or hurt? 4. Consider the things that Jesus said before He went to the cross, did He talk about dying and rising again? 5. Consider Who Jesus was when He was with them, did He perform any miracles that would point to His ability to do this, ie raise the dead, heal the sick, etc.? 6. We can also examine the lives of the people who went on from this. How did they live their lives, and were they willing to die for these truths?

38Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” 39 Jesus replied, “A wicked and adulterous generation demands a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.… Matthew 12: 38-40

V. 19 Jesus came and stood in their midst - I love this, they were hiding with the doors shut because they feared the Jews. Jesus doesn't knock, there is no hiding from Him, He appears. Now He would be different than what they had last seen, a glorified Savior, not a ghost. But, last they saw Him, he had been beaten beyond recognition, and He was a corpse laid in a tomb by Joseph and Nicodemus. I think it goes even beyond this, but I don't want to go beyond the text, yet it was certainly difficult for them to recognize Him. 

12Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. And after bending down and seeing only the linen cloths, he went away, wondering to himself what had happened. 13 That same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14They were talking with each other about everything that had happened.…

…15And as they talked and deliberated, Jesus Himself came up and walked along with them. 16But their eyes were kept from recognizing Him. 17He asked them, “What are you discussing so intently as you walk along?” They stood still, with sadness on their faces.…

…18One of them, named Cleopas, asked Him, “Are You the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in recent days?” 19“What things?” He asked. “The events involving Jesus of Nazareth,” they answered. “This man was a prophet, powerful in speech and action before God and all the people. 20Our chief priests and rulers delivered Him up to the sentence of death, and they crucified Him.…

…21But we were hoping He was the One who would redeem Israel. And besides all this, it is the third day since these things took place. 22Furthermore, some of our women astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, 23but they did not find His body. They came and told us they had seen a vision of angels, who said that Jesus was alive.…

24Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had described. But Him they did not see.” 25Then Jesus said to them, “O foolish ones, how slow are your hearts to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and then to enter His glory?”…

…27And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was written in all the Scriptures about Himself. 28As they approached the village where they were headed, He seemed to be going farther. 29But they pleaded with Him, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.” So He went in to stay with them.… Luke 24: 12-29

V. 23 If you forgive the sins of any - He had given them the breath of new life, of regeneration. He was also giving them the gospel that they would carry forth, the announcement of the forgiveness of sins. Who would receive that? Go down to verse 31, "but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name." It is those who believe in Christ Jesus that receive this forgiveness. The disciples carry the message of reconciliation to God.

“Intimating, by this, that they were to be made new men, in order to be properly qualified for the work to which he had called them; for in this breathing he evidently alluded to the first creation of man, when God breathed into him the breath of lives.” (Clarke)

ii. “The Greek word is the same as used by the LXX in those two pregnant phrases of the O.T., viz. Genesis 2:7, ‘the Lord God breathed into man’s nostrils the breath (or The Spirit) of Life’; and Ezekiel 37:9, ‘breathe into these slain and they shall live’ (the vision of the Dry Bones).” (Trench)

iii. “At an earlier stage in Jesus’ ministry the evangelist had said, ‘the Spirit was not yet present, because Jesus had not yet been glorified’ (John 7:39): now the time for imparting the Spirit has come.” (Bruce) - E Word

The connection with the reception of the Holy Spirit is important. “The words of Jesus emphasize that the Holy Spirit is not bestowed on the church as an ornament but to empower an effective application of the work of Christ to all men.” (Tenney)

ii. This lays down the duty of the church to proclaim forgiveness to the repentant believer, and the duty of the church to warn the unbeliever that they are in danger of forfeiting the mercy of God. We don’t create the forgiveness or deny it; we announce it according to God’s word and the wisdom of the Spirit.

iii. “The Church collectively declares the conditions on which sins are remitted, and with the plenary powers of an ambassador pronounces their remission or their retention.” (Trench)

36Therefore let all Israel know with certainty that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ!” 37When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and asked Peter and the other apostles, “ Brothers, what shall we do?” 38Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.… Acts 2: 36-38

Called Didymus - Thomas was called this and it means twin, or doubled, and I wish I could go further with this, but could only find a lot of speculation. We also know of him as doubting Thomas, Thomas the skeptic, but there have been many so called skeptics throughout history, men who pride themselves on their demands for empirical evidence, all the while ignoring the overwhelming amounts of evidence for the Bible and the Christ Whom it foretells, describes and foretells. Many skeptics have also searched earnestly, desirous of disproving God's word, and yet coming to believe, even against their natural inclination for disbelief. Thomas may have also been an odd character, and crushed by the crucifixion of his Teacher, he may have gone to be alone in his despair, missing Christ's first visit with the other Apostles. There is plenty of evidence for the gospel, but men don't care for their loss of autonomy, and they love their sin.

…10As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one. 11There is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. 12All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”… Romans 3: 10-12

…18Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19And this is the verdict: The Light has come into the world, but men loved the darkness rather than the Light because their deeds were evil. 20Everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come into the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.… John 3: 18-20

V. 28 My Lord and my God - He expresses belief, not only in the resurrection, but in the deity of the One before him. It crushes the mind. What a difficult encounter imagine. Jesus response translates it down through the years to us. "Blessed are those who did not see, and yet believed."

“I believe He is speaking, not of a subjective faith, but of a satisfied faith. He is speaking of faith that is satisfied with what God provides and is there fore not yearning for visions, miracles, esoteric experiences or various form of success as evidence of God’s favor.” (Boice)

ii. “From this we learn that to believe in Jesus, on the testimony of his apostles, will put a man into the possession of the very same blessedness which they themselves enjoyed. And so has God constituted the whole economy of grace that a believer, at eighteen hundred years’ distance from the time of the resurrection, suffers no loss because he has not seen Christ in the flesh.” (Clarke)

Read More

#1539 John 20 Part 1 Resurrection

 

Now on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene *came early to the tomb, while it *was still dark, and *saw the stone already taken away from the tomb. 2 So 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.” 3 So Peter and the other disciple went forth, and they were going to the tomb. 4 And the two were running together; and the other disciple ran ahead faster than Peter and came to the tomb first; 5 and stooping and looking in, he *saw the linen wrappings lying there; but he did not go in. 6 And so Simon Peter also *came, following him, and entered the tomb; and he *saw the linen wrappings lying there, 7 and the face-cloth which had been on His head, not lying with the linen wrappings, but folded up in a place by itself. 8 So the other disciple who had first come to the tomb then also entered, and he saw and believed. 9 For as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. 10 So the disciples went away again to where they were staying. John 20: 1-10 LSB

John 20: 1-10

Now on the first day of the week - This would be Sunday, and why we celebrate and gather together on the first day now rather than on Saturday. We are not to forget the Sabbath, because on that day we commemorate that God made the earth in six days and then rested on the seventh. Much of the church today could use a lesson in that. I hear old earth Theist now and wonder when they start to take God's word seriously? To them the six days of Creation in Genesis 1 is figurative, but this doesn't work well with a Bible that also tells us that death entered the world by sin, yet they believe that death, the fossil record, has been going on for millions of years. It is written historically and should be read the same. It tells us Who the Creator is, how long it took Him to create, and by this we know to Whom all things belong. He sent the answer to sin, an act of mercy and grace, our Lord Jesus Christ, who died and rose again on a Sunday, the resurrection, a new creation. 

…8Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God, on which you must not do any work—neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant or livestock, nor the foreigner within your gates.… Exodus 20: 8-10

6And after the Feast of Unleavened Bread, we sailed from Philippi, and five days later we rejoined them in Troas, where we stayed seven days. 7 On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Since Paul was ready to leave the next day, he talked to them and kept on speaking until midnight. 8Now there were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered.… Acts 20: 6-8

…24And let us consider how to spur one another on to love and good deeds. 25 Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have made a habit, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching. 26If we deliberately go on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no further sacrifice for sins remains,… Hebrews 10: 24-26

V. 2 She ran and came to Simon Peter - Mary's reaction is interesting; it goes straight to a material explanation despite Jesus' own words about his coming death and rising on the third day. 

Mary Magdalene… she ran and came to Simon Peter: Other gospels explain she was not the only woman to come to the tomb that morning (at least three other women accompanied her). Mary was the one who ran back and told the disciples about the empty tomb, so John mentions her.

i. Jesus had cast seven demons out of this Mary (Luke 8:2, Mark 16:9). Her troubled past didn’t disqualify her from being the first witness of the resurrected Jesus and His first commissioned messenger of His resurrection.

ii. The women came to complete the work begun by Joseph and Nicodemus. “Probably, in view of the lateness of the hour and the nearness of the sabbath, Nicodemus was not able to use all the spices he had brought in the way intended.” (Morris)

V. 4 And the other disciple - I am more and more convinced from reading John that this is from humility. He doesn't say I, or John, but "the other disciple, the one who Jesus loved". Everything great about him is found in his relation to Christ. I think it a sign of spiritual maturity when men realize that God has no need of them. He has no needs. If you are brought into service, ministry, then take no pride in it. Like Macarthur rightly points out, he is a waiter, bringing what the Chef made to the table, his job is to not drop it or mess it up. He also refers to himself as a spectator, for it is Christ's body, Christ builds his church. It is not dependent upon a man or men. It is not dependent upon personality or humor. 

V.6 Simon Peter also came, following him, and entered the tomb - John hesitates, and tomb were considered unclean places because of the dead, but Peter runs straight in and sees the empty tomb. Now you have three witnesses who don't quite comprehend what they see, but they all know that Jesus' body is no longer there.  

V. 7 And the face-cloth which had been on His head - The author puts a lot of emphasis on this, and typically a tomb would stink from a body after this long, and that is part of the practical reason that they covered it with aloes and spices, probably to deter animals, and also to cover the offensive smell to passerbys. The chemicals may have even left behind a stain, similar to the descriptions of  the Shroud of Turin.

The neat, orderly arrangement of the linen cloths showed that a human hand, at least not in any way that was immediately apparent, did not remove the burial wrappings of Jesus. All this demonstrated that something absolutely unique had happened in that now-empty tomb.

· The linen cloths were there – the body had not been removed with them.

· The linen cloths were orderly – not removed in any normal way by the person wrapped in them.

· The linen cloths were orderly – not removed by grave robbers or vandals.

iv. It has been suggested that the burial wrappings of Jesus have been preserved in the Shroud of Turin. The Shroud of Turin can probably never be positively proved to be part of the burial wrappings of Jesus. But, “The evidence thus far indicates the probable conclusions that the shroud is ancient (perhaps from the first century), that it does not contradict the NT accounts, and that the image is not a fake. It may well be the actual burial garment of Jesus.” (Evangelical Dictionary of Theology)

v. The image on the shroud is of a crucified male, bearded, 5’11” in height, weighing about 175 pounds. His physique was muscular and well built, and he is an estimated age of 30-35 years. His long hair is tied into a pigtail and there is no evidence on decomposition on the cloth. Results of the Shroud of Turin Research Project in October 1978 determined that the Shroud is not a painting or a forgery. They determined that its blood is real blood and the image seems to be some type of scorch, though they cannot account for how it was made.

vi. The Shroud of Turin is an interesting object, yet there are also reasons for skepticism.

· John described two aspects of the grave wrappings: the linen cloths and the handkerchief that had been around His head. This would imply that the head and the body of Jesus were wrapped separately, while the Shroud of Turin presents an image of an entire body on one cloth. It is possible that the Shroud was underneath those two sets of wrappings and unmentioned by John, but we can’t say that John describes a fabric such as the Shroud of Turin.

· However, Trench suggests: “The winding sheet which had been folded over all (Matthew, Mark, Luke) must have been unfolded and laid back along either side so as to leave the bandage-casing exposed.”

· We may suppose a good reason why God would not want or allow the preservation of Jesus’ burial wrappings, not wanting to leave behind a relic that would be inevitably worshipped.

vii. The handkerchief that had been around His head: “This means the headcloth still retained the shape the contour of Jesus’ head had given it and that It was still separated from the other wrappings by a space that suggested the distance between the neck of the deceased and the upper chest, where the wrappings of the body would have begun.” (Tenney) - E Word

V. 8 And he saw and believed - The significance of the moment was not lost on John. Oh my, was this not what Jesus meant, what He talked about?

After Peter went into the tomb John also went in. He then saw (the ancient Greek word eiden meaning, “to understand, to perceive the significance of”) and then John believed. The distinctive arrangement of the burial wrappings convinced him.

i. Generally, the very first Christians did not believe in the resurrection only because the tomb was empty, but because they saw and met the resurrected Jesus. John was something of an exception; he believed simply by seeing the empty tomb, before meeting the resurrected Jesus.

ii. “He believed that Jesus was risen from the dead. He received into his mind, embraced with his assent, THE FACT OF THE RESURRECTION, for the first time. He did this, on the ocular testimony before him; for as yet neither of them knew the Scripture.” (Alford)

iii. “John believed, but Peter was still in the dark. Again the former had outrun his friend.” (Maclaren)

iv. “Some of the best books on the Resurrection have been written by lawyers, some of whom originally set out to disprove it. I am thinking of men like Frank Morrison, Gilbert West, J.N.D. Anderson, and others. Sir Edward Clark, another English jurist, once wrote: ‘As a lawyer I have made a prolonged study of the evidences for the first Easter day. To me the evidence is conclusive, and over and over again in the High Court I have secured the verdict on evidence not nearly so compelling… As a lawyer I accept it unreservedly as the testimony of men to facts that they were able to substantiate.” (Boice) - E Word

21Jesus strictly warned them not to tell this to anyone. 22“The Son of Man must suffer many things,” He said. “He must be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.” 23Then Jesus said to all of them, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me.… Luke 9: 21-23

Vs. 9 For as yet they did not understand the Scripture - They were reluctant to speak about or contemplate His atoning work, very slow to understand. Even seeing the evidence of the resurrection, they still do not comprehend it's meaning. It is interesting that Peter earlier on, speaking on behalf of the other disciples acknowledges Jesus as the Messiah, and when pressed by Jesus further, acknowledges Him as the Christ, the Son of the living God. He also bows to Him. This resurrection further demonstrates Christ's deity, but also the promise of our own resurrection in Him, contrary to the belief of the Sadducees. It is of note that though they walked and learned from Him for 3 years, they were still learning things about Him and their faith was continually increasing.

· The resurrection means that God has an eternal plan for these bodies of ours. “There was nothing in the teaching of Jesus approaching the Gnostic heresy that declared that the flesh is inherently evil. Plato could only get rid of sin by getting rid of the body. Jesus retains the body; and declares that God feeds the body as well as the soul, that the body is as sacred thing as the soul, since the soul makes it its sanctuary.” (Morgan)

· The resurrection means that Jesus has a continuing ministry: He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He ever lives to make intercession for them (Hebrews 7:25).

· The resurrection means that Christianity and its God are unique and completely different and unique among world religions.

· The resurrection proves that though it looked like Jesus died on the cross as a common criminal He actually died as a sinless man, out of love and self-sacrifice to bear the guilt of our sin. The death of Jesus on the cross was the payment, but the resurrection was the receipt, showing that the payment was perfect in the sight of God the Father. - E Word

…3regarding His Son, who was a descendant of David according to the flesh, 4and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by His resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. 5Through Him and on behalf of His name, we received grace and apostleship to call all those among the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith.… Romans 1: 3-5

13Brothers, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who are without hope. 14For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, we also believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him. 15By the word of the Lord, we declare to you that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who have fallen asleep.… 1 Thessalonians 4: 13-15

…24But because Jesus lives forever, He has a permanent priesthood. 25Therefore He is able to save completely those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to intercede for them. 26Such a high priest truly befits us—One who is holy, innocent, undefiled, set apart from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.… Hebrews 7: 24-26

Read More

#1538 John 19 Part 4 The Secret Society Of The Tomb

 

38 Now after these things Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate granted permission. So he came and took away His body. 39 And Nicodemus, who had first come to Him by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about one hundred litras. 40 So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen wrappings with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews. 41 Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. 42 Therefore because of the Jewish day of Preparation, since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there. John 19: 38-42 LSB

John 19: 38-42 

From Matthew's testimony

From Mark's perspective

V.38 Now after these things - This is following Jesus crucifixion and death. The sacrificial system was imperfect regarding the law and sanctification. They only pointed to the ultimate, what it would actually take, but they seared an unforgettable image into the mind of those who witnessed it. They harken back to a unilateral covenant between God and Abraham, wherein Abraham killed and split carcasses, yet he slept as God walked between them, the Father sealing a covenant with the Son and Holy Spirit. Later Abraham will take his own son Isaac to Mt. Moriah, and he will be told to offer him as a sacrifice, for life belongs to the Creator of life, and He has stated that the wages of sin is death. This is the promised son of Abraham's old age and Sarah's dead womb. He is a miracle child, the one in whom God says that the Seed will be called. Abraham is stopped from offering his own son and God provides a ram in his place. Herein we see the picture of substitutionary atonement. Later, David will purchase this plateau from Araunah the Jebusite, who uses it as a threshing floor for grain. This will later be the place where God's acceptable sacrifice will be made, the body of His Son, Who is also the Son of David by His birth.

…4because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. 5Therefore, when Christ came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You prepared for Me. 6In burnt offerings and sin offerings You took no delight.… Hebrews 10: 4-6

…23O king, Araunah gives all these to the king.” He also said to the king, “May the LORD your God accept you.” 24“No,” replied the king, “I insist on paying a price, for I will not offer to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. 25And there he built an altar to the LORD and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. Then the LORD answered the prayers on behalf of the land, and the plague upon Israel was halted.… 2 Samuel 24: 23-25

1A Psalm of David. The LORD said to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.” 2The LORD extends Your mighty scepter from Zion: “Rule in the midst of Your enemies.” 3Your people shall be willing on Your day of battle. Arrayed in holy splendor, from the womb of the dawn, to You belongs the dew of Your youth.… Psalm 110: 1-3

V. 38b But secretly because of his fear of the Jews - Joseph was a Jew himself, and a prominent figure, as was Nicodemus, who was a ruler of the Jews. They are here, though quietly, identifying with Christ in His death and burial. There is still considerable risk in what they are doing. Both men were members of the council, the religious rulers, called the Sanhedrin. This is a guaranteed way to get you kicked out of the country club, go from hero to zero with the other religious rulers. 

ii. “The Jews of that day regarded proper burial of the dead as most important. Many went out of their way to see that fellow-countrymen received proper burial, and this may have had something to do with Joseph’s action.” (Morris)

iii. God used these men to protect the body of Jesus. “As Achilles dragged Hector by the heels round the walls of Troy, so would Satan have liked that men should have mauled the dead body of Christ. He would have cast him to the dogs or to the kites if he could have had his way; but so it must not be.” (Spurgeon)

49But all those who knew Jesus, including the women who had followed Him from Galilee, stood at a distance watching these things. 50Now there was a Council member named Joseph, a good and righteous man, 51who had not consented to their decision or action. He was from the Judean town of Arimathea, and was waiting for the kingdom of God.… Luke 23: 49-51

V. 39 Nicodemus, who had first come to Him by night - Probably some three years before this, Nicodemus came to Him even stating then that they knew He had to be from God because no one could do the things Christ did otherwise. Below are two links to this interaction, and one of Jesus' most profound presentations of the gospel. 

Nicodemus and Jesus part 1

Nicodemus and Jesus part 2

1Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. 2He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs You are doing if God were not with him.” 3Jesus replied, “Truly, truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”… John 3: 1-3

V. 40 As is the burial custom of the Jews - The wrapping and spices, in conjunction with covering the door, also probably helped to keep wild animals, that would smell the corpse, away. 

V. 42 Because of the Jewish day of Preparation -  Day before the Sabbath. They had to hurry so that they weren't working on the Sabbath Day.

i. They examined His entire body and found broken pieces of thorn all over the head. They saw His bloody, matted hair; the terrible bruising of the face, the areas of beard pulled out, the dry and cracked lips. They turned the body over to see His shoulders and arms are riddled with splinters; each one was removed with care. The back, from the shoulders down, was a bloody open wound from the terrible scourging suffered before the crucifixion. His hands and feet were smashed and bloodied. On the front – just beneath the rib cage – there was a gaping wound made from the spear thrust that confirmed His death. Worst of it all were the eyes that did not open; the voice that did not speak.

ii. We can only imagine what deep, life-long impressions this left upon both men and how for the rest of their life the smell of those particular spices would bring back every mental detail.

iii. As these two men did this – men who were experts in the law – they must have known that they were fulfilling prophecy; the prophecy in Isaiah 53:9 that said the Messiah would be with the rich at His death. Here the body of Jesus was, at the hands of two rich men – who customarily would have had a servant do such humble, bloody work. Yet they knew they had to do it themselves.

iv. This was a strange work for these two men to do; yet it was also strange that Jesus, in the plan of Godhead, passively submitted to it. Conceivably, after Jesus accomplished all things and yielded His life, Jesus could have sprung from the cross in a super-hero like flash of power and glory five minutes – or five seconds – after His death. Yet in the plan of God the Father, He hung lifeless on the cross for some period of time – long enough for Joseph to gain an audience with Pilate and receive permission to take the body. He hung on that cross until His body was laboriously removed, and hurriedly buried according to Jewish custom.

v. In God’s plan this burial of Jesus was so important that it is said to be one of the essential components of the gospel itself (1 Corinthians 15:3-4. We can consider many reasons for this.

· This burial fulfilled the Scripture. Isaiah 53:9 says, And they made His grave with the wicked; so that meant the Messiah would be buried in a grave – and He was.

· This burial fulfilled the promise, the prediction of Jesus. Jesus said that He, like Jonah, would be buried away for three days (Matthew 12:40), and so it had to be fulfilled.

· This burial demonstrated that Jesus was truly dead; it was proof of the glory of the coming resurrection. No one could tell Joseph of Arimathea or Nicodemus that Jesus did not really die.

· This burial was important because burial spices and preparations protected His holy body from decay; as it was said in Psalm 16:10: You will not allow Your Holy One to see decay.

· This burial gave both Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus a way to proclaim their relationship with Jesus; it called them out of their state of secret discipleship.

· This burial and the days of Jesus in the tomb tested the faith and devotion of the disciples; it made them die a certain kind of death for those days they knew Jesus lay in the tomb.

· This burial and the days of Jesus in the tomb were ways to prove that at the cross Jesus defeated not only sin, but also death. The burial and the empty tomb show that Jesus conquered sin and death. - E word

Read More

#1537 John 19 Part 3 Esta Terminado

 

28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been finished, in order to finish the Scripture, *said, “I am thirsty.” 29 A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop and brought it up to His mouth. 30 Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.

31 Then the Jews, because it was the day of Preparation, so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. 32 So the soldiers came, and broke the legs of the first man and of the other who was crucified with Him; 33 but coming to Jesus, when they saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. 34 But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. 35 And he who has seen has borne witness, and his witness is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you also may believe. 36 For these things came to pass in order that the Scripture would be fulfilled, “Not a bone of Him shall be broken.” 37 And again another Scripture says, “They shall look on Him whom they pierced.” John 19: 28-37 LSB

John 19: 28-37 It is finished

Vs. 28-29 I am thirsty - He is the Son of David, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, and David is the writer of many of the Psalms, one who pointed to the Messiah. In Psalm 22 we see why He was thirsty, and here we see He is also well aware of His duty to fulfill all righteousness, every jot and tittle. He is in the open, under the oppression of the sun, His back is open from the flogging, blood streams down from His crown of thorns, and He is about drained.

…14I am poured out like water, and all my bones are disjointed. My heart is like wax; it melts away within me. 15My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You lay me in the dust of death. 16For dogs surround me; a band of evil men encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet.… Psalm 22: 14-16

…20Insults have broken my heart, and I am in despair. I looked for sympathy, but there was none, for comforters, but I found no one. 21They poisoned my food with gall and gave me vinegar to quench my thirst. 22May their table become a snare; may it be a retribution and a trap.… Psalm 69: 20-22

More on this from Matthew 27

V. 30 It is finished - There were things that the OT prophecies expressed, which being the Words of God, are proven so by their completion. God is sovereign and if He speaks then it is bound to happen. There is no uncertainty, no wasted words. Jesus also made it clear that no one takes His life, so He actually gives up His Spirit of His own accord. He is a willing participant in all of this, and the orchestrator. 

1Of David. I give You thanks with all my heart; before the gods I sing Your praises. 2I bow down toward Your holy temple and give thanks to Your name for Your loving devotion and Your faithfulness; You have exalted Your name and Your word above all else. 3On the day I called, You answered me; You emboldened me and strengthened my soul.… Psalm 138: 1-3

…17The reason the Father loves Me is that I lay down My life in order to take it up again. 18No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from My Father.” 19Again there was division among the Jews because of Jesus’ message.… John 10: 17-19

14So the LORD God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and every beast of the field! On your belly will you go, and dust you will eat, all the days of your life. 15And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” Genesis 3: 14-15

9He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with a rich man in His death, although He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth. 10Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush Him and to cause Him to suffer; and when His soul is made a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand. 11After the anguish of His soul, He will see the light of life and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant will justify many, and He will bear their iniquities.…

12Therefore I will allot Him a portion with the great, and He will divide the spoils with the strong, because He has poured out His life unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors. Yet He bore the sin of many and made intercession for the transgressors.

 Isaiah 53: 9-12

…24Seventy weeks are decreed for your people and your holy city to stop their transgression, to put an end to sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy Place. 25Know and understand this: From the issuance of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, until the Messiah, the Prince, there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks. It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of distress. 26Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and will have nothing. Then the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood, and until the end there will be war; desolations have been decreed.… Daniel 9: 24-26

Vs. 31-33 They did not break His legs - Breaking the legs of the others was in order to speed up the dying process. They would not be able to lift themselves up to breathe anymore which would lead to asphyxiation. Jesus would be the Lamb without defect, the burnt offering, before the fierce and all consuming fire of the Lord.

The Jewish authorities, because this was the day of preparation for the Sabbath and the Passover (cf. 19:14), requested Pilate to order the legs of the three who had been crucified to be broken. This would hasten their deaths, so that the bodies could be removed before the beginning of the Sabbath at 6 p.m. This was based on the law of Deut 21:22–23 and Josh 8:29 that specified the bodies of executed criminals who had been hanged on a tree should not remain there overnight. According to Josephus this law was interpreted in the 1st century to cover the bodies of those who had been crucified (J. W. 4.5.2 [4.317]). Philo of Alexandria also mentions that on occasion, especially at festivals, the bodies were taken down and given to relatives to bury (Flaccus 10 [83]). The normal Roman practice would have been to leave the bodies on the crosses, to serve as a warning to other would-be offenders. To have the legs … broken. Breaking the legs of a crucified person was a way of speeding up his death, since the victim could no longer use his legs to push upward in order to be able to draw a breath. This breaking of the legs was called in Latin crurifragium, and was done with a heavy mallet. - Precept Austin

…11And he shall wave the sheaf before the LORD so that it may be accepted on your behalf; the priest is to wave it on the day after the Sabbath. 12On the day you wave the sheaf, you shall offer a year-old lamb without blemish as a burnt offering to the LORD, 13along with its grain offering of two-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil—an offering made by fire to the LORD, a pleasing aroma—and its drink offering of a quarter hin of wine.… Leviticus 23: 11-13

V. 34 Pierced His side with a spear - This fulfills part of another prophecy to the Jewish nation, in that He must be pierced in order to look on the One they pierced. Israel has yet to mourn as a nation over the Son of God, their Messiah.

10Then I will pour out on the house of David and on the people of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and prayer, and they will look on Me, the One they have pierced. They will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for Him as one grieves for a firstborn son. 11On that day the wailing in Jerusalem will be as great as the wailing of Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Megiddo.… Zechariah 12: 10-11

1“On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the people of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity. 2And on that day, declares the LORD of Hosts, I will erase the names of the idols from the land, and they will no longer be remembered. I will also remove the prophets and the spirit of impurity from the land. 3And if anyone still prophesies, his father and mother who bore him will say to him, ‘You shall not remain alive, because you have spoken falsely in the name of the LORD.’ When he prophesies, his father and mother who bore him will pierce him through.… Zechariah 13: 1-3

Vs. 35-37 He who has seen - John was there. This is his own account as the disciple who Jesus loved, the one who would care for His mother. Jesus has now fulfilled the message of Passover, that was the picture from long ago.

…45A temporary resident or hired hand shall not eat the Passover. 46It must be eaten inside one house. You are not to take any of the meat outside the house, and you may not break any of the bones. 47The whole congregation of Israel must celebrate it.… Exodus 12: 45-47

…11Such people are to observe it at twilight on the fourteenth day of the second month. They are to eat the lamb, together with unleavened bread and bitter herbs; 12they may not leave any of it until morning or break any of its bones. They must observe the Passover according to all its statutes. 13But if a man who is ceremonially clean and is not on a journey still fails to observe the Passover, he must be cut off from his people, because he did not present the LORD’s offering at its appointed time. That man will bear the consequences of his sin.… Numbers 9: 11-13

…19Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him from them all. 20He protects all his bones; not one of them will be broken. 21Evil will slay the wicked, and the haters of the righteous will be condemned.… Psalm 34: 19-21

Read More