Now it was already evening. Since it was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath), Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent Council member who himself was waiting for the kingdom of God, boldly went to Pilate to ask for the body of Jesus.
Pilate was surprised to hear that Jesus was already dead, so he summoned the centurion to ask if this was so. When Pilate had confirmed it with the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph.
So Joseph bought a linen cloth, took down the body of Jesus, wrapped it in the cloth, and placed it in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance to the tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where His body was placed.
When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so they could go and anoint the body of Jesus. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they went to the tomb. They were asking one another, “Who will roll away the stone from the entrance of the tomb?” But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away, even though it was extremely large.
When they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here! See the place where they put Him. But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see Him, just as He told you.’”
So the women left the tomb and ran away, trembling and bewildered. And in their fear they did not say a word to anyone.
Early on the first day of the week, after Jesus had risen, He appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom He had driven out seven demons. She went and told those who had been with Him, who were mourning and weeping. And when they heard that Jesus was alive and she had seen Him, they did not believe it.
After this, Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them as they walked along in the country.
And they went back and reported it to the rest, but they did not believe them either.
Later, as they were eating, Jesus appeared to the Eleven and rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.
And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In My name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not harm them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will be made well.”
After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.
And they went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked through them, confirming His word by the signs that accompanied it.
Mark 15:42—16:20
The Resurrection
Jesus was crucified at nine in the morning and died shortly after three in the afternoon, before the Sabbath began at sunset. Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the Sanhedrin, had not agreed to the condemnation of Jesus. He boldly came to Pilate to ask for his body so that he could give him an honorable burial. Joseph’s public identification with the crucified Jesus is a powerful example of discipleship in the midst of persecution; his decision could have cost him his position, or even his life.
Social and religious pressures which stop people from publicly identifying with Jesus still exist today. This is one result of the spiritual war which is taking place around us. Being a disciple of Jesus includes many sacrifices. Jesus teaches us:
“If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and for the Gospel will save it. What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? If anyone is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in His Father’s glory with the holy angels.”
Mark 8:34—38
The spiritual blessings we receive as disciples of Jesus are far greater than the temporal sacrifices we face in this world:
“I consider that our present sufferings are not comparable to the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the revelation of the sons of God.”Romans 8:18—19
At Jesus’ crucifixion there were some women present who had followed him in the Galilee and had come up to Jerusalem with him; they looked on from afar. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where they had buried Jesus. After the Sabbath they went with Salome to the grave in order to anoint his body. At the grave they met an angel who announced to them the resurrection of Jesus: “Do not be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here! See the place where they put Him.”
They were the first to hear the good news of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. Jesus’ resurrection is the definitive proof that his atoning death was accepted by God. God raised Jesus from the dead, and also exalted him as Lord:
“Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name above all names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus the Messiah is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Philippians 2:9–11
Jesus’ resurrection was unlike anything that had ever happened before. For example: Elijah asked God to raise the widow of Zarephath’s son; Elisha asked God to raise the Shunammite’s son; Jesus raised the daughter of Jairus. In all of these instances the people who rose would eventually die. But when Jesus rose from the dead, God gave him a new body, a glorified body which would never decay or die. Jesus proclaims:
“Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last, the Living One. I was dead, and behold, now I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of Death and of Hades.”
Revelation 1:17—18
Jesus was the first to rise to eternal life. Eternal life is the certain hope of all who trust in Jesus. When we trust in Jesus, God fills us with his Spirit and gives us the assurance that we too will rise to eternal life:
“And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Messiah Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, who lives in you.”
Romans 8:11
The Proclamation of the Gospel
Jesus’ ministry was to the nation of Israel. However, on rare occasions he encountered Gentiles who displayed particularly strong faith in him. Jesus rewarded the faith of these Gentiles by healing them or their loved ones. These incidents point to the universal nature of the Gospel. The love of God encompasses not only the nation of Israel, but every nation and people. God promised that the Messiah would bring salvation to the nations, as it is written:
“It is not enough for You to be My Servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the protected ones of Israel. I will also make You a light for the nations, to bring My salvation to the ends of the earth.”
Isaiah 49:6
Through Jesus’ atoning death, and his resurrection three days later, salvation is now extended to all nations. Jesus rose from the dead and commanded his disciples: “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature.”
All who have trusted in Jesus are his disciples, and are commanded to proclaim the Gospel: Through faith in the atoning death of Jesus and his resurrection from the dead, we can be saved from the wrath of God on our sins and restored to a relationship with him.
Jesus came to this world to die in our place and take upon himself the punishment which we deserve for our sins. He died in our place so that we can be forgiven and reconciled to God. Every single person needs to hear the Gospel — both Jews and Gentiles — because everyone is in desperate need of salvation.
We do not proclaim the Gospel by our own strength; God sends his Spirit to empower us. Paul the apostle writes about the centrality of God’s power in proclaiming the Gospel:
“When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Messiah Jesus and Him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith would not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.”
1 Corinthians 2:1—5
The Ascension
Forty days after Jesus rose from the dead, he was taken to heaven and sat at the right hand of God. It is essential to understand that his ministry continues today. Jesus intercedes for all those who trust in him:
“But because Jesus lives forever, He has a permanent priesthood. Therefore He is able to save completely those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to intercede for them. Such a high priest truly befits us—One who is holy, innocent, undefiled, set apart from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, He does not need to offer daily sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people; He sacrificed for sin once for all when He offered up Himself.”
Hebrews 7:24—27
Today Jesus is alive and seated at the right hand of God. He will return very soon to establish the Kingdom of God on earth and reign over the world from Jerusalem. Jesus commands us to live in readiness for his return:
“At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And He will send out the angels to gather His elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. […] And what I say to you, I say to everyone: Keep watch!”
Mark 13:26—27, 37
When Jesus returns he will be made visible in his glory to all that dwell upon the earth:
“Then 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.”
Zechariah 12:10
We can not remain indifferent to the authority and power of Jesus. We must decide if we accept him as our Lord and Savior, or if we reject him. Today God offers us salvation from our sins and the wrath to come through faith in the crucified and risen Lord Jesus. Prepare yourselves, the Lord Jesus is coming very soon:
“Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him — even those who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. So shall it be! Amen.”
Revelation 1:7