How Do We Know?

How do we know that Jesus was resurrected, from the dead?         We are very sure that, He died on the cross, but how do we know for sure, that He was resurrected?       Did Jesus drop any clues, in His ministry, before the cross?  In these verses Jesus was talking to Martha, after her brother Lazarus had died.

John 11:25  Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: 26  And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

The Scribe’s and Pharisees were asking Jesus to perform a sigh that they might believe in Him.  Actually, they were doing nothing more, than aggravation our Lord. This is His reply:

Matthew 12:39-40  But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: 40  For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

There was another time that Jesus was enduring the Scribe’s and the Pharisees, when He had this to say:

John 2:19  Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.

Naturally, in their pompous and arrogant way, they missed the whole point. They thought that Jesus was talking about the temple, that had taken forty-six years to complete, and continued to ridicule Him farther. Jesus was talking about His body, as the temple, with the end result being resurrected.

It sure sound like He was sure, that He had the power of resurrection in Himself. It would be good if we had a witness, that He was resurrected.      Would it be possible to find at least one?     I believe that we can find at least a couple of folks, that saw the resurrected Jesus.

The first witness, that we have of the resurrection of Jesus is a woman, by the name of Mary Magdalene. Her story has impressed me so, that I feel the need to share it with the readers in its entirety.

John 20:11-18  But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre, 12  And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. 13  And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him. 14  And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. 15  Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. 16  Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. 17  Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.18  Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her.

I posted the entire story, because it really moved me. This woman was weeping, because she didn’t know where the body of Jesus had been taken. She knew that He was dead, so somebody must have moved His body. I really don’t believe that we can understand the excitement of Mary when she figured out that she was talking to Jesus, instead of the gardener.               Do you think that she ran to tell the disciples?

John 20:19  Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.

John 20:26-28  And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. 27  Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. 28  And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.

Acts 1:3  To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:

Yes Virginia, there is no Santa Claus, by we love and serve a risen Savior!! Jesus Christ is better than the fable of Mr. Claus, because Jesus is a true God, and the Only Living God!! He is the only hope, that we have of a life eternal. He is the only one that took upon Himself all of our sins, which separated the Father and Jesus.

The really sad part of this is Jesus knew, for a brief time, which probably felt like an eternity, the separation, from God the Father. Jesus went to Hell, so that we would not have to go. Jesus suffered, all the consequences of our sin, so that we would not have to suffer them.  Jesus paid the price for our redemption, back into the presence, of our Father!! 

In those three days, Jesus paved the path for our Victory. Hell could not hold Jesus captive, because He was not guilty of and sin. Death and the grave also could not hold Jesus, because of John 11:25. Jesus is the resurrection, and the life. All that Jesus is, and has, He offers to us freely, if we only believe that He is.

What do you mean by saying, that we have to believe, that He is? We must believe that Jesus is all that He said He was. We must believe that Jesus can do all that He said that He could do. We must believe that Jesus is the only way back to the Father. We must believe that, Jesus is our only hope, for eternal life. Here is the real kicker. We must act, and behave like we believe, all this is true!!

Sadly, a lot of people don’t believe, that their behavior is that important. They are trusting, in a Hell insurance policy, to get them into Heaven. My Bible teaches me, that if I am trusting in anything other than Jesus, to get me into Heaven, then I am trusting in the wrong thing. 

John 14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Enuff said?     Ain’t Jesus Awesome?

          ….Much Love