Bible Studies for Life for April 12: Jesus’ resurrection: Fact or fiction?

Bible Studies for Life for April 12: Jesus’ resurrection: Fact or fiction? focuses on Luke 24:1-8, 36-40, 44-46.

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“Shakespeare or Scripture” is a contest heard weekly on listener supported Tyler Christian radio station KVNE. Morning personality Mike Harper reads a line either from Shakespeare or a verse from the King James Version of the Bible and then asks the contestant on the phone to identify it as either Shakespeare or Scripture.

I will have to admit that sometimes it is hard to discern between Shakespeare and Scripture. Likewise, it is difficult to comprehend the true biblical facts about the resurrection of Jesus and how the world views Easter.    

Luke 24 gives the world the facts. The chapter tells about the angels announcing Jesus’ resurrection, gives an account of his physical presence with disciples, and reminds us that was prophesied in Old Testament Scriptures.

Is the resurrection of Jesus, fact or fiction?

Remembering Jesus’ promise (Luke 24:1-8)

Just recently, I heard a story about a funeral home that was unable to prepare the body of a man who had died. The family of the deceased wanted to spend time in prayer for three days, praying for the man to come alive. After no resurrection on the third day, the body was prepared, and a funeral service was held.

How surprised would the family have been if their loved one had come back to life? Although the followers of Jesus had heard him say he would die and come again, they were not expecting him to defeat death after seeing him crucified on the cross.

Luke 24:1 says, “the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb.” The bringing of spices would be compared to bringing flowers to the grave of a loved one today. Finding the tomb empty and Jesus’ body not inside was a shock to “Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James and the others with them” (Luke 24:10).

God had a message to be proclaimed that day, and he sent angels in the form of two men to comfort the women and remind them Jesus said this would occur. “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he is risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again” (Luke 24:5-6).


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The message God wanted proclaimed was that Jesus is not dead but alive. Jesus is to be celebrated as the living Lord and Savior.

Confirming Jesus lives (Luke 24:36-40)

In verses 13-35, Jesus appears to two believers traveling on the road to Emmaus. When Jesus walked with them, they did not recognize him. They were so engrossed in trying to discern if the news of the empty tomb was true and the resurrection of Jesus was real, they themselves did not recognize the Savior.

Upon arriving at their destination, they asked Jesus to stay and have dinner with them. When Jesus gave thanks and broke the bread, “their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight” (Luke 24:31). The two returned to Jerusalem. They had good news to tell the disciples: “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon” (Luke 24:34).

Don’t be harsh on these two travelers for not recognizing the Lord. Have you ever ran a stop sign that is at an intersection of a road you travel daily? Why did you run it? More than likely, you were in deep thought about an issue and did not comprehend the command of the traffic sign.

Sometimes I wonder how many times I have missed the promptings of the Holy Spirit to be obedient to the Lord’s commands because I was focused on other things.

Not only did Jesus appear to the two travelers he appeared in the middle of the room where the disciples were gathered. “They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost” (Luke 24:37).  

To prove he indeed was alive, Jesus encouraged them to look him over, much like a mother would check her newborn to see all was in place. Jesus said to them: “Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have” (Luke 24:39). He even ate a piece of fish to show them he was not a ghost or a figment of their imaginations.

Believers, we must remember Jesus was not just a restored human. He had a glorified body and was able to appear and disappear. The kind of body Jesus had will be given to believers at the resurrection of the dead (1 Corinthians 15:42-50).

The way Jesus appeared was too good to be true, but as they experienced the joy and presence of the risen Savior, they believed.
    

Believing Scripture’s testimony (Luke 24:44-46)
 
The disciples were looking for a conquering Messiah to oust Roman rule. The Scriptures teach differently.

The disciples finally understood the Scriptures because Jesus opened their minds, just like the Holy Spirit does for believers today. Jesus told them, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day (Luke 24:26).” God’s Messiah must suffer, die and rise to life.

When a person reads Scriptures and allows the Holy Spirit to teach truth, the reader believes the whole Bible is testimony that Jesus is God’s Son. The Messiah. The One sent to “save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).

The question I like to ask on Resurrection Sunday is one I read in a Max Lucado book: Was the stone rolled away to let Jesus out or to allow seekers to see the empty tomb? Jesus did not need the stone moved, but the world needed to see the empty tomb in order to believe in the truth of Jesus’ resurrection.

The Holy Spirit reveals daily in my life, “Jesus is Alive!”


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