“You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away.’” (Matthew 28:13)
As we move through Holy Week, I am presenting three facts that are agreed on by most scholars and historians on both sides of the debate about the historical truth of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. These three facts do not leave any room for unbelievers to object, “You’re just saying that because it’s in the Bible, and I don’t believe the Bible is true!” On Monday we looked at the “embarrassing evidence” of the testimony of the women regarding the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Today and Friday we will examine “enemy evidence” for the resurrection that comes from those who hated Jesus.
The Religious Leaders
Everyone on both sides of the resurrection debate agrees that enemy attestation is a powerful proposition regarding the proof of the Resurrection. The enemies of Jesus hated and feared Him and schemed to have Him put to death. The Jewish Sanhedrin and the Roman government had absolutely nothing to gain and everything to lose by making any statement that would corroborate the Resurrection. Now, in order to have a resurrection, you must have an empty tomb. Do you know who were the first people to testify to the unbelieving world that the tomb of Jesus was empty? (Hint: It wasn’t His followers!)
While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day. (Matthew 28:11-15)
It is important to understand that the tomb location was known; this is called the “Jerusalem Factor.” Jesus was publicly executed and put into a tomb that was known to belong to Joseph of Arimathea. Two known Pharisees buried Jesus: Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. There could have been no confusing the precise location. Moreover, if the tomb was not empty, the religious leaders would have quickly produced the deceased, decaying body of Jesus and paraded Him around Jerusalem for all the world to see. The reason they could not produce His body from a tomb that was widely known was because Jesus was no longer in that tomb. He rose bodily from the grave, just as He had said He would.
Consider this: If someone has a strong bias against someone else, what would be the reason for that person saying anything positive or helpful about the other person? There would be no reason, except for the fact that it must be true. The only story the enemies of Jesus could come up with for the tomb being empty was to say that the disciples stole the body. And we recognize how absurd that claim is when we understand that most of the disciples died for their faith in a risen Jesus.
Let’s you and I suspend belief for just a moment and assume that Jesus’ ragtag group of disciples, untrained civilians who had two swords between them (Luke 22:38) and had all fled in terror when Jesus was arrested (Matthew 25:56), somehow rediscovered their courage and carried out a daring, commando-style raid, overpowering the trained, heavily armed soldiers guarding the tomb, and making off with the body of Jesus. If you can actually get past that preposterous notion, what about this one? Can you convince your self that not one of those disciples ever admitted that was what happened?
I have said from the pulpit on more than one occasion that people have died for a lie in the past . . . but not for something they knew to be a lie. Deceived people certainly have died for a lie, such as the horrific mass suicides that took place in Jonestown in 1978 or the “Heaven’s Gate” cult suicides in 1997. But it strains credulity to the breaking point to think that the disciples of Christ died horrific deaths for their faith in Christ when they could have escaped those deaths simply by testifying to stealing Jesus’ body out of the tomb. None of them ever did.
Charles (“Chuck”) Colson, Prison Fellowship’s founder, came to faith in Christ at age 42. Prior to his conversion, Colson was known as President Richard Nixon’s “hatchet man,” who once famously boasted that he would “run over my own grandmother” to help the president. Colson pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice as part of the so-called Watergate scandal and served seven months in federal prison. It was during this time that Chuck Colson placed his trust in Jesus Christ. The old Colson died, and he was Born Again (the title of his most famous book). Colson spoke of how the Resurrection profoundly affected his thinking:
I know the Resurrection is a fact, and Watergate proved it to me. How? Because twelve men testified they had seen Jesus raised from the dead, then they proclaimed that truth for 40 years, never once denying it. Every one was beaten, tortured, stoned and put in prison. They would not have endured that if it weren’t true. Watergate embroiled twelve of the most powerful men in the world—and they couldn’t keep a lie for three weeks. You’re telling me twelve apostles could keep a lie for 40 years? Absolutely impossible.
The fact that the religious leaders, who hated and feared Jesus Christ, went to such ludicrous lengths to put together such an implausible narrative provides compelling “enemy evidence” for the truth of the resurrection of our Lord.
On Friday, we will look at more “enemy evidence”–that of Saul, the bitter enemy of the Savior.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
The women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. (Matthew 28:8)
We have arrived at Holy Week, and I would like to share three facts with you that come under the heading “Criteria of Authenticity” regarding the resurrection of Jesus Christ. These facts are agreed on by most scholars and historians on both sides of the debate about the historical truth of the Resurrection. The evidence I will present is rooted in the work of Gary Habermas, Michael Licona, and William Lane Craig. These men have established specific facts about the historical Jesus and His resurrection without assuming the divine inspiration of the Gospels. In other words, these three scholars present arguments for the historical truth of the Resurrection that do not leave any room for unbelievers to object, “You’re just saying that because it’s in the Bible, and I don’t believe the Bible is true!”
My focus today will be on what is called “embarrassing evidence” — evidence that is considered by all to be counterproductive to serve as a source of proof for the Resurrection.
The Witness of the Women
To understand the power of this embarrassing piece of evidence, we must journey back in time to the first century. In our contemporary culture, what I am about to say sounds preposterous, but in the ancient world it was a bitter fact of life. Women were widely regarded as second-class citizens; they were thought to be inferior to men and their testimony was considered untrustworthy. They were not allowed to give testimony as public witnesses, but they could testify in domestic and family matters. When large crowds were mentioned, women were never counted among the men. You may recall that in the gospel accounts of the feeding of the 5,000, the story only records the 5,000 men without any mention of women or children, who surely were present. All this to say that if the first-century gospel writers had fabricated the story of the Resurrection and were trying to convince people it was actually true, it is utterly implausible that they would have used women as the first witnesses. They would have cited witness who were considered more trustworthy by the culture of that time.
After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him,’ So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them, “Greetings,” he said. (Matthew 28:1-8)
Why do we read that these “second-class citizens,” who could not give testimony in a court of law, were the first ones to see the risen Jesus? Because it is true! No one would make up a story that would be both embarrassing and counter-productive. In fact, it must have been hard for the gospel writers to write it this way, because when they first heard the report from the women, they themselves didn’t believe! The words of the women “seemed to [the apostles] like nonsense” (Luke 24:11). Surely, the gospel writers would much rather have reported that it was Peter, James, and John who first saw the empty tomb and the risen Lord. This would have been a far more credible statement for the first-century audience to accept. But that would not have been the truth. When we read the gospel accounts, we read exactly what God had planned for providing a powerful proof for the Resurrection in the witness of the women.
A second-century critic of Christianity, the Greek Philosopher Celsus, mocked and ridiculed the witness of the women, stating that Mary Magdalene was a “hysterical female . . . deluded by sorcery.” If you were going to invent the story of the Resurrection to get anyone to believe it, you would never use the witness of the women. But the inspired authors of the gospel accounts were not trying to get people to believe . . . they were simply recounting the facts.
How is it with you? What do you think about the witness of the women as the first ones to see the risen Jesus?
On Wednesday and Friday, we will look at enemy attestation as our second powerful proof of the resurrection.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens. (Ecclesiastes 3:1)
In the movie Top Gun, there is a memorable line that speaks directly into the consciousness of our culture today and how we believe we need to live our lives: “I feel the need . . . the need for speed!” Yet when we look at the life of our Lord Jesus Christ, we see that there is indeed much more to life than merely increasing its speed. It will serve us well to examine our assumptions about the need for speed in the service of our Lord.
When we read through the gospel accounts of the life of Jesus, we see that His days were full but never frantic. From before the sun rose until long after it had set, Jesus never seemed to be in a hurry. He set the perfect pace in His rhythms of responding to the needs of the people, retreating from their presence to refresh, and then reentering society to continue the work the Father had given Him to do. The best way I know how to describe the life Jesus lived is to say that He lived a life marked by unhurried holy habits. And at the top of the list was the time He carved out of each day to spend intentional and intimate time alone with His Father.
Jesus set the perfect example. The question you and I must answer is, Are we following His example?
Jesus set the example for putting God first in our lives. Time and time again, in His perfect wisdom, discernment, and understanding, He could be found alone with His Father. From the early morning hours before it was dark (Mark 1:35), to all night sessions of prayer (Luke 6:12), Jesus always kept the main thing the main thing: time in communion with His Father (Luke 5:16). If we are ever going to live the life God has called us to live in a way that is glorifying to God and good for all those we serve, we too must carve out time each day for God.
Let these words of Jesus be an encouragement to you today, right where this finds you: “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest” (Mark 6:31). Setting intentional time to be alone with the Lord each day will shape and sharpen the rest of our lives. The holy habits of responding to the needs of those we have been called to serve, retreating in order to be refreshed and recharged by God, and then reentering into our calling will have us living according to the wisdom of the Word rather than the wisdom of the world, which prioritizes speed and productivity over spirituality and service.
Let the life of Jesus be your pattern for pace, your model for ministry, and your design for doing all God has called you to do.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men. (Colossians 3:23)
Ever since COVID, experiencing good service can be is increasingly rare; experiencing good service with a smile often seems to be as far as the east is from the west. Let me take this one step further: In the world we live in today, when we actually do receive good service with a smile, we tend to be surprised, perhaps even skeptical.
We can’t control how others are serving us, but we certainly can control how we are serving others, and our verse for today provides the key that unlocks the door leading to service with a smile. If we are truly serving to please God and not people, we will always serve with a smile, regardless of the service we are providing.
Jesus said the greatest place in His Kingdom is not occupied by the one with the most servants, but by the one who serves the most. He Himself, the King of kings, did not come to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28). When we are serving others and taking genuine pleasure in doing it, we are maximizing the glory we are bringing to our God. The person or people we are serving are blessed, we are blessed, and God is glorified.
Service with a smile is just another way of saying joyful service. And here is the best way I have ever heard the word joy explained:
J – JESUS
O – OTHERS
Y – YOU
Joyful service is the foundation upon which to build our Christian life. Jesus is first. Others are second. And we are third. Funny thing though: Using this formula in our service actually puts us in the lead, because we simply cannot bless others without blessing ourselves.
One final point about service with a smile: You might be called by Jesus to serve in a capacity that is not something you like doing most or are the most gifted at doing. Do it anyway, because the greatest joy we can experience in this life is not found in simply doing what we love to do most, but in being most like Jesus.
Is your service marked by a smile today? It will be, no matter what kind of service you are providing, when you are doing it for the Lord.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
The Lord appeared to us in the past, saying: “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.” (Jeremiah 31:3)
Do you ever feel like you need to put on a brave face and smile through the storms and sorrows of life? Do you attempt to create the best possible “highlight reel” on social media so others will perceive you in a certain way? I have a word of encouragement for you on those days when you may find yourself trying to live up to someone else’s expectation of you: You are fully known by Jesus and you are completely and unconditionally loved . . . so you can unmask what is unreal.
O Lord, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord. You hem me in – behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. (Psalm 139:1-6)
These God-breathed words set us free to live an unmasked life, even before the face of our critics. When you know just how much you are known by God — that nothing that you think or do or say is hidden from Him in any way — and yet you are still completely loved, does it really matter what others think about you? Think about it this way: God knows everything about you — all the good, all the bad, and all the ugly — and He still wants to be in relationship with you for all eternity!
Christian, the next time you feel the need to hide behind a mask because of what others might think about you, look to the cross. Jesus loves you so much He died to be with you! And He did this while knowing your every thought, word, deed, and desire. Let that truth set you free to discard every mask and live before the face of God, who knows everything about you and loves you with an everlasting love.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)
By nature, we all seek independence. We crave it! We can’t wait to crawl, walk, and run. We want to be in control of our lives, and independence is the key that unlocks that door. However, God has made it impossible for us to live independently of Him, “for in him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). We were made by God, formed for the glory of God, and we are totally dependent upon Him for everything. Our next heartbeat is totally in His hands. He is “the God who holds your breath in His hand and owns all your ways” (Daniel 5:23 NKJV).
The word “remains” in John 15:5 means that we believe Jesus is the Son of God, have received Him as our Lord and Savior, live in accordance to His will, and live totally dependent upon Him for everything. While the NIV renders the Greek meno as “remains,” several other English translations offer “abides” — that is, to remain united with Jesus. We are to lean on Jesus, learn from Jesus, and live for Jesus, not in our strength but in His. We are to rely on Him and rest in Him. If we do that, our lives will be fruitful and fulfilling. As John 15:5 asserts, apart from Jesus we can do nothing.
When we try to live independent lives, we forfeit the joy, happiness, and peace that our Lord has promised to us. Why? Because when God created mankind, He did it in such a way that it would be impossible for us to find true joy, true happiness, and true peace in anything smaller than Jesus. And we all know what it feels like when we try to do that, because we all have tried and experienced varying degrees of failure, ranging from “dismal” to “catastrophic.”
What best describes the way you are living your life today? Are you living in independence or dependence? Are you living as if everything depends on you or on God?
Dependence on God is a good thing. He has promised to be with us every step of the way through this life and the next and to meet our every need along the way. Let that truth set you free to be all God is calling you to be by remaining in Jesus and depending on Him for everything you want out of life, both great and small. Dependence truly is better than independence. You have His Word on that!
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
The Lord your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul. It is the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him. (Deuteronomy 13:3-4)
How do you see your life today? If you see it as a race, you will highly value speed and likely be in a hurry everywhere you go. If you see it as a party, you will highly value pleasure and only be satisfied when you are having fun. Make no mistake, the vision that rules your heart shapes your life, and that is why it is critical to see life from God’s perspective. And why would we not? He is the One who created life and is sustaining all of it.
We see from the very beginning of human history with Adam and Eve in the Garden that God has ordained life to be a test. God tested our first parents with the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
The Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.” (Genesis 2:16-17)
We all know that Adam and Eve failed their test. But God did not leave them in their failure; He promised to send a Redeemer (Genesis 3:15), because a failed test would not be the end of their story. And it is never the end of our story either! Throughout Scripture we read words like “trials,” “refining,” and “testing” over and over again, giving us great insight as to how we are to view the life we are living before the face of God.
God gives us tests to build our character and strengthen our faith. Some tests come in the form of sickness and disease. Other tests come in the form of difficulties at the office or in our relationships. Still other tests come in the form of persecution for our faith in Jesus. But regardless of when, where, and how God tests us, each test is designed to deepen our dependence on Jesus and to teach us to walk by faith and not by sight.
Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. (James 1:12)
How has God been testing you lately? How have you been doing with that test? Remember, falling isn’t failure unless you fail to get up. And please remember this: You have passed the most important test in life – your final exam, if you will – if you are trusting in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation. His sinless life, atoning death, and supernatural resurrection are the door to eternal life for all those who believe that when He cried out from the cross, “It is accomplished,” He meant what He said. He paid the price for your salvation in full. Let these words be an encouragement as you face every test God sends your way.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
“Whatever you ask the Father in my name . . .” (John 16:23)
Today is the sixth and final installment in our series of articles on praying “in Jesus’ name.” We have been examining six reasons why praying in Jesus’ name is the key component in the prayers we pray. We saw that praying in Jesus’ name gives us access to God the Father and powerin our prayers. We also saw that the invitation to pray in Jesus’ name is a clear indication of how deep our Father’s love is for us, we rejoiced in the assurance we have that praying in Jesus’ name brings glory to the Father, and we drew strength from the security that comes with praying in Jesus’ name. The final reason for praying in Jesus’ name is the joy we will experience.
Key #6 – Joy
To be sure, there are dozens more reasons for praying “in Jesus name” beyond what I have touched on in these articles, but today’s is one of the best.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you . . . Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full” (John 16:23-24).
When was the last time you prayed in Jesus’ name and thought about your joy being full? Yet this is the promise we have from Jesus! True, lasting joy in this life is only found in Jesus.
Now, I am well aware that you and I go looking for joy in a great many things other than Jesus. We seek it in our jobs. We seek it in our relationships. We seek it in our finances. We seek it in our pleasures. We seek it in the next shiny object we buy. Yet our life experiences make it clear that genuine, enduring joy simply cannot be found in anything smaller than Jesus. Praying in Jesus’ name is a reminder of this full joy that has been promised to us by the One in whose name we pray.
One final thought: There was a time in my life and ministry when I would pray, and when I reached the end of the prayer, I would quickly say, “in Jesus’ name,” practically tacking on those words as an afterthought. I am a whole lot older and a little bit wiser today, and I know those three words are the most important part of my prayers. Instead of rushing through them, I relish the thought of the great honor and privilege I have been given to pray in Jesus’ name and the blessings multiplied I receive from having done so.
May this be the confession of your life as you pray in Jesus’ name; as you utter these three key words, slow down, soak them up, and savor them for the truth, power, love, assurance, security, and joy they bring into your life.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
“Whatever you ask the Father in my name . . .” (John 16:23)
We are moving toward the conclusion of a six-part message on the three key words in prayer: “in Jesus’ name” and the six reasons why praying in Jesus’ name is the key component in the prayers we pray. So far we have seen that praying in Jesus’ name gives us access to God the Father and powerin our prayers. We have also seen that the invitation to pray in Jesus’ name is a clear indication of how deep our Father’s love is for us, and on Monday we rejoiced in the assurance we have that praying in Jesus name brings glory to the Father, which pleases Him a great deal! Today we will look at the security that comes with praying in Jesus’ name.
Key #5 – Security
Praying in Jesus’ name is a constant reminder of the eternal security we have in our Savior, Jesus Christ, who said “I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away” (John 16:1 ESV). The simplest way I know of communicating this biblical truth is this: Once His, always His! Every time we pray in Jesus’ name we are reminded that we are eternally secure in our right relationship with God. Satan cannot separate us from our Savior; even our sin cannot shipwreck our salvation. We have an eternal salvation security that is unaffected by anything in this world — not because of our faithfulness to God, but because of His faithfulness to us . . . in Jesus’ name.
“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (John 10:27-30)
Jesus reminded His disciples to continue praying in His name because it would be a constant reminder of their eternal security when they would need it most. They were about to face incredible persecution for their faith in Jesus; many of them would die a martyr’s death. In order to hold fast to their faith in the face of terrible trials, they needed to be reminded that nothing in this life — not death nor their own wavering faith nor even their outright sin — could ever separate them from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Let each prayer you pray “in Jesus’ name” be a constant reminder of the security you have — not because you have Jesus, but because Jesus holds you in His hand.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:13)
Dear Kim,
I am praising God and thanking you for 31 years of marriage, knowing that it must seem like a lot more than 31 years with all you have had to put up with from me. Even though I have not always shown it, you are my best friend and true love. When God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him” (Genesis 2:18), He blessed me with the greatest helper I could have ever found in this world.
We have traveled these 31 years together through seasons of both sunshine and rain, and through it all, you have stayed by my side. God has blessed us with four amazing children who all love Jesus and live for Him in their own special way. You are the greatest mother in the world, and your faithfulness to God has set the shining example for our children to follow. In closing, let me echo the words of the apostle John, who said, “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth” (3 John 1:4):
As great as my joy is to see our children walking with Jesus, my greatest joy in all the world is to be with you each day.
Grace for the Race 