Good Monday to you my ‘Walking with Jesus’ friends,
I’ve often wondered what that Monday was really like in Jerusalem after the Passover weekend during which Jesus was crucified, buried and raised to life? Surely there could not have been any subject more talked about that Monday than those remarkable events. I wonder how many hundreds of people came to the empty tomb to see for themselves, and walked away bewildered?
I presume the tomb guards had fled Jerusalem with the money paid to them to keep quiet. (Matt. 28:11-15) I presume the disciples, Mary the mother of Jesus and Mary Magdalene, were in hiding, afraid of what the religious leaders might do to them, who were known to be Jesus’ closest friends. I’ve often wondered if they went to Bethany to stay with Lazarus, Mary and Martha? Can you even imagine what that Monday was like for them as they sat around talking about their experiences with Jesus, including His shocking appearance to them the night before! (Luke 24:36-48)
All four Gospel writers are silent about that Monday after resurrection Sunday. In fact, we have no record of anything which occurred until the following Sunday. As you may know the apostle Paul, several years later, when writing to the Christians in Corinth, wrote this powerful statement: “What I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Jesus Christ died for our sins, according the Scriptures, that He was buried and that He was raised on the third day, according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that He appeared to more than 500 of the brothers and sisters at the same time…then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all He appeared to me…” (1 Corinthians 15:3-8)
Do you see Paul declaring that he RECEIVED all this information about resurrected Jesus, and passed it on as of primary, first importance. Why ‘first importance’? Because the Gospel of Jesus Christ and our salvation is all built on the resurrection of Jesus! Jesus must be a living Savior who defeated death by His resurrection! A dead man cannot save anyone!
Who did Paul receive this resurrection information from? I believe from Jesus Himself, for Paul wrote to the Galatian Christians: “I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the Gospel I preached is not of human origin. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.” (Gal. 1:11,12) In the verses which follow in Galatians 1, Paul described his past persecution of Jesus followers; his passionate pursuit of perfection in Judaism; his calling from God to preach the Gospel of Jesus; and his years of training by God Himself.
Therefore, I conclude that the list which Paul writes, of those who had encounters with the resurrected Jesus Christ, was given to Paul by Jesus in the subsequent years of Paul’s training.
We have no other Biblical record or reference regarding this appearance of resurrected Jesus to 500 people at one time. But we do have records of all the other appearances Paul mentions and we’ll look at those over the next several days as we follow the “Grand Narrative” story of events which happened during those 40 days between Jesus’ resurrection and Jesus’ ascension back to heaven.
Years later the disciple Peter wrote two letters to the Christians of the first century. His relationship with Jesus was very special, of course, and Peter’s letters were highly respected. In his first letter Peter makes a reference to what happened to Jesus following His crucifixion and before His resurrection. It’s a statement which has stirred up great debate over the 2000 years since, but let’s take a moment, on this Monday after resurrection Sunday, to look closely at Peter’s words.
Writing to suffering Christians being persecuted in the first century, Peter wrote: “It is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil. For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.” (1 Peter 3:17,18) The suffering of Jesus Christ, of which Peter speaks, is of course His agony of God placing the sin of humanity upon Jesus on the cross and then God pouring out His justice wrath judgment upon Jesus. (2 Cor. 5:21) But it was through Jesus’ becoming our atonement sacrifice that Jesus brings us to God and God forgives us of our sin, because Jesus paid our full sin debt! (2 Cor. 5:17-19; Romans 4:25)
Peter continued writing: “He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.” We understand that don’t we? Jesus’ human body died on that cross, but His Soul/Spirit remained alive, just as your soul/spirit will remain alive when you die. Jesus, God the Son, is eternal, no beginning and no end. Jesus took on human flesh in His birth in Bethlehem. At the moment of His death Jesus’ Soul/Spirit went to ‘Paradise’ to be with God. Remember Jesus had told the criminal on the cross “Today you will be with Me in Paradise.” (Luke 23:43) That is exactly what happens when ANY person dies who has trusted Jesus Christ to be their Savior. “Absent from the body is present with the Lord.” (2 Cor. 5:8) Can you imagine the celebration in ‘Paradise‘ when Jesus’ Soul/Spirit arrived in Paradise, as His dead body hung on the cross?
But Peter tells us one other very interesting thing: “After being made alive, He [Jesus Christ] went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits – to those who were disobedient…” (1 Peter 3:19) The phrase “He went” of course, suggests a journey the Soul/Spirit of Jesus took, going from one place to another. The phrase “made proclamation” suggests an important speech or message given. And the phrase “to the imprisoned spirit – to those who were disobedient” identifies WHO Jesus went to give His message to. ‘Imprisoned’ suggests they are confined in an undesirable place, from which they cannot escape. ‘Spirits’ suggests they are not in human bodies, but they are the souls/spirits of disobedient people who have died. Most Bible scholars conclude this is the place called “Hades” where the souls/spirits of all unredeemed, unsaved people go when they die. From this place, Hades, they will be raised to stand in judgment before Jesus the King, at the Judgment of the Great White Throne. (Revelation 20:11-15)
If true, what message do you suppose Jesus went to Hades to deliver? I believe it may have been the same one-word proclamation Jesus cried from the cross: “Tetelestai“, declaring that He had completed God’s Redemption Plan through His incarnation; His sinless life; and His atonement death! That sealed forever the eternal destiny of Satan, his demons and all who have not accepted God’s Redemption Plan and trusted Jesus to be their Savior.
If true, I believe it means the Soul/Spirit of Jesus then returned from Hades to Paradise after that proclamation, and then on resurrection morning, Jesus’ Soul/Spirit came from Paradise back to earth and was reunited with His new, glorified, resurrected body. Then resurrected Jesus appeared to Mary that Sunday morning in the garden, and to the disciples gathered that Sunday evening, and eventually to all who Paul named.
Oh my, let’s celebrate that on this Monday after Easter! The “lessons learned” notes at the “Grand Narrative” link below will help you in further study and then a worship song will bless your soul, and tomorrow I’ll be here waiting for you again.
Today’s Scripture: 1 Peter 3:17-19; Galatians 1:11,12.
Choose below to read or listen.
1 Peter 3:17-19
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Galatians 1:11,12
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
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Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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