RESURRECTION - RAISED TO NEW LIFE, YOU AND I!

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TEXT: MATTHEW 27:52-53

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HOLY WEEK: FROM HOLY MONDAY TO "SPY" WEDNESDAY

This entire Holy (or Passion) Week was filled with stunning events which have stood the test of time for almost 2000 years. For it is on this week, that Jesus first over turned the corrupt religious High Priest Annas' money tables in the Jerusalem Temple on Monday, to the teach of the Parables and more on Tuesday (see below).

On the day before the Passover of Holy Week, which the Lord Jesus celebrated with His disciples, the Gospel of Matthew records the betrayal of Jesus by Judas for 30 pieces of silver. This day of rest for Jesus in Bethany, also saw the woman anoint His feet with the expensive jar of Alabaster oil.

On Holy Monday: 

Cleansing of the Temple  (Matthew 21:12-13)

Then Jesus went into the temple [d]of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ ”

On Holy Tuesday: 

The Parable of the Two Sons (Matt. 21:28-32)

Then on Holy Tuesday, some of these same priests tried to lay a trap for Him. 

Jesus dispatched them with ease and proceeded to teach on The Parable of the Two Sons, The Parable of the Two Tenants, and The Parable of the Wedding Feast:

 “But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go, work today in my vineyard.’ He answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it and went.  Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go.  Which of the two did the will of his father?”  They said to Him, “The first.”

Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you.  For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him.

The Parable of the Tenants (Matt. 21:33-41)

“Hear another parable. There was a master of a house who planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and leased it to tenants, and went into another country. When the season for fruit drew near, he sent his servants[c] to the tenants to get his fruit. And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other servants, more than the first. And they did the same to them. 

Finally He sent His Son to them, saying, ‘They will respect My Son.’  But when the tenants saw the Son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill Him and have His inheritance.’ And they took Him and threw Him out of the vineyard and killed Him. When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will He do to those tenants?” They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give Him the fruits in their seasons.”

The Parable of the Wedding Feast (Matt. 22:1-14)

And again Jesus spoke to them in parables, saying,  “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who gave a wedding feast for His Son, and sent His servants  to call those who were invited to the wedding feast, but they would not come. Again He sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “See, I have prepared My dinner, My oxen and My fat calves have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding feast.”’  But they paid no attention and went off, one to His farm, another to his business, while the rest seized His servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them.  

The king was angry, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. Then He said to His servants, ‘The wedding feast is ready, but those invited were not worthy.  Go therefore to the main roads and invite to the wedding feast as many as you find.’  And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests.

“But when the king came in to look at the guests, He saw there a man who had no wedding garment.  And He said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the attendants, ‘Bind him hand and foot and cast him into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’  For many are called, but few are chosen.”

ON "SPY WEDNESDAY"

JUDAS BETRAYS JESUS (MATTHEW 26:1-16)

When Jesus had finished all these sayings, He said to His disciples,  “You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified.”

Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas,  and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill Him.  But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.”

Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came up to Him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table. And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant, saying, “Why this waste?  For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.”  

But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, “Why do you trouble the woman? For she has done a beautiful thing to Me.  For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have Me.  In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare Me for burial.  Truly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”

Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests  and said, “What will you give me if I deliver Him over to you?” And they paid him thirty pieces of silver. And from that moment he sought an opportunity to betray Him.

READ MORE ABOUT HOLY TUESDAY HERE FROM THE BOOK OF MATTHEW 

(CLICK) ON BIBLE GATEWAY

English Standard Version (ESV)

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

CONSIDER THIS: BEHOLD

 “Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age….Matthew 28:20

CONSIDER THIS: The word “BEHOLD” appears in the Bible (the universally accepted King James…and other versions) over 1320 times! The word means to fix your attention (eyes, mind etc) on something; to fix your eyes upon or to direct your fixed gaze to! The great John the Baptist said “BEHOLD, the Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world”. The brutal Pontius Pilate said “BEHOLD The Man!” Are you beholding the Man – Christ Jesus today? Is not just your Sunday gaze, but is your Monday-Saturday night gaze, mind, body, soul and every fiber of your being in the manifest presence of Jesus Christ and the Beauty and Majesty of Him Who sits on the Throne?

ACTION: Being in the manifest presence of the Lord – Jesus Christ – is only possible on this side of heaven, if one is filled with the Holy Spirit. Being filled with the Holy Spirit means only one thing – a person’s sins are forgiven and we are born again. Therefore, since we have the Spirit of Christ in us through being redeemed/saved/rescued by Him, our only way to being found in His image is through knowing Him more and more each day. It is a process, a marathon and something which will take us right up until our final breath. This requires an intentional walk closer and closer to Him through reading and learning the Scriptures – the Bible and through daily prayer and devotion to Him, in thought, word and deed. The task today, if we have completely not gotten in the swing of it, the previous 22 days of the 31 days of Prayer, is to firmly set this goal before us and start moving the very next minute towards it. It is as easy as backing out of the driveway unto the street in the morning. It will require the foot on the gas pedal of active faith, from here on out.

Father, in the Name of Jesus, we pray that You firm up our resolve in this way, that we may not only know that we are saved and a follower of Jesus Christ, but we will know, for certain, that we are walking in His Will, but seeking His Presence in EVERYTHING we do each and every day, no matter how small or large we think the thing is. Lord, help us to be more like Jesus. We love, adore and glorify His Precious and Holy Name, amen and amen.

PERSPECTIVE: THE RESURRECTION AND ETERNITY

TEXT USED: PSALM 90

A prayer of Moses, the man of God.

1 Lord, you have been our refuge[a]
in every generation.
2 Before the mountains were born,
before you gave birth to the earth and the world,
from eternity to eternity, you are God.

3 You return mankind to the dust,
saying, “Return, descendants of Adam.”
4 For in your sight a thousand years
are like yesterday that passes by,
like a few hours of the night.
5 You end their lives;[b] they sleep.
They are like grass that grows in the morning—
6 in the morning it sprouts and grows;
by evening it withers and dries up.

7 For we are consumed by your anger;
we are terrified by your wrath.
8 You have set our iniquities before you,
our secret sins in the light of your presence.
9 For all our days ebb away under your wrath;
we end our years like a sigh.
10 Our lives last[c] seventy years
or, if we are strong, eighty years.
Even the best of them are[d] struggle and sorrow;
indeed, they pass quickly and we fly away.
11 Who understands the power of your anger?
Your wrath matches the fear that is due you.
12 Teach us to number our days carefully
so that we may develop wisdom in our hearts.[e]

13 Lord—how long?
Turn and have compassion on your servants.
14 Satisfy us in the morning with your faithful love
so that we may shout with joy and be glad all our days.
15 Make us rejoice for as many days as you have humbled us,
for as many years as we have seen adversity.
16 Let your work be seen by your servants,
and your splendor by their children.
17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be on us;
establish for us the work of our hands—
establish the work of our hands!

Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.

RESURRECTION POWER -EASTER VERSES THAT CELEBRATE JESUS

Martina McBride had a big hit years ago called "INDEPENDENCE DAY" and the kicker line was "Let Freedom Ring". Nothing says that better than Galatians 5:1 where the LORD says "It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery".

All of this Freedom and Independence and standing firm etc. are only possible because of one thing - The Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the abode of the physically dead. He was NOT spiritually dead. He is God. The Resurrection, on the Third Day from His willing death on the Cross to remove the sting of death from us, is what makes it possible for us to live with Hope and Joy on this side of Eternity.

Easter Sunday, or Resurrection Sunday, is more significant than even Christmas because this is the one which immediately affects our own personal destination. Easter Sunday is celebrated almost the same in homes across the Western World, with minor cultural food or music differences. However the message remains the same - Jesus is alive, just as He said He will be!! There is never any doubt. God speaks, we listen.

As we have been doing over this past days, we present the Word of God in pure straight form, without comment, to show how the Bible not only speaks for itself but predicts with precision...even thousands of years in advance. With that in mind, here are some verses for us to be grateful, at this time when Jesus guaranteed our waking up into Heaven when we pass from this world to the next! Thank You, Lord, for Your blessings on me!

VERSES ON THE RESURRECTION - "EASTER IN THE BIBLE"

OLD TESTAMENT:

JOB 19
“As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last, He will take His stand on the earth. “Even after my skin is destroyed, yet from my flesh, I shall see God (verses 25-26).

ISAIAH 26
Your dead will live; their corpses will rise. You who lie in the dust, awake and shout for joy, for your dew is as the dew of the dawn, and the earth will give birth to the departed spirits (verse 18).

DANIEL 12
Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt. (verse 2)

NEW TESTAMENT: 

LUKE 24
On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright, the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! (verses 1-5)

JOHN 20
So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”  Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” (verses 25-26)

ACTS 1
To these He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God (verse 3).

ACTS 4
And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them.  And with great power, the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all. For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales (verses 32-34).

1 CORINTHIANS 15
After that, He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep; then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles (verses 6-7).

There are many other verses, to which we should devote ourselves in Bible study, but suffice it to know that Jesus was not just seen by His disciples and the women who followed and ministered to His food and clothing needs, but 500 people in Jerusalem saw His physical body. Later, on Scripture tells us that even some of the Pharisees believed in Him. These were the same men who voted to executed Him!

The Apostle Paul, the great persecutor, and hater of the early Christian church had the most dramatic conversion to Christ. It is because of this stunning event in early church history when he was called Saul of Tarsus, that we have half of the entire New Testament.

The Resurrection changes EVERYTHING. Because Christ rose from the grave, and the Angel blew the stone away, then sat on it, as if to say "get a load of this", we are all set to be at the great "getting up morning in the sky". Glory to His Name! However, this can only happen if we are born-again and converted from the spirit of death and destruction to the instant we are suddenly indwelled by the Holy Spirit of God - the very same Spirit Who raised Jesus from the dead. It was for THIS Freedom, Jesus Christ set us free. Amen.
ROMANS 10:
if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth, he confesses, resulting in salvation (verses 9-10).

GOOD FRIDAY: PSALM 22 (PROPHESIED)...MATTHEW 27 (FULFILLED)

The Cross is the most popular jewelry item in the world. In the west, even secular people use them, for some reason or another.  Even bad biker gangs have insignia in the form of a cross celebrating- God knows what. To those living in the Roman Empire, 2000 years ago, the Cross was NO ‘fasthion statement”. It was a brutal instrument of torture, mayhem, and death which the Romans inflicted on their enemies, far and wide.

The most famous Person to be executed on the Cross was, of course, the Lord Jesus Christ.  Were it not for Him, no one would know what crucifixion was, outside of a history class. Also, no one would know that it was the Sin of ALL mankind there – Jewish and Roman (or Gentile) which precipitated the Sacrifice of the God’s Son as the Propitiation (Satisfactory) payment for our sins

Almost 1000 years before Christ (BC) was nailed to the Cross by evil men on Good Friday, the very same words He would utter on there were prophesied and written down by King David, the poet/prophet/king of Israel.  It was not just the immortal statements uttered by Christ which came from Psalm 22,  but what actually took place from the point of view of God Who became a man – the Lord Jesus! It is a vantage point which believers, who are indwelled by the Holy Spirit of God Who moved the pen of David to write this, will immediately recognize. Jesus is literally describing what He physically experiences in this psalm, in graphic detail! it should make us cringe. It was our vile sin which caused this to occur.

Therefore, the vivid, heartbreaking, painful and incredibly horrific events are now presented, as remembrance – without comment – from prophetic Messianic Psalm 22 (written around 940 BC) in BLUE along with the actual fulfillment of these prophesies, from Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke in RED (of events from 33 AD).

PSALM 22:

My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? - verse 1a

MATTHEW 27

About the ninth hour, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?" that is, "MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME? - verse 46

PSALM 22:

6 But I am a worm and not a man,  a reproach of men and despised by the people.

7 All who see me sneer at me;  they separate with the lip, they wag the head, saying,

8 “Commit yourself to the Lord; let Him deliver him; let Him rescue him because He delights in him.”

MATTHEW 27:

41 So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, 42 “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God; let God deliver him now if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”

JESUS DESCRIBES WHAT IT FEELS LIKE FROM THE CROSS HERE:

PSALM 22:

14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; My heart is like wax; it is melted within me.

15 My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue cleaves to my jaws;

And You lay me in the dust of death.

16 For dogs have surrounded me; a band of evildoers has encompassed me; they pierced my hands and my feet.***

17 I can count all my bones. they look, they stare at me; 

18 They divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.

MATTHEW 27:

35 When they had crucified him,*** they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

MARK 15

24  And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get.

LUKE 24:

34  Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

Jesus then completed the Work which the Father had given Him to do: It is finished!" And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit (John 19:30b)

(Image Credits Here)

HOLY WEEK: - THURSDAY ....."PROPHESY REVEALED, REALITY UNVEILED"

The Ultimate Sacrificial Death on the Cross, of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, was both predicted in the Old Testament and confirmed in the New Testament, sometimes almost word for word!  About 740 years before Jesus gave His Life as a ransom for many, that all the world could be saved, the Prophet Isaiah wrote and prophesied in one of the greatest Chapters of the entire bible – Isaiah 53.

Jesus was the propitiation – the acceptable to God the Father sacrifice for the sins of all mankind, for all time.  Jesus, the Perfect Lamb of God, came meek and humble, yet knew what He taught and the reason for it. While He spoke a few words in front of His corrupt religious accusers and Pilate, He said not a word to the heathen King Herod.  As for Herod, Jesus will have a lot to say to Him on Judgment Day.

Here, we present the Word of God, from selected verses from Isaiah 53 (blue),Matthew Chapter 27 (red),Matthew 28 and 1 Corinthians 15:3, without comment:

ISAIAH 53:

4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed. 6 All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; but the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him. 7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not open His mouth.

Matthew 27:
11 Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor questioned Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?” And Jesus said to him, “It is as you say.” 12 And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He did not answer.  13 Then Pilate *said to Him, “Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?” 14 And He did not answer him with regard to even a single charge, so the governor was quite amazed.

ISAIAH 53:
8 By oppression and judgment He was taken away; and as for His generation, who considered that He was cut off out of the land of the living. For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due? For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due? 9 His grave was assigned with wicked men, yet He was with a rich man in His death, because He had done no violence, nor was there any deceit in His mouth.

1 CORINTHIANS 15:3
"Christ died for our sins".

ISAIAH 53:.
10 But the Lord was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief; if He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand.

Matthew 28:
5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. 6 He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. 7 Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going ahead of you into Galilee, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you.”

PALM SUNDAY - A STUDY IN TWO SIGNIFICANT CONTRASTS

6 The disciples went and did just as Jesus had instructed them, 7 and brought the donkey and the colt, and laid their coats on them; and He sat on the coats. 8 Most of the crowd spread their coats in the road, and others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them in the road. 9 The crowds going ahead of Him, and those who followed, were shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David; Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest!” (Matthew 21:6-9)
The Events of the Final Week of the Lord Jesus Christ, in earthly form, during Passover week of 33 AD is a huge comparison in contrasts. There could not be a bigger display of the thinking of man versus the Incredible Mind of God.

CONTRAST 1:
The people were looking for freedom from the brutal Romans and a king, or strongman leader, who would free them from this evil oppression from the Caesars; his criminal governors and their soldiers.

Jesus WAS that leader and King, however, His Kingdom was not one of flesh and blood run by sinful men. He came with the message of personal deliverance and freedom from bondage, but they would not listen. His "Freedom Agenda" was freedom from sin, death, and hell. Many saw His miracles of healing and even ate His loaves and fishes. BUT even though they followed Him and believe in WHAT He was doing, they ignored their own Scriptures and turned from Him.

66 As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore. 67 So Jesus said to the twelve, “You do not want to go away also, do you?” 68 Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life. 
These words of John 6:66-68 tells the story many then and especially today. Jesus had just finished laying down the "rules of the road" in John 6 and the crowds, realizing that a personal decision had to be made, turned away like many have and will, today and in the future. 

Every Easter, more so than Christmas, many like those who turned away when the rubber hit the road, will pack our churches; dressed to the nines and tens with spectacular Easter clothing.....only to go back to their lifestyles and lives, the Monday after Resurrection (Easter) Sunday. Nothing has really changed.

CONTRAST 2:
Unlike those whose contrasting shouts of joy went from "Hosanna, blessed is He Who cometh in the Name of the Lord" (which actually means "please save and deliver us"....in the Name of the Lord) to "CRUCIFY HIM" four days later, Jesus had the long view of His Purpose and time briefly on the Earth.  Like our Heavenly Father, Jesus sees the end from the beginning. The adoring crowds with palms waving as Jesus rode the fresh colt into Jerusalem, (in fulfillment of Zechariah's prophesy) had no idea He was heading to His Death on the Cross, for that same deliverance and salvation they were chanting about. 

The main difference is that Jesus' purpose was divinely ordained by God, while the temporal needs of the flesh called out for something else. This is so significant, as witnessed by so many in the "Christian world" not living in victory or even sure of their position in Christ. 

We are called, in these critical times, to highlight the contrast between those who profess with their mouths and lifestyles to be of the Lord and those whose hearts are actually changed by Him, to the point of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We are called to highlight this NOT to criticize and tell people they are going to hell, but to show them the REAL way - the Way of Truth. Love without Truth is deception. The Genuine Love of the Christian towards a lost and dying world is contrasting fake belief with the knowledge of our sinful condition and God's transforming power in Christ. This Genuine Love should then spur us to love like never before, by asking the misguided to search their hearts, acknowledge their sins and turned to the Savior Who will still respond, with your palms upraised to Hosanna!! 

On Palm Sunday, Jesus came gently and peaceful riding on a young donkey to show the humble, loving Savior He still is, 2000 years later. One day, Jesus, Who has always existed from Eternity Past, and will always exist as God, will return as He truly is - fearsome and majestic - riding as the Warrior Commander in Chief of Heaven's Armies on a white horse. There will be no palms or joyful chanting welcoming the Fury and Fire of the Lord Jesus. There will just be the Final Battle.  Let us do our best to make sure that we reach many with the saving Gospel of the Christ, so that many will come to repentance and Faith in Him. It is to their eternal benefit to make this right now, rather than being in line for destruction by the Armies of Heaven. This is something we should run with, this and every Palm Sunday. Amen.

(Image Credit Here)

"RISEN" ABOVE EXPECTATIONS

PERSONAL REVIEW OF SEQUEL TO "PASSION OF THE CHRIST"

After taking a week between seeing the movie RISEN and writing this, what may be considered, a kind of review on it, I think it is even more relevant to mention the importance of even the most diehard skeptic, of seeing this movie. One of the final scenes of RISEN really drove that point home to me, with a solid punch, to where even a Christian with questions can get it.

Despite what those who killed Jesus Christ on 14 Nisan 33 AD say, Jesus did rise from the dead. Graves were open and He was seen by 500 people – and James. There is even secular evidence, via the great historian Josephus, who was commissioned by Rome to write the history of the Jewish people. 

Josephus wrote in Jewish Antiquities, 18.3.3 §63: “About this time there lived Jesus, a wise man, if indeed one ought to call him a man.  For he was one who performed surprising deeds and was a teacher of such people as accept the truth gladly. He won over many Jews and many of the Greeks. He was the Messiah. And when, upon the accusation of the principal men among us, Pilate had condemned him to a cross, those who had  first come to love him did not cease.  He appeared to them spending a third day restored to life, for the prophets of God had foretold these things and a thousand other marvels about him.  And the tribe of the Christians, so called after him, has still to this day not disappeared”.

RISEN is the natural progression of the narrative of the Resurrection and the harsh reality of life in post- Crucifixion Jerusalem. For the many followers of the Way (Jesus followers), there was fear and hiding but for the religious and corrupt there was genuine panic. When the entire city knew that the Body had disappeared, both persecuting parties – the Romans and the Religious rabble – had “skin in the game” to cover up their crimes. After all, the Pharisees and Sanhedrin had conducted six illegal trials in less than 24 hours against the Judge of the Universe!

To this day, non-believers, academics and assorted ones like that, spread the same fallacies about the Death and Resurrection of the Risen Christ that the same religious authorities of Jerusalem and their Roman partners-in-crime did in 33 AD! As Solomon said in Ecclesiastes – there is nothing new under the sun. The Resurrection was fact. Roman records were as diligent as those that the Nazis used to their own detriment at the Nuremberg trials. Roman records were used by historian Dugard and Bill O’Reilly in his book “Killing Jesus”, which was the biggest of his oddly titled bestsellers.

As one immersed in Biblical worldviews and apologetics as well as evangelism, the most stunning part of the entire movie RISEN for me was the brief conversation which the former Centurion Clavius (Ralph Fiennes) has with Jesus just before the Ascension. While this actual event is not recorded in Scripture, it is the gist of the matter for those who are seeking more than just a head knowledge of God through Christ.

“Jesus” in RISEN is asking Clavius, basically, what is that he is really really afraid of, and searching for…..and the final question is what spoke volumes of all the others “…is it peace”? This is the eternal quest of mankind – how to find that peace we claim. In the final analysis, that peace that passes ALL understanding can only be found in Christ, and through Christ. Clavius (the Fiennes’s Character) goes through the same doubts which many have in attempting to reason Faith in Jesus. To me, this is the most poignant moment of the Film as far as directing this film as a tool for Evangelism. Because Clavius also mentioned he was afraid of being wrong. This is an extremely serious thing. To make the wrong decision about Christ has absolute deadly consequences! The powerful acting, authentic locations and actual Jewish looking disciples brings the viewer into the entire experience, thereby helping to deliver this eternal question to spiritual seekers everywhere. The screenplay and production here were extremely well executed.

Finally, the Ascension scene itself was a really dynamic metaphor for me. Dynamic because it is like the aorist tense of the Biblical New Testament Greek language. The cinematic portrayal of the post-Ascension “nuclear-bomb-type” fallout spoke out loud, the following statement in my spirit “Jesus Christ is still blowing up the World today as He did almost 2000 years ago!

Many will find all sorts of Scripture errors or textual differences. They will be technically correct. For me, I do not get my theology from a movie. I look for inspiration which will spur thinking that the Holy Spirit can use in me, and through me, to help further the Kingdom of Heaven here on Earth – for such a time as this. This is what found in the Christian hit movie of 2016 so far: RISEN!