He is Risen. . . and some doubt?
Luke 24:45-47 Then He opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, “This is what is written: “The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
HE IS RISEN, NOT IN THE GRAVE!!! HE IS ALIVE, YES, ALIVE!!! You need to listen to the song written by Don Francisco, song by many, but my opinion is by Dolly Parton. Please look it up and look it–for YOUR joy!
That year, Passover occurred the day before the Sabbath began. Passover is a big celebration, occurring on the fourteenth day of the first month, the month of Abib or Nisan–either month is as the same meaning in the Jewish faith, and usually occurs during our calendar year of March or April. (SURPRISE! generally around the time the Christian faith celebrates Easter.)
The disciples and Jesus celebrated the Passover–Jesus still feeling He had so much more to share with them, knowing He had less than sixteen hours or so before He would be nailed to a cross after suffering a bunch of humiliations and torture. He knew what was coming, and peaceful and loving as He is/was, He never fought, but ‘went silently as a lamb to the slaughter’. The only remarks He commented on were things like Pilate saying, “are you then King of the Jews?” And He said, “You have said it is so.”
Initially, the twelve sat at the table with Jesus, praying, sharing the Passover meal, dipping their fingers into the bowl of wine and repeating the ten plagues God had sent on the Egyptians before {Pharaoh screamed for them to leave and go do their sacrificial offerings with the agony that his eldest child, sibling, in-laws were dying, all the eldest of the herds of animals. “Go! Get out!” But in remembrance of the plagues, and God’s order to get and prepare a lamb for the Passover meal, each year at Passover, the story is repeated–sometimes as a song, sometimes as a recitation, and sometimes as an education. When I first heard it, it was an education, and I found it fascinating hearing it from the Jewish perspective, and how important it is to them to celebrate and remember God’s miracles more than thirty three centuries ago.
As close as the disciples were to Jesus, there were things I do not think they knew. I don’t think they realized he was born in Bethlehem, and escaped Herod’s atrocious murder of boys two and younger, sitting in their parents’ arms at times. (Who can be so brutal? How does one go through life not being appalled at the carnage, murder, and loss they have created? Who is that icy? But did Jesus share with them that his parents had taken him to Egypt for a couple of years, missing that murderous time in Bethlehem and Jerusalem? Did they understand that Isaiah’s prophets identified Jesus as the Messiah, the one who take ‘our stripes’? I don’t think they fully understood all the prophecies about Jesus until after His death. Until after forty days, when the Holy Spirit infused 5000+ people, including the apostles. That influx of the Holy Spirit into so many people must have been so impressive. I am impressed by just reading about it–but to have experienced it?!
A terrible day. ‘But did you feel the earthquake? Did you hear the Holy of Holies curtain was torn ibn two? Did you see the darkness? There is no thunderstorm–why the darkness? But the earthquake–do earthquakes lead with dark clouds and storm, how are the skies dark and the earthquake happening? This is the Messiah; how can this be happening ? Jesus has been killed. Our peaceful loving teacher? How have the Pharisees and religious leaders managed to kill Him. We thought He was our Messiah. He was going to save us from Rome; free us from these oppress taxes, and these men who brutalize and terrorize us. But now, LORD, what, what LORD, is happening. My heart is aching is badly. My Lord cannot be dead. He cannot be hanging on a tree–the worst death to our God/ Our Father, Our God, Help us. We thought He was our Savior . . . so what, of what is God doing. . . what is happening????’
Joseph of Arimathea went to Pontius Pilate to ask for the body of Jesus to be buried in a tomb he had had constructed. Joseph believed in Jesus, even though he was a member of the religious sect. But Joseph knew He was the Messiah. It was scary times for believers, Followers of Jesus, of the Way The Pharisees were angry, they wanted this “imposter” out of the way, gone, omitted–no longer a worry to them. Thursday evening had been the beginning of the Passover Festival which was to last 7 days and 8 nights. but Friday was the weekly Sabbath. By evening the dinner needed to be prepared and the prayers said. The Sabbath meant nothing could be done until Saturday evening, from Friday evening until Saturday evening, the people were to relax, to be in tune to God.
Many of them watched Joseph of Arimathea come, get Jesus down from the cross, wrap him in the linen cloths he had purchased, and carry his body to the nearby tomb which had belonged to him.
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