Easter Sunday – He Is Not Here; For He Is Risen

Join us today on Easter Sunday, the day on which we commemorate the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Over this weekend we will be diverting our typical daily Bible Study to discuss the most important event in human history; the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Today, over 2000 years ago, The Consummation of an Eternal Promise.

The Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 28 gives one of the most powerful accounts of the empty tomb and the announcement that “He is not here; for He is risen, as He said.” It gives an illuminating account of the Angel of the Lord rolling away the stone so that the followers of the Lord could see that HE IS RISEN. It also includes the instructions of Jesus to His disciples to go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit; teaching them to observe His commandments.

I recorded a video reading of Matthew 28 and discussion entitled “He Is Not Here; He Is Risen” that you can view on YouTube HERE.

Click the appropriate links below to access the content for the day. You can select what version of the Bible you prefer at the top of the page in the link below (King James Version is the default):

Read the Gospel of Matthew, Matthew Chapter 28 here

There are two links below to the Matthew Henry Commentary on Matthew Chapter 28. There is a Concise version and a Complete version. The Concise version is a short, abbreviated version while the Complete version is typically a lot longer and can sometimes be longer than the Biblical text itself. Choose whichever one you have time for. The Complete version goes further in depth but the Concise version is illuminating while not as lengthy.

Read the Matthew Henry Commentary on Matthew Chapter 28 (Concise) here

Read the Matthew Henry Commentary of Matthew Chapter 28 (Complete) here

Listen to a personal reading of Matthew Chapter 28 here

Observations from the text:

• Verses 1-7 recount the Angel of the Lord rolling away the stone that covered the entrance to the tomb and announcing that Jesus “is not Here; for He is risen, as He said.”In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.
• Verses 8-10 recount the first appearance of Jesus after the resurrection.And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word. And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him. Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me.
• Verses 11-15 recount the reaction of the Chief priests of the Jews and the Romans to the reported resurrection of Jesus.Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done. And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers, Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept. And if this come to the governor’s ears, we will persuade him, and secure you. So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.
• Verses 16-20 recounts Jesus appearing to the disciples again and giving them the Great Commission.Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted. And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
• It is my sincere hope that, if you don’t already have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, that you will establish one today. Find out how, HERE, right now.

What are some key take-aways for you from the Chapter we reviewed today? Feel free to dig further on your own if you have time. Have a GREAT and Blessed Day!

Thank you so much for joining us in our ongoing study. I hope that it is as encouraging and enlightening to you as it is to me. Please follow the ministry of the Mars Hill Institute on our Facebook page at HERE. You can go back and visit the daily posts at any time on the website or Facebook page. Make sure to SUBSCRIBE to the website by email so that you can be directly notified when new posts or materials become available.

You can go back and listen to the audio readings of our study at any time as well at the following links on Soundcloud, iTunes, Stitcher and Google Play.

You can also access our YouTube channel HERE to view videos associated with this study and the work of the Mars Hill Institute.

Support: email themarshillinstitute@gmail.com if you have problems accessing the content.

Holy Saturday – In the Meantime

Join me today on Holy Saturday, the name of the day between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Today we continue to commemorate the crucifixion and death of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Over this weekend we will be diverting our typical daily Bible Study to discuss the most important event in human history; the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The time period between Jesus’ death and resurrection is only specifically addressed in one place in the Bible, Matthew 27:62-68. The biblical account of Matthew 27 also has some illuminating information that that is relevant to our study. We will only comment on a couple of the sections of Matthew 27 that are relevant to the events taking place on the day after Jesus’ crucifixion.

I have another special invitation for you this morning… I and others in our local apologetics ministry have been greatly impacted by the teachings of Del Tackett and his various ministry efforts over the years. I was first introduced to Del with his series The Truth Project. Del published a post yesterday which I think is worth sharing as we contemplate the death burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ and what that means to our lives. Check out the link below:

IF HE LIVES – Del Tackett

Click the appropriate links below to access the content for the day. You can select what version of the Bible you prefer at the top of the page in the link below (King James Version is the default):

Read the Gospel of Matthew, Matthew Chapter 27 here

There are two links below to the Matthew Henry Commentary on Matthew Chapter 27. There is a Concise version and a Complete version. The Concise version is a short, abbreviated version while the Complete version is typically a lot longer and can sometimes be longer than the Biblical text itself. Choose whichever one you have time for. The Complete version goes further in depth but the Concise version is illuminating while not as lengthy.

Read the Matthew Henry Commentary on Matthew Chapter 27 (Concise) here

Read the Matthew Henry Commentary of Matthew Chapter 27 (Complete) here

Listen to a personal reading of Matthew Chapter 27 here

Observations from the text:

• Verses 39-44 recount those passing by Jesus while He was on the cross. I call them the Naysayers.And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, “You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders, said, “He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him. He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ”

  Today is no different. The naysayers still persist. Jesus gives a dire warning in Luke 17:26-27, where He says “And as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.”

• In Verses 62-66, the Gospel of Matthew recounts a discussion that took place on the day after the crucifixion and death of Jesus between Pilate and the chief priests and Pharisees.Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together to Pilate, Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again. Command therefore that the sepulchre be secured until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say to the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first. Pilate said unto them, You have a watch: go your way, make it as secure as you can. So they went, and made the sepulchre secure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.
• This was obviously a very difficult and confusing time to the followers of Jesus. They had gone all in with Jesus and had just watched the one who they believed would be the redeemer and restorer of Israel be brutally put to death on a cross of wood, in unbelievable shame, by their hated oppressors, the Romans.

What are some key take-aways for you from the Chapter we reviewed today? Feel free to dig further on your own if you have time. Have a GREAT and Blessed Day!

Thank you so much for joining us in our ongoing study. I hope that it is as encouraging and enlightening to you as it is to me. Please follow the ministry of the Mars Hill Institute on our Facebook page at HERE. You can go back and visit the daily posts at any time on the website or Facebook page. Make sure to SUBSCRIBE to the website by email so that you can be directly notified when new posts or materials become available.

You can go back and listen to the audio readings of our study at any time as well at the following links on Soundcloud, iTunes, Stitcher and Google Play.

You can also access our YouTube channel HERE to view videos associated with this study and the work of the Mars Hill Institute.

Support: email themarshillinstitute@gmail.com if you have problems accessing the content.

Good Friday – It Is Finished

Join me today as we observe Good Friday, the traditional Christian holiday on which we commemorate the Crucifixion and death of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Over this weekend we will be diverting our typical daily Bible Study to discuss the most important event in human history; the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

I have a special invitation for you this morning… I and others in our local apologetics ministry have been greatly impacted by the teachings of Ray Vander Laan and the That the World May Know ministry. My brother-in-law introduced me to this teacher over fifteen years ago and his teachings have forever positively influenced my understanding of the Bible. Focus on the Family has posted one of his teaching lessons online from the Mission of Jesus series. I would HIGHLY recommend taking 30 minutes to watch this great video that discusses the Crucifixion of Jesus in the context of the culture of that day. It is extremely illuminating! I cannot recommend this video or this ministry enough. Seriously, watch it. The link is below. Go to the link and then click the video on the page.

WITNESS THE CORONATION OF A KING

Click the appropriate links below to access the content for the day. You can select what version of the Bible you prefer at the top of the page in the link below (King James Version is the default):

Read the Gospel of John, John Chapter 19 here

There are two links below to the Matthew Henry Commentary on John Chapter 19. There is a Concise version and a Complete version. The Concise version is a short, abbreviated version while the Complete version is typically a lot longer and can sometimes be longer than the Biblical text itself. Choose whichever one you have time for. The Complete version goes further in depth but the Concise version is illuminating while not as lengthy.

Read the Matthew Henry Commentary on John Chapter 19 (Concise) here

Read the Matthew Henry Commentary of John Chapter 19 (Complete) here

Listen to a personal reading of John Chapter 19 here

Observations from the text:

• In Verses 1-4, the text gives us the account of Pontius Pilate having Jesus scourged (beaten savagely) by his soldiers. The soldiers mocked Jesus, fashioned a crown of thorns, placed it on His head, and placed a purple robe on Him. The color purple, in that day, signified royalty and would be something worn by a King. The soldiers continued to mock and called out “Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck Jesus with their hands. After the scourging, Pilate brought Jesus out before the Jews and declared “Behold, I am bringing Him out to you, that you may know that I find no fault in Him.” It may have been Pilate’s thought that the sight of the bloodied and thoroughly humiliated Jesus would satisfy the Jews and that Pilate would not have to execute Him. Because of the brutality of the Roman scourging, Jesus likely would have had difficulty even standing.
• In Verses 5-16, the text tells us that Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe and that Pilate declared to the crowd “Behold the Man!” (Ecce homo are the Latin words used by Pontius Pilate in the Vulgate translation of John 19:5). The chief priests and officers saw Jesus, they cried out “Crucify Him, crucify Him!” Pilate rejected their calls and said “You take Him and crucify Him, for I find no fault in Him.” The Jews insisted that according to their law He ought to be executed for blasphemy because He claimed to be the Son of God. This caused more fear to come upon Pilate and He withdrew into the Praetorium to further question Jesus. Pilate asked Jesus “Where are You from?” but Jesus didn’t answer Him. Pilate rebuked Jesus and said “Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have the power to crucify You, and the power to release You?” Jesus answered him and said “You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above.” From that point on, Pilate sought to release Jesus but the Jews pressed him saying “If you let this Man go, you are no friend of Caesar.” After Pilate heard this, he sat down in the judgement seat and presented Jesus to them again “Behold your King!” But they cried out “Away with Him, away with Him, Crucify Him!” Pilate questioned them and said “Shall I crucify your King?” The Jews answered “We have no king but Caesar!” Then Pilate ordered for Jesus to be crucified and the soldiers led Him away.
• In Verses 17-24, Jesus, bearing His own cross, was taken to a place called the Place of a Skull (Golgotha, in Hebrew) where he and two others were crucified. Pilate had a title made and placed on the cross that  said “JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS” written in Hebrew, Greek and Latin. The chief priests of the Jews objected to this title and said “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that ‘He said, “I am the King of the Jews”‘”. Pilate replied to them “What I have written, I have written.” When Jesus was placed on the soldiers divided and gambled for His clothing, fulfilling the biblical prophecy of Psalm 22:18 regarding the coming Messiah. This is only one of many prophecies that were fulfilled by Jesus, further demonstrating the authenticity of His claims.
• In Verses 25-27, Jesus charged the disciple whom Jesus loved (presumed to be the disciple John, writer of this Gospel) with taking care of His mother, Mary. From that point on, he took her to his own home.
• In Verses 28-30, having done all that he came to do, Jesus said “I thirst.” that the prophecy of Psalm 22:15 might be fulfilled. They gave Jesus a sponge filled with sour wine to drink and when He had sipped of it, He declared “It Is Finished!”, bowed His head, and gave up the earthly life that was in Him. Jesus’ life was not taken from Him. He allowed it to be given, that He might fulfill His mission given to Him by the Father.
• In Verses 31-37, the text tells us that the Jews asked that the legs of the crucified be broken to hasten their deaths so that they would not remain on their crosses on the Sabbath Day. The soldiers broke the legs of the two others crucified with Jesus but did not break Jesus’ legs because He appeared to be already dead. One of the solders pierced His side with a spear and we are told in verse 34 that both blood and water came out. A final statement is made by John regarding the crucifixion in verses 35-37 “And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may believe. For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, “Not one of His bones shall be broken.” And again another Scripture says, “They shall look on Him whom they pierced.””
• In Verses 38-42, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for permission to take away the body of Jesus and Pilate agreed. Joseph and Nicodemus took away the body of Jesus, prepared it in a customary manner and placed it in a new tomb that had not been used before for burial.

You may find the following link to be of interest should you wish to know more about the crucifixion of Jesus and the historical and medical context of that. An article was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in 1986 called “On the Physical Death of Jesus Christ.” There have been many who claim that Jesus didn’t actually die on the cross. This article demonstrates that the account given in the Bible is consistent with current medical knowledge and that, based on that account, Jesus would have been dead before He was pierced with the spear and certainly before He was taken down from the cross. There is an overwhelming amount of actual evidence for the truth of the Bible that is both available and credible. A PDF of the full article is available HERE.

What are some key take-aways for you from the Chapter we reviewed today? Feel free to dig further on your own if you have time. Have a GREAT and Blessed Day!

Thank you so much for joining us in our ongoing study. I hope that it is as encouraging and enlightening to you as it is to me. Please follow the ministry of the Mars Hill Institute on our Facebook page at HERE. You can go back and visit the daily posts at any time on the website or Facebook page. Make sure to SUBSCRIBE to the website by email so that you can be directly notified when new posts or materials become available.

You can go back and listen to the audio readings of our study at any time as well at the following links on Soundcloud, iTunes, Stitcher and Google Play.

You can also access our YouTube channel HERE to view videos associated with this study and the work of the Mars Hill Institute.

Support: email themarshillinstitute@gmail.com if you have problems accessing the content.