1 Corinthians 15:4-8…”that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.”
The power of the gospel of course is climaxed in the tremendous victory that is ours by Jesus overcoming death. Paul went so far as to say the death and burial of Jesus means really nothing without the resurrection, but with the resurrection of Jesus Christ the significance of His death was made clear. It certainly validates that Jesus is true. It affirms for us the victory we have over sin and death and Satan. It takes away the fear of the death as it did for the all the apostles and followers.
This thing called death now had a different perspective for the children of God. That which was and is feared above all things is now put in perspective by the power of Jesus Christ. It is a transition, nothing more for those who follow HIM.
The fact that He died was well established, but how can the facts of the resurrection from the bodily death be well established by those who have not experienced anything like this before? There have been some temporary incidents given to mankind in the Old Testament. Both Elijah and Elisha were used in these unusual examples. But when Jesus came on the scene, He demonstrated power over death before He gave up his physical body. He raised some children to life. He changed their parents’ grief into joy. He opened the grave of Lazarus before many witnesses. It was undeniably the greatest of miracles so far since no one could possibly do that after being gone for four days, but Jesus came before the tomb and called out the body of Lazarus.
Matt 12:40-41 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” It was there in Scripture but of course, who could understand prophecies? They were given for another generation to marvel at the works of God in times of old and now they pointed to the Messiah. Jonah was rebellious. He was disobedient, but he was to preach to the Gentiles the good news. Jesus was obedient. He was willing to do the will of His Father and after His resurrection the gospel was preached to pagan people.
How does one get proof these things are true? Mark 8:31-33 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again.”
He took on the sufferings, the pain, the rejection, and even death, but with the appearances of His resurrected body on earth for those 40 days, there were over 500 witnesses! Now these words came back to them just as He told them these things were happen.
Now He tells us what will happen to us. Why is it hard to believe? Why does the fear of death still grip us? What other proofs can convince us? What can take our grief and turn it into joy? The answer is in the resurrection of Jesus Christ that validates who He is and what He will do.
Death is just the door that opens into everlasting life.
