Resurrection: Triplets of Victory

 

Wishing all of you and your loved ones a blessed Resurrection Sunday! Christ is risen indeed! May you enjoy this edited repost from the archives.

Christ’s birth, earthly ministry, betrayal, and crucifixion can all be described in triplets reflecting His Triune nature. This pattern continues through His resurrection and beyond!

Jesus prophesied to His disciples that after He was crucified and buried, He would spend three days in the tomb and rise again on the third day (Matthew 16:21; 17:22-23; 20:18-19; Mark 9:31;10:34; Luke 9:22;18:33). Even the Romans had heard of this prophecy, as they warned Pilate about it for fear that the disciples would steal His body to deceive others into thinking Jesus had risen from the dead (Matthew 27:63-64).

Christ’s actual resurrection after three days was foreshadowed by earlier events in Scripture and by His own use of symbolic language. He had said that He could destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days (Matthew 26: 61), which referred metaphorically to His willingly laying down His life and taking it up again three days later.

Jesus spoke of leaving His earthly body and entering His glorified body as being “perfected” on the third day. This was the most significant of the three miracles He told the Pharisees to relay to Herod, whom they said was threatening His life. The other two miracles were casting out devils and curing the sick (Luke 13: 31-32).

Even at the beginning of Genesis, the third day of creation symbolized the resurrection, when God created the earth appearing from beneath the water (Genesis 1 :9-13). Baptism uses this same symbolism of the believer standing in the water to represent Christ on the cross; submerged beneath the water to represent burial of the old man and sin nature; and coming up out of the water to represent living as a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Jesus explained His coming burial and resurrection by likening it to the prophet Jonah being entombed for three days and three nights in the whale's belly (Jonah 1:17), saying that He also would be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights. He admonished the Jews, who were always looking for a sign to identify the Messiah, that this sign of His resurrection after three days would be the only one given to them (Matthew 12: 39-40).

When the women came to Christ’s tomb that first Easter morning and were shocked to find it empty, two angels reassured them that He had risen and reminded them of His three prophecies: “The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again” (Luke 24:7).

The apostle John describes Mary Magdalene encountering three heavenly beings on that miraculous morning: two angels in the tomb, one where Jesus’ feet had rested and the other at His head; and the risen Christ (John 20:11-18).

Luke names three women who told the unbelieving disciples of these remarkable happenings: Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James (Luke 24:10). Still bewildered, two disciples set forth to Emmaus to talk things over on a long walk, which was about threescore furlongs from Jerusalem (Luke 24:13).

Jesus appeared to these two and joined them, making three travelers to Emmaus. In their grief and confusion they did not realize Who accompanied them (Luke 24:15-16), even though they said that it was the third day since His death (Luke 24:21). Jesus patiently yet fervently explained to them how all the Scriptures revealed Himself, yet they did not recognize Him until dinner, when He blessed the bread, broke it, and gave it to them (Luke 24:30).

Here is how Luke described their triplets of miraculous revelation: Luke 24: 31 And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. 32 And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?

So Cleopas and his companion raced back to Jerusalem to tell the others of this Christ-sighting. Yet no sooner did they return and share the news than Jesus appeared in their midst, greeted by triplets of fear, not joy, from the disciples. They were “terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit (Luke 24: 37).

But Jesus reassured them that He was not a ghost by three types of physical evidence: He showed them His hands and feet, He allowed them to handle His flesh and bones, and He even ate before them! (Luke 24: 38-43).

Next Jesus gave them three sources of Scriptural evidence about Himself: the law of Moses, the prophets, and the Psalms (Luke 24:44). But He emphasized the most important prophecy: that He would rise from the dead on the third day (Luke 24:45).

When the disciples went fishing, perhaps to clear their heads, or even thinking they might return to their former way of life now that Jesus was gone, He appeared to them. John tells us that this was the third time Jesus showed Himself to His disciples after He was risen from the dead (John 21:14). After instructing the disciples where to catch a boat load of fish, He feeds them a delectable breakfast that He had already prepared.

Three times, Jesus asks Peter if he loves Him, allowing Peter three opportunities to affirm his love and cleanse his conscience of the three times he denied Christ.(Matthew 26:75; Mark 14:72; John 13:38). Although Christ asked if Peter loved Him with agape, or self-sacrificing love, Peter stated his love using the term phileo, or kindly affection as one would have toward a brother. In response to Peter’s declarations, three times Jesus asked Peter to “Feed my sheep (lambs).” (John 21: 15-17).

Before ascending to Heaven, Jesus gave His disciples the three commands of the Great Commission: Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost (Matthew 28:19).

His last words therefore revealed His Triune nature, for He is the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9). When we are saved by trusting Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit enters our heart and teaches us about Christ, Who in turn is the Way to God the Father (John 14:9-26).

Paul reinforced and expanded on Jesus’s earthly teachings about rising on the third day as he explained the Gospel of grace revealed to Him by Christ; namely eternal life for all who place their faith in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:4) as the only Way to Heaven (John 14:6). Praise God that Christ conquered death, that we serve a risen Savior, and that we will live with Him forever more!

© 2013 Laurie Collett 

Reposted from the archives

Triplets of Fulfillment: Mary’s Ministry After Christ Arose

A lost sinner must reach the depths of despair over his own wickedness before he can experience the relief, peace and joy that come from being born again, from trusting in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) as the only Way to Heaven (John 14:6). Once we are saved, God may allow us to pass through the valley of the shadow of death (Psalm 23:4), knowing that He will elevate us to heavenly places thereafter (Ephesians 1:3, 2:6), and the victory in Him (1 Corinthians 15:57) will be all the more sweet.

So it was with Mary, mother of Jesus. The most dismal prophecy had been fulfilled: the sword that pierced her Son’s side had pierced her own soul also (Luke 2:35). She watched, grieved and prayed as her Son was betrayed, tortured, and put to death. Having a child die is said to be the worst life event one could ever suffer, and the circumstances of Jesus’ death and Mary’switnessing it were unimaginably cruel.

Yet God did not abandon Mary in this ordeal. Jesus had appointed His beloved disciple John to be as a son to her (John 19:25-27), and now God sent her an advocate to help her with the burial arrangements, as He had already called her husband Joseph home.

This man, Joseph of Arimathaea (Mark 15:42-47), had three admirable character traits: he was honorable; a counselor, meaning that he had influence and could effectively assist Mary; and he was a man of faith, waiting for the kingdom of God, believing in the Messiah Who would rule eternally on the throne of David (Luke 1:32).

Joseph of Arimathaea came to Pilate’s mansion, went in boldly to see him, and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate responded by being shocked that Jesus was already dead, by confirming that with the centurion, and by then giving the body to Joseph.

Joseph claimed custody of the body of Jesus, bought fine linen for the burial, and took His body down from the cross, which in itself was no doubt a great relief to Mary and the other women. He wrapped the body in the linen, laid the body in a tomb never used before, most likely his own family tomb, carved out of a rock cave, and rolled a stone across the door of the tomb, sealing it.

Mary, mother of Jesus, and Mary Magdalene were thus granted the peace of seeing the body of Jesus respectfully laid to rest, rather than being thrown on a pile of human remains, as would be the custom for criminals who were crucified. The Gospel of Mark tells us of three who were present to witness the burial and sealed tomb: Joseph, Mary Magdalene, and Mary, mother of Jesus.

After the Sabbath, during which it was unlawful to anoint a body, had passed, three women returned to the tomb: Mary Magdalene, Mary, mother of Jesus, and Salome, bringing sweet spices (Mark 16:1-8). They came very early, at daybreak on the first day of the week, illustrating the fact that if you seek God first thing, He will never disappoint you. They asked themselves who would roll the heavy stone away from the tomb, actually voicing their need to God as we should do in prayer. And then they looked to see God’s answer, for He had already rolled away the stone!

As they prayed, watched and waited, God answered their prayer exceedingly abundantly (Ephesians 3:20) beyond what they could ever imagine! A young man, robed in white, sitting within the tomb on the right side, gave them amazing news, yet they were terrified.

Who was this young man? Scripture does not tell us directly, but it may have been one of the two, presumably angels, described in Luke 24 as men in shining garments. Or it may have been Jesus Himself, His brilliant white garb reminiscent of His appearance at the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-2), and His sitting on the right side symbolically representing His position at the right hand of God the Father (Psalm 110:1,5, Mark 12:36, 14:62).

What was his good news? That Jesus, Who had been crucified, was risen, and was no longer on the burial place! He gave the women three instructions: go, tell the disciples and Peter that He would meet them in Galilee, and see Him there. But still overcome by fear, the women fled from the tomb, trembled in amazement, and were too afraid to tell anyone.

According to the similar account in Luke (23: 55-56; 24:1-11), the women came with Jesus from Galilee, followed Him to the cross, and observed His body laid to rest in the tomb. They then returned to Jerusalem, prepared the spices and ointments for His burial, and rested on the Sabbath so as not to break the law of Moses.

At dawn on Sunday, they came to the tomb, brought the spices, and entered the tomb. They found that Jesus was not there, feared when they saw the two angels, and bowed down on their faces before them. The angels reminded the women that Jesus had said that He would be handed over to His captors, be crucified, and rise again on the third day.

Then the women remembered what Jesus had said, returned to the disciples, and told them the Good News! If we keep the Word of Christ in our heart, soul and mind, (Psalm 119) we will eagerly tell all (Matthew 10:27; John 4:28-29) the miracle He has done by saving us!

At first it seemed that Mary’s witness, and that of her companions, was ineffective, because the disciples thought their words were just “idle tales,” and they did not believe their story. Thankfully, God commands us only to tell others of Him, and He does not hold us responsible for their reaction, for only the Holy Spirit can change the hearts.

Often our witness seems to fall on deaf ears, yet the miracle of conversion takes place much later. In this case, the disciples ultimately did believe what Mary and the others had told them. Peter soon went to the tomb to see for himself (Luke 24:12). The disciples on the road to Emmaus recounted how the women had come to them, told them of what they had seen, and astonished them with the implications (Luke 24:22-23).

But Mary did not rest on her laurels and stop being the handmaiden of the Lord now that she knew Christ had risen!  No doubt she cherished the last words He spoke (Acts 1: 8) before ascending into Heaven  – that the Holy Spirit would empower His followers to be witnesses in our local sphere of influence (Jerusalem and Judea), to cross prejudice barriers in our witness (Samaria), and to witness to the far corners of the earth, as begun by the first missionaries and now made easier through the power of the Internet.

Upon returning to Jerusalem, the disciples continued His mission in unity, with prayer and supplication, joined in their ministry by Mary, mother of Jesus; the other women, and Jesus’ siblings (Acts 1: 14). What a joy it must have for Mary to see her other children, who had initially rejected Jesus as Savior (Matthew 13:57), now born again! What a blessing to know that her faithfulness to Our Lord, her witness, and her prayers had all been part of the seed sown in their lives!

What fulfillment to know that she continued her Son’s work long after He had ascended into Heaven, no doubt until He brought her home! May we all follow her Godly example!

© 2016 Laurie Collett