If Jesus Rose from the Dead, then (#21) It Would Have Radically Changed the Disciples

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As [Peter and John] were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to them, being greatly disturbed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they laid hands on them and put them in jail until the next day, for it was already evening. Acts 4:1-3

When you are making a defense for the resurrection, you will eventually be led to speak of some of the “circumstantial” evidence, particularly, the radical change in the disciples and the subsequent birth and explosion of Christianity along with its deep impact on the world.

Today we will briefly look at the deep transformation within those who were eye-witnesses of Christ’s resurrection. 

Our opening passage is from Acts 4, which we are going to walk through. This takes place after the resurrection and after Pentecost, for which Jesus commanded the disciples to wait. We will eventually reach that event in this series of articles, but the coming of the Holy Spirit is tied directly to the resurrection. Jesus said that if He didn’t go away, the Holy Spirit would not come. And now, Peter and John are found preaching boldly throughout Jerusalem, “proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead”. The immediate preface to this chapter has Peter and John, in the name of Jesus, healing a man lame from birth. When the crowd gathered because of this miracle, Peter preached his second sermon. The result of these things is found in verse four:

 But many of those who had heard the message believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand.

Five thousand! Within a few weeks after Jesus departed, the world was already starting to turn upside down. And for this Peter and John were arrested, much like Jesus was. The priests, the Sadducees and the temple guard laid hands on them and threw them into prison.

Had I been Peter or John, I would have been thinking that we were going to be crucified for sure. The next morning made it worse:

 On the next day, their rulers and elders and scribes were gathered together in Jerusalem; and Annas the high priest was there, and Caiaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of high-priestly descent. When they had placed them in the center, they began to inquire, “By what power, or in what name, have you done this?” (verses 5-7)

Consider the fear factor here. Think of the intimidation. They were hauled out of jail and made to stand in the center of the courtroom, surrounded by the rulers, elders, scribes, the high priest, Caiaphas, Alexander, and “all who were of high-priestly descent”. This was the same power block that had, not long before, used their authority to put Jesus to an unspeakable death. Now they were showing that muscle again… to some common fishermen. If the resurrection had been a hoax or conspiracy or just some hallucination, now would be the time to recant, fall in line, and maybe be back to fishing by the end of the week.

But, instead, these common, ordinary men looked at the possibility of death and spoke boldly, with confidence:

Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of the people, if we are on trial today for a benefit done to a sick man, as to how this man has been made well, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead—by this name this man stands here before you in good health. He is the stone which was rejected by you, the builders, but which became the chief corner stone. And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” (verses 8-12)

Instead of recanting, Peter and John threw it all in their faces. They testified to the risen Lord, “whom you crucified” and “whom God raised from the dead”. Not mincing words, Peter then declares to them that Jesus had become the chief cornerstone, which they had rejected. And to top it off, he undercuts their entire religious framework by declaring that there is no other name by which one can be saved.

Whoa! I suspect the weight of what was happening here at this moment is most likely lost on us as we breeze through the text. This was monumental! This was the top of the hierarchy of Judaism before whom they stood. And Peter and John, as we read in the next verse, were simply “uneducated and untrained” men. Yet, the “confidence of Peter and John” (verse 13) amazed them and the authorities then huddled up to confer over what in the world they were going to do. Because the miracle was “apparent to all who live in Jerusalem”, they were afraid to do anything except to deliver a stern warning to Peter and John:

 And when they had summoned them, they commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.(verse 18)

Here we have the first formal, legal order not to speak or teach “at all” in the name of Jesus. What is remarkable is that instead of a “Yes, sir” with which every good Jew should have meekly responded to the high priest, we see this:

But Peter and John answered and said to them, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than to God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard.” (verses 19-20)

Such boldness is stunning! It wasn’t that long ago, that these men were huddled together behind locked doors because they feared the Jews. Now they were standing before the entire Jewish power structure declaring that they would disobey their orders not to speak or teach in the name of Jesus. Absolutely stunning.

Here is a later verse in this chapter:

And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all. (verse 33)

I can’t think of a better chapter to walk through to understand the radical change that occurred in the disciples than this one. But, the entire New Testament is a testimony to their lifelong commitment to the resurrected Jesus. It radically changed Jesus’ brother, James and it radically changed Saul of Tarsus. 

And they took this conviction all the way to their deaths. Their beliefs didn’t get them high positions in the hierarchy, nor any kind of material gain, but rather a lifetime of hardship, jail time, floggings, hunger, ridicule and, in some cases, a tortuous death. The first was Stephen, stoned to death (Acts 6-8), followed by James, John’s brother, who was put to death with a sword by Herod Agrippa (Acts 12:1-2). Jesus told Peter that it would not end well for him on this earth (John 21:18-19). Early accounts tell us that Peter was crucified.

Most of these men died for what they had seen with their own eyes. They remained faithful to the end. It is impossible to think they would have gone through a life of hardship and a death of torture for a lie.

Yes, this provides us with powerful circumstantial evidence for the resurrection, but it also provides us with encouragement. For such is the “cloud of witnesses” (Hebrews 12:1) that forms part of the heritage and legacy in the body of Christ. These were” men of whom the world was not worthy”. (Hebrews 11:38) 

I pray your life has been radically changed as well.

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If Jesus Rose from the Dead, then (#1) the Seal Was Broken
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Matthew 27:62-66 The historical account states that the chief priests and the Pharisees “made the tomb secure by sealing the stone…”.  This seal was most likely several ropes that were drawn across the stone and then affixed to the tomb walls with a soft clay imprinted with some symbol of authority. It was also likely that the ropes were also sealed at their juncture in front of the stone. In this way, no one could move the stone or the ropes without breaking the dried clay and destroying the “seal” affixed upon the clay.  The seal was there to “put on notice” that no one was to mess with the tomb. Rome could deal quite nastily with those who did so. Now, this doesn’t mean much to us today, for we are long past the norm of using “seals” as they were utilized in ancient times. but in those days, a seal was inviolable[1]. It represented authority, authenticity, and finality. No one messed with a seal. In the book of Esther, when King Ahasuerus issued the order to save the Jews, he commanded them to “seal it with the king's ring, for an edict written in the name of the king and sealed with the king's ring cannot be revoked.” (Esther 8:8) When Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den, “… a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet and with the signet of his lords, that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel." (Daniel 6:17) In the vision concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, the Scripture says this: And the vision of all this has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed. When men give it to one who can read, saying, “Read this,” he says, “I cannot, for it is sealed.” Isaiah 29:11 The permanence of a seal against all who were unauthorized to break it was an inviolable part of their world.  It becomes even more apparent when John is caught up to heaven and there beholds the scroll with seven seals. John begins to weep because there was “no one worthy to open the scroll or to look into it” (Revelation 5:4). Of course, we find that the Lamb, “standing as though it had been slain” (Revelation 5:6), was worthy to break the seals. And when each of those seals were broken, great calamity came upon the earth. Seals in the Scripture mean something. And John had wept, because the seal represented an inviolable wall to anyone who did not have the authority to break it. Seals show authority. They show authenticity. And they show finality for all except the one who had the authority to break them. And so, we now come back to the tomb. The seal, whether it was a Roman seal or the High Priest’s seal, represented a fixed closure that no one was allowed to breach. When it was set upon the tomb, there was a finality, a stamp of ultimate authority, that said, “this tomb is closed”. Ah, but God is not subject to the laws or seals of man. I can imagine that when the earth began to shake and the stone was rolled aside, that those clay seals with the authority of man impressed upon them broke into a thousand pieces and lay as trash littering the ground. If Jesus rose from the dead, then the seal of man, meant to keep Him in the grave, had been utterly and completely destroyed. But there is one more thing that must be mentioned regarding “seals”. It is important to note that God has given us this detail in the record to help substantiate the reality of the accounts of the empty tomb and the risen Lord Jesus. But it also brings our minds to something quite wonderful. In John 6:27, Jesus said this: Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.” If God seals something, it is sealed! In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, Ephesians 1:13 “… it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. 2 Corinthians 1:21 This is God’s seal of authority, authenticity, and finality. You are His, sealed with His guarantee. Oh, my, dear brothers and sisters in Christ! How deep is the steadfast love of God that He should do such mighty things to secure us to Himself and then tell that He has put His own seal upon you and me. As David writes: “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it.” Psalm 139:6 [previous] [next]     [1]Inviolable /ĭn-vī′ə-lə-bəl/: never to be broken, infringed or dishonored; unassailable; secure from violation or assault or trespass
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If Jesus Rose from the Dead, then... (#0)
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the most important event in history. It is the most important truth claim in a biblical worldview. It is the key apologetic for Christianity. Over the next seven weeks, I would like for us to think through forty compelling arguments and implications that are true if Jesus, indeed, “rose from the dead”. This will take us through Ascension Day and Pentecost. Both are important days of remembrance following the Resurrection and we will highlight them. But more importantly, I want for us to see the tremendous significance of the Resurrection by looking at not only the many proofs, but also the many implications. And this, I pray, will lead to deep contemplations in our hearts and minds. Paul states that without the resurrection, our faith would be in vain and we would still be lost.  “… if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins.”      1 Corinthians 15:17 This is not a minor statement, and it should cause us pause, for it puts this unique historical event into sharp perspective. Without the Resurrection, we are hopelessly lost. We are without a true faith and we are unforgiven, still condemned in our sins. We should probably read that verse over several times before plowing forward. It is easy for me, and possibly you, to treat Easter as another Christian holiday marked by multiple, and possibly extensive, preparations. Church choirs rehearse diligently and on overtime, special services are prepared (think Good Friday and sometimes Sunrise Services), thousands of lilies are tended and provoked to bloom at the right time and are purchased to line sanctuary rails, special meals are planned and prepared and joyously consumed, treasure hunts are created, painted eggs are hidden and Easter baskets are filled with chocolate bunnies, peeps, and who knows what else the market has, and will, come up with.  The point here is that just like Christmas and Thanksgiving and every other holiday, including birthdays, anniversaries, and the multitude of “take-your-boss-to-lunch” kind of days, they are preceded with much preparation, happy execution, and then forgotten except to toss the wrappings into the trash and press on with life as usual. When I was at the White House, the annual “Easter Egg Roll” on the south lawn was a big deal with weeks of preparation, followed immediately by a massive clean-up and the Secret Service hustling folks out of the “compound”. For the Resurrection, however, Paul implies that it is something so critical to our faith that it should be an ever-present reality. The astounding cry, “He lives!” should be ongoing, not a one-and-done holiday. I believe it is important for us to frequently ponder and meditate upon the deep implications that the tomb was really, truly empty and the resurrection of Jesus from the dead is absolutely true… a historical fact that has everyday implications. So, we will look at not only these implications, but also the apologetic propositions and the incredible truths that logically follow this unmatched historical assertion. We will not go through these in any particular order. We are not going from the least to the greatest or vice versa, although we will generally lay down the apologetic arguments first and then deal with the implications. And hopefully, after seven weeks, we will have imprinted these truths deep in our hearts such that they will help us with our walk into the darkness we call future. Because it is the Resurrection of Christ that stands at the forefront in the apologetic reality of who Jesus is and what God has done for us. As a famous hymn states: "Because He lives, I can face tomorrow." [Next: The Seal Was Broken]