The soldiers did not break Jesus’ legs
Jesus died much sooner than he should have done. Two criminals were with him. They were still alive when he died. The authorities wanted the crucifixion over. They wanted to take away the bodies before the Sabbath (their holy day) began. It would begin at 6.00 p.m. (That is, 6 o’clock in the late afternoon, when nightfall began). To make the men die more quickly, soldiers came to break the legs of the two criminals (John 19:31-33). Then the criminals could not continue to push up on their legs to breathe. When they could not breathe, they died.
But Jesus was already dead, so the soldiers did not break his legs. This made a prophecy come true. A prophet had said that no bone of his should be broken. But, the soldier stuck a spear into Jesus’ side. A spear is like a long, sharp sword. Blood and water came out from Jesus (John 19:34). This showed that Jesus was already dead.
Friends bury Jesus
When Jesus died, it was nearly the Sabbath. (That is, Saturday. Saturday is a holy day for the Jews, when they rest. They do not work).
Joseph (from Arimathea) and Nicodemus
Joseph (from Arimathea) asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Together with Nicodemus, he buried the body of Jesus quickly. They buried the body in a grave, near the place where Jesus died. (Both Joseph and Nicodemus were also leaders of the Jews.)
Usually Jews would wash a body and rub oil on it. There was not enough time to do this before the Sabbath began. Joseph and Nicodemus just wrapped Jesus’ body, and laid it in a grave. The grave was like a small cave, which men had cut in rock. Joseph and Nicodemus rolled a heavy stone against the front. They would do nothing more during the Sabbath.
The women prepared the oils that they needed. They wanted to complete the Jewish customs. But they had to wait until early on the Sunday morning. These women had seen where the men had buried Jesus.
A guard at Jesus’ grave
The Jewish council asked for a guard at the grave. The Jewish rulers were afraid that Jesus’ disciples might try to steal the body. The Jewish rulers did not want anyone to pretend that Jesus was not really dead. They did not want any more problems with Jesus! They did not realise that Jesus would become alive again very soon.
Jesus would be alive, because Jesus defeated death itself! And later, Jesus would go up to heaven.
The First Easter Sunday
Early on Sunday morning, the whole earth shook. The heavy stone rolled away from the grave, and an angel sat on the stone. This filled the guards with great fear and they seem to have run away.
An empty grave
The women went to the grave very early, to finish the proper preparation of the body. They saw that the grave was open. The body was not in the grave. Mary Magdalene seems to have run back to Peter and John immediately. Then she returned to the grave.
Meanwhile, the other women saw two angels. The angels told them that Jesus was alive. The women were to tell his disciples (Matthew 28:5-8). Then, they should all go to Galilee.
Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene told Peter and John and then they ran to the grave (John 20:1-10). John saw how the cloths lay there. He seemed to realize even then that Jesus was actually alive (John 20:8). But Peter and John did not see Jesus before they returned home.
Mary Magdalene returned to the grave after Peter and John. She remained there and she wept. Then Jesus appeared and spoke to her. At first, she did not recognise Jesus. She was so sad and her eyes were probably full of tears. Then she recognised Jesus and he told her not to hold him. He was not going to return to God his Father yet. He also told her to tell the disciples about him.
Jesus is alive!
At this time, some women were going to tell the other disciples. (These disciples were probably still in Bethany.) On this journey, Jesus appeared to these women (Matthew 28:9,10).
On that same day, Jesus appeared to Peter (Luke 24:34). Later that day, he appeared to ten disciples in a room. He even ate with them and they touched him. Jesus told them that he was not merely a spirit. Then he taught them from the Bible. He showed them that the Messiah had to suffer (Luke 24:36-49). Prophets had said that Jesus would die on the cross. But now, these events had happened. The words of the prophets had come true. And now, Jesus was alive again. The prophets had also written that this would happen. Jesus explained all these things to them. It was a wonderful Bible study meeting!
Thomas’ doubt
Thomas one Jesus’ core disciple was not there on that occasion and he refused to believe. He said that he would have to put his hands into the nail marks. Then he would believe.
A week later, after the festival of the unleavened bread which was a Jewish festival, he was there with the other disciples. This festival was a special time of worship and happiness. At the festival of unleavened bread, the Jews remembered that God had rescued them from Egypt. Jesus appeared and spoke directly to Thomas. He told him to put his finger into his injuries. Thomas then fell down before Jesus. Thomas called Jesus, ‘My Lord, and my God.’ (John 20:26-31). Jesus replied:
John 20:29 ‘Thomas, because you have seen me, you have believed. Other people will believe although they have not seen. God will bless those people.’
Other Appearances
Luke records that Jesus appeared to the disciples during a period of 40 days. Jesus spoke to them about the kingdom of God (Acts 1:3). In 1 Corinthians 15:3-8, Paul tells us about some other appearances. One, in Galilee, was to 500 witnesses at once. He does not mention appearances to women. In Jewish courts, women were not witnesses. It is interesting that Jesus appeared first to the women. Paul wrote his list about 25 years later. At that time, many of the witnesses would still be alive. People could have asked them questions, to check Paul’s list.
His Ascension
At last, one day when Jesus had been talking to the disciples, he returned to heaven. The disciples actually saw him go up. They watched until a cloud hid him. They did not see him again. Jesus was not still on earth. But Jesus’ work would continue with the help of the Holy Spirit. While the disciples were still looking at the sky, two angels appeared. This is what they said:
Acts 1:11 'Men of Galilee, you do not need to continue to look at the sky. You saw Jesus go up to heaven. Like that, he will come back again.'
Jesus will come again Acts 1:11
What we read in Acts about this is very clear. Let us look at it.
Jesus will come back again. The Bible mentions this often. There are more words of Jesus about this subject than about any other! The New Testament mentions this subject 318 times. Some of these are long passages. We read about this subject often in the books between Matthew and Revelation. It is important because it affects every person in the world today.
When Jesus comes back, he will have great honour and power (Matthew 24:30,31). He will finally judge every person:
- Some people trust and obey Jesus. They will go to the wonderful place that God has prepared for them.
- Other people will go to a terrible place. They will not be with God.
But God wants all people to have the opportunity to trust Jesus. He wants everybody to escape from the punishment for their sin.
To tell the world the good news about Jesus is a very important task. Jesus has given this task to you and to me. We should remember that Jesus will come back. He will be Lord of all. This should help us to do this work for him.
The Great Commission
Jesus’ message is for everybody from every nation. Jesus died to suffer the punishment for our sins. God caused Jesus to become alive again. Now, Jesus rules in heaven. In the future, he will return to this world. Then, he will have great honour and power. He will judge every person.
So, each person must trust God now. Each person must confess their sins to God. And each person must invite God into their life. God will forgive all the people who trust in him. Then, they will belong to his kingdom. They will be God’s own people. This is God’s good news for everyone.
Jesus had tried to tell the disciples how important this was. They must do everything that they could, to spread the good news. Matthew, Mark and Luke all record his command to speak about him everywhere:
Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus came to the disciples. He said, ‘God has given to me all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore go and make disciples in all the nations. Baptize them with the authority of the Father (God) and of the Son (Jesus) and of the Holy Spirit. Teach them to obey all the things that I have commanded you. I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’
Jesus is Alive.
References
- Jesus. (2022, September 11). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved December 7, 2022, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus
- (2018, March 12). Learn Religions. https://www.learnreligions.com
- (n.d.). One moment, please… https://www.easyenglish.bible
- https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/bible-study/10-things-every-christian-should-know-about-the-cross.html
- (n.d.). United Church of God. https://www.gnmagazine.org
- Photo Courtesy: ©GettyImages/kckate16
- Photo Courtesy: Thinkstock
