IF ALIVE, THEN WHERE IS JESUS NOW?

  

Following an accurate recording of Jesus’ empty tomb, one is faced with the question of the whereabouts of the deceased. The New Testament accounts for forty days. During that period, Jesus physically appeared in Galilee and Jerusalem. He met many people. He ate and fished with them. Then, where did He go?

The New Testament records that Jesus left earth. Christians refer to this experience as the ascension of Jesus. Five times New Testament writers employed a Greek term that meant Jesus was taken up or ascended. Each time the verb was in the passive voice, He “was taken up.” Here, the use of the passive voice was indicating that the taking up was empowered by an external force.

 

Like me, you are probably asking, can someone really believe in ascension in our scientific age? Could one really believe that Jesus was literally “taken-up” from earth? Assuming Jesus was not ascended as reported by Luke in Acts 1:9, we are left with a few difficult historical queries. 

 

In post-resurrection New Testament passages, Stephen, Paul and John claimed to have encountered Jesus. But none of them provided geographical locations where they met. At no point in sacred or secular history does any historian refer to Jesus in terms of His physical location. Someone must be able to account for His absence from the tomb and from anywhere on earth. Honestly, the best account for his absence from earth is his ascension, as recorded in the book of Acts.

 

The literary context in Acts is historical narrative. Historical narrative describes people who actually lived and events that actually happened. Luke recorded that the location of the ascension was “… in the vicinity of Bethany” (Luke 24:51). Bethany was a village on the Mount of Olives. Some of those who witnessed that event were referred to as “Men of Galilee” (Acts 1:11).

 

Like His death and resurrection, the ascension of Jesus was predicted. A thousand years before His birth, David prophesied the ascension of the Messiah when he announced the Lord’s enthronement at the Father’s right hand (Psalm 110:1).

 

In this Psalm, David says, “The LORD says to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool’”. Jesus quotes this verse in a discussion with the Pharisees to prove that the Messiah is more than David’s son (Matt. 22:44). He is David’s Lord.

 

Like the Psalmist, Jesus predicted His own ascension. In announcing his death to his disciples, He promised to go and prepare a place. Such a mission necessitated leaving earth. It was shortly after making that promise, Jesus said, “it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Holy Spirit will not come to you...” (John 16:7). Luke contends, just after instructing the disciples to wait in Jerusalem, “Jesus was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight” (Acts 1:9).

 

This year, Ascension Day, one of the earliest Christian festivals, will be observed on Thursday, May 29. It is observed as a public holiday in many countries. The Day commemorates the climax of Jesus’ earthly ministry and the end of the Easter season.

 

The theological implications of the historic ascension of Jesus are massive. Questions like, where did Jesus go, or where is Jesus now, cannot be avoided. About six years after the Ascension, Jesus appeared to Saul (Acts 9:5). The voice Saul heard was clear and authoritative. Saul correctly responded, “Who are you, Lord?” Because Jesus’ identity was sufficiently distinct, Saul recalled the encounter before King Agrippa. He said to the Roman judge, “I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven”.

 

About fifty years after the Ascension, John, a former disciple of Jesus, records his contact with Jesus. From heaven, Jesus said to him, “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever” (Revelation 1:17). Like Saul, John confirmed that Jesus is still alive, but not on earth. What then are the chances that this same Jesus will return? The angels who were present at the Ascension answered that question in this way: “… this same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11).

 

The Easter story reminds us that Jesus accurately predicted his death, his resurrection and his ascension. With such a successful track record of accurate predictions, it would seem foolish to conclude that the return of Jesus is unlikely.

 

 

FROM WIMPS TO WITNESSES

 

The disciples did not believe that Jesus was resurrected. When informed by the women who first discovered that Jesus was alive, the disciples considered what they were saying to be “nonsense” (Luke 24:11). One disciple reported that on the day of Jesus’ resurrection, “the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders” (John 20:19). Even Thomas, one of their colleagues, when informed that Jesus was alive, displayed much skepticism.

Although not among the official list of disciples, Cleophas and his companion were troubled on their seven-mile journey home to Emmaus. They were aware of Jesus’ crucifixion in Jerusalem. They were depressed and confused because Jesus’ death meant the death of a great prophet. Also, the death of their political aspirations. Coupled with that despair, they were aware that Jesus’ corpse was missing from the tomb. Up until that point, they did not consider resurrection as a possible cause.

It was “the chief priests and the Pharisees” who remembered Jesus saying, “after three days I will rise again” (Matthew 27:63). These priests and Pharisees were asking the Roman authorities to secure the tomb “until the third day”. They wanted the body to be protected from the disciples. They feared the disciples would “steal the body and tell the people that he had been raised from the dead” (Matthew 27:64).

It is not that the religious leaders believed that the resurrection was possible. In their words, “they feared that this last deception will be worse than the first”. But what would the disciples do with a dead body? These guys were very scared for their own lives. In addition, they were almost 80 miles from their home in the Galilean region. They were visiting Jerusalem. The thought of stealing a lifeless body was ludicrous.    

Interestingly, the disciples were unaware that the Roman authority had granted a request from the religious leaders to secure the body of Jesus. Firstly, “they put a seal on the stone” (Matthew 27:66). It is very likely that the stone covering the tomb was secured with cords or ropes across it. A wax or clay seal was then placed where the cords crossed the stone. The seal most likely bore the imperial mark of Rome. The seal was a warning that breaking it was an offense against the state.

To reinforce the security of the seal, Pilate gave instructions “to take a guard”. The Greek word used here implies that a detachment of security should be put in place. A Roman detachment of soldiers could range from four to sixteen men. Their mission was very specific – protect this property from theft for the next few hours. The request for security was done the day before the resurrection. The biblical wording was very specific – “so give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day” (Matthew 27:64).

What became very obvious was that no human authority dared to touch that body “until the third day”. Interestingly, no human authority did. What happened on the third day was not a human plan. The New Testament often referred to what happened on the third day as “God raised Jesus from the dead.” Disciple Peter said it best on the Day of Pentecost, “But God raised Jesus from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him” (Acts 2:24).

It was that resurrection that changed the disciples from wimps to witnesses. The guys on the road to Emmaus buried their spirit of despondency and returned to Jerusalem. The resurrected Jesus made the difference. The disciples unlocked the doors because they no longer feared the Jews. Having met the resurrected Jesus, Peter and John confronted the Jewish leaders on one occasion, “… it is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed” (Acts 4:10).

Hallelujah! That is the Easter story that turns wimps to witnesses.

WHY I LOVE GOOD FRIDAY

 In a few days, we’ll be observing another celebration of Good Friday. It is believed that it was on a Friday about 2,000 years ago, Jesus was crucified. But because crucifixion was such a barbaric form of death, how could anyone think of referring to the occasion of crucifixion as a Good Friday?

Although the Romans did not invent crucifixion, they perfected it as a form of torture and capital punishment. Crucifixion was designed to produce a slow death, with maximum pain and suffering. Historians agree that it was one of the most disgraceful and cruel methods of execution and usually was reserved for slaves, foreigners and the vilest of criminals.

 

Before resorting to crucifixion, Roman law required victims to be flogged. For flogging or scourging, the victim was stripped of his clothing, and his hands were tied to an upright post. The severity of the scourging was intended to weaken the victim to a state just short of collapse or death. The Roman soldiers, amused that this weakened man had claimed to be a king, began to mock Jesus by placing a robe on His shoulders, a crown of thorns on His head, and wooden staff, as a scepter in His right hand.

 

Again I ask, how could the occasion of celebrating the most barbaric form of capital punishment be considered a Good Friday? Honestly though, could the reason for celebrating include the brutal form of death? Just thinking, shouldn’t ones punishment be commensurate with one’s alleged crime? What crime could Jesus have committed to warrant such a horrible form of death?

 

In his first letter to the Corinthians, the apostle Paul stated that he proudly preached about the crucifixion of Jesus Christ – even though he knew it was a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles. Paul contended that the foolishness of God was wiser than human wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:23-25).

 

Paul strongly believed that the barbarity of the death of Jesus was no accident. He believed that the message of that horrific cross contained power (1 Corinthians 1:17). Power to shame the wise and strong. Like in Paul’s season, our generation looks for symbols of strength to reflect power. Paul argues, Christians look to the crucified Christ for strength and power.

 

Paul advances at least two reasons. The first is that no one will be able to boast. The symbol of a crucified Christ sounds stupid to anyone with sense. The idea of delighting in the cross of Christ is not a human invention and brings no delight to our intelligence. That idea fits neatly with Paul’s second reason for delighting in the cross – so that our faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power (1 Corinthians 2:5).

 

Those are only a few of the reasons why I delight in referring to the occasion of Christ’s crucifixion, as a Good Friday. It was the day when Jesus paid the punishment for my sin. It was the day when God was satisfied with the sacrifice of His Son. It was because of that day, I had a basis for becoming a Christian. For me, and I trust for you also, the day that Jesus died was indeed a Good Friday.