WEEKLY SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON
An international Sunday school lesson commentary
For Sunday April 16, 2017
Over 128,000 readers worldwide
larrydalexander.blogspot.com
JESUS’ VICTORY OVER DEATH
(JESUS’ victory over death can be ours as well)
(John 20:1-10 and 1 Peter 1:1-9)
In the
Greek, the word New Testament writers use for “resurrection” is “anastasis”
(an-as-tas-is), and it is “a moral recovery of spiritual truth”. It also means,
in the physical sense, “to stand up again”. In John chapter 20, verses 1-18,
Matthew 28:1-10, Mark 16:1-19, and Luke 24:1-12, these authors of GOD share
their respective Gospel accounts of the Resurrection of our LORD and SAVIOR,
JESUS CHRIST.
The Resurrection
of CHRIST is the essence of the Christian faith, and the core of all of the
Apostles teachings. All accounts tell us that it was early in the morning of
the first day of the week, while it was still dark, when JESUS’ body was
discovered missing. By combining all four Gospel accounts, we can see that Mary
Magdalene, the woman from whom JESUS once removed seven demons (Luke 8:2),
Mary, the mother of James and Joseph, Salome, who was Zebedee’s wife and the
mother of James and John, and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s business
manager, all went to the tomb of JESUS to anoint HIS body for burial, with
spices.
Perhaps no one
had ever loved JESUS as much as Mary Magdalene did. HE had done something for
her that no one else could ever do, and she never forgot it. It was the custom
of the Jews to visit the tomb of a loved one for three days after the body had
been laid to rest. They believed that, for three days, the spirit of the
deceased person would hover around the tomb, and only departed when the
decomposing body became unrecognizable.
The day following
JESUS’ Crucifixion was the Sabbath, which is our Saturday, so to visit on that
day would violate the Sabbath law. That is why their first visit had to occur
on that early Sunday morning. The original Greek writings of the New Testament
authors tell us that, it was during “proi” (the fourth night watch) when they
visited the tomb. The Jews divided their nights into four watches. The first
night watch was from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., the second watch was from 9 p.m. to 12
a.m., the third watch was from 12 a.m. to 3 a.m., and the fourth and final
watch was from 3 a.m. to 6 a.m. It was during this forth watch, called “proi”,
that, the women came to the tomb.
Tombs, in those
days, were “cave-like” compartments that had been carved into the side of a
hill, or mountain, and then, covered by a circular shaped rock, which rested,
in a slanted groove that had been carved out, along the front opening of these
compartments. This extremely heavy rock had to be rolled uphill to open, and
downhill to close. So we can envision that it was much harder to open than it
was to close.
In addition,
Matthew tells us that JESUS’ tomb was also sealed by Roman officials, at the
request of the Jewish leaders (Matthew 27:62-66). They also placed guards out
in front of the tomb. Matthew also records that there was a great earthquake
associated with an angel of the LORD, who came down from Heaven and rolled away
the stone from the entrance of the sepulcher, and then, sat on it. This
apparently frightened the Roman guards so much, that they actually fainted
(Matthew 28:2-4).
When the women
arrived at the tomb, they were shocked and frightened by what they saw.
However, the angel was able to allay their fears and invite them to look inside
the cave so that they could see that JESUS was no longer there. The angel then
urged them to go and tell JESUS’ Disciples the good news, that, JESUS had
arisen from the dead, just as HE had said that HE would.
The women then
ran and found Peter and John, who were somewhat puzzled, and were thinking
someone had broken into the tomb and removed JESUS’ body (John 20:2). Peter and
John ran to the tomb, and with John arriving first, he looks in and sees JESUS’
“body wrappings” (“bussinos” (boos-see-nos) – “linen bandages or torn sheets”)
lying there in the tomb, but he sees no body.
Then Peter
arrived and actually went inside the cave, where he too, only sees the cloth
that had enwrapped JESUS’ body. When Peter saw this, he remembered and realized
what the Scriptures had said, and also, what JESUS had said about rising from the
dead after three days, and Peter believed, and they went home.
The Apostle Peter, perhaps, wrote his
inspiring first letter (1 Peter) while residing in Rome, near the end of his
life. Its purpose was to lend comfort and encouragement to the Jewish Christian
Diaspora, who, were living as foreigners in the various towns of Asia Minor
(now northern Turkey). In chapter 1 of that letter Peter focuses on “triumph
through suffering for CHRIST”, and how the “Christian Hope” will serve as
motivation to make our life here on earth, conform more fully to the word of
GOD, as we go along on your “Christian Journey”.
Peter apparently wrote this epistle around
the time of “the great persecution of the Christian Church” by the Roman
emperor, Nero. Nero, who was an outstanding practitioner of the form of
witchcraft called “Miming”, often used his miming talents to make light of his
terrible persecutions on the Church by mocking the Christian’s sufferings,
while performing in the theaters in and around Rome.
Peter and the other early church leaders
banned miming in the Christian Church for obvious reasons (witchcraft is
“anti-CHRIST”). Nowadays, however, because of our ever-growing desire to
be entertained in worship services, many so-called Christian Churches have both
“wittingly and unwittingly” re-introduced this demonic form of entertainment
back into church worship services, and other church functions, simply because
we fail to properly research hardly anything anymore, before we begin to
incorporate it into our programs. However, we’ll let that (miming) be another
Sunday school lesson. For now, let us focus on the Hope of Eternal Life that is
offered through Salvation, through JESUS CHRIST.
Peter’s first letter is rich in references
to and from the Old Testament. Any Jewish Christian would find special
significance in the term “Diaspora” that is translated “scattered” in the
opening lines of this letter, and any Gentile reader wouldn’t help but notice
Peter’s call for living a holy lifestyle, despite their background, or total
ignorance to the Word of GOD.
Those Gentile converts would have also been
greatly encouraged by the fact that, even though they weren’t yet versed in the
Word of GOD, they were immediately accepted as “GOD’s people” by the Christian
Community.
In the biblical Greek, the word used for
“encourage” is “parakaleo” (par-ak-al-eh-o), and it means “to call near, and to
invoke by imploring and consoling”. It also means “to be of some good to, by
comforting through prayer and exhortation”. Here Peter reminds the Jewish
diaspara that GOD had long ago chosen them, and, that they had also been
sanctified by the HOLY SPIRIT through the atoning blood of CHRIST JESUS. They
had been touched by the “GOD-head”, the “Whole of GOD”, and set aside to do
“greater things” with their lives. Here Peter shares his personal desire (v.
2c) that they be showered with an abundance of GOD’s grace and peace upon their
lives.
In verses 3-5 Peter speaks of the “living
hope”, or “wonderful expectation” that comes through the resurrection of CHRIST
JESUS, which promises us a divine inheritance in Heaven. GOD has preserved a
priceless inheritance for HIS people, which is kept “pure” and “undefiled”,
and, kept out of the reach of “change” and “decay”. We are also protected by
GOD’s power, here on earth, until we can receive those Heavenly benefits of
this “wonderful salvation” for trusting in HIM only.
We can come to rest in the thought that
this life on earth is not the final act of “the human drama”. And even
though, by choosing the Christian Walk, we are no longer permanent residents of
this earth, but rather, become citizens of Heaven, it is still necessary, for
now, to endure those tests and trials that are set before us.
These tests and trials are not meant to
make us fail, but rather, are given to us to grow our faith and make us strong
and pure, to better serve GOD’s purpose for us, in this life. To persevere
through those trials and tribulations will bring much praise and glory and
honor on the day when JESUS returns, and is revealed to the whole world (Vs.
6-7).
Faith, Hope, and Love are the three great
enduring things, and of the three, love is the greatest (1 Corinthians 13:13).
Our living “hope” is spun by the promise of GOD. We “love” HIM, even though we
have never seen HIM. And though we do not see HIM, by “faith”, we trust in HIS
Word. And even now, we can rejoice with an inexpressible joy, because our
reward for trusting in HIM will result in the salvation of our souls (Vs. 8-9).
Salvation is something that every prophet
since the beginning of the age wanted to know more about. They prophesied of
this great salvation, through GOD’s SON, that had been prepared for mankind,
even though they themselves, probably, had many questions as to what it all
meant. They often wondered just what the SPIRIT of GOD in them was talking
about, when HE informed them in advance, about CHRIST’s suffering here on
earth, and HIS great glory, afterwards.
These great men of GOD were told all these
things would not happen in their lifetimes. However, today, this Good News is
being preached throughout the world by those who actually embody the power of
the HOLY SPIRIT on a continuous basis. And it is something so wonderful, that,
even the angels are eagerly watching the events unfold in the lives of those
who experience the Christian Hope, by way of a transformation of the heart,
through the power only found in GOD’s Word, which is JESUS CHRIST (Vs. 10-12).
A
Sunday school lesson by,
Larry
D. Alexander
LARRY D. ALEXANDER-
Official Website
No comments:
Post a Comment