Death and Resurrection of Christ

Friday-night we as brothers and sisters in Christ came together to remember how the sent one from God came together with his apostles to remember the exodus from Egypt, but also to remember how Jesus came to tell about the coming hours when he was going to face death.

Now the first day of the feast of unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying unto him, Where will you that we prepare for you to eat the passover? And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Teacher says, My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at your house with my disciples. And the disciples did as Jesus had appointed them; and they made ready the passover.
(Matthew 26:17-19 KJ2000)

It was the night on which he was betrayed, that he took time with his beloved friends to have some precious time together, though he knew that all of them will be made to stumble because of him on that night.

And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and broke it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink you all of it; For this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.
(Matthew 26:26-29 KJ2000)

Then said Jesus unto them, All you shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee.
(Matthew 26:31-32 KJ2000)

So Jesus on that night not only spoke about his death but also about his resurrection. Therefore we too on the same night remember those events.

Friday in the day, Catholics also thought about the death of Jesus, but for them it seems of no importance that Jesus was three days in the grave, because already one day and a half later for them Jesus rose on Sunday morning.

Many of them do seem to forget that man can do God nothing, so if Jesus was or is God, he would have felt nothing. But Jesus as a man of flesh and blood had enough reasons to be fearful for what was coming. Jesus was a son of man, his flesh and body just the same as ours and having feelings and emotions the same as us. Therefore we, especially these days, take time to remember his agony (the physical, spiritual, and emotional agony) he must have experienced those last days on this earth.

When we recall the night of the betrayal, can you imagine how you would avoid such confrontation? Fear might have come into the heart of Jesus but he stayed calm, washed the feet of his disciples and at the table took bread and wine to brake the bread as a symbol for his broken body, and gave to the disciples the wine as a symbol for his shed blood.

Equally notable is the quiet confidence of Jesus in the future. Some of the disciples had already begun to wonder if the life of Jesus were more than a fine dream. Slowly, and after many a hint and lesson, they were beginning to grasp the approaching death of their master, and there was not one of them at the table that night who pictured such death as defeat.

14 Nisan for Jesus and his apostles was a night of no pomp and no elaborate ritual about it. It was a simple and humble and very homely deed. Therefore also for us the Memorial Meal might be sober, seeing in the bread and wine Jesus his body and blood. But then it gives something more lightening and festive for us, because we believe it is thanks to that bloodshed that we can have hope in the promises we can find in the Scriptures.

The Book of books speaks of the royal hopefulness of Jesus that he found such meanings in a piece of bread. When Jesus went to Cana he found water there; but the water was wine before the feast was ended. Now Jesus took the wine upon the table, and exalted it into the symbol of his blood. From water to wine and then from wine to blood. If broken bread speaks of his sinless body, there is still a chance for broken characters. It is quite true that we are saved by hope. The hopefulness of Jesus Christ is wonderful and comes to the 100% when he was a man, because when he would have been God than he had put up a charade or a tragedy offering no hope for man, because God can not die and when Jesus as God would have come out of the tomb, we still have no proof at all that there shall be a resurrection for man. But now we have!

On the 14th of Nisan Jesus after he was, as a prisoner, brought before Pilate to whom he agreed that it was said he was a King of the Jews, was delivered to be put at the stake.

Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers. And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe. And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and struck him on the head. And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off of him, and put his own clothes on him, and led him away to crucify him.
(Matthew 27:27-31 KJ2000)

And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull, They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink. And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and for my clothing did they cast lots. And sitting down they watched him there; And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
(Matthew 27:33-37 KJ2000)

Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calls for Elijah. And immediately one of them ran, and took a sponge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink. The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him. Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up his spirit. And, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks were split; And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints that slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.
(Matthew 27:45-54 KJ2000)

The centurion with many others now had been convinced that Jesus was the son of God, though many still could not accept that, like many still can not do so today.

The shadows were deepening into the dark of Calvary. The last great agony of struggle was begun that was to close in the putting on the stake and getting Jesus in the sepulchre

When the evening was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus’ disciple: He went to Pilate, and begged for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered. And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulcher, and departed. And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulcher. Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, Saying, Sir, we remember that this deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again. Command therefore that the sepulcher be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first. Pilate said unto them, You have guards: go your way, make it as sure as you can. So they went, and made the sepulcher sure, sealing the stone, and setting a guard.
(Matthew 27:57-66 KJ2000)

Jesus also had warned them what would happen three days after his death

And Jesus going up to Jerusalem took the twelve disciples apart in the way, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death, And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again.
(Matthew 20:17-19 KJ2000)

And they were on the way going up to Jerusalem; and Jesus went before them: and they were amazed; and as they followed, they were afraid. And he took again the twelve, and began to tell them what things should happen unto him, Saying, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes; and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles: And they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him, and shall kill him: and the third day he shall rise again.
(Mark 10:32-34 KJ2000)

For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
(Matthew 12:40 KJ2000)

So you could wonder why so many Christians celebrate today (21 April 2019) the resurrection of Jesus, only one day and a half after his death?!

Real Christians should see how today 2019, Sunday April 21, which is called Easter, is really a day in honour of the goddess of fertility, and therefore has eggs and an Easter bunny in the picture.

These Festival days for us are the most important days of the year, because by remembering the death and resurrection of Christ we are honouring the fact that God accepted the ransom of Christ and by the Grace of God salvation has come over us.

For first there is 14 Nisan as a gathering of friends of Jeshua (Jesus Christ). We remember that Jesus came together to celebrate or remember the liberation of the slaves in Egypt, but for mankind came to show a much bigger salvation, namely liberation of the curse of death because of the sin-offering by the son of God, Jeshua, Jesus the Kristos or anointed (the Messiah). It was his death that Jesus also chose for special remembrance. He did not chose his birth or his baptism. He chose to ask all his followers to come together as much as they can (even when it would be daily) to commemorate his death on Calvary.

And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their food with gladness and sincerity of heart,
(Acts 2:46 KJ2000)

He who was once despised and rejected of men, now occupies the honourable position of a beloved and honoured ‘Son’. Jehovah accepted the ransom Jesus paid for our sins. Jesus, who was first lower than angels was made higher and taken into heaven to sit at the right hand of God. There in heaven on that place of majesty and favour, our master Jesus is his people’s representative, our mediator between God and man.

When we know that it was three days after the death of Christ, that he rose from the dead, why should people then celebrate his resurrection after they remembered only one day and a half before his death?

Let all real followers of Christ keep to the God given feasts or ‘holy days’ and let all followers of Jeshua (or Jesus Christ) remember how he died for them and how he rose again for them, giving them liberty and now speaking for them. But let those events also be a signal to abstain from any heathen connection, like the heathen festival Easter.

To honour in dignity what Jesus has done, having given his body for us, we can remember his raising and elevation on the right appropriate day, 17th or 18th Nisan, the year 2019 meaning Jesus would have died at three in the afternoon (or 6th hour of light/day time) we would have to remember his being put in the grave the 20th April and then his resurrection three days later, so Tuesday the 23rd of April. In a way people can say it does not matter which day it is exactly, but please do not celebrate it on a heathen festival and do not participate in heathen traditions (like looking for Easter eggs).

Preceding

A perfect life, obedient death, and glorious resurrection

Lost senses or a clear focus on the one at the stake

A Messiah to die

Why Did Christ Die on the stake

Proof of the resurrection of Christ

The resurrected Lord

Easter holiday, fun and rejoicing

2017 – Wednesday 5 April – Sunday 9 April 30 CE Pesach or Passover versus Easter