Tehillah Generation Chapel
Daily Manna
Friday, April 22, 2016
Topic: The empty tomb 22
Reading: Matthew 27:57-66, 28:1-15
Scripture: He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee. (Luke 24:6)
Note: The simplicity of the Gospel narratives concerning the empty tomb of Jesus, his resurrection and aftermath is one of the most fiercely attacked subjects and truth, bastardised by the enemies of Christ right from the very first day of the resurrection. The empty tomb has been the subject of centuries of historical research, debate and topic of discussion among theologians.
The accounts of the Gospels, including the empty tomb and the appearances of the risen Jesus to his followers, have been interpreted and analyzed in diverse ways, and have been seen variously as historical accounts of a literal event, as accurate accounts of visionary experiences, as non-literal eschatological parables, and as fabrications of early Christian writers, among various other interpretations.
The earliest Christians, beginning with the apostles, proclaimed the risen Lord. On the day of Pentecost, the Apostle Peter, preached on the risen Lord, his background reflecting Aramaic Jewish Christian preaching, declaring that Jesus died and was raised by God, and that the apostles were witnesses to this resurrection.
Peter’s declaration was followed by the writings of Paul as depicted in his first epistle to the Corinthians (1Cor 15:1-8). Paul in this letter passed on a creed that he received at his conversion by revelation, affirming that Christ died, was buried and rose again the third day. New Testament scholar and theologian E.P. Sanders argues that a concerted effort to foster belief in the resurrection would probably have resulted in a more consistent story, and that some of those who were involved in the events gave their lives for their belief.
Food for thought: Are you so convinced about your belief in the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ such that you are prepared to die for what you believe?
Declaration: For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (Phil 1:21)
©Author: Rev Fred Aboe
