“The Lord’s Day” a day reserved for remembering the gift of salvation in Jesus Christ and to rest in God’s grace! God created for 6 days and then He rested.
Jesus said that Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath. Rest in His peace!
In the Old Testament every 7 years debts were forgiven, slaves were freed and the land was left fallow…a precursor of Jesus who is Lord of the Sabbath. He came to offer forgiveness, free us from sin and its grip on our lives and give us peace and rest from our works.
Regarding the Israelites, English minister Matthew Henry notes, "God would teach them to depend upon his providence. This year of release typified the gospel, in which is proclaimed the acceptable year of the Lord, and by which we obtain the release of our debts, that is, the pardon of our sins, and we are taught to forgive injuries, as we are and hope to be forgiven of God."
For the release of anyone held captive to sin and suffering, Jesus declares, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim ... liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor" (Luke 4:18-19). First5
In his book Finding God in Unexpected Places, Philip Yancey talks about a South African woman named Joanna, who began a prison ministry that radically transformed one of her country's most violent prisons. When Yancey asked her how she did it, she said: "Well, of course, Philip, God was already present in the prison. I just had to make Him visible." SabbathMoments
Matthew 28:1–10
28 Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it. 3 His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. 4 And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men. 5 But the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 7 And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.” 8 So they went out quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring His disciples word. 9 And as they went to tell His disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” So they came and held Him by the feet and worshiped Him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me.”
Mark 16:1-8
16 Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, that they might come and anoint Him. 2 Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen. 3 And they said among themselves, “Who will roll away the stone from the door of the tomb for us?” 4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away—for it was very large. 5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. 6 But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. 7 But go, tell His disciples—and Peter—that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.” 8 So they went out quickly and fled from the tomb, for they trembled and were amazed. And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
Luke 24:1-11
24 Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. 2 But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb. 3 Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments. 5 Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6 He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee, 7 saying, ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’ ” 8 And they remembered His words. 9 Then they returned from the tomb and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them, who told these things to the apostles. 11 And their words seemed to them like idle tales, and they did not believe them.
The New King James Version
In fulfillment of His predictions, Jesus conquers the grave and rises to new life.
Jews calculated the Sabbath from sundown on Friday night to sundown on Saturday night. During that time, no one could do any work. The Greek verb used here is passive, indicating an act of God. The women are the first to encounter the risen Christ. The Greek word Jesus speaks here is an expression of well-being or gladness. This is no apparition or hallucination; Jesus is physically alive. Despite the disciples’ earlier abandonment of Him Jesus addresses them with a term of utmost endearment.
Upon arriving at Jesus’ tomb, several women find that the stone is no longer covering the entrance. A man—likely an angel—instructs them to tell the disciples that Jesus had risen from the grave and would meet them in Galilee. By Mark’s reckoning, Jesus died and was buried before sunset at the end of the 15th of Nisan (Friday). The Sabbath that followed (Saturday) extended from that sunset (the beginning of the 16th of Nisan) to the next sunset (the beginning of the 17th of Nisan, Sunday).
In accordance with Jesus’ predictions, He was buried for three calendars days: the end of 15 Nisan, the entirety of 16 Nisan, and the beginning of 17 Nisan. Mark does not explicitly state that the man is an angel. This likely is the original ending of Mark’s Gospel. It cuts off abruptly, with the only witnesses to the resurrection afraid and saying nothing to anyone. This clearly is not the whole story—and (apart from other Gospel accounts) Mark’s earliest readers probably were aware that the women did tell others and Jesus did appear to His disciples in Galilee.
This startling ending invites Mark’s readers to join the story of Jesus and become his witnesses. Those who read Mark and come to recognize Jesus as the Messiah can carry on His mission by bearing witness to His true character, showing love toward God and neighbor, proclaiming forgiveness in Jesus’ name, and awaiting His return.
This refers to Sunday, the day after the Sabbath. First-century Jews understood the calendar day to begin at sunset. In accordance with Jesus’ predictions, He remained buried for parts of three calendar days: the end of Friday, the entirety of Saturday (the Sabbath), and roughly the first half of Sunday (from sunset to sunrise). By Mark’s reckoning, Jesus died and was buried before sunset on Friday—the end of the 15th day of the month of Nisan. Sunset marked the beginning of the Sabbath (Saturday, the 16th of Nisan). The following sunset was the start of Sunday (the 17th of Nisan); later that day, as the sun was rising, the women visited the tomb.
The women from Galilee return to anoint the body of Jesus.
Luke’s description of the clothing implies that these men were heavenly beings they were no longer the Twelve, due to Judas’ betrayal of Jesus. Judas is later replaced by Matthias.
In the Graeco-Roman world of the first century, the testimony of women was considered unreliable and could not be used to settle legal disputes. For this reason, the mention of women being the first eyewitnesses of the empty tomb suggests that Luke is faithfully reporting the early church’s recollection of this event. It also shows the vital role of women in Jesus’ ministry.
Faithlife Study Bible
The Sabbath ended at sundown on Saturday. The events of this verse took place at dawn on Sunday morning. An earthquake marked the death of the Lord Jesus, here it evidenced His resurrection.
The tomb was not opened to permit Christ to come out, but to allow others in so they could see that it was empty.
He is risen, as He said. The Lord Jesus made post-resurrection appearances first in Jerusalem and Judea, then in Galilee, and then again in Jerusalem. Christ’s command to “come, see” is followed here by go … tell. This is always the divine order: to tell others the Good News about our Lord.
Galilee was the appointed location for Jesus’ rendezvous with His disciples and was also the setting of the Great Commission.
The Sabbath is Saturday. The next day is the first day of the week, Sunday. The spices would conceal the stench of decay and were a symbol of the care and concern these women had for their beloved Master. The women thought about how large the stone was and how difficult it would be to dislodge it from the entrance. They expressed no concern over the seal on the tomb or the presence of a Roman guard, apparently unaware of the precautions the Jews and Romans had taken. Mark does not identify the young man who appeared in a long white robe as an angel, but clearly he is there to explain the mystery that confronts the women. The Greek voice of He is risen, which is passive, indicates that an act of God accomplished the raising up of Jesus.
Chosen by God as the first human witnesses to Christ’s resurrection, these women were commanded to go and tell. The special mention of Peter signifies that Christ still accepted him, even though he had denied the Lord three times. Initially, the women’s fear caused them to say nothing to anyone. They recovered shortly, however, and brought word to the 11 disciples, including Peter.
It may be assumed that the two men who appeared were angels, based on the way their clothes are described as shining garments. Why do you seek the living: Angels announced that Jesus was alive. Anointing Him would not be necessary.
The women were reminded that Jesus had predicted His resurrection as far back as Galilee.
Three women are named: Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Mary the mother of James. Other women also joined in the report of Jesus’ resurrection. Mary, the last one at the Cross and the first one at the tomb, was given the privilege of relaying the first resurrection message.
Skepticism reigned among the disciples. It is clear that they did not expect a resurrection. The disciples thought the women’s story was nonsense.
The NKJV Study Bible
Matthew 17:22 Now while they were staying in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men,
Matthew 17:23 and they will kill Him, and the third day He will be raised up.” And they were exceedingly sorrowful.
Mark 9:31 For He taught His disciples and said to them, “The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of men, and they will kill Him. And after He is killed, He will rise the third day.”
Mark 16:6 But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him.
Luke 9:22 saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.”
No comments:
Post a Comment