THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST

SUBMITTED TO

PASTOR DOSUNMU

IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT

FOR THE COURSE

DOCTRINE TWO

PROGRAMME PGDTH

BY

OGUNYANDO STEPHEN ADEKUNLE

MATRIC NUMBER: 03228

NOVEMBER 2023

ECWA THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY IGBAJA KWARA STATE.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

THE TOMB WAS OPENED

THE WOMEN’S ARRIVAL AT THE SCENE

THE WOMEN LEFT THE TOMB TO REPORT TO THE DISCIPLES

JESUS APPEARED TO MARY

JESUS APPEARED TO THE WOMEN

JESUS APPEARED TO THE TEN APOSTLES

THE TEMPLE GUARDS WENT TO REPORT TO THE CHIEF PRIEST

JESUS APPEARS TO TWO DISCIPLES ON THEIR WAY TO EMMAUS

CONCLUSION
 INTRODUCTION
The story of the resurrection of Christ is very important to the evangelists. All
the four gospel writers wrote about it. In fact, new testament writers recorded the
event as a historical facts.
The gospel writers recorded many events involving different people all
occurring in a relatively brief period of time. There are no contradictions in their
records if one is patient to follow the events in sequence as they occur. Shepherd,
Westcott, Breen give a harmony of the event. Matthew was brief and his purpose was
to show that the king did resurrect and the tomb empty.
The resurrection took place early on the first day of the week, Sunday morning. It is
suggested that after 6:00pm on Saturday, which is the Jewish Sabbath, the women
mentioned in the gospels began the work of preparing Christ body for permanent
burial. So early on Sunday morning, they came to the place where Christ was buried.
Before the resurrection, in fact just when Christ was buried, the Jewish leaders had
requested that guards be placed around the tomb.
THE TOMB WAS OPENED
The Jewish leader naturally suspected that the tomb would be opened or tampered
with and that was why they asked for guards (Matthew 27:65) but to their surprise,
the tomb was opened by a supernatural intervention of the Almighty God (Matt 28:2-
4) contains some event that accompanied the resurrection. One a severe earthquake,
two, an angel of the Lord decended from heaven, three the stone was rolled away and
the angel sat upon it. This stone had been a problem to the women (Luke 16:2) four,
the guards became like dead men because of the earthquake and the appearance of the
angel of the Lord.
THE WOMEN’S ARRIVAL AT THE SCENE MATT 28:5-8
It had been said earlier that women had prepared spices said prepare the body of
Jesus for burial. In spite of their worries over the large stone that was used in covering
the tomb (mark 16:2-4), they arrived at the tomb. But on arrival at the scene, they
found that the stone had been rolled away. So the woman got into the grave and found
a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side (mark 16:5). The angel
told the women not to be afraid and in a mild tone, rebuked the women for lack of faith
in their master (mark 16:6) The angel also took time to remind the women that Christ
had predicted His resurrection (Luke 24:5-7). Finally, the angel asked the women to go
and tell the disciples that Jesus was living and that they should meet Him in Galilee
(Mark 16:7). In reaction, the women fled the tomb, they trembled, were astonished
and stunned into silence.
THE WOMEN LEFT THE TOMB TO REPORT TO THE DISCIPLES
In the face of fear and trembling, Mary of Magdalene spoke for the group of the
women. And so she ran and came to Simon peter, and reported that the Lord’s body
was no longer to be found (John 20:2)
It is observed here that in spite of the angel’s announcement, these women did not get
the message. What a pity, they were still worries over the dead body of the living
Christ. The women supposed that christ’s body had been transferred from the tomb to
some unknown place.
When the disciples heard this, peter and john ran to the tomb to see what had
happened to the body of Christ, John, “being the younger of the two out ran peter but
love, too, haply supplying swifter wings” (John 20:3-4) Even though John got there was
afraid to go in (John 20:5). Peter came and entered the tomb and found that the
shrounds were interact proved that the body was not stolen.
The lesson of these events shows that both the disciples and woman had not grasped
the message of the resurrection of Christ. Even the announcement and the burial
clothes did not convince them of Christ’s of predictions concerning His resurrection.
The enemies of Christ did remember the prediction, that was why they provided
guards to watch and a seal was placed in the tomb.
JESUS APPEARED TO MARY (MARK 16:9-11)
Peter and John had run to the tomb to see what had happened but could not find any
solution to the problem so that they left for their houses (John 20:10). But mary went
back to the tomb again. This time she sat there crying and looking inside the tomb but
she saw strange people. They were two angel, one sitting at the head and the other at
the feet in the tomb where the body of Christ was laid.
The angels asked Mary why she was weeping (John 20:13). Mary’s response was the
same they had removed the body of Christ and she did not know where the body was.
If Mary had believed the message that Christ had risen, there would not have been any
reason for her to cry. Mary’s reply revealed her interpretation of the empty tomb.
Because of Mary’s endurance and love for Christ she was priviledge to see the
resurrected Jesus Christ first. Now, the questions is no other not even the angels but
Christ Himself. Jesus asked her, woman, why are you weeping I whom are you
seeking? Whom are you seeking? Mary gave the same reply and asked if the
questioner knew where her Lord was laid (John 20:15). It was at this point that Christ
told her to stop clinging to Him which means to stop restraining Him not to go away.
Old familiates must now give place to new and more awful yet sweeter approaches,
but for these, the time has not come yet, mary came back to the disciples to tell them
that had seen the Lord.
JESUS APPEARED TO THE WOMEN (Matthew 28:9-10)
Those woman too had earlier visited the tomb but they returned to the tomb again. As
they were on their way to the tomb, Christ met them and greeted them. These woman
were different from Mary in that one they were not weeping, two they recognized
Jesus immediately and three that they held Jesus by His feet and worshipped Him.
Jesus personally announced to the women this time to go and tell the disciple to meet
Him in Galilee. The women were the third groups that witnessed the empty tomb.
Who told them that He was alive.
Christ tenderly rebuked them (Luke 24:25-26) and then began to teach them
beginning with what Moses and the prophets had said about Him (Luke 24:27) Christ
did not reveal Himself until He went with them to the place where they were to stay
that night (Luke 24:28-31). The reaction of those disciples was that they returned
immediately that night to Jerusalem to report to others about their experiences (Luke
24:32-35)
JESUS APPEARS TO THE TEN APOSTLES
According to John 20:19, the apostles in company of other disciples hid
themselves behind closed doors because they feared the Jews. According to Luke, it
was when the disciple from Emmaus were relating their experience that Christ
appeared to them (Luke 24:36). Their reaction was of fear because the thought they
had seen a spirit. Christ proved to them that He was not a spirit but the same Jesus
they knew. Christ thou proved this with three things one, the scars in His hands and
feet; two, His tangibleness in be being handled and three, His ability to eat. (Luke 24:
38-43). John added a commission. He prayed peace for them and added a commission.
“As the father has sent me, I also send you. He also gave them the Holy spirit
temporarily to help them until the day of Pentecost (John 20:19-25)
John records that the authority to forgive sin was given to the believers. Since only God
can forgive sins (Mark 2:7) the disciples and the Church were given the authority to
declare what God does when a man either accepts
THE TEMPLE GUARDS WENT TO REPORT TO THE CHIEF PRIEST
The guards were the first witnesses of the empty tomb. Therefore, they went to report
to the chief priests. The priests did not question the truth of the empty tomb but
decided that the truth should be changed to a false report. The chief priest invited the
religious leaders and the assembly resolved that it should bribe the guards to circulate
false report that His disciples stole away the body while they were sleeping.
JESUS APPEARS TO TWO DISCIPLES ON THEIR WAY TO EMMAUS
On the afternoon of the resurrection day, two of Christ’s disciples were going to
a village call Emmaus. The location is uncertain today, but Emmaus is said to be about
seven miles from Jerusalem) according to Luke 24:18, the name of one of the disciples
was cleopas (A greek name) “many identify cleopas as the person mentioned in John
19:25, in which case his wife’s name was Mary. “These two disciples were, on doubt,
believers because they referred to Peter and John as those who were with them (Luke
24:24).
The conversation between Jesus and those two disciple centres on the recent
event that took place over the weekend. The disciple told the stranger (Jesus) how
Jesus whom they thought would deliver Israel was crucified by the Jewish leaders and
that it was now three days since He had been crucified continuing, the disciple said
that some women and men who were with them went to tomb where He was buried
and could not find His body but they saw a vision of Angels, or rejects His son.
CONCLUSION
John mentioned that Thomas was not there when Christ appeared in the scene.
Thomas would not believe the story and vowed not until he seen and touched the nail
print in His hands. There are many lesson to learn from Christ dead, was buried and
rose again and on Sunday, the resurrection day. He showed Himself to many of His
disciples. It was an incredible story to them but it did happen. Hallelujah Christ.