The accounts of Resurrection Sunday morning in scripture seem to indicate that the resurrection of Jesus bodily from the tomb was a surprise—to the women who went there, to the disciples, and to Jerusalem. Mary supposed Jesus was the gardener and asked him where they had taken Jesus’ body. It’s understandable that someone rising from the dead would be an event doubted by most people, but the evidences of this event should have been there to see. This was not an unexpected miracle but rather a prophecy meticulously made and fulfilled in the eyes of all.
The Old Testament predicted the resurrection.
The only thing necessary to see the prophecy of the resurrection in the Old Testament is to believe that Isaiah 53 is messianic. The chapter traces in wonderfully poetic fashion the Story of a divine substitute who grows up in anonymity (verses 1-3),
For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground.
He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him.
He suffers on behalf of others (verses 4-6).
Surely He has borne our griefs ad carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.
But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
He is eventually killed and placed in the grave (a rich man’s grave, verses 7-9).
He was oppressed and He was afflicted,
Yet He opened not His mouth;
He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent,
So He opened not His mouth.
He was taken from and from judgment, and who will declare His generation?
For He was cut off from the land of the living;
For the transgressions of My people He was stricken.
And they made His grave with the wicked—but with the rich at His death,
Because He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth.
And finally, He lives again to see His suffering and death accomplish their purpose (verses 10-12).
Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him;
He has put Him to grief.
When You make His soul an offering for sin,
He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days,
And the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand.He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied.
By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many,
For He shall bear their iniquities.
Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great,
And He shall divide the spoil with the strong,
Because He poured out His soul unto death,
And He was numbered with the transgressors,
And He bore the sin of many,
And made intercession for the transgressors.
Jesus predicted His death and resurrection in specific detail.
The gospel of Matthew gives ample proof of this. In Matthew 16:21, while in Caesarea Philippi, Jesus speaks of it candidly with the disciples. It so disturbs Peter that he rebukes Jesus for even saying it. The indication in the text is that Jesus, from this point, starting talking about it repeatedly.
From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.
Just after His self-revelation on the Mount of Transfiguration in Matthew 17:22, Jesus again repeats His determination to go to Jerusalem and the fate that awaits Him there. In both these passages He indicated how He will die, that He will rise again, and exactly when He will do so.
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, and they will kill Him, and the third day He will be raised up.” And they were exceedingly sorrowful.
On the road to Jerusalem, Jesus again predicted His own death and resurrection. He predicts amazing specifics such as His betrayal, condemnation by the religious leadership, transfer to gentile judgment, crucifixion specifically, death, and resurrection the third day.
Now Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples aside on the road and said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And the third day He will rise again.” (Matthew 20:17-18).
Jesus demonstrated His ability to rise by bringing others back from the dead.
He raised the son of the widow of Nain recorded in (Luke 7:11-14). He raised Jairus’ daughter (Luke 8:40-42) and he raised Lazarus, who had been dead and buried for four days (John 11:17-22).
Jesus’ predictions of His resurrection were widely known.
The religious leaders were determined that Jesus would not “rise again” as He had predicted, so they took great efforts to seal the tomb and guard it.
On the next day, which followed the Day of Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate, saying, “Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise.’ Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead.’ So the last deception will be worse than the first.”
Pilate said to them, “You have a guard; go your way, make it as secure as you know how.” So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard. (Matthew 27:62-65)
The result of their caution was that the guards and seal provided more proof that Jesus verifiably rose again and that it was NOT a hoax perpetrated by the disciples.
The hoax myth is debunked.
Some claim that the disciples executed a fanciful hoax, but their later lives proved that false. Chuck Colson explained it this way.
I know the resurrection is a fact, and Watergate proved it to me. How? Because 12 men testified they had seen Jesus raised from the dead, then they proclaimed that truth for 40 years, never once denying it. Every one was beaten, tortured, stoned and put in prison. They would not have endured that if it weren’t true. Watergate embroiled 12 of the most powerful men in the world-and they couldn’t keep a lie for three weeks. You’re telling me 12 apostles could keep a lie for 40 years? Absolutely impossible!
The resurrection became the dynamic message of the Church. And that Church by the message of the gospel and the power of the Holy Spirit turned the world upside down in a generation.
Jesus rose again, and it should not have been a surprise.
Audio version of this post: The Resurrection of Jesus Should Not Have Been a Surprise
Image created using Microsoft Co-Pilot.
Discover more from Proclaim & Defend
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
