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Death precedes Resurrection

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the resurrection of JesusWhy don’t we see resurrection today?

I don’t mean bodies of people actually coming forth from the grave. That is the physical resurrection which will happen at the future resurrection of all people. We shouldn’t expect to see that sort of resurrection today.

What I means is, “Why don’t we see lives of Christ-followers being radically transformed and changed into new creations?” Why don’t we see the “resurrection life”?

The Resurrection Life

It seems almost expected today that when a person believes in Jesus, not much will change. Oh, they might start going to church, and maybe reading their Bible and praying, and if they are really zealous, they will talk about Jesus to their friends. But typically, within a few months, old habits creep back in, old ways of living continue. Not much changes.

So whatever happened to the resurrection? Whatever happened to being raised to new life in Christ? Whatever happened to being a new creation? People talk about living the “resurrected life,” and sing about it, read about it, preach about it, and even pray for it, but it rarely seems to happen.

Why is the resurrection life so rare?

Death of JesusI believe it is because we have forgotten a vital element in the truth of the resurrection, and it is this: There can be no resurrection without death. Death always precedes resurrection. If you want to see resurrection, you must hang out with the dead, and if you want to experience resurrection in your own life, you must die.

Yet very few of us like to think much about dying, and fewer still like to hear pastors and preachers call for us to die.

Preaching, teaching, writing, and singing about resurrection is wonderful. It is joyful. It is happy and uplifting. But preaching, teaching, writing, and singing about death? Not so much. Yet by definition, resurrection requires death.

To Live the Resurrection Life … Die!

If you get a chance, look through the Gospels and the writings of Paul and Peter, and try to find every reference to resurrection, the new life in Christ, and becoming a new creation. I haven’t yet done this myself, but I predict that almost always, within a few verses of talking about such exalted themes, the author will also mention the requirement of death.

You must die to your old self before being raised to new life. We are buried with Christ before we are raised with Him. We must crucify the old man and the lusts of the flesh, before the new man rises from the grave.

This may be one of the most prominent themes in Scripture. Almost every single time God makes a promise for something great — a new son, a new nation, a new kingdom, a new restoration — the humans to whom He makes the promise try to accomplish the promise in their own strength and ability, until finally, they give up all hope, and die to the promise. Only then does God step in and resurrect the shattered dream and the (seemingly) broken promise up out of the ashes into a glorious new life.

So you want to experience resurrection? Die.

Not literally, of course. Die to your dreams, your ambitions, your goals, your old habits and patterns. Die to yourself. Because resurrection reigns only where there is death.

The cross of Jesus is CENTRAL to everything!

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Good God, Bad God (On the Penal Substitution Theory of the Atonement)

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good-cop-bad-copThe way many of us view the death of Jesus on the cross is like some poorly scripted “Good Cop, Bad Cop” scene from a crime thriller movie, except now it is “Good God, Bad God.”

You’ve seen these movies, right? Prior to questioning a suspect, the two cops agree that one will be the “Good cop” and the other will be the “bad cop.” Usually the bad cop starts questioning the suspect, and in the process gets a little unhinged and starts to threaten the suspect with death, torture, or a life sentence in prison. Then the good cop steps in with a soft voice and a soothing tone and says that he can rescue the suspect from the bad cop and all his threats if the suspect will just tell them what he knows.

In much of Christian theology, this is sort of what happened between God and Jesus as they prepared to send Jesus to earth for our deliverance. I imagine the scene to be somewhat like this:

In a back room of heaven (before the foundation of the world) God and Jesus realize that they need to get the bad guy in the interrogating room (all humans) to confess to our numerous crimes. Here is how the planning went:

God: I know what I’ll do. I’m going to tell him that although I’m only looking out for the good of the universe, and since I’m so holy and just, I just cannot stand evil and sin, and I’m gonna have to shoot him.

Jesus: Yeah! And then I’ll come in, all humble, meek, and mild, full of love and care, and say, “God loves you so much! But you are so sinful, He’s gonna have to shoot you if you don’t fix up your life and tell us all the bad stuff you’ve done.”

God: That’s good. And then maybe when he says that he is doing a pretty good job, and he doesn’t know why he’s been arrested since he hasn’t broken any law, you can raise the bar on him a bit. Blame it on me, though. Because I’m so holy.

Jesus: Okay. I could say that although you commanded them not to commit adultery, what you are really concerned about it lust. And although you said, “Don’t murder,” if they call someone a fool, it’s the same thing.

God: Right. Improvise a bit on that. Just make sure you blame it on me and my holiness. That’s key. And then, after this goes on for a while, I’ll step into the room, pull out my gun, and yell, “Enough! This man is evil. Stop beating around the bush and make him confess!” Then I’ll point the gun at his chest and pull the trigger. I’ll shoot him.

Jesus: Sounds good. That’s when I jump in front of the bullet, and die in a bloody mess right there in front of everybody. It will be great. I’ll get on the news. I’ll be the talk of the town for thousands of years. People will write books about me. Of course, you’re not going to leave me dead, right?

God: Don’t be silly. Of course not. The resurrection is the grand finale. After I shoot at the man, and then you step in front of the bullet, he will be so shocked at your love for him, especially after you laid all that guilt on him, that he will be amazed at your love. And then when I raise you from the dead — oh man, he’ll just drop down and start worshipping us. It will be awesome!

Is that how it went down? Not even close.

How it all went down

First of all, while there was a plan, the plan did not include God and Jesus playing off each other like this. They were of one mind and will toward humanity, with love as the primary motivation.

Second, while God is just and holy, and while the death of Jesus did satisfy the holiness of God in regard to our sin, this was not the only — or even the primary — reason for the death of Jesus on the cross. This is called the “appeasement theory” or “penal substitution theory” of the atonement, and is the idea that the death of Jesus appeased the wrath of God.

Such an idea comes more from Greek Pantheistic mythology than it does from Scripture. The Greeks believed (as do the people of most religions) that the gods are angry and need to be appeased (aka bribed) in order to act nicely toward humans. To appease the gods, we need to do great things for them or offer valuable possession to then, such as our prize cow, firstborn son, or virgin daughter. If the gods are impressed enough with our achievements or our sacrifice, they won’t be angry any more.

This sort of thinking has crept into Christian theology as well, so that many Christians today think that something similar went on in the death of Jesus on the cross. It goes like this: God was angry. We tried to appease Him by obeying the law and giving him bulls and goats, but it wasn’t good enough. He was still angry at our sin. Since He knew that we could never obey Him well enough or give Him a sacrifice good enough to fully satisfy our debt, He sent Jesus to pay the penalty instead. Jesus stepped in, died for us, and paid the debt. Now God loves us, just as He always wanted.

While this way of thinking fits well with pagan theology and pagan deities, it could not be further from the truth regarding the God of Scripture.

Why did Jesus die?

Jesus did not die to appease God, but to cleanse us from sin, and deliver us from its power. Jesus died to defeat sin, death, and devil.

The death of Jesus was a rescue operation where He broke into the prison of our bondage where we were rotting in filth and decay, and through His life, death, and resurrection, demolished our chains, picked us up on His shoulders, and carried us to freedom outside of the prison walls.

If we want to liken what Jesus did to a movie, it is not a “Good Cop, Bad Cop” scene we should imagine, but Chuck Norris breaking Prisoners of War out of a military prison camp — except without all the shooting and killing. On second thought … maybe Chuck Norris isn’t the best example, but you get the idea.

The death of Jesus on the cross was to break the power of sin in our lives, and recapture for us the relationship with God that they have always wanted with us. And that is something that is Oscar-worthy. Or worship-worthy.

The cross of Jesus is CENTRAL to everything!

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After His Death, Jesus Retraced the Steps of the High Priest on the Day of Atonement

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Jesus our High PriestWhat happened to Jesus our High Priest after He died, but before He rose from the dead? Where did He go for three days? What did He do? Was He just sitting in heaven (or hell) twiddling His thumbs and checking His watch while the hours ticked by until He could rise?

Jesus our High Priest (Leviticus 16; Hebrews 9)

No. I believe Jesus our High Priest was retracing the steps of the High Priest on the Day of Atonement as recorded in Leviticus 16.

The author of Hebrews writes that the actions of the priest on the Day of Atonement are followed by Jesus in His death, resurrection, and future return (Hebrews 9:24-28).

The High Priest Entered the Tabernacle

First, the tabernacle that Jesus our High Priest entered was not the earthly tabernacle, but a heavenly one (Hebrews 9:24). As such, it was a better tabernacle which required both a better priest and a better sacrifice. Jesus acted as both.

The High Priest Changed Garments

Second, before any sacrifice was made, the High Priest removed his beautiful and ornate garments that he normally wore, and put on simple, plain linens. This represents Jesus putting aside His divinity to become human.

The Activities of the High Priest

Finally, there were three primary activities of the High Priest on the Day of Atonement:

  1. Making sacrifices,
  2. Offering blood on the mercy seat in God’s presence,
  3. Appearing before the people who were waiting outside the tabernacle.

The various sacrifices at the altar represent the death of Jesus our High Priest on the cross.

  1. Offering His blood in the presence of God symbolizes what Jesus did during His three days in the grave.
  2. His resurrection was like the appearance of the High Priest after the offerings were complete, proving that the sacrifice had been accepted by God.
  3. Hebrews 9:28 indicates that we are waiting for a second appearance as well, when He will come apart from sin.

The High Priest Appeared Before the People

It might be dangerous to read too much into the details of the steps of the High Priest in Leviticus 16, but it seems that he also appeared twice to the people. The steps of the High Priest are as follows, with a short description of how the steps of the High Priest on the Day of Atonement were fulfilled in Jesus Christ through His crucifixion, burial, and resurrection.

  1. The High Priest takes off robes, and puts on linen clothes (Lev 16:3-4). Jesus emptied Himself of His divinity, and became human (Php 2:7-8).
  2. The High Priest kills a bull as a sin offering for himself (Lev 16:11). This activity—and the following four activities—were accomplished by Jesus on the cross and during His three days in the tomb. All of these are done alone, without any other person present in the tabernacle (Lev 16:17).
  3. The High Priest takes blood from the bull into the Holy of Holies and sprinkles it on the Mercy Seat (Lev 16:12-14).
  4. The High Priest exits the Holy of Holies, and kills the goat as a sin offering for the people (Lev 16:15).
  5. The High Priest takes blood from the goat back into the Holy of Holies and sprinkles it on the Mercy Seat (Lev 16:15).
  6. The High Priest exits the Holy of Holies, and sprinkles blood from both the bull and the goat on the altar to purify it (Lev 16:18-19).
  7. When these steps are complete, the High Priest returns to the people waiting outside (Lev 16:20-21). While some think that this appearance represents the resurrection of Jesus, this does not fit the events well, since all of the sacrifices for the Day of Atonement are not yet complete. He still has to send the scapegoat out of the city. Therefore, it seems possible that this appearance of Jesus might be His appearance to another group of people who were also waiting for the once-for-all sacrifice to be completed, namely, those who believed in the coming Messiah, but who died before His death and resurrection. It is they, apparently, who were possibly in “Abraham’s Bosom” (cf. Luke 16:19-31). Though they were not technically in hell, the final sacrifice for their sins had not yet been made, and so they could not go to God. So maybe Jesus appeared to them, preached to them, and took them with Him at His resurrection (cf. 1 Peter 3:18-20; 4:6; Matt 27:52-53; Eph 4:8).
  8. The High Priest now lays the sins of the people on the second goat, and the goat is led out of the city and into the wilderness (Lev 16:21-22). While this could represent how Jesus was led out of Jerusalem to be crucified, it may also reveal what Jesus did with the sin of the world that was laid upon Him. If He went to Hades, which is a place away from the tabernacle, outside the camp, then maybe He left sin there. He took sin upon Him on the cross, and then carried it to where it goes—Death and Hades—and left it there. He was the only one able to escape death because He Himself did not sin.
  9. After the scapegoat is released, the High Priest enters into the Tabernacle one more time, takes off his linen clothes, and puts back on his glorious clothes (Lev 16:23-24). This represents the resurrection of Jesus, and His return to His place at the right hand of God the Father in heaven.
  10. The remains of the bull and goat that were sacrificed are now carried outside the camp, and they are completely burned up (Lev 16:27). Again, if these sacrifices represent Jesus then it may be true that in some sense, Jesus descended into hell with the sin that He took upon Himself.

What do you think? The author of Hebrews shows that there are some parallels in Hebrews 9, but do you have anything to add?

The cross of Jesus is CENTRAL to everything!

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Did Jesus Descend into Hell?

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Hell Lake of Fire

Many believe that after Jesus died on the cross, He descended into hell. The Apostle’s Creed certainly says this, but as for myself, I am undecided. Let’s look briefly at the evidence.

Acts 2:31

In Acts 2:31, Peter says that God did not leave the soul of Jesus in Hades, but raised Him up from the dead. The term “Hades” does not actually refer to hell as many believe, but is “the place of the dead.”

Sometimes, it refers to the underworld where the souls of men walk around like shadows. Frequently, “Hades” simply refers to the grave. It is not a mystical place, but is simply the hole in the ground where your body goes when you die. Most translators and Bible scholars believe that this is what Peter is referring to, and translate “Hades” as “the grave.”

Ephesians 4:8-10

This verse is often brought up as defense that Jesus descended into hell, but this is not the best understanding of this passage. In Ephesians 4:8, Paul talks about how Jesus ascended into heaven, and to explain this, Paul reminds His readers that Jesus was simply returning to where He came from, that is, heaven.

He only ascended from earth to heaven because He first descended from heaven to earth. The descent of Jesus was not from earth into hell, but was from heaven to earth.

1 Peter 4:6

Some believe that 1 Peter 4:6 indicates that Jesus descended into hell and preached the Gospel to those who are there.

If this is true, the question then is, “Why?” Was he giving them a second chance? Was He taunting them? Neither option makes much sense. Whatever this verse means, it must be understood in the context of other passages in the letter, such as 1 Peter 3:18-20. This text says that by the Spirit, Jesus preached to spirits who were in prison, who rebelled in the days of Noah.

While this could mean that Jesus descended into hell to preach to people in prison, why are the people who were alive in the days of Noah singled out? Some believe it was Noah who was doing the preaching by the Spirit, and he was preaching about Christ, but they did not believe, and so are now dead and in prison.

This passage is notoriously difficult, and is therefore a weak foundation upon which to build any doctrine about what Jesus did or did not do after His death and before His resurrection.

Miscellaneous Passages about Jesus’ Descent into Hell

Finally, some point to various other texts of Scripture such as the story of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31), and the report that at the resurrection of Jesus, many who were formerly dead were raised to life (Matt 27:52-53) as evidence that Jesus did go preach to some spirits in hell, or in a “suburb of hell” called Abraham’s Bosom, and some were raised back to life.

One of the verses used against the idea that Jesus descended into hell is Luke 23:42-43 where Jesus tells the thief on the cross that today, the thief would be with Jesus in paradise. If Jesus went to hell, how could He also be with the thief in paradise. Of course, some believe that the “paradise” to which Jesus refers was a “suburb” of hell called “Abraham’s bosom,” and this is the “hell” to which Jesus descended and preached, and from which He led captives in His train (Eph 4:8).

So did Jesus descend into hell? All of the evidence is fairly inconclusive.

So what do you think? Did Jesus descend into hell?

If so, why did He go there and how long was He there?

We will look at one more passage later which might possibly shed some further light on the subject.

Edit: 04/29/2011 – Here is a post I found which explains some of the background for this belief: Did Jesus Go to Hell?

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The Case for a Thursday Crucifixion

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I believe that Jesus was crucified on Thursday instead of Friday. The following post explains why. I must hasten to add, however, that it is not super important to know for sure the day on which Jesus died. What is most important is to know that He died.

The day on which Jesus died is not nearly as important as the fact that He did die.

CrucifixionChurch tradition states that Jesus was crucified on a Friday. This is why we call it “Good Friday.”

Friday Crucifixion

The main reason for this tradition, as far as I can tell, is that the disciples of Jesus were intent upon burying Jesus before the Sabbath arrived (Mark 15:42-43; Luke 23:54; John 19:31). As most people equate the Sabbath with Saturday, it is believed that Jesus was crucified on Friday.

The primary problem with this, however, is that Jesus said He would spend three days and three nights in the grave (Matt 12:40). Many historians rightfully point out that by Jewish reckoning, any portion of a day was considered the whole day, this explanation still does not get us to three days and three nights.

Traditional Counting
Day 1: Jesus was crucified and buried on Friday before the sunset.
Night 1: He stayed in the grave Friday night.
Day 2: Saturday.
Night 2: Saturday night.

But this is all we can get. John 20:1 says that Jesus rose before sunrise on Sunday, when it was still dark. This means we cannot get a third day, let alone a third night. Some scholars say that since Jewish days actually begin at sundown, then any portion of that twenty-four hour period from sundown to sundown counts as the entire “day and night.”

Only in this way can scholars have Jesus in the tomb for three “days and nights.” He was in the tomb before sundown on Friday, which counts as Thursday night (night 1) and Friday day (day 1). Then He spends Friday night (night 2) and all day Saturday (day 2) in the tomb. Finally He rises before sunrise on Sunday, which counts for both Saturday night (night 3) and Sunday day (day 3). So even though Jesus was not in the tomb for any portion of Thursday night or Sunday day, they still get counted.

This explanation seems highly unlikely, especially when a much simpler solution is available. What is that solution?

Jesus was crucified on Thursday

Crucifixion crossBut if Jesus was crucified on Thursday, then the next day was not the Sabbath, right? Wrong. John 19:31 clearly tells us that this particular Sabbath was a High Day. In other words, it was not a weekly Saturday Sabbath, but was a special holiday Sabbath.

Readers of the Gospels must understand that there are two kinds of Sabbaths in Jewish years. There is the weekly Sabbath, which always begins on Friday night and continues all day Saturday until sunset. That is the Sabbath those most of us are aware of.

There is also a second type of Sabbath: the holiday Sabbath. It does not fall on a particular day of the week, but on a particular day of the year. Whichever day of the week this holiday falls on is treated like a Sabbath. Think of it like a Federal Holiday. While most Federal offices are closed every Sunday, they will also close on holidays like Christmas, on whichever day of the week it occurs.

This is what happened the year Jesus was crucified. It was the week of Passover, and the first day of Passover, which on the Jewish calendar is Nisan 15, is a holiday Sabbath, on whichever day of the week it occurs. That year, it fell on a Friday, which means that the holiday Sabbath of Passover began Thursday night.

This then, is the order of events:

Wednesday night: Last Supper in the Upper Room, and the arrest in Gethsemane
Thursday morning: Conclusion of Trials and Crucifixion
Thursday afternoon: Death and Burial. Counting of days now begins.
Thursday Day: Day 1
Thursday night: Night 1
Friday Day: Day 2
Friday Night: Night 2
Saturday Day: Day 3
Saturday Night: Night 3
Jesus rises before sunrise, so as not to start Day 4.

Three other points of evidence for this view:

  1. We no longer have a “Silent Wednesday.” Most chronologies of the final week of Jesus have a void on Wednesday, because the Gospels seem to say nothing about this day. But maybe the Gospels are not silent at all, and it is our order of events that is confused.
  2. Jesus was technically in the grave for two consecutive Sabbaths, the holiday Sabbath and then the regular, weekly Sabbath. This fits with Matthew 28:1 which says that the two women came to the tomb where Jesus was buried after the Sabbaths (Plural. In Greek: sabbatōn) were over.
  3. Edit (From Matt Aznoe on my Facebook page): One other point of evidence that is interesting is Palm Sunday. If Jesus was crucified on Thursday (Nisan 14), that would place Palm Sunday on Nisan 10 which is the day set forth in the original Passover law as the day that the people chose their Passover Lamb. The imagery then is striking — on the day that the Passover Lamb is chosen, the people of Jerusalem cry “Hosanna” as the Lamb of God rides in on a donkey. (Thanks Matt!)

This still does not solve the problem of why Jesus celebrated the Passover a day early, but that is still a difficulty whether you believe Jesus died on Thursday or Friday (cf. Matt 26:17; Mark 14:12-16; Luke 22:1, 7-8; and John 18:29; 19:14).

For more on this issue, see these articles:

The cross of Jesus is CENTRAL to everything!

Transform your life and theology by focusing on the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus:

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God is Redeeming Theology Bible & Theology Topics: , , , , , ,

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