From

“Whodunit? ”

to

“Who will go?”

“Everything that had happened” [1]: Events at the Cross

• Abuse & insults & mockery• Jesus compliant & forgiving: “forgive”

• Jesus promise of survival: “Today you will be with Me”

• Jesus’ prayer: “My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?”

• 3 hours of darkness• Triumphant cry: “It is FINISHED!”• Earthquake• Centurion’s confession: “Surely he was the Son of God!”

“Everything that had happened” [2] :Event at the Temple

“When Jesus had cried “It is FINISHED!”,

He gave up His spirit,

At that moment the curtain of the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom.

“Everything that had happened” [3] : Events at the Tomb

• Violent earthquake

• An Angel appeared like lightning

• Terrified guards froze, immobilised

• The tomb was empty

EVERYthing that had happened??

 The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.  He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples:

'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There

you will see him.' Now I have told you." 8

Two Routes from the Tomb

• To tell an unconvincing Lie

local circulation among the Jews

• To tell the compelling Truth

World-wide circulation to all nations

The Unconvincing Lie

• 60 armed Guards• Great Stone• Sealed Tomb• 11 weak, frightened, unarmed Disciples

brave enough to perform a commando raid against 60 professional soldiers

All 60 soldiers so soundly asleep on duty [pain of death] as not to hear heavy stone being rolled uphill

Conspiracy theories or Reasonable Explanations?

• The legend theory

• The wrong tomb theory

• The swoon theory

• The stolen body theory

• The hallucination theory• The faked death theory

The faked death theory

Jesus was:• scourged• crucified

Jesus suffered:• massive blood loss• asphyxiation• spear through heart

Could he fake death, sit in cold tomb for 36 hours without medical help, food & water, move a 2-ton stone, escape undetected by guards whose lives were at stake, & convince hundreds of followers that he was the triumphant conqueror of death?

COMPELLING REASONS TO BELIEVE

• The Tomb was empty• Graveclothes like empty cocoon• Authorities fail to produce the body• 500+ eyewitnesses• Change in Peter: cowardice to courage• Change in James: scoffer becomes church leader• Conversion of Paul: persecutor to apostle• Christians were prepared to die cruelly• The Church survives persecution world-wide• Martyrs every day today

Listen to academic Historians

Prof Blaiklock: “I am a historian. The evidence for the life, death and resurrection of Christ is better authenticated

than most of the facts of ancient history”

Prof Bruce: “If the NT was a collection of secular writings, their authenticity would generally regarded as beyond all doubt”

Prof Arnold of Oxford, author of famous History of Rome said:”

I know of no one fact in the history of mankind which is proved by better and fuller evidence … than the great sign which God has given us that Christ died and rose again from the dead”

What the Resurrection means

3. It proves that God will judge the world

“God now commands all people

everywhere to repent.

For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has

appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead."

What the Resurrection means

1. It proves that Jesus is God “the gospel God promised beforehand thru

his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to his human nature was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be

the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord.

What the Resurrection means

2. The Resurrection proves His death for us seals our pardon

He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification”

What the Resurrection means

3. It proves that God will judge the world

“God now commands all people

everywhere to repent.

For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has

appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead."

King of Kings

Then Jesus came to them and said,

"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

“Who will go?”

• Disciples & teachers Mat 28

• Evangelists Mk 16,15

• Witnesses Acts 1,8

• Ambassadors 2 Cor 5,20