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April 6, 2020 1:00 am
This was a terrible, tragic, weeping and wailing chaotic scene and this multitude is leaving the city.
At the same time. The text tells us Jesus and his disciples that a multitude have arrived at the gates.
This is not a coincidence as perfectly timed by the giver of life. Jesus arrives with the multitude, and John Phillips said it this way, the two processions. Matt one was led by the angel of death. The other, led by the Lord of life, not the first resurrection in the encounter. Stephen was describing a moment ago Jesus raised the dead girl back to life and of course as you study the New Testament, you know, there were more resurrections than that the resurrection is a fact that is central to the Christian faith. So what's the proof of the resurrection. What are the bodies of evidence today on wisdom for the heart. Stephen Devi begins a series entitled bodies of evidence. He's going to examine several biblical resurrection accounts to help us more fully appreciate God's power over death. One Canadian scientist who is an unbeliever. Dr. B Hardy, who is now a Christian one said what I looked at religion. I said I have two questions. First, has anybody ever conquered death and secondly did they make a way for me to conquered death as well. I checked the tomb of Buddha.
It was occupied. I checked the tomb of Confucius. It too was occupied. I checked the tomb of Mohammed and into occupied.
Then I came to the tomb of Jesus and it was empty and I said here is one who conquered death that I asked the second question, did he make a way for me to do that to and as I studied I opened the Bible and discovered that he promised because I live, you shall live also. That is his word. Ladies and gentlemen, I submit to you that this is more than a declaration of something he said it was something he demonstrated and not for himself alone, but for others to understand that none of the miracles Jesus Christ performed performed because the world was filled with sick and dying people and he felt sorry for them, know the Old Testament prophets declared that the coming of the Messiah would be authenticated by his power to literally reverse the effects of the curse and he did just that.
He reversed sickness and brought healing. He reversed sorrow and brought joy, he reversed hunger and he provided miraculously food and, most significantly, he denied death and he brought life and he did all of this, including his own defeat of death. Some of the most overlooked evidences of Christ. Authentic claim is Messiah is not his empty grave, which it indeed is the signature event, but the empty graves of others detailed manuscripts that date back to the eyewitness accounts of the apostles reveal this stunning truth. Jesus Christ never attended a funeral. He did not entirely disrupt. I want to look at those scenes together with you in a series. I have entitled bodies of evidence, because that's exactly what these resurrected people were. They were nothing less than literal bodies of evidence to the deity of Jesus Christ and there are 54, including Christ himself. Of course we have the widows song we have the synagogue rulers daughter we have Lazarus and the fourth or fifth of that list are Old Testament saints were told in one gospel account that the graves of some Old Testament saints were opened and they would rise from the dead and flawed into Jerusalem want to cover two of them. Today the first place you discover Jesus Christ reversing the curse of death is in the gospel by Luke would you turn there. The chapter 7 Luke chapter 7 and notice what Jesus and his disciples encounter as they arrive at this small city where it seems that nearly the entire city has joined a funeral procession. Look at verse 11 of Luke chapter 7 and it came about. Soon afterwards that he went to a city called Maine and his disciples were going along with him, accompanied by a large multitude now as he approached the gate of the city. Behold a dead man was being carried out.
The only son of his mother and she was a widow, and the sizable crowd from the city. You can only imagine the noise and the pushing wailing and the lamenting despairing of this crowd were told that there was a coffin in front of this coffin would have been the widow's mother, although surrounded by people she would have been utterly alone in the coffin, bearing her only son would've been nothing more than a rough plank maybe two or three bound or tied together forming sort of this open frame carried by people who would make frequent stops along the way. This would, by the way last seven days. This entire funeral scene and they would take turns carrying the coffin so they could all be part this was a terrible, tragic, weeping, wailing, chaotic scene, and this multitude is leaving the city. At the same time. The text tells us Jesus and his disciples, and a multitude have arrived at the gates. This is not a coincidence as perfectly timed by the giver of life as they are leaving the city and they arrive at the gate. Jesus arrives with the multitude, and John Phillips said it this way, the two processions Matt one was led by the angel of death. The other, led by the Lord of life that thought life and death will stand face-to-face and is it Jesus Christ will announce to the angel of death you will be denied this one you will not have this boy that will be an illustration of Jesus Christ's mission to capture death and thus swallow it up in victory. First Corinthians chapter 15 I look at verse 13.
The first thing the Lord does when the Lord sees this widow, he felt compassion for her and said to her, do not weep literally, stop weeping, and I think when I read that you can't be serious. She is at this moment without reading ahead virtually destitute. She is without a provider. She is now without a protector a widow. In these times was tantamount to deep privatization and lifelong despair.
Remember the Old Testament story of Naomi and Ruth. When Naomi's husband and sons died. She said change my name to bitterness and she and Ruth returned to Bethlehem and they foraged in the field to try and find something to eat and he says to her, stop weeping how you stop weeping. Here's how. Verse 14 he came up and touched the coffin and the Bears came to a halt, but they did. Here's a Jewish rabbi by the way, purposefully defiling himself. He will be ceremonially unclean for touching something related to the dead, but he's not finished, he said. Verse 14 young man I say to you guys rise this is an imperative command that!
Arrives. Verse 15 and the dead man literally you could translate it and the corpse sat up and began to speak down in verse 16, and fear gripped them. I'll bet it did. Corpse literally sits up on the plank of wood and begins to speak.
I wonder what he said were not told what is probably getting out of these clothing. This corpse and mother who are all these people and was happening. No doubt some fainted and others screamed others put their hands to their mouths and complete shock. Poor pallbearers what are they supposed to do. Notice in verse 15 back there. Jesus gave him back to his mother's an idiomatic way of saying Jesus more than likely help them take the shroud off this young boy who'd been simply washed and wrapped in a shroud and laid on the plane unwrapped him and gave him to his mother, which means he introduced himself and he told a little bit about who he was, why he'd come there this widow with a mixture of disbelief and hard to believe joy prices are so Christ's command.
The dead man lived by the way, there is another command yet to be ordered by our Lord. Paul will give hope to the grieving Thessalonians. You remember there are grieving over the loss of their believing, loved ones and and he writes to them. The Lord himself will descend from heaven with a wide with a shout, and what will happen the dead in Christ shall what rise same word used here. He will come with the command we have every reason to believe is the same word here is though our bodies the been lying sleeping dead, as it were, decaying back to dust scattered. Who knows where our Lord's one command will reach into the depths of the sea is on the oceans of this planet's command will go down into the caverns and into the soil on this earth and I bodies will be resurrected and reunited with our spirits that have already been enjoying the presence of our Lord in that reunion with the glorified state. Our bodies given immortality will be our everlasting physical immortal state in the new heaven and the new earth arise will be the simple command arise because I live, you shall live also is the word of the Lord.
Can you just see the flute players packing away their instruments. Can you see these singers, maybe a little upset that and get their full fee affidavit work that compose songs they would not say the funeral was interrupted death has been denied turnover a check for the Luke chapter 8 would you was another remarkable scene will cover. Here's a funeral that never really got off the ground. Jesus is coming back in the Galilee. Look at verse 41 and behold, there came a man named gyrus and he was an official of the synagogue and he fell at Jesus's feet and began to beg him literally to come to his house. Why, for he had and only daughter, about 12 years of age and she was dying. She lay dying. Luke informs us that this man was in ARCO in the original language. Literally, the chief leader of the synagogue. That was a significant position of respect and reverence. It was an elected position actually sort of like the chairman of the board of elders and around Fellowship gyrus had several responsibilities. He was the chief elder and he was responsible for the worship services he would decide what Scripture would be read on the Sabbath, he would decide who the expositor would be from among the assembly qualified men he would be a judge in matters of conflict he would mediate issues he would be one of the more popular godly respected men of the city and one more thing. It was his responsibility to warn the assembly of any false teaching.
He would carry out the orders of the high Council in Jerusalem and warned them of anyone they should avoid any teaching they should ignore is interesting when you consider the fact that by this time the Lord has been condemned by the high Council in Jerusalem. The chief counsel is infuriated with what Jesus is teaching and doing they have already issued warnings that would go out to all the surrounding synagogues, the synagogues would know that Jesus was not approved gyrus.
Here's my point would know the Jesus is out of bounds. And yet, here he comes. Any false prostitute. Now he falls to his knees.
The verb indicates an active bilateral often it accompanied the kissing of the feet of the hundred one and even the ground around the feet and the hem of his garment's who's the man in charge of the synagogue would probably already issued a warning earlier about the same teacher who is now calming and kissing his feet and begging him to come to his home. What made the difference. We were told he is a desperate man is little girl is dying.
Maybe there is a flicker of faith. Perhaps the stories would be true.
I would think that he was probably at this point saying besides my prayers and the synagogue aren't working. My record of faithful ministry among the assembly and honor the God I know and love is not working.
So he lays his reputation on the line for this multitude. Here he comes in he is publicly falling down the feet of Jesus and he says my girl is dying.
Matthew records the she was already dead. He didn't know the discrepancy in the account seems to be that Matthew included in gyrus's first request. What would happen later in Luke sort of spreads the story out to show us the details.
Luke says in the other gospel writers record that immediately upon his request, Jesus gets up, as it were to go with him to his how his heart must've thrilled Jesus will come to my home and maybe he will be able to heal my daughter according to Jewish custom, a 12-year-old girl had entered her first year of womanhood. For boys it would be 13 we know guys scroll slower than girls. By that interesting but for the daughter of gyrus. It was the beginning of her future as a young woman everything lay in front of her.
This was the flowering of this little girl is joy is such, I have no doubt that I am speaking today to some who've wept at the gravesite of the child whether young or old part of you was buried there to for gyrus. He is about to discover that sense and that deep emotion. His only hope is that Jesus will come with him. And Jesus says he will and are on the way.
Suddenly, there is an interruption. Look at verse 43 and the woman who had a hemorrhage for 12 years. Don't miss the irony of this timeline and could not be healed by anyone came up behind them and touch the fringe of his cloak and immediately her hemorrhage stop now, even though you're like me and you want to get the gyrus's home and get to the end of the story and don't look ahead.
Even though you might know the story, but stop for a moment.
This woman story is is a story of desperation to did you note the mention of years while gyrus and his wife have enjoyed their daughter for 12 years she has been sick for 12. The moment she was announced unclean. This couple announced to Col. for them. It has been 12 years of sunshine for her.
It has been 12 years of agony. Luke tells us that her sickness is called an issue of blood literally a bleeding woman suffered when I told it would be some tumor or some other disease of the uterus, causing her to continually bleed the Mosaic law specified in Leviticus chapter 15 that this woman would be considered ceremonially unclean. It specified so went back to the record that anything she charged any bed, she lay on any chair she sat on would be considered on text can set it in verse 43. She could not be healed by anyone. She came up Luke says in verse 44 and she touched the fringe of his cloak is Crespo done sewn into the edges. The test soul. The Crespo done and they would wear it. In fact, the Pharisees would emphasize their godliness were numbers told them that this would be a reference to their obedience to all the commands of God.
So they wore it as a statement that they were faithful to God and they would wear in the front on the back and they would speak of their godliness and the Pharisees made a real Jesus probably wasn't all that extreme, but she came up behind him and she grasped on to this Crespo done. She literally clutched it. It's as if she said I will collect so that part of you. I believe you are faithful to God.
I also have been faithful to God. I have not said in this way, she immediately the text tells us felt her bleeding stopped stopped. She was going to slip away, but the Lord had more to do with her.
She had endured so much. He stops verse 45 and says who was the one who touched me, and all were denying it. And Peter said go Peter master the multitudes are crowding and pressing upon you. The Lord who isn't touching you. At this point, Jesus insists, though somebody touched me, not accidentally, but intentionally so we stops and for the sake of time, he simply brings the woman forward and she tells her story why she'd come. She's trembling and she falls down before him, and tells her story. I can imagine the irony of the leader of the synagogue, looking at the woman now who was healed in Jesus said to her, wonderful words of the verse 48, daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace daughter.
The only woman he ever referred to in the Bible's daughter as if to say you lost your family which are not part of my word. She never thought to hear you are now well well and the exact opposite of what her life had been, he now says to her go literally in two piece see she thought she needed healing. She needed the healer she wanted relief, but she met the Redeemer and Jesus authenticates her faith. In fact, the word for well is not a medical term not used in situations like this.
It's the word in this text so so means saved her say faith in me safe.
Can you imagine gyrus during this dilemma. Don't forget him.
One author said he dialed 911. 30 minutes ago and now he's waiting here he stands frustrated no doubt angry he was, as it were with Jesus in the ambulance screaming toward his home and suddenly Jesus slammed on the brakes and said who text me and he would say this. We got to get to my how my daughter is dying during this delay, however, is Jesus deals with this woman would you notice verse 49 messenger arrives and maybe whispers in the gyrus's ear.
Your daughter has died. Do not trouble the teacher anymore.
In other words, it's too late it's too late.
Gyrus no hope. It is man's a great teacher yes okay heels but she's dead. The paid mourners are already at your home, you need to come on home and start writing out her epitaph for future she will not live here. Jesus overhears that message. Verse 50 indicates, and he looks at gyrus and says to him, don't be afraid only believe and she shall be made well will miss this from this moment gyrus has nothing to depend upon. But what the word of Jesus Christ. The circumstances are insurmountable.
She's dead.
There's no hope. Jesus Christ says you believe in my word all make her whole.
Eventually they arrived at the home of the professional mourners are already wailing and singing their songs verse 52 skip there, but he said stop weeping. She's not died but she is asleep course.
They laughed, they been around the dead long enough.
They've already signed the certificate.
He said she's sleeping of the image of sleeping is led some to error is often used in the Bible to describe the death of believers. Sleep is a normal experience that you need not fear. Thus, death is something we need not fear as well.
It is the body that seems to be sleeping, not the spirit, the spirit goes immediately to be with the Lord. For those who believe Lukens chapter 1 verse 20 teaches us in second Corinthians chapter 5 or six. It will be at the coming resurrection, or the rapture when we hear the command if we have already died when our bodies that have decomposed will be resurrected at that command and reunited with our spirit, Jesus Christ.
However, in this scene is illustrating the resurrection truth here and now in the home at gyrus the corpse and his word. His command verse 54.
He took her by the hand and called saying child arrives same command again to the widow's son and her spirit returned and she arose immediately. I love that expression he speaks to her not in any other language but the common language of the people. It is Aramaic.
You can literally render his phrase little lamb tenderness little screw Jesus Christ disrupted every funeral he attempted did indeed disrupt every funeral.
He attended a day is coming when he will declare to his children arise and we will what an amazing thought. This is wisdom for the heart. This was the first of two lessons in a series called bodies of evidence and will bring you lesson two tomorrow. If you have children, grandchildren, nieces or nephews and you want to help them understand the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ we have a resource to help you. Stephen son Seth has written a children's book called Marvel at the mystery. Seth is the author and illustrator of this beautiful hardback children's book and it's available in our resource library. Please give us a call today at 86 648 Bible or 866-482-4253. A convenient way for you to stay current with what's happening with our ministry is to engage with us on social media follow our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter or Instagram. It's also a good way for you to ask us questions and interact with us here. I'm Scott Wiley. I hope today's lesson has been a blessing to you will be back at the same time tomorrow. So join us, right here on wisdom