Lesson #33

JOHN 19:38-42
Lesson #33
THE RESURRECTION

• Memory verse: Isaiah 53:6

• The crucifixion of Jesus Christ was very specifically prophesied about 700 years before Christ’s birth in Isa 53. The Jews had always considered that Isa 53 was a reference to the Messiah. However, because they rejected Jesus as their Messiah when He came, Isa 53 became an embarrassment to them. Therefore in about 200 AD they officially changed the interpretation of Isa 53 to refer to the temple, and even later to refer to the sufferings of the Jewish people as a whole.

• Because Isa 53 is so important to the interpretation of the gospels, we will consider it here in our study of the crucifixion in the gospel of John.
• Read Isa 53 What exactly did Jesus bear on the cross?
• Specific points from Isa 53 that tell you that Jesus had to suffer by no other means except by crucifixion.

Isaiah 53	Specific points	Significance
Verse 2	Tender plant Root out of the dry ground	This specific refers to Jesus and the specific time in which He came to earth when the nation of Israel was spiritually dry. The word, “root”, refers to Acacia wood which was used for the making of the Ark of the Covenant.
	No form or comeliness	Jesus’ face and body were so horribly marred by the beatings that man could not look at him.
Verse 3	Man of sorrows Acquainted with grief	Sorrows means pain, disease, anguish, grief. Jesus was familiar with weakness, anxiety, pain, calamity, and sickness in the body.
Verse 4	Borne our griefs Carried our sorrows	He bore the punishment of pain, weakness, and sickness in the body and lifted it off of us. He carried (to bear the burden of) pain, weakness, and sickness which is the result of Adam’s sin.
Verse 5	Wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities	This was the punishment for Adam’s original sin which was placed on Jesus.
	The chastisement for our peace	Jesus took the punishment to bring us peace with God
	With His stripes we are healed	39 lashings with a cat-o-nine-tails was the custom in order to be just inside the Roman law that restricted lashings to 40 lashes. There are 39 broad categories of sickness. The word, “healed” (rapha) means cured or mended; well-being in body, soul, and spirit. (Mat 8:16-17 1Pet 2:24) Jehovah-rapha means = The Lord that healeth. (Exo 15:26)
Verse 6	His own way The Iniquity of us all	Sin’s rebellion against God. All have sinned against God and come short of God’s righteous standards
Verse 7	A lamb to the slaughter	This is a picture of the Old Testament sin offering.
Verse 9	Grave with the wicked. With the rich in His death	Jesus was crucified and died among thieves. Jesus was buried in a rich man’s tomb. The word “death” in this verse is plural in the Hebrew which indicates that He endured physical and spiritual death.
Verse 10	Pleased the Lord to bruise Him	This is a picture of the Old Testament meal offering where the flour is pounded and bruised. God was pleased as this was His plan from the foundation of the world.
	Put Him to grief	God made Him sick on the cross
	Offering for sin	A picture of the Old Testament sin offering. This was the purpose for the crucifixion.
	Shall see His seed	Believers in Jesus Christ are His spiritual seed.
Verse 11	Justify many	This is a picture of the Old Testament burnt offering. Notice it does not say all because while He died for all people, all are not justified before God, only those who receive Jesus and accept His atoning sacrifice for them personally.
Verse 12	Poured out His soul unto death	This is a picture of the Old Testament drink offering.
	Numbered with transgressors	Crucified with thieves.
	Made intercession	Jesus prayed to the Father to forgive man’s sin.

• Summary and Application of Isa 53:
• In the atonement, Jesus bore our sins and our sicknesses; all the maladies of man in this life and with His wounds we are made complete in body, soul, and spirit.
• According to Isa 53, who was in control of Jesus’ life? What verse tells you this?
• God was in control. He was fulfilling His plan for the redemption of man according to verse 10.
• What is it that your life needs today that Jesus paid for in His atonement on the cross?
• What do all the following scriptures have in common: Gen 22, Lev 16, Psa 22, and Isa 53?
• All these key chapters in the Bible refer to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ either by prefigure or by prophecy.
• Read Joh 19:38-42
• Joseph of Arimethea, who was he?
• This man was a member of the Jewish Sanhedrin who had not voted for Jesus’ death during the trials. He was a wealthy man who owned a newly constructed tomb in which no other member of his family had yet been buried there.
• Nicodemus, who was he?
• This man was a Pharisee and a member of the Jewish Sanhedrin. He came to Jesus by night to be saved. (Joh 3)
• The significance of their actions:
• These two men outwardly defied the Jews, because touching a dead body made them ceremonially unclean to participate further in the Passover week celebrations.
• Their actions compare with the High Priest who would not defile himself (18:28 and 19:31) by entering the Judgment Hall.
• Of what significance is the preparation of the body in light of the resurrection? (Joh 20:3-8)
• These two men put their reputations and their career’s on the line to identify themselves personally with Jesus Christ in opposition to the Jewish High Priest.
• A deep expressed love for Jesus does not consider the cost.

• Read Joh 20:1-18 The resurrection
• John does not tell us all the events of the resurrection just as he did not tell us all the details of the crucifixion. Therefore, we need to put together the events using all the gospels.

The Events of the Resurrection
Three women start for the tomb with other women carrying spices. They discover the stone is rolled away. Mary Magdalene goes to tell the other disciples.	Luk 23:55-24:9 Joh 20:1-2
Mary, the mother of James and Joses comes near the tomb and sees the angel. She goes back to meet the other women coming with spices.	Mat 28:2
Peter and John, warned by Mary Magdalene, arrive at the tomb and look into the tomb. Then they leave.	Joh 20: 3-10
Mary Magdalene returns to the tomb. She sees the two angels and Jesus. She obeys Jesus and goes to tell the other disciples.	Joh 20:11-18
Mary, the mother of James and Joses, has met the women with spices and returns to the tomb with them. They, too, see the two angels.	Luk 24:4-5 Mar 16:5
The women go to seek the other disciples and are met by Jesus.	Mat 28:8-10

• “The first day of the week…”

(1)

• John specifically tells us that the resurrection occurred on Sunday. It is because of this fact that Christians began to worship together on Sunday.
• The Sabbath was part of the old covenant with Moses and before that, a part of the original creation.
• Sunday is part of the new covenant and part of a new creation in Christ when man is born again.
• Peter:
• Notice that Peter and John are together. After the denial of Christ, Peter was probably not very welcome by the other disciples. However, John, was a disciples of love. Peter needed a friend and John was there.
• The “other disciple” that is mentioned in verse 2 is John the author of this gospel.
• Mary Magdalene’s false assumptions:
• She assumed that the Lord was still in His dead body.
• She and other women came to anoint His body.
• She assumed that the Lord’s body had been stolen and not resurrected.
• John’s and Peter’s observations:
• John saw the linens as though a body was still in them.
• The word, “saw” means be casual inspection. (5)
• Peter saw the linens lying there separate from the face cloth.
• The word “saw” means to observe critically. (6)
• John saw the evidence of the resurrection and believed.
• The word “saw” means to see with understanding. (8)
• John came to this conviction based on what Jesus said in John 2:21 and John 12:24.
• Read Joh 2:21 and Joh 12:24.
• The significance of the position of the grave clothes:
• What the disciples saw was that all was in tremendous order. The grave was not robbed by hasty grave robbers. In fact, the graveclothes lay as though Jesus’ body passed right through the cloth.
• The napkin that was folded around Jesus’ head lay there in the same way that it had originally been folded.
• John hurried home to tell Mary, Jesus’ mother.
• The role of the angels:
• The angels are a separate creation of God who perform the role as God’s messengers. They comfort Mary and are at the resurrection to try to help people understand what has just happened.
• Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances:

Resurrection Day	=1= To Mary Magdalene	Mar 16:9-11 Joh 20:10-18
	=2= To women returning from the tomb	Mat 28:8-10
	=3= To Peter in Jerusalem (probably in the afternoon)	Luk 24:34 1Cor 15:5
	=4= To the two disciples on the road to Emmaus	Mar 16:12-13 Luk 24:13-35
	=5= To the 10 disciples excluding Thomas	Mar 16:14 Luk 24:36-43 Joh 20:19-25
The Next Sunday night	=6= To the 11 disciples including Thomas	Joh 20:26-31 1Cor 15:5
Unknown Timing	=7= To the 7 disciples beside the sea of Galilee	Joh 21:1-14
	=8= To the 11 disciples on a mountain in Galilee with 500	Mat 28:16-20 Mar 16:15-18 1Cor 15:6
	=9= To James, Jesus’ half brother	1Cor 15:7
	=10= To a multitude at His ascension	Mar 16:19-20 Luk 24:44-53 Act 1:3-12

• Notice that Jesus’ appearances occur in the presence of people who believe in Him by faith.
• Jesus made 10 separate appearances. The number 10 in the Bible is the number of testing according to a standard.set by God. The test is, would people believe that Jesus truly raised from the dead?
• Why did Jesus tell Mary not to touch Him when later people did touch Him?
• Three interpretation:
• =1= Having to complete his sacrifice, Jesus as High Priest had yet to sprinkle his blood on the mercy seat in heaven. Some time between Joh 20:17 and Mat 28:9, Jesus accomplished this task and returned to earth.
• =2= This is a gentle rebuke to Mary because the Greek words mean, “stop clinging to me!”. Mary called Him Rabbi. She was clinging to His physical presence as she had done before. Jesus wanted her to see Him in a new relationship. He says she should wait until He was ascended and then cling to Him spiritually.
• =3= He meant, “Do not detain me now for I have to ascend.”
• What do we learn about grief from this passage?
• Grief is man’s short-sighted view of life. It takes spiritual sight to see beyond the limitations of this physical world.
• Grief blinds the individual to a positive expectation.
• Grief limits a person’s spiritual insight.
• A command to Mary:

• “…go to my brethren…”

(17)

• Previously Jesus had called the disciples His friends. Now they are His “brethren”.
• Read Heb 2:11-14
• The resurrection created a new relationship between Jesus and believers.
• This makes the resurrection the cornerstone of the Christian faith because:
• Jesus rose from the dead just as He said He would. Therefore, He will fulfill all that he has promised us.
• Jesus’ resurrection shows us that He is the head of God’s kingdom.
• Jesus’ resurrection shows us that we, too, will be raised from the dead.
• The resurrection power that raised Jesus from the dead is now available to believers through the presence of the Holy Spirit.
• The resurrection power that changes our lives is our witness to the world.
• What do we learn about belief and unbelief in this chapter?
• There are four stages of unbelief. We can see these stages in this chapter.
• =1= The story is impossible to believe and must be false. (2)
• =2= After discerning the facts, there is still confusion. (6)
• =3= Only after seeing Jesus personally would they believe. (16)
• =4= Only when they fully commit their lives to Him, can they fully understand the reality that He truly is alive.
• Unbelief is blind and Mary did not at first recognize Jesus.
• Application:
• Because the resurrection is the cornerstone of the Christian faith, it should be more emphasized than it is today. Through the book of Acts, the resurrection was the center of every recorded message. It was the fact of the resurrection that brought thousands into the church in one day.

HOMEWORK
JOH 20:19-31
This is a self-study. Please do not send homework answers to the teacher forcorrection.

• Application of Joh 19:38-42 and Joh 20:1-18
• What specific message convinced you from unbelief to belief?

• Preparation of Joh 20:19-31
• Read Joh 20:19-31
• What do you learn in this passage about doubt?
• What does this passage tell us about the resurrection body?
• Find the point in time when the disciples were born again.
• Explain why you think this verse speaks of a born again experience.
• Memory verse: John 20:21