HE IS RISEN

Week 39: The Resurrection of (Selections from the Gospels)

“Jesus’s resurrection is the beginning of God’s new project not to snatch people away from earth to heaven but to colonize earth with the life of heaven. That, after all, is what the Lord’s Prayer is about.”

“Made for spirituality, we wallow in introspection. Made for joy, we settle for pleasure. Week Thirty-Nine Reading Plan Made for justice, we clamor for vengeance. John 20:1-20 The Linchpin Made for relationship, we insist on our own way. :1-8, 9-20 Gospel Power Made for beauty, we are satisfied with sentiment. :1-53 The Third But new creation has already begun. The sun has begun to John 20:21-21:25 Follow Me! rise. Christians are called to leave behind, in the tomb of Jesus Christ, all that belongs to the brokenness and incompleteness Matthew 28:1-20 Resurrection Thriller of the present world....That, quite simply, is what it means to 1 Corinthians 15:1-58 Fact and Hope be Christian: to follow Jesus Christ into the new world, God’s Acts 1:1-11 So Long for Now new world, which He has thrown open before us on the day of resurrection.” ― N.T. Wright, Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense

Table JESUS’ RESURRECTION 11 of 11

Description Matthew Mark Luke John

Resurrection and Ascension

30ad The Rolling Away of the Stone 28:1-4 16:1-4 24:1-2 20:1 The Angels Appear to the Women 28:5-7 16:5-7 24:3-7 -- -- Some Women Remained Silent -- -- 16:8 ------Some Women Report the News to the Disciples 28:8 -- -- 24:8-11 20:2 Peter & John Visit the Tomb ------24:12 20:3-10 Jesus Appears to -- -- 16:9-11 -- -- 20:11-18 Jesus Appears to Some Women 28:9-10 ------The False Report of the Guards 28:11-15 ------Jesus Appears on the Road to Emmaus -- -- 16:12-13 24:13-35 -- -- Jesus Appears to the Ten ------24:36-49 20:19-23 Thomas’ Doubts and Confesses ------20:24-25 Jesus Appears to the Eleven -- -- 16:14-18 -- -- 20:26-29 Jesus Appears at the Sea of Galilee ------21:1-23 Jesus Appears to the Eleven in Galilee 28:16-20 ------Christ’s Ascension into Heaven -- -- 16:19 24:50-51 -- -- The Apostles’ Actions -- -- 16:20 24:52-53 -- -- 30ad Summary ------20:30-31, 21:24-25 THE 12 APOSTLES IN THE GOSPELS

• Peter—Peter’s original name was Simon son of Jonah. His brother Andrew introduced him to Jesus who then renamed him Peter, rock. He was a married man from Bethsaida who was the most outspoken of the twelve. His fishing partners were James and John. He became (along with James and John) one of the three key disciples. He gave two great confessions concerning the identity of Jesus. But he also cowered in fear by denying Christ. Later, he had a time of restoration with the resurrected Christ and became the first to preach at . Peter appears in all four Gospels, Acts, and Galatians. He wrote 1st and 2nd Peter and is considered to be Mark’s eyewitness source for his gospel. • Andrew—He and his brother Peter were from Bethsaida. They were both fishermen but Andrew hungered for truth. He found it, first in , and then in Jesus. He was the first one to follow Jesus. He then introduced his brother to Jesus. He was also the one who introduced the boy with the 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish to Jesus so He could feed 5,000 men. We also see Andrew introducing some Greeks to Jesus. Andrew is always mentioned 4th in the list of disciples. • John—John the son of and is the writer of five books of the . He and his brother James (see below) were fishermen who lived in Capernaum. Though he later became the more loving disciple, he had earlier sought to call down fire from heaven to destroy a village that had rejected Jesus. That earned him and his brother the nickname sons of thunder. But John was faithful to the end. He was present at Jesus’ trial and was the only one of the apostles present at the cross. To him, Jesus entrusted the care of His mother. John preached the gospel in Jerusalem and then Ephesus until he was exiled to the island of Patmos where he wrote the Revelation of Jesus Christ. John was the last disciple to die about 98ad. John is mentioned in the four Gospels, Acts, wrote a gospel, and most likely 3 letters and Revelation. • James—When Jesus called Zebedee’s sons, James and John, they were fishermen on the Sea of Galilee. They immediately left their business to follow Him. James was in Jesus’ inner circle along with his brother and Peter. But James was not above making mistakes. When a Samaritan city rejected Jesus, he wanted to judge them with fire. Thus their nickname sons of thunder. James was the first of the 12 apostles martyred by order of I for preaching about Jesus. He was killed with the sword about 44ad. James is mentioned in all four Gospels and his martyrdom is cited in Acts 12. • Philip—He was one of the earliest followers of Jesus. Jesus invited him to “Follow Me.” He witnessed to the skeptical Nathanael. In the feeding of the 5,000, it was Philip that Jesus tested by asking him how they were going feed all of them. Philip calculated the impossibility of it. The last we hear of Philip is at the Day of Pentecost. Philip is mentioned 5th in all the lists of the apostles. A different Philip is mentioned in Acts who was a deacon and an evangelist. • Nathanael (also called Bartholomew)—Bartholomew means son of Tolmai. Nathanael always follows Philip in the lists of the apostles. Philip testified to Nathanael to which he prejudicially exclaimed, “Nazareth? Can anything good come from there?” After Jesus revealed Himself, the guileless Israelite proclaimed Jesus the Son of God, the King of Israel. • Matthew (also called Levi)—Matthew was a dishonest tax collector who had a booth on the highway in Capernaum, until Jesus called him to be a disciple. He worked for the Roman Empire and was greatly despised by the Jews. Matthew was named Levi before he met Jesus. When Jesus invited Matthew to follow him, Matthew threw a banquet so his fellow publicans could meet Jesus too. Despite his sinful past, God used him to pen the first book the NewTestament. • Thaddaeus (also called Jude)—He was the son of and probably the brother of James the Less. • James the Less—This son of Alphaeus always appears 9th in order in each listing of the disciples. The title the Less distin- guishes him from the other James. The Greek word mikros (the less) conveys both younger or smaller in stature. • —The Zealot may refer to his membership in the Zealot party. Perhaps Jesus chose a member of the tax- hating, Roman-hating Zealots, to counterbalance Matthew, a former tax collector and employee of the Roman empire. Such a move shows God’s kingdom reaches out to people in all walks of life. • Thomas—When Jesus’ life was at risk by returning to Judea, Thomas bravely wanted to go with Jesus, no matter the danger. But he is probably most remembered for the time that he would not believe that Jesus was risen unless he could touch Jesus’ wounds. Jesus later presented Himself to the apostles and invited Thomas to inspect His wounds. Though often remembered as doubting Thomas, he gave the clearest testimony of Jesus’ identity than any other apostle, “My Lord and my God!” • —Judas was from Kerioth in Judea. He served along with the other 11 when they were sent out to minister. He was in charge of the money bag though he stole from it. Lastly, he betrayed Jesus with a kiss for 30 pieces of silver from the religious leaders. Judas regretted betraying Jesus, returned the money, and hung himself in the end.