Dr. Barclay's Bible Study - The Book of Romans Part 45

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZ0o0nRiHzs

Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - THREE DAYS

 THREE DAYS

We are, once again, approaching the time of year when we commemorate the death and resurrection of Christ. And once again we will do this at Easter; a time which really has nothing to do with the event we are recognizing. The death and resurrection of Jesus was involved with the Jewish Passover and Sabbath not with the time of Easter.

The Bible states that Jesus was “three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matthew 12:40). This is important because, according to Jewish law, it was only after three full days that a person could be declared legally dead. This seemingly is due to the difficulty in actually determining true death at that time. If a person were just near death or comatose there would still be some recognition of bodily function within 72 hours and so only with this period of time could true death be assured.

Is this why Jesus made it so definite in this statement?

For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, 

so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth 

(Matthew 12:40)

If Jesus had been crucified on Friday and resurrected before daybreak on Sunday, there would have been only about 40 hours between the two events. Perhaps this is why some religions and persons deny that Jesus actually died on the cross but merely became unconscious. And this is also why many now believe that the crucifixion actually took place on Wednesday with a High Sabbath on Thursday “for that Sabbath was a high day” (John 19:31), a day of preparation following which the women bought spices.

Now when the Sabbath was passed, 

Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, 

and Salome bought spices, 

that they might come and anoint Him. 

Mark 16:1

This was then followed by the Saturday Sabbath on which Christ arose just prior to Sunday.

Now on the first day of the week 

Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, 

while it was still dark, 

and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.

John 20:1

So we don’t know for sure when Christ left the tomb. Was it very early Sunday morning long before light or was it late Saturday just before nightfall?  In any case, the scenario put forward of Him being crucified on Wednesday and leaving the tomb on late Saturday or early Sunday would satisfy the Jewish requirement for the confirmation of death.

This would also go along with the actions of Jesus in the case of Lazarus when He delayed going to Bethany for two days so that Lazarus would be in the ground four days. Although Jesus initially said: “Lazarus sleeps” (John 11:11). He later said it more plainly “Lazarus is dead” (John 11:14). And Martha would in turn say: “Lord, by this time there is a stench, for he has been dead four days” (John 11:39).

But Lazarus did come forth after being dead as did Jesus, with no real doubt that both He and Lazarus had been dead according to history and the Jewish requirement. But it is important to understand that three full days and nights were needed to do this.

The most important fact, however, is that Jesus really did die and was raised again on the third day and that is the event of which we should always be aware and continue to think about. 

Caroline Barclay - Sunday March 19, 2023

Master's Hand Church Service - Sunday March 19th

 Don't forget the change of service time.

Master's Hand Church Service tomorrow!

6 PM at Summer Street.

Dr. Barclay's Bible Study - The Book of Romans Part 44

Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - PROOF?

 PROOF?

It is stated in the Book of Acts that, after Jesus was taken up, He “…presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.” (Acts 1:3) Now it is taken that the proofs referred to in Acts relate to the time Jesus remained on earth and appeared to many people during those forty days. Certainly that would constitute considerable proof, especially for those persons who met Jesus during that time. But is that all? What if there were more evidences that are still available to us today?

In the Gospel of John there is a further statement referring to the cloths which remained in the tomb after the resurrection.

…and the other disciple [John?] outran Peter 

and came to the tomb first. 

And he…saw the linen cloths lying there; 

Then Simon Peter came…and went into the tomb; 

and he saw the linen cloths lying there, 

and the handkerchief that had been around His head, 

not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself… 

(John 20:4-7)

So from this report, there should have been at least two cloths in the tomb of Christ when the disciples were there. One of these (the handkerchief) could have been used to cover the face of Christ when He died and was taken from the cross to burial, similar to what we do today. This then would be removed when the final covering was placed. So, what happened to the cloths that would have covered Christ? And is it possible that those relics still exist?

In the Cathedral of San Salvador in Oviedo in Spain there is a cloth, 34 by 21 inches in size, which has a history from at least 570 AD. It has been visited by pilgrims from all over the world for centuries for it is believed to be just that cloth that covered Christ’s face at the time of His death. It is kept in an elaborate reliquary chest and displayed to the public only three times a year: Good Friday, the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross on Sept 14, and on its octave Sept 21.

This cloth reveals evidence of blood and fluid stains, evidence of facial contusions and of a nasal injury, of blood on the forehead and of patterns of staining apparently identical to those on another piece of linen kept in the Cathedral of Turin in Italy. These two pieces of cloth have been separated throughout history and therefore, are unlikely to be forgeries as both show evidence of covering a man who was scourged, crowned with thorns, beaten in the face, crucified, and buried. As such, both fit precisely the story of Christ’s passion. There is also evidence on this cloth of aloe and myrrh.

Of course, all of this does not really prove that this piece of cloth is really the one that covered the face of Jesus at the time of His crucifixion. That may never be possible to determine, but the evidence keeps mounting. One’s faith should never be based on a relic, only on the known facts of Jesus death, burial and resurrection, but still the circumstantial evidence is mounting and after all, the Bible stated that there were “many” infallible proofs. Perhaps this may turn out to be one.

In the meantime, it is certainly something interesting to think about.

Dr. Barclay's Bible Study - The Book of Romans Part 43