Dr. Barclay's Bible Study - The Gospel of Mark Part 59

Dr. Barclay's Bible Study - The Gospel of Mark Part 59

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Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - THREE DAYS

THREE DAYS

Many people are familiar with the story of Christ’s betrayal and crucifixion. We have heard abut His agony on the cross and read His words as He gave up His spirit

It is finished! 

(John 19:30)

There were a number of happenings that occurred after the death of Jesus that are also recorded and of which most people are aware; at least those who know the story at all. At the time of His death:

…the veil the temple was torn in two from top to bottom;

and the earth quaked, 

and the rocks split,

and the graves were opened;

and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised… 

(Matthew 27:51-52)

Now, there are many aspects of these events which could be mentioned but it is the next line of the message that most people don’t notice.

and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, 

they went into the holy city and appeared to many. 

(Matthew 27:53)

According to this passage, three days elapsed between the opening of the graves at the time of the crucifixion and the going into the city by those who were raised. Why did those who were raised wait for three days before leaving the tombs? Although some have questioned as to whether or not Matthew 27:53 was a later edition to the text, there is apparently no real evidence to support this.

The answer may be found in another part of the Scripture. The day after Passover was the Feast of First Fruits.

…say to them [the children of Israel]: 

“…you shall bring a sheaf of firstfruits of your harvest to the priest.

He shall wave the sheaf before the Lord… 

on the day after the Sabbath the priest shall wave it.

(Leviticus 23:10-11)

The very first part of the harvest was to be included in this feast and it is stated elsewhere that:

 

…now Christ is risen from the dead, 

and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 

(1 Corinthians 15:20)

If those who had been raised at the time of the crucifixion had immediately come out of the tombs they would have preceded the resurrection of Christ and that was not the way it was to be. Jesus was to be the first truly resurrected [not just resuscitated] and so no other could precede Him. 

The concept of one being awaken from “sleep” was also well known to the Jewish people. For example:

…I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, 

and bring you into the land of Israel.

Then you shall know that I am the Lord, 

when I have opened your graves…

and brought you up from your graves. 

(Ezekiel 37:12-13)

And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake,

Some to everlasting life,

Some to shame and everlasting contempt. 

(Daniel 12:2)

So, the concept of God awakening those who sleep was not unknown to the Jewish people and it was evidently planned by God that Jesus would be the firstfruits of those awakened.

It’s a small section of the story surrounding that time in history but it shows one how important those three days between the crucifixion and the resurrection were and gives us one more thing to think about.                                                                                                                            

 

Pastor Caroline Barclay Oct 25 2026

 

Pastor Caroline Barclay Oct 25 2026

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Dr. Barclay's Bible Study - The Gospel of Mark Part 58

 

Dr. Barclay's Bible Study - The Gospel of Mark Part 58

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Dr. Barclay with Something to Think About - FOUNDATION

 FOUNDATION

At the basis of every belief system is faith in a deity or deities by people who are devoted to that god or gods. This is the foundation of all religion; including the apparent religion of evolution which purports a belief in a theory of spontaneous development by a devoted number of followers.

The belief in the death and resurrection of Christ is the apparent foundation of Christianity; based upon what Paul stated in Corinthians. He said that Christ…

…preached that He has been raised from the dead…

But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen.

And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty 

and your faith is also empty. 

(1 Corinthians 15:12-14)

So, our belief in Christianity is based in the death and resurrection of Christ, and that belief is based not in blind faith alone but in evidence compiled over many years. In fact, Thomas Arnold of Oxford University has stated this:

I have been used for many years to study the histories of other times, 

and to examine and weigh the evidence of those who have written about them, 

and I know of no one fact in the history of mankind which is proved by better and fuller evidence of every sort… than the great sign which God hath given us 

that Christ died and rose again from the dead.*

But many people do not yet believe this. They probably will not accept this basis for our faith because they do not accept the true foundation of our belief as is stated in the book Genesis.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 

(Genesis 1:1)

If one believes the above statement, then the rest of the Bible makes sense and the death of Christ has true meaning. If one does not believe this statement, but accepts that mankind is merely the result of a multiple series of mutations and accidents, then what meaning could the death of Christ really have? The true foundation of any theistic faith is a belief in a god and, therefore, the true foundation of Christianity is the belief in God creating the heavens [universe] and the earth. In fact, Romans emphasizes this by saying:

…since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, 

being understood by the things that are made, 

even His eternal power and Godhead, 

so that they are without excuse… 

(Romans 1 20)

Evolution is a theory for which there is some evidence [more or less] in the geological data but which cannot be proven by science. Likewise creation is a theory which cannot be proven by science but the creator has been shown to have lived and died and rose again by fuller evidence then apparently any other fact in the history of mankind. 

It gives a much firmer foundation for our faith than that of other belief systems. It is something we should continue to emphasize and to always think about.

*New Evidence That Demands A Verdict by Josh McDowell, p.g. 216.

   

Blake Storey Oct 18 2026

 

Blake Storey Oct 18 2026

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Pastor Matthew Trott Oct 11 2026 Parts 1 & 2

 

Pastor Matthew Trott Oct 11 2026 Parts 1 & 2

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