Transcription

Connor:
You’re listening to The Bible Guys, a podcast where a couple of friends talk about the Bible in fun and practical ways.

Chris:
Welcome to The Bible Guys, everyone. My name is Chris. This is Jeff. And here we are.

Jeff:
That’s right. So this is like the biggest event in history is what we’re going to be talking about today.

Chris:
The biggest event. Whether people recognize it or not. That’s right.

Jeff:
Although most do. It changed the world. Yes. Yes. Changed our future. Changed eternity.

Chris:
Changed everything. Everything. That’s right. Everything. Yes. But before we get into that, Jeff, we have a segment that Desiree wants us to do.

Jeff:
Okay. And we do everything Desiree tells us to do. We sort of do. That’s right.

Chris:
And, um, this segment is how well do you know them? Chris, let’s see how well Jeff knows you. So I’m going to give you two truths and a lie. Okay. And these, this is, she, she said that it’s supposed to be about some hidden talents that I might have.

Jeff:
talents, kind of like when I did the video game talents. Yes.

Chris:
Okay. So as is how we’re going to do it. So, um, this actually is going to be three things that I’m supposedly good at, but only one, two of them are going to be true. And one of them is going to be false. Okay, here we go. You ready? False. Number one. Um, I was sort of famous among my friends and coworkers for going down the stairs so fast that it looked like I was sliding. And yet my feet were hitting every single step. And I would go so fast that people couldn’t believe it. And then they would literally say, Chris, do that thing, do that thing. And I would have to perform it for everybody. And I would go up and down the stairs extremely fast. That’s number one. a hidden talent, if you will.

Jeff:
Yeah. Wow. So impressive. Number two, your mom must be so proud.

Chris:
Number two. Um, I am famously good at cleaning things. So I, I do deep cleaning, uh, organizing and, uh, and actually quite enjoy it. And then, uh, you know, I I’ll do it and then, you know, be super proud of it. That’s number two. And then number three, I am, uh, exceptionally good at Euchre, although I don’t necessarily like the game, but I’m good at it. And I’ve, I’ve actually won Euchre tournaments. Uh, I didn’t know Euchre until I got to Michigan. Um, but when I got taught it, I found out that I was actually good at it. So I’m a, I’m a sought after Euchre partner.

Jeff:
Okay. So I also, share the talent of being able to touch every stair on the way down without making it look like you’re just sliding rather than… Yeah. Yes. So that is a legitimate talent. I don’t know if you have it. I think it’s always a mistake to tell Liz that you know how to clean well. That’s a mistake. Unless she already knows. Unless she already knows. I know, but now you’re bragging about it, which takes it to a whole other level. So that’s a mistake. I mean, I hate

Chris:
I would much rather pay to have somebody do it.

Jeff:
So I’m going to say that the first two are true and Euchre is a lie.

Chris:
Is that your final answer? Yes. That is correct.

Jeff:
I was like, why would a kid from Ohio need to learn how to play Euchre, right?

Chris:
It’s only a Michigan thing.

Jeff:
I know, that’s what I’m saying. So Euchre is a Michigan game.

Chris:
Right. But when you live here for 20 years, of course you’re going to play Euchre.

Jeff:
We don’t teach people who moved here.

Chris:
That’s it. Okay, so that part you’re absolutely wrong. So the history of Euchre is that I’ve been in so many scenarios where they play cards and it’s Euchre. And I’m the guy that says, no, no, no, let’s play, you know, regular poker or Texas Hold’em or something. And they’ll say, no, no, no, it’s Euchre. And so I’ve played Euchre dozens of times. and I’ve had to learn it every time. Even though I’m decent at it, but I’m not good. And to be honest with you, I don’t know why I should like it, but I don’t. I don’t like it at all.

Jeff:
So I’m from Michigan and I don’t care for Euchre. I don’t know why. I feel ashamed to say it. I know. Right.

Chris:
But, uh, yeah, I feel like all the Euchre lovers are like, come on.

Jeff:
There’s more luck to that game. And I think that’s part of it to me is I like the games that have less luck and more strategy. Right.

Chris:
But cards in general are luck too. Sure. There’s a lot of strategy to it, but it’s luck of the draw primarily.

Jeff:
So anyways, well, there you go. So you shouldn’t have confessed that to your wife being, you know, so enthusiastically about enjoying cleaning so much.

Chris:
Well, to be fair, I haven’t cleaned on a rampage in quite a while.

Jeff:
Which, you need to stop talking. It’s worse. Stop talking. She’s listening right now. Liz is like, you know, he hasn’t. I bet I can guess how your weekend’s going to go.

Chris:
Oh, gee whiz. You’re absolutely right. Yeah. I’ve done it now. I’ve stepped in.

Jeff:
Oh, no. Okay. Yeah. Not that it’s just Liz’s job to clean. It’s not. No, no, no. So now we have to walk back the other for all the people we just triggered.

Chris:
Well, keep, keep in mind deep cleaning is what I said. Deep cleaning. That’s different than doing the dishes every day. Okay. Right. Because you know, we, we, hopefully I’d like to think that we share that job. Right. Right. Even though that I’m pretty certain that Liz does it more than me.

Jeff:
Okay.

Chris:
But in my mind, do you ever hear Jeff Foxworthy talk about husbands who don’t participate? He goes, he goes, yeah. He goes, I opened the door and he says, and my wife’s out there tar in the driveway. And he goes, Hey honey, I just want to let you know I emptied that ashtray in the back den.

Jeff:
I picked up those socks. Yeah. So it was hilarious. You missed a spot. That’s hilarious. That’s terrible. It is terrible. Yes. OK, well, there you go. It was once again another riveting episode of Yeah, yeah, yeah. What is Chris Zarba like?

Chris:
Yeah, it’s the enigma of me. Yes. It’s incredible. Hey, listen, if you’re watching on YouTube, would you do us a favor? Would you subscribe to it? Would you definitely put a thumbs up? Would you share it with somebody? Because it’ll really help us with the metrics. It helps us in every way. And also, it exposes our podcast to those who, who knows, might want to listen to it. So we appreciate that very much.

Jeff:
So today we are dealing with the resurrection of Jesus here on this episode of the Bible guys. And this is in all four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and is the pivotal event in human history. And so let’s just start Matthew chapter 28 verse one. It says, early on Sunday morning as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to visit the tomb. Suddenly, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it. His face shone like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint. Then the angel spoke to the women, don’t be afraid, he said, I know you’re looking for Jesus. who was crucified. He isn’t here. He’s risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come and see where his body was laying. And so, and now go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. Remember what I’ve told you. And the women ran quickly from the tomb and they were very frightened, but also filled with great joy. And they rushed to give the disciples the angel’s message. In Mark chapter 16, verses 1 through 8, it says, Saturday evening when the Sabbath ended, Mary Magdalene and Mary, the other mother of James and Salome, went out and purchased burial spices so they could anoint Jesus’ body. Very early on Sunday morning, just as sunrise, they went to the tomb. On the way, they were asking each other, who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb? But as they arrived, they looked up and saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled aside. When they entered the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a white robe sitting on the right side. The women were shocked, but the angel said, don’t be alarmed. You’re looking for Jesus of Nazareth who was crucified. He isn’t here. He has risen from the dead. Look, this is where they laid his body. Now go tell his disciples, including Peter, that Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there just as he told you before he died. And the women fled from the tomb, trembling and bewildered. And they said nothing to anyone because they were too frightened. Many of the manuscripts of the book of Mark end right there and others add a few extra verses. And so it says, then they briefly reported all this to Peter and his companions. Afterward, Jesus himself sent them out from east to west with the sacred and unfailing message of salvation that gives eternal life. Amen. And then Luke 24, 1 through 11, it says, Then the men asked, why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? He isn’t here. He’s risen from the dead. Remember what he told you back in Galilee, that the son of man must be traded in the hands of sinful men and crucified, and that he would rise again on the third day. Then they remembered what he’d said this, or that he had said this. So they rushed back from the tomb to tell his 11 disciples and everyone else what had happened. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary, the mother of James, and several other women who told the apostles what had happened. But the story sounded like nonsense to the men, so they didn’t believe it. And then John 20 verses 1 and 2 says, early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, they’ve taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb and we don’t know where they’ve put him. So there you go.

Chris:
Well, that’s it. Well, you read all four. I was thinking that there was one more. That was it. There’s not five gospels, Jeff.

Jeff:
No, there’s only four. Last I checked.

Chris:
Last I checked. So there it is. In John chapter 20, isn’t it interesting that it’s only a few verses?

Jeff:
Yes.

Chris:
Right. So John 21 and 2. Is that what it says? Yep. Wow. Where am I at? Oh, there it is right there. You know, it’s interesting how John is honestly just so different from the other gospels. He really is. And in this case, obviously very different. So, you know what I love that stands out? What’s the first thing that stands out to you?

Jeff:
The women.

Chris:
Does it really? Yeah. The thing that stood out to me was he said, go and tell the disciples, including Peter.

Jeff:
Oh yeah, they’re in Book of Mark.

Chris:
Yeah. Yeah. I mean, you know, think about it. I mean, that’s a, you can build a whole sermon around that. The idea that, you know, here, Peter denies Jesus. Jesus calls him out on it, even though that we know that the other disciples all fled. Right. And Peter’s the one that says, Lord, surely we’re going to die with you. And, you know, he takes out his dagger and he cuts off Malchus’s ear in the garden, remember, several podcasts ago. And so Peter’s definitely willing to demonstrate his, you know, his ability to die with Jesus. But then Jesus says, Hey, surely I tell you this before the rooster crows twice, you’re going to die me three times. Well, Peter does. And then what does it say? The last time we heard from Peter was he went out and wept bitterly. right? So then here’s Jesus dying for the sins of humanity, you know, conquering sin and death, rising again. And then he says, my mind’s on Peter. So he tells the angels, make sure that when the women come, right, or whoever comes, make sure that Peter’s included. Yeah. Right. So it’s just incredible how it’s a reminder that like, hey, no matter your biggest mess up and the thing that you feel the most guilty about, because we can carry around guilt, like a badge of honor, and God never intends us to do that. He does use guilt. Guilt’s a good thing because if guilt returns us to repentance, guilt could be a good thing. Right. But once we’ve repented and once we understand that our sins are forgiven, then God does not intend for us to hang on to guilt at all. So that guilt for that particular sin is gone. And yet we just beat ourselves up and we just consider ourselves unworthy and we don’t believe that God still loves us sometimes. We believe that, you know, God’s opinion of us has been tainted because after all, we’ve promised something and then failed and promised again and went back and we failed 50 times. And so we’re just a worthless piece of, you know, cow dung or whatever it is. But that’s not the case. So God’s mind, Jesus’s mind is on Peter. And I just think it’s a great sermon. It’s a great reminder for all of us.

Jeff:
Yeah. So when we sin, there’s a difference between our relationship with God and our position with God. Right? And so it’s the same way with your children. When your children disobey you, their position with you is the same. They’ll always be your child. But the relationship can be affected in that now there’s consequences to their behavior, right? Or it’s the same way in a dating relationship or in a marriage relationship. The position of being a spouse is still there, but the relationship can be in tension, right? And so when we sin now, it’s not about the guilt thing. It’s about making sure that the relationship is right. And that’s why we would go back and we would confess our sin and that we would repent. And so our behavior should cause grief if it’s wrong, because it’s an assault against God. And that’s the good side of grief. That’s the good side of grief. That’s right. And guilt. Right. And we repent of that. And it drives us back to saying, God, the most important thing is that our relationship is right. you know, not that your position changed, right? God’s keeping you as his child. It’s not up to you now, it’s up to him. So that’s the difference. Anyways, you know, I think it’s also interesting, just in a side note, that Mark very likely was writing Peter’s story. So Mark was historically believed that Mark was Peter’s secretary. Yeah. So he’s writing this story. The entire gospel of Mark may have been Peter’s narrative of it, which makes sense. Peter’s so blunt. He’s so quick. He’s so that he’d have the shortest of the gospels, right? Just get to the point. Miracles were pretty amazing, whatever. And so the fact that it’s mentioned in Mark and not in the others is, would be another indicator. And it makes sense. Yeah.

Chris:
You know, I never, never, uh,

Jeff:
Yeah, this was a very special moment for Peter. Yeah. That the angel wanted to make sure that Jesus wanted to make sure that Peter was included. This would be very memorable to Peter, maybe not very memorable to, you know, John or Matthew who were also eyewitnesses.

Chris:
Yeah. But that doesn’t mean that he made it up though, either. No, no. Because it’s in quotes.

Jeff:
That’s right. Right. No, no, no. What I was saying is it would be very memorable for him. Right.

Chris:
And that’s why he would have included it. Yeah, the other people are like, oh yeah, he did say that, didn’t he? Yeah, that’s pretty amazing.

Jeff:
So here it is. If the resurrection hadn’t happened, then Jesus was not who he claimed to be. The death didn’t matter. The shedding of the blood didn’t matter. The punishment that he took in his body didn’t matter. None of the rest, the miracles that he did didn’t matter. The good words he said didn’t matter. Nothing mattered if the resurrection doesn’t happen. So this is the linchpin in all that was necessary for the salvation of humanity was this element. If this didn’t happen, none of the rest of it matters. And so we’ve staked eternity. Every Christian has staked all of eternity on this event. Either he resurrected from the dead or he did not. And this is where, and we’ve talked about this before, our staff right now is reading a book by Chuck Colson, right? And it’s called The Faith. It’s really great. It’s a fairly short book, but deals with systematic theology and proofs of our faith, why Christians believe what they believe. It’s not a very big book, but it’s a good book. Anyways, Chuck was the right-hand man to President Nixon when Nixon gets busted, right? So Nixon has essentially presidential immunity. If everybody just goes quiet, he can go ahead and protect everybody, and offered to do so. He offered to protect everybody. And Chuck Colson was kind of his hatchet man. But Spiro Agnew, the vice president, starts getting pressured by the FBI in this investigation, and in like 10 or 12 days rolls on everybody else. Throws the president under the bus, throws all the hatchet men under the bus, and eventually Chuck Colson winds up going to prison. over for a couple of years, three years, I think. And he said, think about that for a moment. You’re only talking about the ruining of your reputation and a couple of years in jail. And the most powerful man in the world was offering to protect you. And the second most powerful man in the world got scared and rolled on everybody because he didn’t want to do any time. And so we wind up going to prison because of him. And then you have all of the followers of Jesus, of these 11 that are still alive. 10 of the 11 wind up dying for this claim right here. We saw the risen Lord, right? That Jesus resurrected from the dead. This is the, the linchpin to all of Christianity. If this didn’t happen, then nothing else did. And so, so many people, even atheists who are debaters and trying to disprove Christianity, this is the thing they go after. And thus far, this is the thing they haven’t been able to disprove, right? Is the resurrection.

Chris:
And by the way, 10 out of 11 died, but the 11th also get boiled in oil.

Jeff:
Yeah. Boiled alive. He just didn’t die.

Chris:
He just didn’t die. Which by the way, I wonder how he looked after that. It’d be pretty rough. So yeah. So even though that he didn’t die. And that was John. Yeah. He certainly didn’t. He’d certainly paid the price.

Jeff:
He died. He was over a hundred years old when he got 110, I think he died on the Isle of Patmos, I think. And, uh, right. Yeah. So, so this is a really substantial thing because in this situation, these people faced death. and never recanted. And the Vice President of the United States, who was being protected by the most powerful man in the world, rolled in like less than two weeks. That’s pretty significant.

Chris:
Well, we love the Life Application Study Bible, and there’s a little chart here that talks about the evidence that Jesus actually died and rose, and what it does, excuse me, is it gives us 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, yeah, I’m hurting today. It’s the first recording. There’s five proposed explanations for the empty tomb that aren’t, you know, based on the fact that he rose, but then there’s evidence against these explanations. So like, for instance, the first one would be like, okay, there’s a theory that says maybe Jesus was only unconscious and later revived. But then there’s scriptural evidence and recorded evidence that says the Roman soldier told that Pilate was dead in Mark 15. The Roman soldiers did not break Jesus’s legs because he had already died in John 19. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus wrapped his body, placed it in the tomb, John 19. Yeah. Right.

Jeff:
You want to read the next one? Roman soldiers were experts on death. Yes. It’s not like they hadn’t seen death before. Right. They knew exactly what they’re looking at. The other one is that the women made a mistake and went to the wrong tomb. So that would be some of the arguments that the resurrection didn’t really happen. But Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of Joseph, saw Jesus placed in the tomb. Remember that from our podcast last week? Yeah. They were it was Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. And then it kept mentioning Mary and the other Mary. That’s right. And so. So they were already at the tomb at the burial. Right. And then on Sunday morning, Peter and John also went to that same tomb. So those would be the two things going, hey, this just, that’s not a legitimate argument. Right. It’s not the wrong tomb. Right. And that winds up being Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all deal with those issues.

Chris:
And then the other theory is, well, unknown thieves stole Jesus’s body. Well, number one, the tomb was sealed and guarded by the Roman soldiers, Matthew 27, which by the way, this doesn’t even talk about the fact that Jesus appeared for 40 days in front of hundreds of people, and he had eyewitnesses, this doesn’t even say that.

Jeff:
In this little defense?

Chris:
Yeah, because there’s eyewitnesses of his resurrection. Hundreds of them.

Jeff:
So if they would have stolen Jesus’ body, then those eyewitnesses… Well, the idea that this contingent of soldiers allowed, you know, rabble-rousers to steal the body, these soldiers would have been executed. Right. But they were not executed.

Chris:
Not to mention, let’s not forget the zombies.

Jeff:
Right. Right?

Chris:
Let’s not forget the fact that there are people resurrected from the grave during the actual death of Jesus, who later on after the resurrection came and showed themselves. Yes.

Jeff:
And again, if you’re a new listener, not real zombies. Not real zombies. The disciples stole Jesus’ body would be another argument, right? So it was unknown thieves or maybe the disciples, but the disciples were ready to die for their faith. Stealing Jesus’ body would have been admitting that their faith was meaningless. Right. Think about that. If they’d stole Jesus’ body, then the thing that they were dying over was empty and meaningless. And that’s what I was trying to highlight when the vice president wouldn’t lie for the president. Right. Right. Just in two weeks. He was unwilling. Unwilling. He was afraid. And that’s natural humanity’s response to danger like that. So anyways.

Chris:
And then the last theory is perhaps the religious leader stole Jesus’ body to produce it later, but they never produced the body. So there’s no evidence for that because it was to their disadvantage for Jesus to have vacated the tomb. And it was to their every advantage to produce the body and they didn’t.

Jeff:
That’s right. Yeah. And then there’s one other real big highlight that I always like to point out, and that is the angels are there. There’s two angels. One speaks up. So that’s why you get a difference between what was at Mark and Luke or whatever. One speaks up and his first thing is always don’t be afraid. Because when God sends his messengers to speak, that’s the first thing, don’t be afraid. You know, I think humanity carries a lot of fear all the time, especially if anything that’s out of the ordinary or whatever. And so he speaks to these women, don’t be afraid. God wants to comfort them. He wants to calm them down. And then he says, hey, the person you’re looking for among the dead isn’t here. He’s risen. And that is maybe one of the greatest proclamations, or I guess the greatest proclamation. We’re looking for Jesus among the dead, but he’s not here. He’s risen.

Chris:
Well, last Easter, we themed it around the idea of who is it that you’re looking for? And that’s what they asked them. They said, who is it that you’re looking for? Why are you looking for the living or the dead among the living? And, you know, and that is the question for all of us today, which is, who is it that you’re looking for? Are you looking for the, you know, the Jesus that they expected to find? Because they expected to find the dead Jesus. You know, the non-living Jesus, the Jesus who obviously didn’t have the ability to back up every promise that he had. Right. But, you know, the question of the angel is valid for us today, too. Or are we looking for the resurrected Jesus, the one who has the power to not only conquer sin and death, but also to give us the power to conquer the sin and defeat and the worry and anxiety and the problems and everything else in our lives.

Jeff:
Right.

Chris:
So it depends on who we’re looking for.

Jeff:
And they clearly had forgotten the promise that I’m going to rise again. So their fear and their despondency came from the fact that they just weren’t paying very close attention. Yeah. And I think that’s same for all of us. If we were paying close attention to God’s promises, we would walk around with way less fear in our lives. And so, yeah, it’s really powerful.

Chris:
Well, hey, that is our time. So, uh, wow. The resurrection of Jesus. We did it. There you go. So there’s more to go. So we’ll see you next time on The Bible Guys.