BY AL BUCHANAN
I’d like to begin the sermon by asking you to turn to Luke chapter 22. I’m going to begin by reading verse 1 of Luke 22 where it reads
Luke 22:1. Now the Feast of
Unleavened Bread drew near, which is called Passover.
And I think that most of us realize that after a period of time that the whole Spring Festival Season came to be known both as Passover and Unleavened Bread. It was referred to both ways.
Then down in verse 7 we read
Luke 22:7. Then came the
Day of Unleavened Bread,
In other words, the Day of that Spring Festival Season
Luke 22:7b. when the
Passover must be killed. 8) And He [That
is Christ.] sent Peter and John saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us,
that we may eat.”
The point that I want to make here where it says, ‘Then came the day when the Passover must be killed,” and if you look up that word “must,” you’ll find that it is that Greek word that means an absolute necessity.
The time had come, after many, many years of Passover lambs being offered that pictured the Messiah being offered, although I doubt that very many who killed those lambs over the years understood fully what that lamb pictured. But now it was time. The time had come when the actual Passover was to be killed. That individual, whom all of those Passover lambs represented, now it was time for Him to be offered and Him to be sacrificed.
And so here it says
Luke 22:7. Then came the Day
of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover must be killed.
The apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 5:7 stated that
1 Corinthians 5:7b. For
indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.
So on the Passover Day, Jesus the Christ was sacrificed. And He fulfilled what all of those Passover lambs had pictured. And, as we’ve been mentioning for some time now, not only that but He fulfilled what all of the sacrifices and offerings of the Old Testament pictured. He fulfilled all of that in His sacrifice.
Following His death that day, His body was taken down from the stake, as we know, and placed in a tomb. He was placed there just as the Passover Day was coming to an end, perhaps right to the closing moment of the day. I don’t know but it was very, very near the day coming to an end. He was placed in the tomb. He would remain there for three days and three nights, as we know, an exact seventy-two hour period. He was resurrected from the dead at the close of that period and exited the tomb, no doubt, just as the weekly Sabbath was coming to a close. It was just perhaps the very next moment the first day of the week began, just the moment after He stepped out of the tomb, no doubt. And we know that that first day of the week was Wave Sheaf Sunday. A counting of fifty days, we know, begins on that day that takes us to the Day of Pentecost.
That particular year it was unique and different from any year that preceded it and any year that would follow it. That Passover was unique when the actual Passover was sacrificed. The period of time that began to be counted on that Wave Sheaf Sunday up until the completion of the fifty days at Pentecost that year, that entire period of time, was unique. It was different than any period that ever preceded it or ever followed it.
The title of this message today, I would like to title: A Very Special 50 Days, A Very Special 50 Days.
This year, this Sabbath that we’re keeping today is the sixth Sabbath in our count of seven Sabbaths which the seventh will be next Sabbath. This is the sixth or this is the forty-second day in our count to Pentecost. Today, I’d like for us to consider what Jesus taught the disciples during those very special fifty days. I’ve taken note before of the importance of the fifty days. I’ve never taken the time to go through and try to separate out and determine exactly what it was He taught them during those fifty days, but I’d like to take the time to do that today.
I personally believe that those fifty days, those particular fifty days in that year, were a type of the time that we’re living in today. And what He said to those twelve in particular—now you might say, “Well, there were only eleven there.” Well, the twelfth was there because he had to witness all of this, remember? Mathias had to witness all of these things. So he was there. What He said to the twelve there, I think is very important as far as we’re concerned today. As we live out our lives today during this period of time when we’re waiting and looking forward to the fulfillment and completion of what the Day of Pentecost pictures, I think we can learn a lot and glean a lot from what was said to those twelve in particular and the others who were privileged enough to hear what He had to say. I think it’s very important that we pay attention and listen to what it was that He said during that time.
Let’s begin at Acts 1 and in verse 1.
Acts 1:1. The former account
I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and [to] teach, 2) Until the day in which He was taken up,
after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He
had chosen.
So notice, in particular, that the information that was given was directed to those who were to be the apostles. And I have said so many times and I still believe that the twelve in particular when He sat down with them beginning on Passover evening, what He had to say to them at that time all the way through what He had to say during the fifty days applies to us. And we were represented by them there at that time in what He had to say. If that’s true, we need to pay particular attention to what it is He’s saying.
Verse 3.
Acts 1:3. To whom He also
presented Himself alive after His suffering[s] by many infallible proofs [or
unmistakable proofs, as the margin has it], being seen by them during forty
days
Now I’ve tried to determine how many times He appeared to them. And I’m sorry I don’t know for sure. It’s interesting The Companion Bible narrows it down to seven where Robertson’s A Harmony Of The Gospels expands it out to about ten. I know there were more than seven. Actually I’m going to try to, I’m just going to break it down into seven, but there were actually more than seven appearances that He made. I don’t know exactly how many but we’ll see that as we move through. But there were seven occasions that I’ve been able to determine where He said something of significance that I think we need to listen to.
But it says here that He was seen by them during forty
days. Not every day, no doubt. It was just certain times during the forty
days, but notice that He spoke “of the things pertaining to the
Now I think many times when we hear the term “
And so, let’s get into it. Let’s go to John chapter 20. Let’s begin there. John chapter 20 and verse 1.
John 20:1. 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.
And, of course, this would have been Wave Sheaf Sunday that’s being referred to. One thing that I’d like to point out here—and ’m not sure that The Companion Bible has this accurately, but I believe that they do—they point out the fact that the word “week” here is sabbaton in the Greek and it means—it’s plural in this case—and it means Sabbaths, plural. So if you change then, the wording of that, it would be, “Now on the first day of the [Sabbaths].” And The Companion Bible is the only one that I found that links this statement to the instruction given in Leviticus 23 and the writers of The Companion Bible link back to that to where there were seven Sabbaths to be counted to Pentecost. And so, they say that that’s what this is referring to that this was the first day of the counting of the Sabbaths. So it is on the first day of the Sabbaths that this is stating here.
Then going on.
John 20:2. Then she ran and
came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved,
Of course, that was John.
John 20:2b. and said to
them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where
they have laid Him.” 3) Peter therefore
went out, and the other disciple, and were going to the tomb. 4) So they both ran together, and the other
disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first. 5) And he, stooping down and looking in, saw
the linen cloths lying there; yet he
did not go in. 6) Then Simon Peter came,
following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there,
7) And the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with
the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself. 8) Then the other disciple, who came to the
tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed.
And I have to ask myself, “What did he believe?” He didn’t believe He was resurrected from the dead at this point. What did he believe? Did he believe that He wasn’t there? Perhaps, I mean that’s about the extent of what he believed at this point in time because we read verse 9.
John 20:9. For as yet they
did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead.
They didn’t understand that. And that seems so strange to me because Christ had spent a lot of time beginning about seven months prior to that explaining to them that He was going to have to die and be resurrected.
Just hold your place there and let’s go to Matthew 16 and let’s notice that. Matthew chapter 16. If you read through this several chapters here you’ll come to see this happened prior to the Feast the year prior to the year in which He died. So this would have been the fall before then that this was occurring just prior to the Feast of Tabernacles. And it says in verse 21, Matthew 16 and verse 21
Matthew 16:21. From that
time [beginning at that time] Jesus began to show to His disciples that He
must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests
and scribes, and be killed, and be raised [again] the third day.
He began to tell them that at that time but yet they, as it states here in verse 8 of John 20, they didn’t know that Scripture which said He had to be resurrected from the dead. So for at least seven months prior to that, if you count back prior to the Feast, He’d been telling them this.
Continuing on then verse 10.
John 20:10. Then the
disciples went away again to their own homes.
They just went away to their homes.
John 20:11. But Mary stood
outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb. 12) And she saw two angels in white sitting,
one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had
lain. 13) Then they said to her, “Woman,
why are you weeping?” She said to them,
“Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid
Him.”
So she, too, did not believe that He had been resurrected from the dead.
Then verse 14.
John 20:14. Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was [Him].
Did not know that it was Jesus.
Verse 15.
John 20:15. Jesus said to
her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom
are you seeking?” She, supposing Him to
be the gardener, said to Him, “Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where
You have laid Him, and I will take Him away.”
16) Jesus said to her, “Mary!”
She turned and said to Him, “Rabboni!” (which is to say, Teacher).
So she recognized who He was at this point.
And then verse 17. This is the very first thing that He said of significance to anybody, verse 17, at least that we have record of. Verse 17
John 20:17. Jesus said to
her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to
My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and [to] your Father,
and to My God and [to] your God.’”
“Go to My brethren,” He said. Now what we’re going to find here is that in many of the statements that He makes, we have to kind of read between the lines and what we understand now we understand what He was saying to them at that time and quite possibly a lot more explaining. As a matter of fact, we’re going to see it stated that He explained a lot more than what we have record of. So we’ll see that as we go through.
But He was about to fulfill—this was on Wave Sheaf Sunday morning. And remember He said here—we just read—“Do not cling to Me. Do not touch Me for I have not yet ascended to My Father.” So this was prior to Him fulfilling what the Wave Sheaf Offering pictured. It was prior to that on the morning of Wave Sheaf Sunday. He was about to fulfill this offering and what this offering pictured and once He fulfilled that, once He ascended to the Father and was accepted on our behalf by the Father, that would make possible that others could become His Brethren. This is actually the first time we find Him referring to the disciples as “My Brethren,” because He really couldn’t prior to this, but now He’s at the point to where this can be possible. He’s done what He needed to do and all He has to do now is ascend to the Father and be accepted on our behalf and then it would be possible. And He went on to say that, “I am ascending to My Father and your Father.” So they could become His Brethren. They could become begotten children of His Father as He was a child of His Father. “And to My God and [to] your God.” So now His Father could be their Father and His God could be their God.
In verse 18, we read
John 20:18. Mary Magdalene
came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her.
Now we get a little bit more information over in Mark 16. Let’s go over there. Mark 16 and verse 9.
Mark 16:9. Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He appeared first to
Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons. 10) She went and told those who had been with
Him, as they mourned and wept.
Now in Luke 24 verse 9, it says that she went “to the eleven and to all the rest.” So there were others there that she went to and told these things.
Verse 11.
Mark
Whatever it meant that was believed when the one individual entered the tomb, he did not believe that He had been resurrected from the dead at that point. They still don’t here after they had gone to their homes and then she went to talk to them. They still, they didn’t believe that He was resurrected from the dead.
In Luke 24 verse 11, we read
Luke 24:11. And their words
seemed to them like idle tales,
And the margin has, “nonsense.”
Luke 24:11b. and they did
not believe them.
That’s very interesting that all of the time that He had spent with them and you’d think that they would have at least understood that much. They didn’t. They didn’t understand that part of it at all.
Now Matthew 28. Now I’m including this in the first appearance that He makes even thought it’s a separate appearance, but during the same day. And let’s notice this in Matthew 28 and verse 9. And this is, again, filling in a little bit more information.
Matthew 28:9. And as they
went to tell His disciples [here], behold, Jesus met [with] them [again],
So He told them to go meet with them and while they are on their way, Jesus met with them again.
Matthew 28:9b. saying,
“Rejoice!” So they came and held
Him by the feet and worshipped Him.
And so during this period of time then He would have had to have ascended to His Father and fulfilled what the Wave Sheaf Offering pictured at this point.
Matthew 28:10. Then Jesus
said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to
Then what I’m including in the second appearance, we begin reading about that in Luke 24. Luke 24, once again, He had already appeared twice here and I’m just calling it one time. Luke 24 because there was only significant things said during one of the appearances. Luke 24 and in verse 13.
Luke 24:13. Now behold, two
of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus,
So a little bit later on this very same day, Wave Sheaf Sunday, these two are traveling to Emmaus.
Luke 24:13b. which was
[about] seven miles from
Something rather humorous. He probably would have used a little different terminology today had he been saying this.
Luke 24:18b. “Are You the
only stranger in
Ha, ha! He said, “Are you the only one here that doesn’t know what’s happened?” Ha, ha! And here is the very one who it happened to!
Luke 24:18b. “Are You the
only stranger in
So they thought and all of them I think had the general understanding that Jesus Christ was going to restore Israel at the time, restore the kingdom to Israel, and restore the prominence to Israel, and all at that time and set up the kingdom of God on the earth, the government of God on the earth.
Luke 24:21b. Indeed, besides
all this, today is the third day since these things happened.
And I’m not going to go into time to try to explain why he’s referred to this as the third day. Other places it says, “He was resurrected on the third day.” He had to be resurrected just prior to that third day being completed. This is the third day since these things are happening. But it is the first day. It is Wave Sheaf Sunday.
Then verse 22.
Luke 24:22. “Yes, and
certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished
us. 23) “When they did not find His
body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He
was alive.
So now this is a little bit more information. That from what he’s telling here and what information he’s giving us, this was a vision that was seen with these angels.
Verse 24.
Luke 24:24. “And certain of
those who were with us went to the
tomb and found it just as the women
had said; but Him they did not see.” 25)
Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that
the prophets have spoken! 26) “Ought not
the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?”
And He said this as a question.
Luke 24:27. And beginning at
Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the
things concerning Himself.
So take note of this that He went to a lot of trouble, going to a lot of Scriptures, all of which pertained to Himself. What He was doing He was expounding the Scriptures that prophesied about the coming of the Messiah and all that the Messiah would fulfill. And He’s explaining to them. Now He’s saying a whole lot here that we don’t have record of. He doesn’t for our benefit explain all of what He’s saying as He expounds these Scriptures. But He gives us some hint here when He asks this question,
Luke 24:26. “Ought not the
Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?”
So He’s giving them some information here about what transpired and what was in the process of transpiring. That He fulfilled all of what the Christ was to do and all of what the Christ had to do, actually, and then, He entered into His glory. And He, as we will see, appeared into rooms with the doors closed at this point. He already had ascended to His Father. He had been accepted on our behalf. And other things took place there and we’ll discuss that in a little bit.
But let’s go ahead and read down a little bit here.
Luke 24:28. Then they drew
near to the village where they were going, and He indicated that He would have gone
farther. 29) But they constrained Him,
saying, “Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far
spent.” And He went in to stay with
them.
So now we’re approaching the end of Wave Sheaf Sunday here.
Luke 24:30. Now it came to
pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31) Then their eyes were opened and they knew
Him; and He vanished from their sight.
So they recognized and knew who He was. How much they understood about what He told them at this point, I don’t know. It doesn’t say. But He went to the trouble beginning with these two to explain who He was and what He had to do and what He and He alone had to do. And then it states He entered into His glory.
Now I want to turn to a few Scriptures and we can see what the apostles said later. In particular, we’re going to look at what Paul had to say later. And then, we will be able to look back at what we got a little snippet of here of what He was saying to them.
Let’s go to Acts 17 verse 3 first of all. Just hold your place there in Luke. I don’t know if we’re coming back. I don’t think we’re coming back there though. Acts 17, this was the apostle Paul here speaking as we read back in Acts 17 verse 2. Then verse 3.
Acts 17:3. Explaining and
demonstrating that the Christ
So here Paul later on after having been taught what he was taught and it was consistent, obviously, with what Christ had began to teach the two.
Acts 17:3. Explaining and
demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer
There was no choice. In order for God’s plan to proceed and the firstfruits have an opportunity to be harvested, this had to happen.
Acts 17:3b. the Christ had
to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying,
“This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ.”
Well, what He was beginning to show these two back there and He got even more emphatic with it later with the others, He was the Christ. He was the Christ and that He had to fulfill these things.
Hebrews 2, let’s notice what Paul said there. We know that Paul here in Hebrews 2 had referred back to Psalm 8 and some things that David had said there. Then on beyond that verse 9. Hebrews 2 verse 9.
Hebrews 2:9. But we see Jesus,
who was made a little lower than the angels,
So he understood and the Scriptures make it clear for us now that this Jesus was made flesh. John made it very clear in the first part of his gospel as he was writing after the fact. He was explaining to them this that this Jesus, who was very God prior, was made flesh.
Hebrews 2:9. But we see
Jesus [here, Paul is saying.], who was made a little lower than the
angels, for the suffering of death
So He had to do this. And, no doubt, Christ explained these things as He was going through the Scriptures explaining it to these two. He began to do that.
Hebrews 2:9b. [He] was made
a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death [and then He was]
crowned with glory and honor, that He by the grace of God, might taste death
for everyone.
And so this had to be done in order for God’s plan to proceed.
Verse 10.
Hebrews 2:10. For it was
fitting for Him, for whom are all
things and by whom are all things, in
bringing many sons to glory, to make the [author] of their salvation perfect
through sufferings.
Now how far Christ went with these two in explaining this I’m not sure. We’re not told. It just said He expounded these Scriptures to them from the Old Testament. But, no doubt, when He said that He had to enter into His glory that He explained to them that He was doing this to benefit many others who also would be able to be brought into glory. He’s going to bring
Hebrews 2:10b. many sons to
glory, to make the [author] of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
In 1 Corinthians 15, let’s read there. And then we’ll go back to what He taught. 1 Corinthians 15 verse 20.
1 Corinthians 15:20. But now
Christ is risen from the dead [Paul writes], and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen
asleep. 21) For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22) For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ
all shall be made alive. 23) But each
one in his own order: Christ the
firstfruits, afterward those who are
Christ’s at His coming.
And so Paul was able to explain this later on to individuals but it began to be explained to the two here.
John 20 now. John 20 and verse 19. Now we’re going to go into a third appearing that He had with them. John 20.
John 20:19. Then, the same
day at evening,
So now the Wave Sheaf Sunday is coming to a close.
John 20:19. Then, the same
day at evening, being the first day
of the week,
Or “the first day of the Sabbaths” once again.
John 20:19b. when the doors
were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came
and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20) [Now] When
He had said this, He showed them His
hands and His side. Then the disciples
were glad when they saw the Lord.
We get a little bit more information in Luke 24. So let’s go back there. Luke 24 and in verse 36.
Luke 24:36. Now as they said
these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them,
“Peace to you.” 37) But they were
terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit. 38) And He said to them, “Why are you
troubled? And why do doubts arise in
your hearts? 39) “Behold My hands and My
feet,
Now John’s account said “hands and side.” Here He said, “hands and feet.”
Luke 24:39. “Behold My hands
and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle
Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.”
And so they were thinking more in terms like of a ghost or something like that. He was a spirit, much a spirit Being at this point in time. He’s manifesting Himself in His physical form for them but He appeared in this room with it locked.
Luke 24:40. [And] When He
had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. 41) But while they still did not believe for
joy, and marveled, He said to them, “Have you any food
And they provided some food and He ate.
Now it’s interesting here that He showed them the wounds in His hands, in His feet, and in His side, those specific places. It’s interesting and I don’t have the answer for this right here but He did not show them the evidence of His scourging. I wonder why. Specifically He says, “Look at My hands. Look at My feet. Look at My side.” He could have easily said, “Look at My mutilated body. It’s ripped, torn from that scourge.” But He didn’t. He didn’t refer to that. Now I don’t know for sure why at this point other than He was teaching something very, very important for them. He was at this time beginning to reveal without question who He was. And we’re going to see that they’re going to see that eight days later from this point right here.
But let’s go to 1 Peter chapter 2 right now and notice Peter was there. And Peter saw and Peter heard what was said. Let’s notice what he says later. 1 Peter chapter 2 and verse 24. I think you know this section so I won’t read the verses leading up to it.
1 Peter 2:24. Who Himself
bore our sins in His own body
As we’ve pointed out before this word “bore” in the Greek means to carry up to an altar, to carry up to an altar and offer on an altar.
1 Peter 2:24. Who Himself
bore our sins in His own body on the tree,
And so Peter is very clearly here showing that Jesus Christ not only fulfilled what the Passover lambs pictured but He was fulfilling what all of those sacrifices pictured when they were placed on that altar and many of which were burned on that altar. He was fulfilling that.
1 Peter 2:24. Who Himself
bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins,
Hearken back to the sermonette that we heard.
1 Peter 2:24b. that we,
having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were
healed.
So He was showing them the evidence, no doubt, of Him being offered on an altar. He specifically showed them the evidence of Him being nailed to the tree and what happened to Him while He was on the tree. He does not refer to what happened prior to that. He’s focusing their attention on what happened to Him as He was nailed to the tree and what occurred to Him while He was hanging on the tree.
Now in Ephesians 5 and verse 2, let’s go there. Ephesians 5 verse 2, Paul is stating this to
those at
Ephesians 5:2. And walk in
love [He said.], as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an
offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.
And we recently went through commentaries on this and showed that this was referring to a burnt offering. This is the aroma coming up from a burnt offering. And so He offered Himself in that way.
1 Peter 2:24b. [and] by
whose [wounds]
It should be there. If you look into the margin, just look into the meaning of the word that’s rendered “stripes” there.
1 Peter 2:24b. by whose
[wounds] [It should be.] you were healed.
“You were healed.” And the wounds that He pointed them to was His hands, His feet, and His side.
1 Peter 2:24b. by whose [wounds] you were healed.
The most important healing needed was the healing of the breach between mankind and God. That’s what needed to be healed and that’s what was healed. You notice it’s in the past tense.
1 Peter 2:24b. by whose [wounds] you were healed.
The possibility for healing took place when He offered Himself as a sacrifice and an offering.
Back to 1 Peter 2. I turned it loose. We’ll go back there to verse 25. Immediately following “by whose [wounds] you were healed,”
1 Peter 2:25. For you were
like sheep going astray,
All of mankind is in this category.
1 Peter 2:25. For you were
like sheep going astray, but have now returned
He’s writing to individuals whom this has already happened to.
1 Peter 2:25b. but have now
returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
So now there is a means for us to return. And so, no doubt, in Him emphasizing their attention to His wounds, hands, feet, and side, emphasizing that He was showing them who He is was and what here to do and had already done.
Now let’s go to the fourth time that He said something very significant in John chapter 20. John chapter 20 and verse 24.
John 20:24. But Thomas,
called [Didymus], one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.
So the incident where He showed them His hands, His side, and His feet, Thomas wasn’t there.
John 20:25. The other
disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.”
“We’ve seen the Kurios.”
John 20:25b. So he said to
them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into
the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not
believe.” 26) And after eight days
So now we’ve gone beyond the Wave Sheaf Sunday. We’re eight days beyond that. He appears to them again.
John 20:26. And after eight
days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut [again], and
stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!”
27) Then He said to Thomas,
And this is something without question that they all experienced. And all of us must experience this as well.
John 20:27. Then He said to
Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, put it into My side. Do not be
unbelieving, but believing.”
And then verse 28.
John 20:28. And Thomas
And, no doubt, all of the rest came to this same conclusion.
John 20:28. And Thomas
answered and said to Him, “My [Kurios]
and my [Theos]!”
You see in all of this, He was explaining to them who He was and what He had performed. All of us, all of them and all of us need to know who performed this great service. They came to see it right here. “My [Kurios] and my [Theos]!” “My God who personally became my Owner and my Master.” “My [Kurios] and my [Theos]!” He personally paid the ultimate dowry for us—and He is explaining that to them—making possible our entry into the Family of God, making possible that there would be others that could be brought into glory as well, the many others. It was vitally important for Him to do this and it’s vitally important for us to recognize it and understand it.
Now Luke 24 and verse 44.
Luke 24:44. Then He said to
them,” These are the words which I
spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must
There’s that word “must” again, absolute necessity.
Luke 24:44b. that all things
must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me.”
45) And He opened their understanding that they might comprehend the
Scriptures.
Now I don’t know if this is the first point in which they fully came to understand, but He opened their minds at this point in time to where they could understand what He was teaching them.
Now something I want to point out here is that there’s something very unique—that’s wrong! There was something unique. There’s no such thing as “very unique.” There was something unique that He was teaching them that is only for the ears of those who are destined to become firstfruits at this time. That is the truth of who He was. That He, who had been our Creator, emptied Himself to become our Savior. That’s a truth that is unique to us, Brethren. I hope we understand that. There’s only a handful of people on this earth that understand who this Being truly is. There are others that get a glimpse into it but it’s information for the firstfruits.
The other thing is the knowledge and the understanding of the opportunity that the firstfruits have of entering into the Family of God. That more sons will be brought to glory through what He did. That information—and I’m confident He taught them that specifically here—that’s information unique to us. We understand that.
As I’ve said many times, I grew up in a Baptist home and heard many, many, many, many, many sermons prior to coming in contact with this Church and I never understood either one of those points. I had no knowledge of either one of those points. That Jesus Christ was my Creator as well as my Savior and that I have an opportunity to become a full brother of His in the Family of God, I never understood that.
And even if an individual who has not been called and it has been given for him to know these things, even though it causes his eardrum to rattle around and he hears the words, it won’t mean anything to him. He won’t grasp the meaning, the deep meaning that they should have for us.
Now Matthew 28 and this will be—I’ve included this as—the fifth time that He said something of great significance. Matthew 28 and verse 18.
Matthew 28:18. Then Jesus
came
I don’t know when this occurred. Now there are some things that I wasn’t able to put together. Let me just turn. Hold your place there in Matthew. Let me turn quickly to 1 Corinthians 15 and let me read something to you there. You don’t have to turn there if you don’t want to. 1 Corinthians 15, Paul writing here. It says
1 Corinthians 15:3. For I
delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to
the Scriptures, 4) And that He was
buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, 5) And that He was seen by Cephas, then by
the twelve.
Now I haven’t been able to isolate exactly where He appeared to Cephas before the rest of them. I don’t know exactly where that happened but Paul said it did.
And then verse 6.
1 Corinthians 15:6. After
that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater
part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. 7) After that He was seen by James, then by
all the apostles.
Now I don’t know when these things specifically happened. I don’t know when He appeared to the five hundred. I don’t know when that was. So it’s kind of hard to put together—at least for me in my little peanut brain to be able to decipher where it is that all these things happened.
But here in Matthew 28 verse 18, He said something very significant. And I don’t know exactly when He said this, but I’m putting it in in this section right here.
Matthew 28:18. Then Jesus
came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven
and on earth.
Now this “authority” that He speaks of here was for a lengthy period of time. I believe, without question in my mind at least, that this authority was officially given to Him on Wave Sheaf Sunday morning when He appeared before His Father. I believe it’s at that time that once He completed all that He had to do that He stood before His Father that not only was He accepted on our behalf but there was authority granted to Him at that point in time that He would retain for a lengthy period of time. Again, I believe the authority was granted at that time on Wave Sheaf Sunday and it will continue till after the Millennium and Last Great Day are completed. Now how do we know that? Well, let’s just look at a couple of Scriptures here.
Hebrews 1, let’s go there. Hebrews 1 verses 3 and 4.
Hebrews 1:3. Who being the
brightness
I’m going to jump into a sentence here.
Hebrews 1:3. Who being the
brightness of His glory and the
express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power,
when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the
Majesty on high.
And so He took the position of next to His Father on His throne when He ascended to Him after He had completed not only what the Wave Sheaf pictured when that happened, but after He had completed the period of time of the forty days when He appeared to the disciples, then He took His seat. When He ascended back to His Father after that, He took His seat at His right hand.
Ephesians 1 and verse 20. Again we’re going to jump into a sentence here. Ephesians 1 verse 20.
Ephesians 1:20. Which He
worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,
21) Far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and
every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to
come. 22) And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, 23)
Which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
And so there is all authority has been granted to this Being.
Philippians 2 and verse 8.
Philippians 2:8. And being
found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of
the cross. 9) Therefore God also has
highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10) That at the name of Jesus every knee
should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the
earth, 11) And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is [Kurios
is] Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
And so this is not diminishing at all the role of the Father. He’s actually glorified in the fact that this Being is in the role that He’s in at this time.
And then the last Scripture for this part, 1 Corinthians 15 again. 1 Corinthians 15 and in verse 22.
1 Corinthians 15:22. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. 23) But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. 24) Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power.
Verse 25.
1 Corinthians 15:25. For He must
reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. 26) The last enemy that will be destroyed is
death. 27) For “He has put all things
under His feet.” But when He says, “all
things are put under Him,” it is evident that He who put all things
under Him is excepted. 28) Now when all
things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to
Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all.
And so He’s saying here to them, “All authority has been
given to Me. It’s My responsibility
now. I am your Head. As you will become part of the
In John 20 verse 21, it states
John 20:21. Then Jesus said
to them, again, “Peace to you! As the
Father has sent Me, I also send you.”
And so what we’re going to be looking at here now in this section—and I’m calling it section 5—is the commission that He gives. And it’s in more than one location. I think what we need to do is put these three together to get the complete commission that He gave.
Luke 24, let’s go there first. Luke 24 and verse 46.
Luke 24:46. Then He said to
them, “Thus it is written and thus it was necessary
Once again He says this.
Luke 24:46b. for the Christ
to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, 47) “And that repentance and remission of
sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at
And so this is part of the commission that was to be carried out by them as He was sending them now. As the Father had sent Him, now He’s sending them and repentance and remission of sins was to be preached.
In Mark chapter 16, we get more information. Mark 16 verse 15.
Mark
Now this word “preach” here is kerusso in the Greek. And we’ve spent some time with that in the past. It has to do with to proclaim as a herald.
There were individuals that had the responsibility back in those days of communicating news items throughout the community. And they’d ride by horseback and ride into a community and they would summon everybody to come and listen to what this person had to say. And he would stand up, perhaps in a public square or something like that. And he would make a pronouncement of some information that he would pass on to them.
And this was the word that was used here for “preach.” It was preach as a herald. Proclaim this information.
Mark 16:15b. “Go into all
the world and preach the gospel to every creature.
Now I gave a series of sermons here on this. I titled the first message The Reminder Of The Gospel. I did that back on June 16 of ’07. Then the following week Part II of that and then followed that up with Jesus Christ The First Element Of The Gospel. We need to understand that there’s a lot more
to the gospel of the
So what He was saying here was a lot more information that was to be proclaimed than just good news of a coming government that’s going to rule for a thousand years. That’s certainly is part of it and it’s a very important part of it, but it’s not all of it.
Then 1 Corinthians 15 verses 1 through 4. We seem to be going to 1 Corinthians 15 several times here. I didn’t realize that when I was putting this together. 1 Corinthians 15 verse 1 where Paul is going back now—and as I’ve stated this many times—he’s reminding them of what he’d already taught them.
1 Corinthians 15:1. Moreover,
brethren, I declare to [I remind] you the gospel which I preached to you, which
also you received and in which you stand,
2) By which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I
preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
3) For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to
the Scriptures, 4) And that He was
buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,
And so that was part of the gospel. That was part of the good news that he said he had preached to them. And he went ahead through the remainder of this chapter spending it talking about the resurrection of the dead and how one enters into the Family of God. And so that’s all part of the gospel that He is telling them that is to be proclaimed by them.
Then in Matthew 28, a more commonly looked at Scripture for the commission to the Church and all of this I think needs to be put together to get the commission that was given. Matthew 28 verse 19 where He said
Matthew 28:19. “Go therefore
and make disciples
He had just said, “All authority has been given to Me in
heaven and on earth.”
Matthew 28:19. “Go therefore
and make disciples
They did that by preaching the gospel. So we need to insert that that we learned from Mark 16 into this statement here.
Matthew 28:19. “Go therefore
and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
And then verse 20.
Matthew 28:20. “Teaching
them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you
always, even to the end of the age.”
And so—as we’ve pointed out so many times—Mr. Armstrong made this very clear that the commission was twofold. One was preaching the gospel with all that that entailed and all that that involved. And then the disciples that were made as a result of that were to be taught everything that Jesus Christ had commanded. And so there was much to teach the disciples once they were made.
Okay, then moving on into the sixth area, John 21. John chapter 21, we’ll read through this kind of quickly, hopefully. John 21 verse 1.
John 21:1. After these
things Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the
“Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus,” and so on were there. There were seven of them listed if you want to go through and count them. There were seven listed here.
John 21:3. Simon Peter said
to them, “I am going fishing.” They said
to him, “We are going
And you know, you remember. I won’t read all of this. They weren’t having much luck. And He told them, “Put your net on the other side.” And one thing I’ve never understood—and maybe somebody after services can explain this to me. Down in verse 11.
John 21:11. Simon Peter went
up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish,
That they caught after He told them, “Put the net on the other side.” And it says there’s one hundred and fifty-three of them. Can anybody put any significance to that one hundred and fifty-three? Why does it get so specific with that number? Why does it tell us he caught a hundred and fifty-three fish when a little bit later it says they were “about a hundred and twenty” there on the Day of Pentecost? Looks like it’d be more specific there. I don’t understand but anyway this was said.
But then going on over in verse 14. This is interesting that it makes this statement here.
John 21:14. This is now the third time Jesus showed
Himself to His disciples after He was raised from the dead.
Now I’ve got this in the sixth. He said it was the third but it was further along as far as the appearances that He made. I think he’s talking here about that there was a group of them and this was the third time perhaps He appeared to a group. I’m not sure about that.
But one thing that I want to emphasize here that as you go through the next few verses, He’s zeroing in on Peter and He’s directing His comments to Peter. And He’s asking him questions and He’s asking him, “Do you love Me?” Let me just read this. Verse 15.
John 21:15. So when they had
eaten breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?” He said to Him, “Yes, Lord; You know that I
love You.” He said to him, “Feed My
[sheep].”
Now it’s interesting if you go through this, Christ is asking him, “Do you agapao Me? Do you love Me with agapao love?” And what Peter is saying, “You know I phileo You.” Very interesting the use of the different Greek words here. Peter knew that he didn’t have the kind of love that Christ was talking about at this point in time. “You know I phileo You.”
But the emphasis I want to put here is He said to him, “Feed My sheep.” And later He said, “Tend My sheep.” And then He said, “Feed My sheep,” again. They were to be shepherds. He’s emphasizing the need for them to be shepherds of His sheep.
In Acts 20 verse 28, let’s just go there very quickly where Paul mentioned there where he’s speaking to a group of elders.
Acts
And here Christ is telling Peter, “Feed My sheep, the sheep I have purchased with My own blood. Feed and tend to My sheep.” Peter got the point real well.
Back in 1 Peter 5 notice what he says. And again, we’ll read through this kind of quickly because I want to get to the seventh area here. 1 Peter 5 verse 1.
1 Peter 5:1. The elders who
are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings
of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed:
You see Peter understood what Christ was teaching him back at that time.
Verse 2.
1 Peter 5:2. Shepherd the flock of God [He’s
saying.] which is among you, serving as overseers, not by [constraint] but
willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly;
3) Nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to
the flock; 4) And when the Chief
Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade
away. 5) Likewise you younger people,
submit yourselves to your
elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for
“God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 6) Therefore humble yourselves under the
mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time,
It would be far better for Christ’s sheep today if all of those who claim to represent Him were to heed these words and truly be shepherds to the flock.
Let’s go to Acts 1 now to take note of something kind of interesting here which I believe was the—I’m not sure if more than one appearance is being referred to here—but we do have the final appearance that He made at least. And maybe actually two appearances that he’s referring to, I’m not sure. But Acts 1 verse 4.
Acts 1:4. And being
assembled together with them, He
commanded them not to depart from
So the fortieth day has either arrived. This is the fortieth day, or it’s very close to it.
Acts 1:4b. not to depart
from
Then verse 5.
Acts 1:5. “For John truly
baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many
days from now.”
So after teaching them the things pertaining to the
I wonder if they knew how long. I would guess that they would think that Pentecost—there was going to be something significant happen on Pentecost. Perhaps they knew. Perhaps He told them and we just don’t have record of it that this was going to happen on Pentecost. I don’t know. But they were specifically told “Wait. Just wait.”
We have been asked to wait for the promises. We have thought as did those who even wrote the New Testament books, epistles thought that they were much closer to the end than what they obviously were. Many of us have thought we were very, very close but we’re still waiting. We’re still waiting.
Verse 6.
Acts 1:6. Therefore, when
they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time
restore the kingdom to
Now I was talking to Mr. Lee before services and I’m wondering. He spent a lot of time. He went to all of those Scriptures that pertain to Him, what He was to do as the Messiah, as the Christ. He went to those Scriptures, explained to them all of those Scriptures. I wonder if their question doesn’t reflect the fact that He didn’t even address the Millennium, the coming rule of God and all of these things, or even the end time events that were to prophesy. I wonder if He never even went to them. And maybe that prompted them to ask. “Well, You haven’t discussed this, but is this going to happen?” And notice His response in verse 7. I note this is very telling here.
Acts 1:7. And He said to
them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in
His own authority.
Now we can go to Matthew 13 verses 10 and 11 following the
Parable of the Sower and Christ specifically told them, “It has been given for
you to know the mysteries of the
Now it’s not for them to know. Obviously, it wasn’t for them to know. But what about us? Is it for us to know? Well, very quickly—I’m running out of time—let’s go to 1 Thessalonians 5. You could go to Matthew 24 verses 32 through 44 there and He talked about the end time events in Matthew 24. And He said, “No man knows the day or the hour” of Christ’s return, but He told them, “Watch.” He told them to watch. 1 Thessalonians 5 notice this. Here Paul writing much later and he’s saying
1 Thessalonians 5:1. But
concerning the times and the seasons,
So he’s using the same terminology. And by the way, this ‘time” simply means the succession of time or the measurement of the passing of time; and the “seasons” has to do with a fixed or a definite time. So, “It’s not for you to know times or seasons.” So here Paul is later addressing this and he’s saying
1 Thessalonians 5:1. But
concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should
write to you. 2) For you yourselves know
perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.
You can’t know.
Verse 3.
1 Thessalonians 5:3. For
when they say, “Peace and safety!” Then
sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. 4) But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so
that this Day should overtake you as a thief.
5) You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of [the]
darkness.
Does that give us some means then of knowing times and seasons?
1 Thessalonians 5:6. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober,
This “watch” here means simply to remain awake as a military sentry would have to remain awake as he watches and guards something. And if one of them fell asleep, what happened? Bang! They shoot him. He didn’t stay awake.
1 Thessalonians 5:6. Therefore
let us not sleep, as others do, but
let us watch and be sober, 7) For
those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at
night. 8) But let us who are of the day
be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. 9) For God did not appoint us to wrath, but
to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10) Who died for us, that whether we wake or
sleep, we should live together with Him.
11) Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also
are doing.
Many have spent a great deal of time trying to figure out times and seasons. Some have attempted to persuade you that they’re right and they’ve got the information. Others will come who will think they’ve got this information and they can give it to you. I would just say, “Caution! Caution!”
Jesus Christ emphasized during those fifty days—forty in
particular—the things pertaining to the
The prophecy of the end time events is important. It wouldn’t be included in the Bible if it
wasn’t. But it’s not given, Brethren,
for us to know times and seasons. We
need to keep our focus on our Savior, our Head, the fact that He is
coming. And stay awake. Stay alert.
Guard what we’ve been given. And
watch.
Transcribed by kb