And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:
It was written beforehand that He must suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and those events were necessary parts of His mission in God's plan. The risen Christ spoke this in Jerusalem to open the understanding of His disciples to the Scriptures concerning Himself, from Moses and the prophets and the Psalms, renewing their hope and preparing them to continue His work. As eyewitnesses of His sufferings, death and resurrection they were commissioned to show from prophecy that He is the Christ and to preach in His name repentance and remission of sins, beginning at Jerusalem and going to all nations. Before preaching they were to tarry at Jerusalem until endued with power from on high, which would accompany their labors as assurance. Through His suffering the penalty of death and His sacrifice for sin, salvation is made possible, so that everyone who repents and lays hold of Him by faith receives forgiveness and life.
Resurrection Appearance and Teaching
The words were spoken by the risen Christ in the closed upper room in Jerusalem in the evening of Passover week, where He ate before the disciples during the forty days He remained on earth before His ascension. He appeared to them twice there and directed them to tarry at Jerusalem for a time before going to Galilee. It was spoken just before His ascension as part of His closing commission to teach all nations and to go into all the world and preach the gospel. It is definite instruction outlining individual duty and giving assurance before His ascension that His rising confirms Him as the living Saviour who ministers as Advocate in heaven.
Instead of working a miracle before them, He opened their understanding to understand the Scriptures. Beginning with the first book of Moses and going through what was written in the law of Moses and the prophets and the Psalms concerning Himself, He dwelt especially on the prophecies pointing to that present time. He did this same educating work for the disappointed travelers to Emmaus and for the entire company assembled in the upper chamber, reasoning from Scripture to show that the Old Testament prophecies, ceremonies and symbols pointed to Him and that every specification was fulfilled in harmony with His death and resurrection. By this opening of the Scriptures hope and joy were renewed and a holy hope was given, preparing them to continue His work and to proclaim His life, death and resurrection.
The disciples had given themselves to Him but did not yet fully comprehend their mission. They held confused ideas of the Messiah and His mission taught by the priests, which had to be unlearned, and they had not wanted and were unable to understand His humiliation and death. They had heard beforehand that He must suffer, be crucified, and rise from the dead the third day, but they misapprehended those truths, forgot them, and met them with unbelief. After the resurrection they were better able to understand and appreciate them, as He explained what they had been unable to comprehend. While waiting in Jerusalem for the fulfilment of the promise they called His words to remembrance, had them brought again to mind, understood their meaning more fully, and repeated them to one another, and as scene after scene of His wonderful life and pure, holy character passed before them they reproached themselves for their misapprehension, humbled their hearts in true repentance, confessed their unbelief, were comforted by forgiveness, and determined to atone by bravely confessing Him before the world and bearing witness in their lives to the loveliness of His character at any toil or sacrifice.
Written Prophecy and Necessity
Thus it was written beforehand concerning Him, and thus it had to happen, for Scripture foretold that Christ should suffer and rise from the dead the third day, and those events were necessary parts of His mission and of God's plan. The suffering and third-day resurrection fulfilled what was written about Him at His first advent, and the risen Christ opened the disciples' understanding so they could recognize this scriptural teaching. This fulfilled work grounds their commission as witnesses to proclaim Christ and the harmony between prophecy and those events, preaching repentance and forgiveness of sins in His name to all nations beginning at Jerusalem while waiting for the Father's promised power.
His suffering included rejection and humiliation, ignominy, crucifixion, death, burial and being slain, followed by rising from the dead on the third day. What was written concerned Himself, ordained in the counsels of the Father and the Son, and after His resurrection He opened His disciples' minds to understand the Scriptures concerning Him, including the meaning of His suffering and resurrection which they had not wanted or been able to understand before. With divine light shining on the prophecies, hearers could be carried down through the prophecies to the time of that advent and shown their fulfillment in His sufferings, death and resurrection, with every perversion of the Scriptures corrected.
Every specification of prophecy relating to His first advent was fulfilled in His life, death and resurrection as written, from the first book of Moses through the law of Moses, the prophets and the Psalms, with special dwelling on the prophecies pointing to that present time. The disciples were to regard this harmony of prophecy with His death and resurrection as assurance of power attending their future labors in proclaiming His life, death and resurrection, the sacredness of the law of God, the mysteries of the plan of salvation and His power for remission of sins. Those who searched the prophecies after Calvary were convicted that the crucified Jesus is the world's Redeemer, and after His resurrection some priests acknowledged Him as the Son of God.
His mission was not to establish a temporal kingdom or reign as a human king on David's throne, but to secure salvation through what He suffered, and He must pass through ignominy, suffering and death before finally taking His throne. Because no one but Messiah could triumph over death and burst the fetters of the tomb, He is more than a prophet, He is the key to understanding the Old Testament whose prophecies, ceremonies and symbols pointed to Him, foretelling that Messiah would come humbly, be rejected and slain, and rise again. His self-giving death on Calvary is the antitype fulfilling the symbols of the Jewish economy, and His rising confirms Him as the living Saviour who ministers as Advocate in heaven and establishes the Christian church and its mission.
Witnesses Preach to Nations
The disciples were eyewitnesses of what had been fulfilled — His sufferings, death and resurrection and the things they had seen and heard — and were commissioned to bear testimony to those events. Their witness was to show from prophecy that He is the Christ, tracing prophetic history to Christ crucified and proclaiming the harmony between prophecy and His death and resurrection. What was written beforehand had to happen, and their first-advent fulfillment became the foundation of the gospel they were to carry forward.
On that foundation they are to preach in His name repentance and remission of sins, righteousness and forgiveness. That preaching calls sinners to repent and turn to God as a gospel of peace and salvation, declaring the sacredness of the law of God, the mysteries of the plan of salvation, and His power for the remission of sins. It begins at Jerusalem and goes to all nations and every nation, and even those who rejected Him are to hear and may be reclaimed and forgiven.
Before preaching they must tarry in Jerusalem until endued with power from on high through the promise of the Father. God's power will accompany those proclaiming the gospel as assurance in their future labors. This waiting for the promised endowment belongs to the charge itself, joining opened understanding of Scripture to witness among all nations beginning at Jerusalem.
This commission outlines individual duty and still binds believers. It requires a missionary spirit that does not crowd together or turn aside to men's suppositions but sows the living Word as seed in prepared hearts in obedience to cause and effect, one planting and another watering while God gives the increase. It carries the warfare against evil to new fields and neglected dark places rather than adding building to building in one place while cities and towns that know not the truth are left unworked. It consecrates means, talents and influence so converts in turn convert others, belongs not only to a few ordained ministers but to every man, woman and child, and woe comes to anyone who retards it.
Salvation Through Risen Christ
Christ's suffering the penalty of death and rising from the dead makes salvation possible for the sinful race, as the gift of God's love in giving His only begotten Son. He made a sacrifice for sin so that all who would come to Him might find life. Through the mercy of this crucified and risen Saviour sins may be forgiven.
Everyone who repents and is converted receives the gift of salvation. All who come to the Father through faith in Christ, laying hold of the Saviour by faith and following His example, receive assurance of the forgiveness of sins. His sufferings make it possible for every soul to be sanctified through belief of the truth. The risen Christ sends the proclamation of repentance and forgiveness of sins in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem, so that even those who rejected Him hear and may be reclaimed and forgiven.
It was written beforehand that He must suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and those events were necessary parts of His mission in God's plan. The risen Christ spoke this in Jerusalem to open the understanding of His disciples to the Scriptures concerning Himself, from Moses and the prophets and the Psalms, renewing their hope and preparing them to continue His work. As eyewitnesses of His sufferings, death and resurrection they were commissioned to show from prophecy that He is the Christ and to preach in His name repentance and remission of sins, beginning at Jerusalem and going to all nations. Before preaching they were to tarry at Jerusalem until endued with power from on high, which would accompany their labors as assurance. Through His suffering the penalty of death and His sacrifice for sin, salvation is made possible, so that everyone who repents and lays hold of Him by faith receives forgiveness and life.
Resurrection Appearance and Teaching
The words were spoken by the risen Christ in the closed upper room in Jerusalem in the evening of Passover week, where He ate before the disciples during the forty days He remained on earth before His ascension. He appeared to them twice there and directed them to tarry at Jerusalem for a time before going to Galilee. It was spoken just before His ascension as part of His closing commission to teach all nations and to go into all the world and preach the gospel. It is definite instruction outlining individual duty and giving assurance before His ascension that His rising confirms Him as the living Saviour who ministers as Advocate in heaven.
Instead of working a miracle before them, He opened their understanding to understand the Scriptures. Beginning with the first book of Moses and going through what was written in the law of Moses and the prophets and the Psalms concerning Himself, He dwelt especially on the prophecies pointing to that present time. He did this same educating work for the disappointed travelers to Emmaus and for the entire company assembled in the upper chamber, reasoning from Scripture to show that the Old Testament prophecies, ceremonies and symbols pointed to Him and that every specification was fulfilled in harmony with His death and resurrection. By this opening of the Scriptures hope and joy were renewed and a holy hope was given, preparing them to continue His work and to proclaim His life, death and resurrection.
The disciples had given themselves to Him but did not yet fully comprehend their mission. They held confused ideas of the Messiah and His mission taught by the priests, which had to be unlearned, and they had not wanted and were unable to understand His humiliation and death. They had heard beforehand that He must suffer, be crucified, and rise from the dead the third day, but they misapprehended those truths, forgot them, and met them with unbelief. After the resurrection they were better able to understand and appreciate them, as He explained what they had been unable to comprehend. While waiting in Jerusalem for the fulfilment of the promise they called His words to remembrance, had them brought again to mind, understood their meaning more fully, and repeated them to one another, and as scene after scene of His wonderful life and pure, holy character passed before them they reproached themselves for their misapprehension, humbled their hearts in true repentance, confessed their unbelief, were comforted by forgiveness, and determined to atone by bravely confessing Him before the world and bearing witness in their lives to the loveliness of His character at any toil or sacrifice.
Written Prophecy and Necessity
Thus it was written beforehand concerning Him, and thus it had to happen, for Scripture foretold that Christ should suffer and rise from the dead the third day, and those events were necessary parts of His mission and of God's plan. The suffering and third-day resurrection fulfilled what was written about Him at His first advent, and the risen Christ opened the disciples' understanding so they could recognize this scriptural teaching. This fulfilled work grounds their commission as witnesses to proclaim Christ and the harmony between prophecy and those events, preaching repentance and forgiveness of sins in His name to all nations beginning at Jerusalem while waiting for the Father's promised power.
His suffering included rejection and humiliation, ignominy, crucifixion, death, burial and being slain, followed by rising from the dead on the third day. What was written concerned Himself, ordained in the counsels of the Father and the Son, and after His resurrection He opened His disciples' minds to understand the Scriptures concerning Him, including the meaning of His suffering and resurrection which they had not wanted or been able to understand before. With divine light shining on the prophecies, hearers could be carried down through the prophecies to the time of that advent and shown their fulfillment in His sufferings, death and resurrection, with every perversion of the Scriptures corrected.
Every specification of prophecy relating to His first advent was fulfilled in His life, death and resurrection as written, from the first book of Moses through the law of Moses, the prophets and the Psalms, with special dwelling on the prophecies pointing to that present time. The disciples were to regard this harmony of prophecy with His death and resurrection as assurance of power attending their future labors in proclaiming His life, death and resurrection, the sacredness of the law of God, the mysteries of the plan of salvation and His power for remission of sins. Those who searched the prophecies after Calvary were convicted that the crucified Jesus is the world's Redeemer, and after His resurrection some priests acknowledged Him as the Son of God.
His mission was not to establish a temporal kingdom or reign as a human king on David's throne, but to secure salvation through what He suffered, and He must pass through ignominy, suffering and death before finally taking His throne. Because no one but Messiah could triumph over death and burst the fetters of the tomb, He is more than a prophet, He is the key to understanding the Old Testament whose prophecies, ceremonies and symbols pointed to Him, foretelling that Messiah would come humbly, be rejected and slain, and rise again. His self-giving death on Calvary is the antitype fulfilling the symbols of the Jewish economy, and His rising confirms Him as the living Saviour who ministers as Advocate in heaven and establishes the Christian church and its mission.
Witnesses Preach to Nations
The disciples were eyewitnesses of what had been fulfilled — His sufferings, death and resurrection and the things they had seen and heard — and were commissioned to bear testimony to those events. Their witness was to show from prophecy that He is the Christ, tracing prophetic history to Christ crucified and proclaiming the harmony between prophecy and His death and resurrection. What was written beforehand had to happen, and their first-advent fulfillment became the foundation of the gospel they were to carry forward.
On that foundation they are to preach in His name repentance and remission of sins, righteousness and forgiveness. That preaching calls sinners to repent and turn to God as a gospel of peace and salvation, declaring the sacredness of the law of God, the mysteries of the plan of salvation, and His power for the remission of sins. It begins at Jerusalem and goes to all nations and every nation, and even those who rejected Him are to hear and may be reclaimed and forgiven.
Before preaching they must tarry in Jerusalem until endued with power from on high through the promise of the Father. God's power will accompany those proclaiming the gospel as assurance in their future labors. This waiting for the promised endowment belongs to the charge itself, joining opened understanding of Scripture to witness among all nations beginning at Jerusalem.
This commission outlines individual duty and still binds believers. It requires a missionary spirit that does not crowd together or turn aside to men's suppositions but sows the living Word as seed in prepared hearts in obedience to cause and effect, one planting and another watering while God gives the increase. It carries the warfare against evil to new fields and neglected dark places rather than adding building to building in one place while cities and towns that know not the truth are left unworked. It consecrates means, talents and influence so converts in turn convert others, belongs not only to a few ordained ministers but to every man, woman and child, and woe comes to anyone who retards it.
Salvation Through Risen Christ
Christ's suffering the penalty of death and rising from the dead makes salvation possible for the sinful race, as the gift of God's love in giving His only begotten Son. He made a sacrifice for sin so that all who would come to Him might find life. Through the mercy of this crucified and risen Saviour sins may be forgiven.
Everyone who repents and is converted receives the gift of salvation. All who come to the Father through faith in Christ, laying hold of the Saviour by faith and following His example, receive assurance of the forgiveness of sins. His sufferings make it possible for every soul to be sanctified through belief of the truth. The risen Christ sends the proclamation of repentance and forgiveness of sins in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem, so that even those who rejected Him hear and may be reclaimed and forgiven.