I did not finish discussing the whole Text, not in class today! So we shall continue next Session …

(I record and post every other day now.)

“24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. 26 And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. 27 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. 28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. 29 Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”

In Isaiah 53:1 God askes … “Who hath believed our report? And to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?”

Well, the Disciple Thomas did not believe, not at first for sure!

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Ten good men, the Disciples of our Lord, assured Thomas that Jesus was alive, had been raised from the dear!

But he believed not a one of them!

Thomas needed to learn this principle from Proverbs …

Proverbs 11:14 … “Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.”

Proverbs 13:20 … “He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.”

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In every New Testament Gospel there is introduced an element of doubt about the Resurrection of Jesus! Such a miracle, almost incredible to many! Here’s what I mean …

Matthew 28:16-17 … “Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.”

Mark 16:14 … “Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen.”

Luke 24:10-11 …  “It was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles. And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not.”

Luke 24:25-26 … “Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken. Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?”

Luke 24:37-41 … “But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet. And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat?”

Then of course, Thomas’ doubt here in John chapter 20.

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Thomas, here is My Body …

(But note there is no BLOOD discussion here!)

Luke 24:39 …Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.

Jesus’ Blood was, I believe, already in Heaven!

Hebrews 9:12 … “Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.”

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God’s Grace will bring a person …

From worst to first!

The repentant thief, Nicodemus and Joseph, Mary Magdalene, unfaithful Peter, skeptical Thomas! Not counting Saul of Tarsus!

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Glory to God!

If you’d like to see the “half-class” …

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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Our Text …

19 Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. 20 And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord. 21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: 23 Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.

Do remember, the “first day of the week” is Sunday! The day Jesus arose from the dead. For this great reason the Church began worshipping (with its corporate services) on Sunday, which in time they renamed “the Lord’s Day!”

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This Verse is fulfilled in the Scene we’re studying today! John 16:22 … “And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.”

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One Bible Teacher says this … “The Gospel’s ‘best known’ Sentence is John 3:16 … “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” I agree!

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The Great Commission, as reported in each Gospel …

Matthew 28:18-20 … “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

Mark 16:15 … “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.”

Luke 24:47-49 … “And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things. And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.”

John 20:21 … “Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.”

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Jesus readily showed the Disciples His wounds! Much like an old, seasoned (but victorious) Commander shows his battle scars! Paul too … “I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.” Galatians 6:17

Throughout Scripture, God’s Breath …

Genesis 2:7, Adam the man!

John 20:22, Disciples, the Church!

Ezekiel 37:9, the Jews, Israel!

Isaiah 11:4, the wicked!

(He shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.)

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The soul-winner, as well as the Preacher …

… remits sin as he or she shares the Gospel whereupon someone gets saved! Those sins are gone!

… retains sin in the life of the one who rejects the Gospel!

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Wow!

Watch the class, an invitation …

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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Yes, I ran out of time before getting it all said! So next Lesson (John 20:19-23) will contain a bit of review, a recap of the omitted material. It’s extremely important doctrine, as well!

“11 But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre, 12 And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. 13 And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him. 14 And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. 16 Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. 17 Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God. 18 Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her.

Mary mistook Jesus for the gardener, verse 15! When in reality our Lord certainly is the “tender plant” of Isaiah 53:2! As far as I am concerned, He is the “Rose of Sharon” as well, Song of Solomon 2:1! And the “Root and Offspring” of David, Revelation 22:16! All botanical terms!

Jesus, like His Father, is interested in horticulture. In vines and branches! John 15:1 … “I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.” The Greek noun for “husbandman” means “earth worker!” Sounds like gardening to me!

In this Lesson (verse 18) we see Mary Magdalene (an unlikely candidate) as a missionary! Telling the good news of Jesus’ Resurrection! Every Christian should be telling the Story, propagating the Gospel!

In the early Church, I am told, every Sunday the Services began with the Preacher calling this Truth to the congregation … “CHRIST IS RISEN!” To which the people responded, “CHRIST IS RISEN INDEED!”

Hallelujah!

Watch the next lesson (posted every other evening) to get the rest of the Story!

This too …

Did you know we have Classes on every verse in Colossians? A great Christ-centered Epistle of Paul! Watch one and see …

Our Bible Text …

1 The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre. 2 Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.

3 Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre. 4 So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre. 5 And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in. 6 Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie, 7 And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.

8 Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed. 9 For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went away again unto their own home.

Someone noticed this parallel …

“Let there be Light!” (First day of creation week!)

“Let there be more Light” (First Day of Resurrection Week, truly a SUNday!)

(Remember, Jesus is the Light of the world, John 8:12.)

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Jesus did not sneak out of the tomb, as if an escaping criminal! God sent an angel who rolled back the stone, and Jesus (if He so chose) walked out, openly and unashamedly!

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Oh, the lovely “differences” among God’s children!

John, having been fleet of foot, arrived at the gravesite first in chapter 20.
(Just see the Text above.) The younger disciple outran the older one! But then Peter got to the shore of the Sea Galilee first in chapter 21!

John 21:7 … Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher’s coat unto him, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea.

John 21:11 … Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken.

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I still might make a chart and share this data in class. Prior to our completing John chapter 20, of course. Five “Meetings” …

The “Empty-Tomb” Meeting (verses 1-10)!

The Mary Magdalene Meeting (verses 11-18)!

The Great Commission Meeting (verses 19-23)!

The Doubting Thomas Meeting (verses 24-29)!

The “You the Readers” Meeting (verses 30-31)!

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I alluded to these three prophecies of Jesus in the Lesson. Now, here are the exact references …

Mark 8:27-32 … “And Jesus went out, and his disciples, into the towns of Caesarea Philippi: and by the way he asked his disciples, saying unto them, Whom do men say that I am? 28 And they answered, John the Baptist: but some say, Elias; and others, One of the prophets. 29 And he saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Peter answereth and saith unto him, Thou art the Christ. 30 And he charged them that they should tell no man of him. 31 And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 And he spake that saying openly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him.”

Mark 9:31-32 … “For he taught his disciples, and said unto them, The Son of man is delivered into the hands of men, and they shall kill him; and after that he is killed, he shall rise the third day. But they understood not that saying, and were afraid to ask him.”

Mark 10:32-34 … “And they were in the way going up to Jerusalem; and Jesus went before them: and they were amazed; and as they followed, they were afraid. And he took again the twelve, and began to tell them what things should happen unto him, 33 Saying, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes; and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles: 34 And they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him, and shall kill him: and the third day he shall rise again.”

For three consecutive chapters … the Cross is looming!

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John, but not by name …

John 13:23 … “Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved.”

John 19:26 … “When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!”

John 20:2 … “Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.”

John 21:7 … “Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher’s coat unto him, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea.”

John 21:20 … “Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee?”

(Note … 4 of these 5 times, in association with Peter!)

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Calvary does not exhaust the Gospel!

The Resurrection is essential, too!

Romans 10:9-10 … “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”

Romans 4:25 … “Jesus, Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.”

Romans 5:10 … “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.” (He is alive!)

And let’s add Hebrews 7:25 … “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.”

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Looks like Jesus, as it were, “changed His clothes,” prior to leaving the Tomb that glorious morning! (His linen garments were still wrapped, undisturbed!)

So did (Old Testament) Joseph prior to leaving his “prison!”

Genesis 41:14 … “Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon: and he shaved himself, and changed his raiment, and came in unto Pharaoh.”

(Another of the nearly 100 ways Joseph is a “type” of Jesus!)

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I found this information in an on-line commentary I bought …

“The whole chapter (John 20) unites various responses to Jesus, illustrating the diverse ways people can become believers in the resurrection: the beloved disciple believes when he sees Jesus’ grave clothes (John 20:1–10); Mary believes when Jesus calls her name (John 20:11–18); the disciples believe when they actually see him (John 20:19–23); Thomas, more skeptical, believes when called to probe Jesus’ Hands and Side (John 20:24–29); and finally, the Gospel praises most highly those who believe without seeing (John 20:29).”

(I thought this was powerful! The quoted author is Craig Keener, I believe his name is spelled correctly. And, by the way, this does not mean I agree or endorse everything Dr. Keener wrote!)

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Best yet, though I seem to have not had time to include all I studied … watch the video, the whole class …

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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What an immensely interesting Passage of Scripture, our current Paragraph, John 19:38-42 …

“38 And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus. 39 And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight. 40 Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury. 41 Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid. 42 There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews’ preparation day; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand.”

Jesus, speaking of His Cross, once said: “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” (John 12:32) And soon as He died … two notable men were “drawn” unto Him! Among the first … Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea!

Matthew 27:57 tells us that Joseph (who buried Jesus) was “rich!” Thus fulfilling Isaiah 53:9 … “And he (Jesus) made his grave with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.” Amazing!

Nicodemus, such a colorful Bible character, is only mentioned (just 3 times) by John, in his written Gospel! (You can see his faith blossom and grow in each successive incident!)

John 3:1-2 … “There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: the same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest …”

John 7:50-52 … “Nicodemus saith unto them, (he that came to Jesus by night, being one of them,) Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and know what he doeth? They answered and said unto him, Art thou also of Galilee? Search, and look: for out of Galilee ariseth no prophet.”

John 19:39 … “And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight.”

One writer said this of the Resurrection of Jesus …

The Resurrection … “the biggest surprise in history!”

I wonder. Did Nicodemus, as he helped bury Jesus … recall the Lord using these words?   “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up.” John 3:14

Jesus, buried like a King? Here’s one example, King Asa of Judah …

2 Chronicles 16:14 … “And they buried him in his own sepulchre, which he had made for himself in the city of David, and laid him in the bed which was filled with sweet odours and divers kinds of spices prepared by the apothecaries’ art: and they made a very great burning for him.”

Nicodemus and Jospeh … both members of the Sanhedrin who disagreed with the High Priest’s decision to crucify Jesus, formed a bond that reminds me of Proverbs 27:17 … “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.” They were good for each other!

I did not know this. “It was common for disciples to plan and arrange the burial of their revered teachers!”

Jesus was buried in a tomb never used by any human! And earlier that same week He rode into Jerusalem on a little donkey no man had ever ridden!

Mark 11:2 paralleled by Luke 19:30 … “And saith unto them, Go your way into the village over against you: and as soon as ye be entered into it, ye shall find a colt tied, whereon never man sat; loose him, and bring him.”

… then …

Luke 23:53 … And he took it down, and wrapped it in linen, and laid it in a sepulchre that was hewn in stone, wherein never man before was laid.

Worthy is the Lamb!

One more thought … these two (brave) men were certainly serving the Lord (the Cause of Christ) by burying Jesus in such an honorable manner. Surely God blessed them for such gallant efforts!

John 12:26 … If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour.

Watch the video class now, if at all possible …

— Dr. Mike Bagwell

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