He Did Not Stay Dead

Because Jesus did not stay dead, believers in Him will not stay dead either.

Mark 16:44-45 says this about Jesus’ death.  “Pilate marveled that He was already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him if He had been dead for some time.  So, when he found out from the centurion, He granted the body to Joseph.”

Now, Jesus had been on the cross for just around six hours so this quick death was puzzling to Pilate. To be sure of his death, Pilate asked the Roman Centurion charged with carrying out the crucifixion to confirm that Jesus was dead.  Pilate was saying to himself “dead so soon.  They thought He was a king.”

What Pilate and the Jews who wanted Jesus dead didn’t realize is that Jesus would not stay dead.  They thought His death would be the end of His life just as it was for any other person before Him.  They soon learned how wrong they were. Because on the third day after His death, Jesus got up and walked out of the grave.

Jesus did not stay dead. Why not?  Because nothing that is dead can do the work of something that must be done in life. Jesus had to do the work of Life for you and me, so death could not keep Him from that work.

The Jewish leaders at the time wanted to keep the people discouraged and dependent on the leaders for what hope they could have. They wanted to put a stop to the idea of independence from the law and direct access to God that Jesus was bringing to ordinary people. They claimed He had to be stopped because He was misleading the people to believe in something other than the Jewish laws.

His crucifixion, however, was not the final nail in His life.  His death was the final nail in the door that God had opened so that all who believes in Jesus can always walk through to eternal life.  His death was the final nail needed to keep something open more than to keep something closed.  The Jewish leaders thought that killing Jesus would solve all their problems.  The only problem with this thinking is that Jesus did not stay dead.

In Isaiah 42, God tells us of His plan for Jesus.  He refers to Jesus as His Servant whom He upholds and as His Elect One in whom His soul delights.  He says He has put His Spirit upon Jesus.  And He says Jesus will bring forth justice to the gentiles.  Jesus did not stay dead because He had the eternal work of life to do for us.

The religious leaders of the time got things wrong about Jesus and life just as we do today. They attempted to break what could not be broken and they attempted to fix what they could not fix.

By killing Him they thought they would:

• Silence Him.  They did not realize that Jesus would come to life in the hearts and minds and voices of every believer and that the rocks would cry out in praise of Him.  The voice of One became the voice of a multitude that could not be counted.

• Discredit Him.  They wanted to prove Him to be an imposter and not a Savior.  Instead, they ignited praise and honor in the hearts of every believer, proving Him to be even more than they thought.

• Punish Him.  They wanted to judge Him harshly to set an example for others.  Instead, they misjudged Him badly and brought eternal punishment upon themselves.

• Stop Him.  They wanted to end His influence with the people.  Instead, they sealed forever His love for the people and their love for Him.

• Kill Him.  They thought killing Him would mean the people would no longer have anything to hope for in Him.  But He didn’t stay dead.  He walked out of the grave and into the hearts of every believer.

Because He did not stay dead, God had the sacrifice He required for all people to be forgiven for their sins. Jesus did not stay dead.  And when we believe in Him, we do not stay dead.  Because He did not stay dead, we can have what the devil has always tried to keep us from having – eternal life.

Live a Delivered Life. Love you.