Wednesday Evening Bible Study

August 14, 2002

Introduction

Jesus is risen.

:36-43 Jesus appears to the disciples

:36  And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.

stood – histemi – to cause or make to stand, to place, put, set; to stand.  Aorist.

Peace – eirene – a state of national tranquillity; peace between individuals, i.e. harmony, concord; security, safety, prosperity, felicity, (because peace and harmony make and keep things safe and prosperous)

:37 But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit.

terrified – ptoeo – to terrify; be terrified; to agitate with fear

affrighted – emphobos – thrown into fear, terrified, affrighted

supposed – dokeo – to be of opinion, think, suppose

a spirit – pneuma – the third person of the triune God, the Holy Spirit, coequal, coeternal with the Father and the Son; the spirit, i.e. the vital principal by which the body is animated; a spirit, i.e. a simple essence, devoid of all or at least all grosser matter, and possessed of the power of knowing, desiring, deciding, and acting; the disposition or influence which fills and governs the soul of any one; a movement of air (a gentle blast)

had seen – theoreo – to be a spectator, look at, behold; to see

The disciples had known that Jesus was risen and had appeared to several people so far.

He appeared to Mary Magdalene.

He appeared to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus.

He appeared to Peter.

John tells us that the disciples had been meeting in a room with the doors locked.

(John 20:19 KJV)  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.

This is one of the reasons why they were freaked out.  Jesus had gotten into the room even though the doors were shut.

:38 And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts?

troubled – tarasso – to agitate, trouble (a thing, by the movement of its parts to and fro); to cause one inward commotion, take away his calmness of mind, disturb his equanimity; to disquiet, make restless; to stir up; to trouble; to strike one’s spirit with fear and dread; to render anxious or distressed; to perplex the mind of one by suggesting scruples or doubts

thoughts – dialogismos – the thinking of a man deliberating with himself; a thought, inward reasoning; purpose, design; a deliberating, questioning about what is true; hesitation, doubting; disputing, arguing

arise – anabaino – ascend; to go up; to rise, mount, be borne up, spring up

hearts – kardia – the heart

: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.

behold – eido – to see; to know

handle – pselaphao – to handle, touch and feel, to touch with the hand; from psallo – to pluck off, pull out; to cause to vibrate by touching, to twang; to play on a stringed instrument, to play, the harp, etc.

This word is used in:

(1 John 1:1-3 KJV)  That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; {2} (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and show unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) {3} That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.

John touched Jesus.

When Jesus had appeared to Mary Magdalene,

(John 20:17 KJV)  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.

The word “touch” means to “cling”.  Mary had grabbed onto Jesus and wasn’t going to let go.

It’s not that Jesus didn’t want Mary touching Him, He just wanted to let her know that she was going to need to let go sometime.

see – eido – to see; to know

flesh – sarx – flesh (the soft substance of the living body, which covers the bones and is permeated with blood) of both man and beasts; the body

bones – osteon – a bone

ye see – theoreo – to be a spectator, look at, behold; to see

We say “flesh and blood”.  Why does Jesus say “flesh and bones”?

Perhaps it’s because He has shed His blood on the cross?

:40 And when he had thus spoken, he showed them his hands and his feet.

he showed – epideiknumi – to exhibit, show; to bring forth to view, to show; furnish to be looked at, produce what may looked at; to display something belonging to one’s self; to prove, demonstrate, set forth to be known and acknowledged

I imagine they saw the places where the nails pierced Him.

:41 And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat?

believed not – apisteo – to betray a trust, be unfaithful; to have no belief, disbelieve

for – apo – of separation (“from”); of origin; of the place whence anything is, comes, befalls, is taken; of origin of a cause

joy – chara – joy, gladness

It seemed too good to be true.

wondered – thaumazo – to wonder, wonder at, marvel; to be wondered at, to be had in admiration

meat – brosimos – eatable; from brosis – act of eating; that which is eaten, food, ailment

“Do you have anything edible around here?”

here – enthade – here; hither

I wonder if this means that Jesus was hungry.

Perhaps He is just trying to help them understand that He’s for real.

But later on when He appeared to the disciples in Galilee, He made breakfast for the guys:

(John 21:9 KJV)  As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread.

:42 And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb.

they gave – epididomi – to hand, give by hand; to give over; give up to the power or will of one

fish – ichthus – a fish

broiled – optos – cooked, broiled

a piece – meros – a part; one of the constituent parts of a whole

honeycomb (two words used) – melissios – of bees, made by bees – kerion (from keos, “wax”) – honeycomb

:43 And he took it, and did eat before them.

he took – lambano – to take; to receive (what is given), to gain, get, obtain, to get back

before – enopion – in the presence of, before; of occupied place: in that place which is before, or over against, opposite, any one and towards which another turns his eyes

He did these things in their presence.  He wasn’t behind some curtain.

did eat – phago – to eat

Lesson

Jesus was for real.

Jesus was raised from the dead with a physical body.

There are some heretical teachings that say that Jesus didn’t rise from the dead with a physical body.

The Bible says differently.

:44-48 Jesus teaches

:44 And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.

must – dei – it is necessary, there is need of, it behooves, is right and proper

be fulfilled – pleroo – to make full, to fill up, i.e. to fill to the full; to render full, i.e. to complete; to fulfil, i.e. to cause God’s will (as made known in the law) to be obeyed as it should be, and God’s promises (given through the prophets) to receive fulfilment

the law – nomos – anything established, anything received by usage, a custom, a law, a command

the prophets – prophetes – in Greek writings, an interpreter of oracles or of other hidden things; one who, moved by the Spirit of God and hence his organ or spokesman, solemnly declares to men what he has received by inspiration, especially concerning future events, and in particular such as relate to the cause and kingdom of God and to human salvation; the OT prophets, having foretold the kingdom, deeds and death, of Jesus the Messiah.

the psalms – psalmos – a striking, twanging; of a striking the chords of a musical instrument; of a pious song, a psalm

Jesus spoke of all three sections of the Old Testament Scriptures.  They all spoke of Him.  Here’s just a tiny sample of some of the things Jesus might have shared:

Moses:

(Deu 18:18-19 NLT)  I will raise up a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites. I will tell that prophet what to say, and he will tell the people everything I command him. {19} I will personally deal with anyone who will not listen to the messages the prophet proclaims on my behalf.

The prophets:

(Isa 53:3-6 KJV)  He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. {4} Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. {5} But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. {6} All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

The Psalms:

(Psa 22:14-16 KJV)  I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels. {15} My strength is dried up like a potsherd; and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws; and thou hast brought me into the dust of death. {16} For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have enclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.

:45 Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,

opened – dianoigo – to open by dividing or drawing asunder, to open thoroughly (what had been closed); to open the mind of one, i.e. to cause to understand a thing; to open one’s soul, i.e. to rouse in one the faculty of understanding or the desire of learning

understanding – nous – the mind, comprising alike the faculties of perceiving and understanding and those of feeling, judging, determining; the intellectual faculty, the understanding; reason in the narrower sense, as the capacity for spiritual truth, the higher powers of the soul, the faculty of perceiving divine things, of recognizing goodness and of hating evil

that they might understand – suniemi – to set or bring together; to put (as it were) the perception with the thing perceived; to set or join together in the mind; i.e. to understand: the man of understanding; implies a native insight, knowledge gained through the five senses

the scriptures – graphe – a writing, thing written; the Scripture, used to denote either the book itself, or its contents; a certain portion or section of the Holy Scripture

Lesson

We need God’s help to understand the Scriptures.

The unbeliever, the “natural man” cannot understand the things of God.  They are foolishness to Him.

(1 Cor 2:9-16 NLT)  That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him." {10} But we know these things because God has revealed them to us by his Spirit, and his Spirit searches out everything and shows us even God's deep secrets. {11} No one can know what anyone else is really thinking except that person alone, and no one can know God's thoughts except God's own Spirit. {12} And God has actually given us his Spirit (not the world's spirit) so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us. {13} When we tell you this, we do not use words of human wisdom. We speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit's words to explain spiritual truths. {14} But people who aren't Christians can't understand these truths from God's Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them because only those who have the Spirit can understand what the Spirit means. {15} We who have the Spirit understand these things, but others can't understand us at all. {16} How could they? For, "Who can know what the Lord is thinking? Who can give him counsel?" But we can understand these things, for we have the mind of Christ.

When we come to trust in the Lord and He puts His Holy Spirit in us, things start to make sense.

Without the Holy Spirit, a person does not have the equipment to understand very much about God.

Illustration

There are currently all kinds of sounds and images going through this room at this very moment.  And the sounds aren’t all coming from me.  If you don’t have a radio or TV set, you can’t receive them.

The Holy Spirit enables us to be able to understand the things of God.

Lesson

God continues to teach us

I don’t think we necessarily have our eyes opened to everything all at once.

Part of growing in the Christian life is that we grow in our knowledge and understanding of the Scriptures.

(Eph 1:15-19 KJV)  Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, {16} Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; {17} That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: {18} The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, {19} And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,

I’m not saying that God is necessarily going to be revealing “new truths” to us.  I think it’s a little dangerous if we’re looking for “new truths”.  But I do believe that as we grow, we grow “deeper”.  We begin to “get it”.

:46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:

Jesus used the Old Testament to show three things (all infinitives) – that He had to die, that He would be raised, that a message should be preached (v.47).

it is written – grapho – to write, with reference to the form of the letters; to write, with reference to the contents of the writing

it behoved – dei – it is necessary, there is need of, it behooves, is right and proper

to suffer – pascho – to be affected or have been affected, to feel, have a sensible experience, to undergo; in a bad sense, to suffer sadly, be in a bad plight

This is the first “infinitive”

Christ – Christos – “anointed”; from chrio – to anoint

to rise – anistemi – to cause to rise up, raise up; to rise, stand up

This is the second “infinitive”.

:47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

should be preached – kerusso – to be a herald, to officiate as a herald; to proclaim after the manner of a herald; always with the suggestion of formality, gravity and an authority which must be listened to and obeyed; to publish, proclaim openly: something which has been done; used of the public proclamation of the gospel and matters pertaining to it, made by John the Baptist, by Jesus, by the apostles and other Christian teachers

In the Greek, this is the third “infinitive”.

The message we have is not our own message.  We are simply heralds of the King.  We simply have His Message to tell the people.

name – onoma – name: univ. of proper names; the name is used for everything which the name covers, everything the thought or feeling of which is aroused in the mind by mentioning, hearing, remembering, the name, i.e. for one’s rank, authority, interests, pleasure, command, excellences, deeds etc.

repentance – metanoia – a change of mind, as it appears to one who repents, of a purpose he has formed or of something he has done

remission – aphesis – release from bondage or imprisonment; forgiveness or pardon, of sins (letting them go as if they had never been committed), remission of the penalty

nations – ethnos – a multitude (whether of men or of beasts) associated or living together; a multitude of individuals of the same nature or genus; a tribe, nation, people group; in the OT, foreign nations not worshipping the true God, pagans, Gentiles; Paul uses the term for Gentile Christians

beginning – archomai – to be the first to do (anything), to begin; to begin, make a beginning

Lesson

Preach

These verses contain the essence of the Gospel.  This is what the Scripture is all about:

1.  Jesus had to die.

Our sins have separated us from God, and there had to be a ransom paid to take care of our sins.  Jesus died on the cross to pay for us.

2.  Jesus rose.

He didn’t stay dead.  He had more than enough to pay our debt. 

His power is greater than death.  He can give us that same power.

3.  People need to repent and God will forgive

The first word of the New Testament preachers was “repent”.

We need to tell people that they should turn from their sins and turn to God.

God will forgive your sins if you will come to Him.

:48 And ye are witnesses of these things.

witnesses – martus – a witness.  This is where our word “martyr” comes from.

They are witnesses of His death, resurrection, and preaching.

:49 The Promise of the Holy Spirit

:49 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.

I send – apostello – to order (one) to go to a place appointed; to send away, dismiss

the promise – epaggelia – announcement; promise; the act of promising, a promise given or to be given; a promised good or blessing

tarry – kathizo – to make to sit down; to sit; to sojourn, to settle, settle down

endued – enduo – to sink into (clothing), put on, clothe one’s self

power – dunamis – strength, power, ability

high – hupsos – height; of place, heaven

Lesson

Power from the Holy Spirit

Luke tells us of this again in Acts:

(Acts 1:4-9 KJV)  And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. {5} For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. {6} When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? {7} And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. {8} But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. {9} And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.

The result of the Holy Spirit coming “upon” the disciples was power, dunamis.

We might think that this means some kind of awesome, cosmic electricity coursing through our veins.

But the idea of “power” mainly means “ability”.

We need God’s help in our lives.

We need the ability to say “no” to temptation.

We need the ability to get over our reluctance and share Jesus with our friends.

How do we receive this power?

Jesus told His disciples to wait for it.

I think that sometimes we tend to jump ahead of God.  It’s kind of like leaving for vacation without filling up the gas tank.

Jesus also said,

(John 7:37-39 KJV)  In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. {38} He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. {39} (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

You need to be thirsty.  You need to know that you need the Holy Spirit.

You need to come to Jesus and receive it (drink).

You need to believe.

We receive the work of the Holy Spirit by faith.

The Holy Spirit wants to empower us.  He wants to be in control.

We simply need to ask and believe.

Yield to Him.

:50-53 Jesus ascends

:50 And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them.

led … out – exago – to lead out

Bethany – Bethania – “house of dates” or “house of misery”; a village at the Mount of Olives, about two miles (3 km) from Jerusalem, on or near the normal road to Jericho

he lifted up – epairo – to lift up, raise up, raise on high

blessed – eulogeo – to praise, celebrate with praises; to invoke blessings; to consecrate a thing with solemn prayers; to ask God’s blessing on a thing

:51 And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven.

he blessed – eulogeo – to praise, celebrate with praises; to invoke blessings; to consecrate a thing with solemn prayers; to ask God’s blessing on a thing

parted – diistemi – to place separately, put asunder, disjoin; to stand apart, to part, depart

carried up – anaphero – to carry or bring up, to lead up

Luke tells us in Acts:

(Acts 1:9 KJV)  And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.

:52 And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy:

they worshipped – proskuneo – to kiss the hand to (towards) one, in token of reverence; among the Orientals, esp. the Persians, to fall upon the knees and touch the ground with the forehead as an expression of profound reverence; in the NT by kneeling or prostration to do homage (to one) or make obeisance, whether in order to express respect or to make supplication

returned – hupostrepho – to turn back; to turn about; to return

joy – chara – joy, gladness

great – megas – great

Lesson

Worship

They fell on their faces, even though He wasn’t there anymore.

(John 4:23-24 KJV)  But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. {24} God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

You don’t have to be before the actual physical body of Jesus to worship Him.

:53 And were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen.

continually – diapantos – constantly, always, continually

the temple – hieron – a sacred place, temple

The temple of Jerusalem consisted of the whole of the sacred enclosure, embracing the entire aggregate of buildings, balconies, porticos, courts (that is that of the men of Israel, that of the women, and that of the priests), belonging to the temple; the latter designates the sacred edifice properly so called, consisting of two parts, the “sanctuary” or “Holy Place” (which no one except the priests was allowed to enter), and the “Holy of Holies” or “the most holy place” (which was entered only on the great day of atonement by the high priest alone). Also there were the courts where Jesus or the apostles taught or encountered adversaries, and the like, “in the temple”; also the courts of the temple, of the Gentiles, out of which Jesus drove the buyers and sellers and the money changers, court of the women.

praising – aineo – to praise, extol, to sing praises in honour to God

blessing – eulogeo – to praise, celebrate with praises; to invoke blessings; to consecrate a thing with solemn prayers

This was the state that the people were in when the Holy Spirit came upon the church.

It has been suggested that the “upper room” that the disciples were in might have been in the Temple, not some place in the city.

(Acts 2:1-6 KJV)  And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. {2} And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. {3} And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. {4} And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. {5} And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. {6} Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language.

It is from here that Peter gets up to address the crowd and he begins to speak.

Look at Peter’s message and see if those same four elements are found in his message to the crowd:

Jesus died:

(Acts 2:23 KJV)  Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:

Jesus rose:

(Acts 2:24 KJV)  Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.

(Acts 2:32 KJV)  This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.

People need to repent and God will forgive:

(Acts 2:38 KJV)  Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.