The Wednesday Word ~ 28 September 2022 A.D.

 

Who Raised Jesus from the Dead?

by D G Miles McKee

 

“Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” -John 2:19-22 [KJV]
 
According to the Lord Jesus, He had the actual power to raise Himself from the dead. So, let me ask, is this the language of a rational man?  Can any mere man raise himself from the dead? By the way, the ability to raise the dead is not in question here for we read of mere men like Paul performing such a miracle (Acts 20:8-12). But have you ever heard of a man who had the power to raise himself from the dead? For a dead man to raise himself would require that he have the very power of God.
 
However, so certain was Jesus that He could raise Himself from the dead that He made an appointment to see His friends after His resurrection.  He said, “But after I am risen again, I will go before you unto Galilee.” (Matthew 26:32). Was Jesus sane when He made these remarks? Indeed He was and proved Himself so by keeping His word on this matter.  We read that, following the resurrection, the eleven disciples went away into Galilee … “and when they saw Him they worshipped Him" (Matthew 28:16-17).
 
Do you remember Harry Houdini and his famous seven words?  Houdini was a master illusionist and escape artist who thrilled audiences across the world by performing dangerous and daring escapes from seemingly impossible situations.  However, he and his wife were understandably concerned that perhaps, at some time, something would go horribly wrong, and Harry would be killed during a performance. So, they made a pact.  If Harry was taken by death, he promised his wife that he would, if possible, contact her from beyond the grave. It was further agreed that to ensure it was really him, there would be seven secret words that he would use to identify himself. After his untimely death from peritonitis on Halloween of 1926, his widow, Bess, made endless trips to mediums and attended séances desperately trying to make contact with Harry.  It was all in vain.  Not one apparition or voice ever spoke the seven words and the poor woman went to her grave with this question on her lips, “I wonder if Harry made it?”
 
Jesus Christ, on the other hand, is the only one who ever made an appointment beyond the grave and kept it! He promised that He would raise himself from the dead and He did.

But wait a minute! Who raised Him from the dead? Did Jesus raise Himself from the dead? Surely it was God who raised Him?  Yes, it was God who raised Him from the dead.  Paul told us this when he wrote, “Paul, an apostle, not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead” (Galatians 1:1).
 
So who raised Him from the dead? Was it God the Father or did Jesus do it Himself?  But before we answer the question, don’t forget this scripture, “But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also give life to your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwells in you” (Romans 8:11). Did you see that?  The Holy Spirit raised Him from the dead!
 
So, who raised Jesus from the dead?  Did He do it Himself? Was it the Father? Or was it the Holy Spirit? According to these scriptures, it was the one God, who raised Jesus from the dead.  There were not three resurrections, rather there was one divine work attributed equally to the Father to the Lord Jesus Christ and to the Holy Spirit.  So how can people possibly say that Jesus is not God? In raising Himself from the dead Jesus provides the ultimate proof that He was God manifest in the flesh. 
 
He’s not a fraud; He is God!

And that’s the Gospel Truth!