Scriptural Highlights

• Mary Magdalene and other women are witnesses of the resurrected Lord.
• Two disciples on the road to Emmaus are witnesses of the resurrected Lord
• The Apostles are witnesses to the resurrected Lord.
• Some of the Apostles see Jesus again at the Sea of Tiberias (Sea of Galilee).

A study of this lesson should help us feel gratitude for the Savior's Ressurrection and the blessings it brings us.

Resurrection

1. WHAT IS RESURRECTION?
• Alma 11:42-45: "Now, there is a death which is called a temporal death; and the death of Christ shall loose the bands of this temporal death, that all shall be raised from this temporal death.
       "The spirit and the body shall be reunited again in its perfect form; both limb and joint shall be restored to its proper frame, even as we now are at this time; and we shall be brought to stand before God, knowing even as we know now, and have a bright recollection of all our guilt.
       "Now, this restoration shall come to all, both old and young, both bond and free, both male and female, both the wicked and the righteous; and even there shall not so much as a hair of their heads be lost; but every thing shall be restored to its perfect frame, as it is now, or in the body, and shall be brought and be arraigned before the bar of Christ the Son, and God the Father, and the Holy Spirit, which is one Eternal God, to be judged according to their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil.
       "Now, behold, I have spoken unto you concerning the death of the mortal body, and also concerning the resurrection of the mortal body. I say unto you that this mortal body is raised to an immortal body, that is from death, even from the first death unto life, that they can die no more; their spirits uniting with their bodies, never to be divided; thus the whole becoming spiritual and immortal, that they can no more see corruption."
• Bruce R. McConkie: "The resurrection is the creation of an immortal soul; it consists in the uniting or reuniting of body and spirit in immortality. (Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 2, pp. 258-301.) A resurrected being is one for whom body and spirit are inseparably connected in a state of incorruption, a state in which there never again can be decay (corruption) or death (separation of body and spirit). (1 Cor. 15; Alma 11:37-46; 12:12-18.) Resurrected beings have bodies of flesh and bones, tangible, corporeal bodies, bodies that occupy space, digest food, and have power, outwardly, to appear as mortal bodies do. (Luke 24.)
       "Nothing is more absolutely universal than the resurrection. Every living being will be resurrected. 'As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.' (1 Cor. 15:22.)" (Mormon Doctrine, pp637-638)
2. WHAT BLESSINGS ARE OURS BECAUSE OF JESUS' RESURRECTION?
• We need not fear death.
• Physical immortality.
• The opportunity to become as God: in order to become like him, we must obtain a glorified immortal body to house our eternal spirit.
• All the great blessings of the eternities including eternal family life.
• Joseph Smith: "...for if there be no resurrection from the dead, then Christ has not risen; and if Christ has not risen He was not the Son of God; and if He was not the Son of God, there is not nor cannot be a Son of God, if the present book called the Scriptures is true; because the time has gone by when, according to that book, He was to make His appearance." (TPJSmith,p62)
• Paul: "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable." (1 Corinthians 15:19)
3. HOW DOES IT AFFECT YOU TO KNOW THAT YOU WILL DIE AND BE RESURRECTED?
• George Albert Smith: "I am thinking now, as I stand here talking to you, that more of my dear ones are on the other side than here, and it will not be long in the natural course of events before I too will receive my summons to pass on. I am not looking forward to that time with anxiety and distress, but with hope, and with the assurance that the change, when it occurs, will be for increasing happiness and for advantages that we cannot know in mortality." (Sharing the Gospel With Others, pp69-70)
4. WHY DO YOU THINK IT WAS IMPORTANT THAT THE RESURRECTED LORD APPEAR TO EARTHLY WITNESSES? WE ARE REQUIRED TO TAKE MUCH ON COMPLETE FAITH, WHY WAS THIS WITNESS SO IMPORTANT?
• 2 Corinthians 13:1: "In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established."
• There seems to be something empowering about a physical witness of the resurrection.
• The ancient church was launched after the Lord's disciples and others saw and felt the Lord.
• The ancient American church was renewed after the visit of the Lord.
• The latter-day church was launched after Joseph Smith beheld the resurrected Lord.

Witnesses Of The Resurrected Lord

1. Joseph of Arimathea, probably a member of the Sanhedrin, went to Pilate and requested that he be allowed to take the body of Christ, prepare it, and bury it.
• The record says that Joseph did not consent to the death of Christ.
• He was assisted by Nicodemus, another member of the Sanhedrin. Both of these men appeared to by quiet followers of Jesus.
2. Imagine for a moment the scene amongst the Lord's faithful followers.
• The man they had followed and loved was dead. They must have felt as sheep without their shepherd.
• The apostles must have felt ashamed at having abandoned the Lord at this time.
• We have all have felt the darkness of loss and I am sure this was a dark time as these followers awoke on Sunday morning.
3. READ LUKE:1-8. Mary Magdalene and other women learn of the risen Lord.
• Matthew 28:1 indicates that the visitors to the tomb at this time were Mary Magdalene and Mary. Luke 24:10 has Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and other women reporting back to the Apostles.
4. READ JOHN 20:1-10. Peter and John learn that the Lord is no longer in the tomb.
• HOW DO YOU SUPPOSE PETER AND JOHN FELT AT THIS POINT?
• Puzzled? Wondering?
5. READ JOHN 20:11-18. Mary Magdalene sees the risen Lord.
• HOW DO YOU SUPPOSE MARY FELT AFTER SEEING THE RESURRECTED LORD?
• WHY DID THE LORD FORBID MARY TO TOUCH HIM?
• James E. Talmage: "One may wonder why Jesus had forbidden Mary Magdalene to touch Him, and then, so soon after, had permitted other women to hold Him by the feet as they bowed in reverence. We may assume that Mary's emotional approach had been prompted more by a feeling of personal yet holy affection than by an impulse of devotional worship such as the other women evinced. Though the resurrected Christ manifested the same friendly and intimate regard as He had shown in the mortal state toward those with whom He had been closely associated, He was no longer one of them in the literal sense. There was about Him a divine dignity that forbade close personal familiarity. To Mary Magdalene Christ had said: 'Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father.' If the second clause was spoken in explanation of the first, we have to infer that no human hand was to be permitted to touch the Lord's resurrected and immortalized body until after He had presented Himself to the Father. It appears reasonable and probable that between Mary's impulsive attempt to touch the Lord, and the action of the other women who held Him by the feet as they bowed in worshipful reverence, Christ did ascend to the Father, and that later He returned to earth to continue His ministry in the resurrected state." (Jesus The Christ, p682)
6. Mark 16:10-11: "And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept. And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not."
• READ LUKE 24:9-12.
• WHY DO YOU SUPPOSE THAT THE APOSTLES DOUBTED AFTER THE WITNESS OF MARY AND THE OTHER WOMEN?
• There had never been a resurrection.
• They had known the Lord as a mortal and could not believe such a thing to be possible.
• They didn't want to be disappointed if it wasn't true.
• WHAT EXPERIENCES HAVE STRENGTHENED YOUR TESTIMONY OF THE RESURRECTION?
• A prayerful study of his life.
• Testimony of others.
• Consider a few words from Elder McConkie's last conference address: "...before an empty tomb, we will come to know that Christ our Lord has burst the bands of death and stands forever triumphant over the grave....
      "And now, as pertaining to this perfect atonement, wrought by the shedding of the blood of God, I testify that it took place in Gethsemane and at Golgotha; and as pertaining to Jesus Christ, I testify that he is the son of the Living God and was crucified for the sins of the world. He is our Lord, our God, and our King. This I know of myself, independent of any other person. I am one of his witnesses, and in a coming day I shall feel the nail marks in his hands and in his feet and shall wet his feet with my tears. But I shall not know any better then than I know now that he is God's Almighty Son, that he is our Savior and Redeemer, and that salvation comes in and through his atoning blood and in no other way." (CR, Apr 1985)
• As Cleopas and his companion reported later, "Did not our heart burn within us?"
7. READ LUKE 24:13-32. On the road to Emmaus.
• WHY DO YOU SUPPOSE CLEOPAS AND HIS COMPANION DID NOT RECOGNIZE THE LORD?
• Elder McConkie says that he withheld his identity. "Obviously it was to show what a resurrected being is like. He was teaching the gospel as only he could, teaching a living sermon, a sermon that was to be climaxed shortly in an upper room in the presence of his apostles." (DNTC 1:850)
• WHAT IS THIS BURNING THAT THEY FELT? (the spirit of truth)
• WHEN HAS YOUR HEART BURNED WITHIN YOU, AS WITH THESE TWO MEN?
• When bearing testimony and hearing testimony. These truly are witnesses and we should feel the same as Cleopas and his companion.
• I had numerous experiences on my mission where the power of the spirit was almost overwhelming.
8. READ LUKE 24:36-43. Jesus appears to 10 of the apostles.
• WHAT DOES THIS PASSAGE TEACH US ABOUT THE RESURRECTED LORD?
• WHY IS THIS KNOWLEDGE IMPORTANT?
• We are commanded to become perfect, even as the Lord is perfect. We shall live as he lives and have the opportunity to become like the him and our Heavenly Father. Obtaining a resurrected body is part of that process.
9. READ JOHN 20:24-29. Doubting Thomas.
• James E. Talmage: "The skeptical mind of Thomas was instantly cleansed, his doubting heart was purified; and a conviction of the glorious truth flooded his soul. In contrite reverence he bowed before his Savior, the while exclaiming in worshipful acknowledgment of Christ's Deity: 'My Lord and my God.' His adoration was accepted, and the Savior said: 'Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed'." (Jesus The Christ, p690)
• There seems to be no criticism of Thomas in this incident. He did recognize the miracle of the Lord's resurrection.
• WHY DO YOU SUPPOSE THAT PEOPLE WHO BELIEVE WITHOUT SEEING ARE BLESSED?
• Spencer W. Kimball: "Faith precedes the miracle. In faith we plant the seed, and soon we see the miracle of the blossoming. Men have often misunderstood and have reversed the process. They would have the harvest before the planting, the reward before the service, the miracle before the faith. Even the most demanding labor unions would hardly ask the wages before the labor. But many of us would have the vigor without the observance of the health laws, prosperity through the opened windows of heaven without the payment of our tithes. We would have the close communion with our Father without fasting and praying; we would have rain in due season and peace in the land without observing the Sabbath and keeping the other commandments of the Lord. We would pluck the rose before planting the roots; we would harvest the grain before sowing and cultivating...." (Teachings of SWK, p54)
• We cannot truly obtain knowledge without first investing faith. Many have seen miracles and not been converted. Most certainly, those who have faith are blessed with the great blessings of the gospel.
10. WHO ELSE, IN ADDITION TO THOSE MENTIONED THUS FAR, HAVE WITNESSED THE RESURRECTED LORD?
• 500 brethren on the mount near the sea of Galilee (1 Cor. 15:6).
• James, the brother of Jesus (1 Cor. 15:7 - according to Russell M. Nelson quoted in the Church News, April 11, 1987, p7).
• Saul of Taursus or Paul (Acts 9:4-5).
• Stephen saw the Lord on the right hand of God (Acts 7:55).
• 2500 Nephites (3 Nephi 17:25). They heard his voice and felt the nail marks in his hands and feet, and thurst their hands into his side. Elder Nelson says, "I sense that many of them wet his feet with their tears of joyous adoration" (Church News, April 11, 1987, p7)
• Lost tribes of Israel (3 Nephi 17:4).
• Prophet Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon (D&C 76:23), Oliver Cowdery (D&C 110:2-4).
• Certainly there must be others in the dispensation. We are aware of Lorenzo Snow seeing the Savior in the Salt Lake Temple.
11. The 3rd appearance of the Savior to his apostles.
• READ JOHN 21:15-17. Feed my sheep.
• WHY DO YOU THINK THE LORD PERSISTED IN QUESTIONING PETER?
• James E. Talmage: "Peter was pained and grieved at this reiteration, thinking perhaps that the Lord mistrusted him; but as the man had three times denied, so now was he given opportunity for a triple confession. To the thrice repeated question, Peter answered: 'Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep'." (Jesus The Christ, pp692-693)
• The Lord spoke this to emphasize the importance of serving the Lord's people.
• HOW CAN WE FEED THE LORD'S SHEEP?
• Elder Bernard P. Brockbank: "Can you picture this great scene of that powerful Peter being asked these simple questions? And the Lord had a way of knowing how deep the love was within Peter and how to teach him the way to show his love for Jesus Christ.
       "We show and prove our love by feeding the lambs and the sheep....
       "Our task is great. Teachers are needed. Every member of this Church that has a testimony and is converted is urgently needed. The lambs and the sheep are hungry for the bread of life, for the gospel of Jesus Christ. We can show our love by following the prophet of God, 'by every member being a missionary' to bring one or more souls into the Church each year. It is great to have a prophet. Have you followed the prophet?" (CR, Oct 1963)
• READ MARK 16:14-16. Go into all the world.
• Our charge is to also share the gospel. How better can we show our love for the Lord than continuing his work.

Summary

Almost two thousand years ago, a dark and gloomy Sunday morning was made bright when knowledge of the resurrected Jesus was revealed. Despair was changed to hope. Three years of teaching were now infused with power as knowledge of the resurrected Lord spread amongst his faithful followers. Knowledge of the resurrection gives us hope. When we are dark and gloomy we need to reflect on this glorious Sunday morning and give thanks. Because of the atonement and resurrection we can progress forward through the eternities. We can have our families with us forever. We can look forward to the blessings of eternity, if we continue faithful by following the resurrected Lord.

Next Week

Lesson 28: Acts 1-5

Additional Reading: Mark 16:19-20; Luke 24:49-53; Joseph Smith--History 1:21-25