The meaning of the death and resurrection of Jesus in the Gospel of John

The meaning of the death and resurrection of Jesus in the Gospel of John

Introduction

The death and resurrection of Jesus form a core element in Christianity. In a way, it shows God’s redemption through His Son, Jesus Christ. Thus, human beings were not to die in sin but attain God’s salvation. The Gospel of John Chapter 18-20 describes the arguments that Jesus had with authorities, leading to trials and eventual crucifixion. It also describes His resurrection and ascension to heaven as outlined by the Old Testament prophets. The paper will focus on understanding the meaning of the death resurrection of Jesus Christ. References will also be made alongside other New Testament Gospels. The first aspect will outline betrayals, trials, and death of Jesus. Later, the attention will shift to the resurrection and ascension of Jesus and their significance.

Discussion

Brief description of John 18-21

The Chapters of John, 18-21, begin by describing Judas’ betrayal on the messiah, leading to His arrest. Moreover, the betrayal gets evident in the actions displayed by Peter upon denying his association with Christ (Chapter 18: 15-27). The next description focuses on the trials of Jesus before the Jewish council and authorization by Pilate for the execution of Jesus (Chapter 18:28, 19:1-16). Later, Jesus is led to his crucifixion at Calvary, his death, and burial of the body by Joseph of Arimathea in the garden tomb (Chapter 19:28-42). Chapter 20 describes the resurrection of Jesus and His appearance to the disciples, through Mary Magdalene. In Chapter 21, Jesus sends out his disciples to win more souls into the Kingdom of God. After that, He ascends into heaven, as Christians wait for His second coming to enact God’s judgment to the world (Deffinbaugh, 2014).

Meaning of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ

In identifying the purpose, there arises the need to understand the actions that led to the first event. One observation gets made on the betrayals of Jesus by His closest disciples, Peter and Judas Iscariot. In the previous gospels, Mark identified the lack of understanding amongst the disciples of Jesus. The followers did not know or understand the nature of their master, Jesus Christ, and His teachings. Thus, the illustrations are made in Mark 4:40-41, 9:32, 4:11-13, and Chapter 27-33). The actions of Peter and Judas in denying Jesus outlined the dangers of being identified as His disciples.

The consequences of the pressure also become evident in John Chapter 20:19-31, when the disciples got secluded in a room after the crucifixion (Harvest Ministries, 2014). Added evidence is outlined in the motives of Joseph of Arimathea in Chapter 19:38. The scripture defines Joseph as a secret follower of Christ who never wanted identification following the fear of Jewish leaders. Therefore, the aspect illustrated the fear that disciples had concerning their association with Christ. Some thought they would become crucified with Him, while most feared the Jewish authority. Similarly, in modern-day Christianity, most Christians fear to confess their religion to the non-believers. One reason is the fear of the perception that other people may have towards their faith, or even kill them because of their stand in Christianity.

The trials of Jesus faced both social and political considerations from the Jewish religion. Ideally, in Matthew Chapter 23:37 and 24:2, Jesus had talked about the destruction of the Jewish temple. Such followed the activities in the temple that included the exchange of money, collection of taxes, and provision of sacrifices. Therefore, Jesus became associated with a political ambition of starting a Messianic Kingdom (Orton, 2016). During the trials, Pilate found no reason to convict Jesus of the stated offenses. However, he had to give in to the demands of the Jews, a sign of obedience to Caesar (John 19:12).

During the Passover, Jesus received a glorious entry into Jerusalem. Such forms of welcome became administered to the Jewish leaders, and it poses a political threat to the Roman regime. Thus, the trials after the Passover were conducted at night to avoid bringing peoples’ attention towards the ongoing events. A failure to enact the night practices and early morning crucifixion would lead to conflict amongst the people and rulers (Harvest Ministries, 2014). The political aspect also gets covered by the writings on the cross. Hence, Jesus got outlined as the Jewish King (John 19:19). The mode of death that became administered to Jesus was similar to that issued to political troublemakers; hence, his death symbolized the political context.

The resurrection of Jesus became evident through the presence of the empty tomb by Mary Magdalene, three days after His burial. According to the generation of Paul, the resurrection of Jesus became seen as foolishness, outlined in 1st Corinthians 1:23. However, the transformation was proof of God’s power over death, depicted in Ephesians 1:20 (Halloran, 2019). In Romans 1:4, Paul declares that Jesus became the son of God through the resurrection, and He is Christ, the Lord. The death of Jesus invalidated all that He has said about Himself. As a result, he appeared a blasphemer, liar, and having personalized claims of association with God. Such are the thoughts that prevented Thomas from believing the thoughts on His resurrection (John 20:25).

According to Orton (2016), the resurrection validated all the claims, thus fostering the beliefs of the disciples towards Jesus. Moreover, the signs He performed after resurrection get outlined with His position as the Son of God (John 20:30-31). The context also provides the belief of attaining eternal life, in the name of Jesus as outlined in verse 31. One may also view the resurrection of Jesus as a high commission to the disciples alongside winning souls into God’s Kingdom. The view gets evident through the conversation between Jesus and Peter in Chapter 21:15-18 (Orton, 2016). Thus, the disciples, through Peter’s guidance, would glorify Jesus; by continuing to enact his ministry on earth.

The disciples also found the base of formulating their testimonies regarding the acts of Jesus, throughout His ministry, and use them to impact others. Thus, the Lordship of Christ became exalted through His death and resurrection, an aspect that is of value in Christianity. The transformation also depicts a fulfillment of the Old Testament scriptures as outlined in Psalms 16 and Isaiah 53 (Halloran, 2019). Moreover, it also indicates the power that Jesus contained over death, and the unity between Christ and believers, outlined in 2nd Corinthians 4:14. The truth about the gospel also becomes validated, thereby raising hope on forgiven sins ad made right in the sight of God.

Conclusion

The more significant section of Christianity and its principles focus on the death and resurrection of Jesus. In as much as the miracles are displayed at the beginning of the gospels, the latter section of John’s gospel significantly impacts Christianity. In one way, it outlines the identification of Christ with His followers. Moreover, it depicts the association of Christ’s ministry to the political stature of the Roman Empire. However, the essential factor lies in the enlightenment of Christ as the true Son of God. The death and resurrection of Christ also provided a medium for the reception of eternal life as outlined by Jesus. Moreover, it also formulated the foundation for the grand commissioning of spreading the gospel by the followers. Such occurred through the testimonies of the followers throughout the ministry of Jesus.

References

Deffinbaugh, B. (2014, August 20). The Burial and Resurrection of Jesus

Christ. https://bible.org/seriespage/burial-and-resurrection-jesus-christ-john-19388211209

Halloran, K. (2019, January 28). The Definition of the Resurrection of Jesus

Christ.  https://unlockingthebible.org/2013/03/the-meaning-of-the-resurrection-of-jesus-christ/

Harvest Ministries. (2014, April 6). What Does the Resurrection Mean for

Us? Christianity.com. https://www.christianity.com/jesus/death-and-resurrection/resurrection/what-does-the-resurrection-mean-for-us.html

Orton, V. (2016, August 4). The Meaning of the Death of Jesus in the Gospel of John.

Lifemessenger. https://lifemessenger.org/meaning-death-jesus-gospel-john/