It’s the greatest story ever told! And more than just a story, it’s about real people, personalities and places. Jesus the Messiah really lived as a man, died for our sins and rose again so that we could have new life in Him! Listen as Pastor Carl takes us through a melding of the Gospels recounting Easter Day.
The service began with a special video from Heirloom Audio:
Text used by permission from the publisher.
Easter in Stereo
(from The Life of Christ in Stereo: The four gospels combined as
one, by Johnston M. Cheney, edited by Stanley A. Ellisen, Portland, Oregon)
Now when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary the mother of James, and Salome, bought spices that they might come and anoint him. And on the first day of the week at early dawn they came, and certain others with them, to see the sepulcher, bringing the spices and ointments which they had prepared.
And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled away the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His appearance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow; and for fear of him those on guard trembled, and became like dead men.
[Now after Jesus rose, early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven demons.] Mary came to the sepulcher while it was yet dark, and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. She ran therefore and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, he whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They took away the Lord from the sepulcher! And we know not where they laid him.” Peter therefore and the other disciple [arose, and] went forth and ran [toward the sepulcher.] And they began to run together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the sepulcher first; and stooping down he saw the linen cloths lying there, but did not go in. Simon Peter therefore came following him, and he went into the sepulcher; [and stooping down, ] he saw the linen cloths lying [by themselves], and the napkin, which had been about his head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. Then therefore the other disciple also, who had reached the tomb first, went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. So the disciples departed again to their abode, [wondering at what had come to pass.]
But Mary kept standing outside near the sepulcher, weeping. While therefore she was weeping, she stooped and looked into the sepulcher; and she beheld two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. And they asked her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “Because they took away my Lord, and I know not where they laid him.” And when she had thus spoken, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping; whom are you seeking?” She, supposing him to be the gardener, said to him, “Sir, if you bore him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” Turning about, she said to him,
“Rabboni!” (which is to say, dear Teacher!). Jesus said to her, “Do not hold me, for I have not yet ascended to my Father. But go to my brethren, and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept, that she had seen the Lord and he had spoken these things to her; but they, though hearing that he was alive and had been seen by her, disbelieved it.
Now Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them came to the sepulcher when the sun had risen. And they were saying among themselves, “Who will roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulcher?” (For it was very great.) But when they looked up, they saw that the stone had been rolled away. Then on entering the sepulcher they found not the body [of the Lord Jesus]. But it came to pass that, as they were much perplexed about this, they saw a young man sitting at the right side, clothed in a long, white garment. And they were greatly amazed; behold, two men stood by them in dazzling garments. And as they became terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the angel answered and said to the women, “Do not fear; do not be amazed. For I know that you seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. Why seek the living among the dead? He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Remember how he spoke to you, while he was yet in Galilee, saying, ‘The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.’” And they remembered his words; and he said to them, “Come, see the place where the Lord lay. But go quickly and tell his disciples, and Peter, that He has risen from the dead,
and behold, he is going before you into Galilee; there shall you see him, as he said to you, lo, I have told you.”
So they went out quickly and fled from the sepulcher, for trembling and astonishment possessed them. Neither said they anything to anyone, for they were afraid; and they started to run to tell his disciples. But as they were on their way, behold, Jesus met them, saying, “Rejoice!” And they
came and seized him by his feet, and worshiped him. Then said Jesus to them, “Fear not; go tell my brethren to go into Galilee, and there shall they see me.” And they returned with great joy and told all these things to the eleven apostles, and to all the rest. But these words seemed to them as idle tales, and they did not believe the women.
Now as they were going, behold, some of the guard came into the city, and reported to the chief priests all that had come to pass. And they, when they had assembled with the elders and counseled together, gave the soldiers a large sum of money, saying, “Say that ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we slept.’ And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will ‘persuade’ him and free you from trouble.”
So they took the money and did as they were told, and this report is spread abroad among the Jews to the present day.
[Then after these things he was revealed in another manner.] And behold, that same day two of them [were walking into the country,] to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem; and they were talking together about all these things that had taken place. And it came to pass that, as they conversed and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near and walked
with them; but their eyes were held from recognizing him. And he said to them, “What are these things which you are discussing with each other, as
you walk with sad faces?” And one, whose name was Cleopas, answered and said to him, “Are you the only sojourner in Jerusalem who has not known the things that have happened there in recent days?” And he asked of them, “What things?” And they said to him, “The things concerning
Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people; and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. Now we were trusting that it was he who would redeem Israel. “But to top it all, this is the third day since these things happened. And besides, certain
women from among us astonished us, who were at the sepulcher early in the morning and did not find his body; and they came saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive! And some of those who were with us went to the sepulcher and found it so, as the
women had said, but him they did not see.” Then said he to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all the things which the prophets uttered! Was it not needful that the Messiah should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning from Moses and all the prophets he expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
Then they drew near to the village where they were going, and he made as though he would go farther; but they constrained him, saying, “Lodge with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to lodge with them. And it came to pass, as he reclined at table with them, that he took the bread and blessed and broke it, and began to give it to them. And their eyes were opened and they knew him; and
he vanished out of their sight. Then said they to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us, as he talked with us on the road and kept opening up to us the Scriptures?”