When Jesus was alive, many a times He said to His disciples about what is going to happen to Him. He clearly told His disciples and others about His sufferings, death and resurrection

"From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day."(Matthew 16:21)

Again we come across similar prophecy by Jesus Himself in Luke 18:31-33

"Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of Man will be accomplished.

"For He will be delivered to the Gentiles and will be mocked and insulted and spit upon.
"They will scourge Him and kill Him. And the third day He will rise again."

(Luke 18:31-33)

The passages in Matthew 17:23-23 also deals on the same topic.

"Now while they were staying in Galilee, Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men,"

"and they will kill Him, and the third day He will be raised up." And they were exceedingly sorrowful."

(Matthew 17:22-23)

Again Jesus said to His disciples about His forthcoming sufferings, death and resurrection in Matthew 20:18-19

"Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death,

"and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And the third day He will rise again."

(Matthew 20:18-19)

On the next day, which followed the Day of Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate,

saying, "Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, 'After three days I will rise.'

"Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and say to the people, 'He has risen from the dead.' So the last deception will be worse than the first."

Pilate said to them, "You have a guard; go your way, make it as secure as you know how."

So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard.

Jesus said seven sayings on the cross and cried out with a loud voice and breathed His last. We read this in Luke 23:46-49,

And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, "Father, 'into Your hands I commit My spirit.' " Having said this, He breathed His last.

So when the centurion saw what had happened, he glorified God, saying, "Certainly this was a righteous Man!"

And the whole crowd who came together to that sight, seeing what had been done, beat their breasts and returned.

But all His acquaintances, and the women who followed Him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.

(Luke 23:46-49)

It is a real strange statement. Let us see what Jesus said Himself? We read in John 10:15-18, "As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. "And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd. "Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. "No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father."

Jesus again said to His disciples in Mat 26:28, "For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

Jesus wasn't afraid but it was painful to bear whole world's sin on Himself being completely Holy. Who knew know sin but whole world’ sin came upon Him. Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane was not the prayer of a weak and fearful man. Jesus had full knowledge of what lay before Him. He was not afraid of the physical suffering and death through which He was about to go. Jesus knew that He is about to give His life a ransom for many. (Mark 10:45), He would actually become "sin for us" He also knew that bearing the sin is going to bring alienation from God, which was the most painful moments in His life. But there was no other way to make atonement for sin. Being obedient He gave Himself for sacrifice and went through the terrible pain and mental agony so that we may get reconciliation though His blood.

The man on the cross was not Jesus at all; God saved Jesus from the wicked and raised him up.

This statement that there was no evidence of resurrection is false. There are many references in the New Testament alone that proves that Jesus resurrected from the dead.

Jesus appeared to the disciples when Thomas was absent as we read in Luke 24:36-47,

Now as they said these things, Jesus Himself stood in the midst of them, and said to them, "Peace to you."

But they were terrified and frightened, and supposed they had seen a spirit.

And He said to them, "Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts?

"Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have."

When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet.

But while they still did not believe for joy, and marveled, He said to them, "Have you any food here?"

So they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish and some honeycomb.

And He took it and ate in their presence.

Then He said to them, "These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me."

And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.

Then He said to them, "Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day,

"and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

(Luke 24:36-47)

And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, "Peace to you!"

Then He said to Thomas, "Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing."

And Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!"

Jesus said to him, "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book;

but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.

Now behold, two of them were traveling that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was seven miles from Jerusalem.

And they talked together of all these things which had happened.

So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them.

But their eyes were restrained, so that they did not know Him.

And He said to them, "What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?"

Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, "Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?"

And He said to them, "What things?" So they said to Him, "The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, 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 to be condemned to death, and crucified Him.

"But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, today is the third day since these things happened.

"Yes, and certain women of our company, who arrived at the tomb early, astonished us.

"When they did not find His body, they came saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said He was alive.

"And certain of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but Him they did not see."

Then He said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!

"Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?"

And beginning at 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 indicated that He would have gone farther.

But they constrained Him, saying, "Abide with us, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent." And He went in to stay with them.

Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them.

Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.

And they said to one another, "Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?"

(Luke 24:13-32)

After these things Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples at the Sea of Tiberias, and in this way He showed Himself:

Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of His disciples were together.

Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We are going with you also." They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing.

But when the morning had now come, Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.

Then Jesus said to them, "Children, have you any food?" They answered Him, "No."

And He said to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish.

Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea.

But the other disciples came in the little boat (for they were not far from land, but about two hundred cubits), dragging the net with fish.

Then, as soon as they had come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread.

Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish which you have just caught."

Simon Peter went up and dragged the net to land, full of large fish, one hundred and fifty-three; and although there were so many, the net was not broken.

Jesus said to them, "Come and eat breakfast." Yet none of the disciples dared ask Him, "Who are You?"; knowing that it was the Lord.

Jesus then came and took the bread and gave it to them, and likewise the fish.

This is now the third time Jesus showed Himself to His disciples after He was raised from the dead.

(John 21:1-14)

And in Acts 1:9-11 it says,

Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.

And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel,

who also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven."

(Acts 1:9-11)

Well, at first they did not recognize Jesus but later on there was no confusion. Why, because they were not expecting Him alive. In due course every one recognized that they were seeing Jesus.

Last week I was reading a book called "life for Christ" , this is a true story of the dying sister of Sadhu Kishan Singh. Sadhu Kishan Singh is a man who suffered much for Christ and his sister was on death bed. Doctors gave up all hopes of her survival. While they were preparing for her funeral a mighty miracle happened on that night. Before he went to bed, the Sadhuji touched her body and found that she was very cold and her breath was very weak. He knelt by the side of Shanta and prayed to God either to heal her and give her strength or to take her into His kingdom if that was His will.

For seven days he had no rest and so he was very tired and even during these seven days he could not sleep very well. After praying for her he became very much relaxed and went to the next room and slept peacefully.

Though he was sleeping, God almighty who never sleeps, was working a miracle. The same God who never changes as we read in Hebrew 13:8, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.." The same God who 2000 years ago raised the dead son of a widow performed a miracle and healed Shanta.

At about 4 o'clock in the morning someone raised Shanta from the bed and made her to stand on the floor. The room was filled with a divine light. She realized that she was standing on the floor. She was so amazed and wondered how she is now standing on the floor. She thought, "who made me to stand on the floor?" She looked all over the room but she could not see anybody there. In the next room Sadhuji was sleeping. She went to his room and woke him up. He heard a girl's voice calling him. Half-awake he could not understand what was going on and he was astonished to see a girl. He was puzzled and asked, "Who are you?" She said, "I am Shanta."

When Sadhuji heard this he was baffled because according to him Shanta could not come out from her bed. He thought, "How could she walk and come here?" Sadhuji stared at her with surprise and thought, "She was completely exhausted yesterday night. She might have died and her spirit has now come to wake me up." So he rebuked her thinking that she was a devil and said to her, "O, evil spirit, I command you in the name of Jesus, to go from here." Shanta was surprised and said to him, "Brother, I am your sister Shanta and not any evil spirit. What are you talking about?"

Sadhuji straight away went to her room and found that her bed was empty. He went near her and touched her to see whether she was really alive or whether he is encountering an evil spirit? Finally he realized that she was none other than his sister Shanta standing fully cured and quite strong. There and then he fell on his knees and gave thanks to God for having heard his prayer and having healed Shanta. He went to give this news to the Pastor. When the Pastor heard this news, he was also amazed and he praised God.