Resurrection, New Creation

Believe: Gospel of John  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  32:15
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Resurrection, New Creation

The key event for Christians is the Resurrection of Jesus.
That’s why Paul can proclaim in 1 Cor 15:17 “17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.”
Jesus’ Resurrection is the key event that all of Christianity is built upon.
In fact, all of history changed at the resurrection of Jesus.
All the gospel accounts speak about Jesus’ resurrection, but in true John fashion, John’s account is different.
He is focused on theological implications of Jesus’ resurrection.
In John’s resurrection account, Jesus is seen as being the creator of something new.
Something fresh.
A new day had dawned and the the world is forever impacted.
John 20:1–3 CSB
1 On the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark. She saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. 2 So she went running to Simon Peter and to the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said to them, “They’ve taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they’ve put him!” 3 At that, Peter and the other disciple went out, heading for the tomb.

Empty Tomb

The first thing we need to notice here is that John tells us that all this happens of the first day of the week.
That would mean Sunday.
And not only does John tell us that, but each of the gospels make it a point to tell us that the resurrection happened on the first day of the week.
Rather than saying, 3 days after the crucifixion all the gospels want us to know that it was the first day of the week.
This has it’s theological impact forcing our minds to think about this being the beginning of something new.
Just like God created the world on the first day, He is creating something new on the First day of the week after Jesus’ resurrection.
Things have changed.
Things are different.
The world will never be the same.
John tells us that it was Mary Magdalene that was the first at the tomb.
She was there with others as indicated by her talking with Peter and John, but John’s account really focuses in on Mary.
This was an interesting choice by John, b/c Mary Magdalene was first mentioned at the crucifixion and then here at the resurrection.
She wasn’t a key player in the gospel.
She wasn’t a key disciple in John’s gospel.
She wasn’t anyone of any concern for John until the crucifixion and the resurrection.
This helps to establish the historical account.
John had no reason to insert Mary here unless these events actually occured.
Unless he was grounding what he was writing in actual history.
So, Mary came to the tomb when it was still dark and noticed that the stone was rolled away.
And her first instinct, was not to believe Jesus was risen, but was to believe the grave had been robbed.
That’s what she told Peter and John when she rushes back to them.
“They’ve taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they’ve put him.”
She is hysterical at this point.
She is overwhelmed with the reality that something has happened to her teacher.
Something had happened to someone she cared deeply about.
The first disciples didn’t expect or anticipate the resurrection.
In the years of following Jesus they didn’t expect that something like this would happen.
So when the stone is rolled away and the tomb is empty the only rational course of thought is that someone took his body.
The Jewish people take burial and the preservation of the dead body seriously.
They believed the body to be sacred and any interruption of the dead was shameful.
At the announcement that something was wrong at the tomb, John and Peter set out to check on it.
John 20:4–7 CSB
4 The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and got to the tomb first. 5 Stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then, following him, Simon Peter also came. He entered the tomb and saw the linen cloths lying there. 7 The wrapping that had been on his head was not lying with the linen cloths but was folded up in a separate place by itself.
Empty Tomb
John and Peter run to the tomb, and John records that he beat Peter.
He was quicker and probably a little younger.
But he wanted to keep this little tidbit in to jab at Peter as friends would.
When John gets to the tomb he’s a little timid about going in, but he looks in and sees that the linen cloths are still there.
Shortly there after, Peter comes to the tomb and enters in w/o a second thought.
Peter also sees the linens.
What’s going on with the linens?
Why are they mentioned?
A couple of reasons.
First, the linens being there mean that the grave wasn’t robbed.
The Robbers would have taken the clothes. or at the very least the clothes wouldn’t have been neatly folded.
The scene was orderly, not wild or messy.
Secondly, Jesus’ resurrection was being contrasted with Lazarus’ Resurrection.
When Lazarus came out of the tomb, the linens needed to be taken off.
John 11:44 “44 The dead man came out bound hand and foot with linen strips and with his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unwrap him and let him go.””
Jesus’ resurrection was therefore wholly different from Lazarus’
So how did those linens end up that way in Jesus’ tomb.
There’s some speculation but either Jesus took off the grave clothes then placed them back.
But with the 75lbs of spices on him, that would have been a difficult task.
So most likely, Jesus, in some miraculous way passed through the clothes leaving them there.
It sounds far-fetched, but we will also read later that he entered into a room where the door was locked.
But we will also read later that he ate and cooked. So he wasn’t a ghost, or incorporeal.
So Jesus’ resurrected body, though similar to pre-crucifixion, was also different.
One of the mysteries we get to hang on to.
And lets not over look this either, the fact that two men saw the exact same thing made it, according to Jewish law, admissible in Jewish Court.
DT 19.15 “15 “One witness cannot establish any iniquity or sin against a person, whatever that person has done. A fact must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.”
But what impact did the empty tomb have on Peter and John?
John 20:8–10 CSB
8 The other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, then also went in, saw, and believed. 9 For they did not yet understand the Scripture that he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples returned to the place where they were staying.
Empty Tomb
This is a tale of two men.
Peter and John are often placed in contrast to one another in the last Part of John’s Gospel.
John the faithful, Peter the bold coward.
And this is put on display here too.
John saw and believed.
Peter didn’t.
But what did John believe?
He believed that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God.
He believed what he had heard.
He believed what he had saw.
He believed in the promises of Jesus.
But notice, John believed before he saw Jesus.
He believed at the empty tomb.
He believed. The whole point of this gospel is that we would believe.
And that our belief would have to be without seeing.
B/c Jesus ascended back to the father.
Not only that, John believed b/c of what he saw.
The grave clothes were still there.
He believed before he understood the scriptures.
He believed b/c the Christian Faith is built around an event.
The Resurrection.
John is the only one that reached a point in believing at seeing the empty tomb.
But here’s something also.
The resurrection is going to change the way they read and interpret the scriptures.
The resurrection and the truth that Jesus is the Messiah, changes everything.
Jesus’ life, ministry, death, and resurrection is the key to understanding what Scripture says.
Without Jesus the door to understanding is truly looked.
The resurrection is the revelation of God.
That’s why John can write in John 1:18 “18 No one has ever seen God. The one and only Son, who is himself God and is at the Father’s side—he has revealed him.”
Jesus’ life and resurrection reveals God to us.
Scripture devoid of Jesus is Scripture devoid of Meaning.
After John sees and believes, he and Peter make their way back to their homes.
And their journey home, is placed against Mary’s staying at the tomb.
John 20:11–13 CSB
11 But Mary stood outside the tomb, crying. As she was crying, she stooped to look into the tomb. 12 She saw two angels in white sitting where Jesus’s body had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “Because they’ve taken away my Lord,” she told them, “and I don’t know where they’ve put him.”

Jesus Revealed

We are still at the Tomb when John tells us that Mary is weeping.
This weeping is just like the loud mourning that we read about in the Lazarus account.
Anguished crying and wailing
She is heartbroken.
Not so much over Jesus’ Death, but over the fact that his body is missing.
The body of her Lord and Teacher is gone.
And for all she knows its being desecrated.
Proper burial was an inherent part of the Jewish Faith.
So not only is Jesus dead, but his body is no where to be found.
John tells us that Mary makes her way into the tomb.
And when she does, she sees 2 angels in white sitting at the head and feet of where Jesus was laid to rest.
For us this image may be pretty interesting.
But for the 1st Century Jews who read this, it would have been mind blowing.
And here’s why.
In Exodus 25:18-19, God instructs Moses in the building of the tabernacle to also construct what we know as the Ark of the Covenant.
Here’s what it says:
“18 Make two cherubim of gold; make them of hammered work at the two ends of the mercy seat. 19 Make one cherub at one end and one cherub at the other end. At its two ends, make the cherubim of one piece with the mercy seat.”
The Ark of the Covenant was a box that had 2 angels placed on opposite sides.
And in the center of the Ark was the Mercy Seat.
The Ark was symbolically God’s Throne.
Where the king of the universe would dwell with his people.
The Ark of the Covenant represented God’s presence with his people.
And as such, Once a Year on the day of atonement, the High Priest would go into the holy of holies and sprinkle blood on the Ark in order to atone for or cover the sins of the people.
So John paints this picture of these two angels now sitting on the new mercy seat of God.
Where the Son’s blood was spilled to atone for the sins of the world.
The old Ark had been missing for centuries, but in this new Creation a new ark was created and it was the resurrection tomb of Jesus.
Sin had been atoned for once and for all.
Through the blood of the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
But Mary in her grief was still looking for Jesus.
She still wanted to know where Jesus’ body was.
So the angels ask her why she is crying, and its b/c her Lord’s body is missing.
And pretty abruptly the angels disappear.
John then tells us the rest of the story.
John 20:14–18 CSB
14 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know it was Jesus. 15 “Woman,” Jesus said to her, “why are you crying? Who is it that you’re seeking?” Supposing he was the gardener, she replied, “Sir, if you’ve carried him away, tell me where you’ve put him, and I will take him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” Turning around, she said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!”—which means “Teacher.” 17 “Don’t cling to me,” Jesus told her, “since I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them that I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them what he had said to her.
Jesus Revealed
Mary Turns around and sees a man in the garden.
She doesn’t recognize him.
Maybe it’s still dark.
Maybe her eyes are blurry from all the crying she’s been doing.
Or maybe she just doesn’t recognize him.
This is a theme in the NT after the Resurrection.
There are accounts of people not recognizing Jesus, so maybe in his glorified state he looked just a little different.
Maybe by some mysterious divine intervention they are unable to see him as he is until he’s ready for them to see.
Regardless of the reasoning, Mary sees a man but believe’s him to be the gardener.
She wonders and asks if the gardener had taken the body.
And then Jesus says her name.
“Mary.”
And in an instant she knew it was Jesus.
She knew that her Lord and Teacher was alive.
This draws us back to John 10:3-4 “...He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought all his own outside, he goes ahead of them. The sheep follow him because they know his voice.”
Mary knows the voice of the good shepherd.
She heard his and she was overcome with JOY.
The pain and the despair that had overwhelmed her had now been washed away.
The joy felt is palatable to the reader.
This is John 16:20 in action. “20 Truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn, but the world will rejoice. You will become sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn to joy.”
Mary’s sorrow had now be come full Joy, b/c Jesus is alive.
Not just that he’s alive, but he knows her name.
He called her and her ears and eyes opened to the truth standing before her.
This is beautiful picture of Jesus’ compassion and grace on this broken woman.
He shows her grace and compassion by reminding her that there is Hope in the voice of Jesus.
That his death was not final, something had changed.
New creation had begun.
Many scholars struggle with John 20:17 “17 “Don’t cling to me,” Jesus told her, “since I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them that I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.””
Especially the don’t cling to be part.
But what’s happening here is that Mary has fallen at the feet of Jesus in worship.
She is clinging to Jesus, but her job isn’t done.
She has been chosen to go and tell the other disciples what has happened.
That Jesus is alive.
And I find it beautiful what Jesus calls the disciples in v. 17.
He calls them his brothers.
“Go to my brothers.”
When we believe and follow Jesus we become part of the family.
Jesus is our Brother and God is our father.
But we have to be careful here, b/c there is a distinct difference between Our relationship with God and Jesus’ relationship with God.
That’s why Jesus offers the little caveat “my father and your father, my God and your God.
Jesus’ relationship as the unique only son of God invites us into a relationship with the Father, but his status is still greater than ours.
But don’t get bogged down in that, just be thankful that you have been invited into relationship with God.
Just be excited that we can call God, Father, and Jesus, Brother.
John 1:12-13 “12 But to all who did receive him, he gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in his name, 13 who were born, not of natural descent, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God.”
But the crux of Jesus saying this is to instruct Mary on what to do next.
She needs to go and see the disciples.
That’s what she does. She tells them what Jesus said.
And what’s interesting here, is that Jesus chose to use a woman to convey this message.
Why is that interesting?
Well b/c at that time a woman wasn’t trusted with this time of information.
Her testimony wouldn’t be reliable in a court of law or believed by people.
The fact that Jesus chose a woman to convey the news of his resurrection tells us that Jesus holds women in high esteem.
And helps us to see the cultural shift that happens as he brings together this new community. This new family of believers.
That Through the resurrection of Jesus we are equal in value.
As Paul would say in Gal 3:27-28 “27 For those of you who were baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ. 28 There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female; since you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
Being in Christ is not based on external or physical characteristics it is based on belief and trust in his Resurrection.
This idea and teaching was light years ahead of its time.
It was scandalous and the fact that the gospel authors keep it in there clue us into the truth that this event actually happened.
No self-respecting Jew would use a woman to proclaim the good news of Jesus, especially as the first witness to the resurrection.
That would automatically negate the claim.
Nevertheless, John tells us that the first person to see Jesus’ resurrected body was Mary Magdalene.
B/c he didn’t care about the stigma or repercussions, he cared about the truth.
John 20:19–23 CSB
19 When it was evening on that first day of the week, the disciples were gathered together with the doors locked because they feared the Jews. Jesus came, stood among them, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 Having said this, he showed them his hands and his side. So the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, I also send you.” 22 After saying this, he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

Great Commission

Later on that first day, the disciples are all gathered together.
They are huddled in fear b/c they don’t want to experience the repercussions of the Jewish Leaders after Jesus’ Crucifixion.
They are locked up in a room, believing to be safe and secure from intruders.
The doors are shut and locked.
I would presume that the shutters were shut and locked as well.
And all of a sudden Jesus is with them.
Where did he come from?
How did he get in there?
No one truly knows.
And his first words to his friends are “peace be with you.”
This common Jewish phrase was meant to invoke in them the feeling of comfort and good news.
Now Jesus had every right to condemn them.
Every right to question them.
Why did they flee from him at the arrest and crucifixion?
Why were they hiding rather than seeking him out?
Why did they all abandon him?
Why did they forsake him?
But rather, Jesus offers them Peace.
The Fear of the world.
The fear of persecution.
The fear of death was real to the disciples.
But Jesus came to them offering them peace.
Showing them that even when life on this planet is over, there is life after death.
That death isn’t the end of the story.
The cry of “it was finished” on that cross, is wrapped up in the Shalom/Peace of Jesus.
Peace with God.
Wholeness, restoration into relationship with the creator of the universe.
And to prove to the disciples that he was the same Jesus that was crucified, just now with his resurrected body, he shows them his hands and side.
And again we see the joy spring forth in the presence of Jesus.
Their sorrow and fear have now been transformed into joy and peace.
That was the promise that Jesus made them in John 16 as he was preparing them for his departure.
That there will be sorrow, but joy will come.
That there will be trouble and fear, but Jesus overcame the world.
And with that joy and peace in their hearts, Jesus now gives them John’s version of the Great Commission.
John 20:21 “21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, I also send you.””
We have to get through our hearts and hard heads that we are saved to be sent.
That our salvation found in Christ alone is to be witness to his kingdom.
That we are called to go and tell all the world about the goodness and grace of God.
We aren’t saved to sit on our hands and congratulate ourselves on finding Jesus.
We are Saved to do the good works that God has set before us.
We are saved, to be like Jesus.
Our mission is the same as Jesus.
We are called to continue on his mission.
Jesus’ being sent by the Father, is our pattern for being sent by him.
We, as new creations in Jesus, are to be cultivating the kingdom of God around us.
We are to be preaching the gospel to those who don’t know Jesus.
We are to be the light of the world.
We are to bring the living water to the thirsty.
We are representatives of Jesus.
We are ambassadors of the kingdom.
We are Carriers of the Message.
We don’t change the message.
We don’t create the meaning.
Rather we bring the message and expand the kingdom.
We continue the mission he started.
Now to be honest with you the next couple of verses I have struggled with the most since I first started going through John’s Gospel.
They can be difficult to understand and have been used by some denominations to push forward harmful and wrong theology.
This is what they say
John 20:22-23 “22 After saying this, he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.””
What’s going on here?
Do the disciples actually have the power to forgive sin?
Can they be the only ones that forgive sin?
No, here we see Jesus breath the HS on them.
Since this whole narrative is about New Creation, what should this remind us of?
Gen 2:7, when God breathes a new life in Adam.
So Here Jesus is giving new life to the disciples.
Not Just the 12, there were other’s present there too.
But all who believe are present there at this event.
Now b/c the HS is living within them and is leading them to all truth (Jn 16:13), now they can now speak the truth of the gospel to others.
They don’t have the power to forgive sin, rather the HS in them has the power to convict people of sin.
If people hear the gospel and turn from their sin, they can have forgiveness.
If they reject the gospel then their sin will not be forgiven.
But the point is they have to believe.
And that leads us to Thomas.
And his doubt.
John 20:24–29 CSB
24 But Thomas (called “Twin”), one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples were telling him, “We’ve seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “If I don’t see the mark of the nails in his hands, put my finger into the mark of the nails, and put my hand into his side, I will never believe.” 26 A week later his disciples were indoors again, and Thomas was with them. Even though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and look at my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Don’t be faithless, but believe.” 28 Thomas responded to him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said, “Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.”

Belief from Doubt

Thomas wasn’t with the disciples when Jesus first arrived.
We don’t know why, He was simply absent.
And all the disciples were telling him that Jesus was alive.
But Thomas didn’t believe them.
It didn’t compute in Thomas’ brain that Jesus could be alive.
So he stepped out and boldly proclaimed that unless he could see and touch the wounds in Jesus’ body, he would not believe.
Well, Jesus shows up and reveals himself to Thomas, offering to let him stich his fingers in his side and hands.
We aren’t told whether or not Thomas did that or not.
But point is Jesus is calling Thomas to belief.
Jesus is calling Thomas to trust.
Jesus is calling Thomas to leave faithlessness aside and believe.
And Thomas proclaims, “My Lord and My God” v. 28.
The first time this phrase is used in John’s Gospel.
And it is used to proclaim that Jesus is Lord.
That he is God.
That he is the ultimate truth, life, and faithful one.
Thomas’ doubt was turned to belief.
He is now believing.
He is now trusting.
Because he saw.
But Jesus and John both knew that there would be those that believed without seeing.
And that those would be blessed.
They would have favor with God.
You haven’t seen Jesus.
And you believe in him.
You are blessed.
This reality is why the Gospel of John was written. v. 30-31
John 20:30–31 CSB
30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. 31 But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Purpose

It’s no accident that John places his purpose statement right after the Thomas and Jesus interaction.
It would be easier to believe if we had Jesus with his hands and side sitting in front of us right here.
But we don’t.
We have to believe b/c of what we have heard.
We have to believe b/c of what has been passed down.
John chose the events, and stories in his gospel for the sole purpose that we would believe.
So the question laying at your feet right now.
The question set before you.
Is do you believe?
What do you need to believe?
You need to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, that he came to take away the sin of the World
That you are a sinner who needs a savior.
That savior is Jesus.
And you need to cry out with Thomas “My Lord and My God.”
Let’s Pray.
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