Because of Jesus

1 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” 3 So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. 4 Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, 7 and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went back to their homes.

On the First day of the week - Sunday….

This is also why we as the NT church, NT believers celebrate on the first day of the week instead of the Sabbath (7th day).

To commemorate resurrection Sunday, we now gather on the first day of the week.

Mary Magdalene came…

John’s account notes that Mary came early, while it was still dark. John only mentions Mary.

There were multiple woman who planned to come together to the tomb that morning. Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, Joanna, and Salome who came; and perhaps others.

The other gospels note that the woman came later, after sunrise.

How do we make sense of the sequence in these accounts?

It gave me a bit of a headache myself as I sough to compare and sort it all out this week.

BUT, here is what I think we find..

It is quite possible that all four writers are referring to the same general time of day. It is possible they started out BEFORE sunrise, but did not make it to the tomb until AFTER sunrise.

They set out together.

Their reason…to anoint and spice the body in honor of him AND/OR to give it preparation for final burial. It is speculated that this may not have been the intended final burial place.

And/OR it had not been properly prepared at the time of burial.

It was done in rather haste to honor him but also to beat the Passover Clock.

It has been probably about 36 hours since he died and was buried…maybe slightly more, but less than 48. And in the cool tomb, the decay may have slowed some, but they know it is coming and want to get to it while they can.

Either way, their goal was to anoint the body to ensure proper preparation for burial and to honor the body and him.

They express concern regarding how they will get the tomb open.

Arriving at the tomb, they find it open.

Matthew’s account notes an earthquake that shook the ground and rolled away the stone. The remaining accounts do not note the earthquake, only that the when they arrived, the stone was rolled away and that when they entered tomb, the body of Jesus was gone.

It is likely that the earthquake took place before the ladies got there, which is why is not mentioned in the other gospels and which is why there is no description of their being disturbed by an earthquake.

Mary Magdalene runs into the city to find Peter and John. It is likely they were staying separate from the rest of the disciples because they had come to city to find out what was going on or they had remained after the crucifixion while the rest had not regathered. We are not sure where they are, but Mary Magdalene goes to find them.

While she is doing this…the angels appear to the other woman and they leave bearing the good news of Jesus’ resurrection.

Meanwhile, Peter, John, and Mary begin to head back toward the tomb.

Peter and John, it seems, outrun her and arrive before her.

OR they arrive at the same time, but Mary hangs back…

Peter and John see the tomb and behold the grave cloth’s. They leave.

Mary remains. Now alone.

She then sees the angels and Jesus.

She will leave to find the disciples and tell them of her experience.

The disciples, we are told (from Luke I believe) do not believe it, but believe it is idle tales.

John, it would seem is the only one who believes at this stage.

Why does he believe?

That brings us to the proof.

The Face Cloth

Here is the detail NOT included in the other gospels.

The face cloth, the one that wrapped his face, it is particularly noted is not lying with the rest of the cloths, but is in fact FOLDED and in a place by itself

Seems like an odd detail right?

No detail is insignificant. There is a reason that John includes it.

The reason is simply really. If he body really was stolen, as it was thought…someone stealing his body would not remove the face covering, let alone take time to fold it neatly and place it separate from the rest of the cloths.

AND IN ADDITION, the rest of the cloths were also present there. No grave robber is going to upwrap the dead body and leave the cloths behind.

The detail is intended to stand as a proof that his was really a resurrection and not a body snatching.

This all stands in contrast to Lazarus who had to have help getting out of the grave cloths, including the face one…and here Jesus’ were all present, his face one FOLDED neatly…not rushed…on the slab where he had been lain.

The proof had profound affect on John.

He entered the tomb, saw the absence of the body, saw the grave cloths and believed (because he had seen and not seen) that Jesus had in fact rose.

He believed….because he saw….BECAUSE….prior to this, he had not believed that Jesus would raise from the dead, even though the scriptures spoke to the fact that he would.

They had not yet understood what the scriptures taught. They had missed it.

It was not until they saw the empty tomb, that John believed.

Peter, for his part, does not yet seem to believe.

But John does two things by including this statement.

He professes the point of his own belief and faith

He begins introducing the theme of SEEING and BELIEVE that reaches a key point in verse 29.

The proof of his resurrection is seen even in the simple details of this moment.

There are other proofs

NAMELY the amount of eye witnesses that saw him living.

There are other assertions that man has put forward in attempt to disprove the resurrection.

You could go and research them

But you will find that those assertions have bigger obstacles to overcome than believing in the resurrection itself.

They are easily disproven and passed aside.

The evidence for Jesus resurrection is clear enough.

For today, this is the only one we will consider because it is the one in our text

And it was enough for John against the backdrop of Jesus’ teaching.

The grave cloths were evidence…enough to convince John.

Big Idea: Because of Jesus provable resurrection, our faith finds identity, purpose, and life.

Identity - John 20:11-18.

John 20:11–18 ESV

11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. 12 And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” 14 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘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 that he had said these things to her.

Mary returns to the tomb. Again, John mentions her alone, so it appears by the time she returns, she is alone.

She seems to be unaware of the women’s report and encounter with the angels.

She seems

Crying, weeping, she looks into the tomb. This is when she sees the two angels, sitting where the body of Jesus had been. One sat at the head, the other at his feet.

She does not seem to identify them as angels for she does not have the characteristic response when one encounters angels.

They simply ask her why she is weeping, and she answers as casually as if she were talking to humans.

This is perhaps a gentle rebuke of sorts. The time for mourning was over. Though she did not know it yet, they were gently calling her to that reality.

She explains. She believes someone has stolen Jesus body and they do not know where it is.

Her lack of faith and belief here is exposed.

She turns around then, and Jesus is behind her, though she does not recognize him.

He repeats the angels question.

She repeats her answer

She even goes so far as to say, if YOU have moved him, please tell me so I can go and claim him.

Jesus then states her name…and with that statement comes instant recognition.

Why did she not recognize him until he said her name?

Eyes blurred with tears

Not expecting to see him alive and his resurrected body was more glorious and in a better state than his crucified one.

God purposefully kept his identity concealed until he chose to make it known.

She throws herself at his feet and clings to him then, crying Rabboni! (Teacher)

This is a STRONGER title than Rabbi and expressed DEEPEST reverence and devotion.

She apparently clings to him for so long that Jesus has to tell her, do not cling to me…I have places to be and things to do.

Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but to to my brothers and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father to my God and your God.

It is NOT that he could not get her to get off. He could have.

It was NOT that he was pushing her away and telling her to stop being so clingy. In fact, we are told to run to Jesus, to run to God, to cling to Him, to take refuge in Him.

This was her trying to cling to his physical presence and never let him go.

This was her clinging in such a way as to never left him leave and thus impede him from the task he had to complete.

What she knew about his intention to ascend to heaven, to send the helper is not known.

But in this moment, her grief is so overcome joy at seeing him alive, that she wants to keep her with her forever.

Jesus is gently prodding her that he still has a task to do and she must let him go.

His point was this… YOU CANNOT CLING to me, you cannot keep me from completing the task I was sent to do.

While the main event was done, the main work completed, he still had more to do before he returned to His Father and send the Helper.

In 40 days time, he would depart, and she needed to be prepared for that and be willing to embrace and accept that as part of the divine plan.

Application: Though God’s plans are not always ours, they are right and good. We must willingly submit to Him and trust those plans even if they mean pain for us or do not align with our limited sight desires and plans.

Instead, her gave her a task…Go tell the disciples what you have seen.

Go, bear witness.

Go, spread the word.

Go, rejoice and carry the good news to the disciples.

In this task, another truth is seen…

John 20:17 ESV

17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ”

Because of his work, they are now brothers. His father is their father. His God is their God.

The impact of this cannot be understated.

No longer are they mere servants.

No longer are they mere students.

They are now BRETHREN, brothers.

They now share the same Father.

They now share the same God.

The work of the cross is finished.

Sin is atoned for, forgiven.

They are now legally declared just and clear of guilt and penalty of their sin.

Their faith in Jesus and their repentance from their sin has brought them into intimate brotherhood with Jesus, adopted as Sons of God, heirs of God co-heirs with Christ.

Romans 8:12-17.

Romans 8:12–17 ESV

12 So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

Go, tell the disciples, they are now my brothers.

My Father is their Father

My God is their God!

The work is done!

Application: Church, what reason do we have for despair and sorrow when this is true in our lives?

Luke’s account, however, tells us that when the women came, probably in both cases, they did not believe them. They thought it idle tales.

Why did Jesus not appear when John and Peter were there?

We are not given a specific explanation. However, it may very well be to show God’s love and care for all people.

Like appearing to SHEPHERDS first to deliver the new of his birth, he know appears first to women…insignificant as they were in society, and as insignificant as they were in the gospel accounts and records…he chooses THEM to appear to first and deliver the news.

Could be any number of reasons, but once again it appears he is choosing to begin by revealing the news to the ones society has deemed as most insignificant to show his love and care.

Unfortunately, it seems the disciples did not believe them and remained dubious until that evening.

Big Idea: Because of Jesus provable resurrection, our faith finds identity, purpose, and life.

Commission - John 20:19-23.

John 20:19–23 ESV

19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”

The evening of that same day, the first day of the week…Jesus will confirm what the ladies already know and have tried to say.

Jesus suddenly appears in the midst of the locked room

For the disciples were hiding, still out of fear for the religious leaders. They had just witnessed them do something they probably never though them capable of doing, and doing brutally so.

They were CLEARLY associated with Jesus and probably believe that they have every intent of coming after them next.

Jesus shows up, in the middle of the locked room….without using the door.

He shows them the scars on his hands and side…

They seem to be the only scars and remaining evidence from the abuse and torture he suffered.

He shows them, as proof that the ladies assertions were correct.

He shows them, as proof that he is truly alive.

Peace be with you…he says.

Repeating his words from John 14, he leaves HIS peace with them.

They are hiding in a locked room in fear.

Jesus has come to restore peace to them….

And to top it off, I am sure they are freaked out by the fact that he just appeared out of nowhere.

(Funny story - I was in my office working through this portion of the text, imagining how unnerved they had to have been when he just showed up. I lead back and felt something brush against my the back of my head. Now, understand, the back of my chair does not go up that high. I was far enough forward, I knew it was not the back half of my desk. I did not know what could be behind me that would touch my head and I had this moment of being unnerved….UNTIL…I remembered that I had left my backscratcher wedged between my back and the chair, sticking up so that it extended beyond my head. And then I could not stop laughing…certain that my God had just had a good laugh as well at my expense. lol)

As unnerved as I was, they men were all the more.

And God came to restore their peace because the events of the past several days were brutal….but God was not done with them yet, no he was just beginning.

AND

To give them a task.

But before he can give them a task, he reminds of them, in this simple phrase, of the things he said to them before his death, in that upper room that night.

Jesus addresses their fear and makes clear…HE IS THEIR PEACE.

In this simple statement is Jesus providing a response that has them cowering in fear, assurance that he is not a ghost, but is in fact there, and reminding them that true peace is found only in Him.

And then he gives them a commission

As my Father Sent me, I am sending you…

He is power commissioning and empowering them for what is to come, what is to follow.

In just a short time, he will ascend and the Holy Spirit will come. The day of Pentecost will take place and the world will never be the same again.

Jesus blowing on them here is symbolic and did not actually impart the Holy Spirit to them. We know that this does not happen until after His return to Heaven.

When the Holy Spirit does come, he comes in power. It becomes obvious to all.

Jesus said the Spirit will not come until after he departs, so he does not come here. This is purely symbolic of what is to come.

BUT Jesus is commission and empowering by reminding them and pointing forward to what is to come.

This commission will be to GO. Matthew 28:19-20 and Acts 1:8 expose that God is sending them and us into the world to proclaim the good news of the gospel, to preach forgiveness and repentance.

Jesus words here in verse 23 have often been misunderstood.

John 20:23 ESV

23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”

It is very reminiscent of similar words in Matthew 16:19 and Matthew 18:18.

Matthew 16:19 ESV

19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

Matthew 18:18 ESV

18 Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

In these texts, Jesus speaks of things being bound or loosed. Similar in thought is this, they are forgiven or it is withheld.

Many have taken these passages to mean that the disciples were given power to forgive or without forgiveness of sins, which is God and God alone’s right.

Mark 2:7

Mark 2:7 ESV

7 “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

The tense of “they will be forgiven” and “it will be withheld” is passive. Thus, it is the RESPONSE that one receives, not an action one bestows.

Since it is God alone who forgives sins, the passive tense implies that it is GOD who does the forgiveness. Men only call other men to it, proclaims it.

The point of what Jesus is saying is this…Your commission will be to go and preach forgiveness. You will go and call men to repent. If they repent, they will be forgiven by God.

If they DO NOT repent, they will not be forgiven by God.

John 12–21: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary Christ’s Appearance to Ten of the Disciples

What Christ was actually saying is that any Christian can declare that those who genuinely repent and believe the gospel will have their sins forgiven by God. On the other hand, they can warn that those who reject Jesus Christ will die in their sins (8:24; Heb. 10:26–27).

The authority is being given here, to the disciples, to the church to tell people that, when they repent, GOD forgives their sin. And if they refuse, God does not forgive them.

The authority is NOT in the actual forgiving of the sin, but in the ability to declare that God forgives, that they are forgiven when they repent and believe.

Our authority comes from the word of God.

We then have the ability, when we have confronted a sin and the person refuses to repent, to say that they are not forgiven by God until such time as they do repent.

Authority that is given to us.

BUT it is not US who do the forgiving. We preach forgiveness and declare that God forgives when they repent or that he withholds it when they don’t repent.

This is the charge given to us by God.

We can declare God’s forgiveness or his lack thereof to those who repent and believe and/or who deny and reject. We have the ability, with confidence, to make such declarations, not based on our own authority or righteousness, but upon the Word of God.

Big Idea: Because of Jesus provable resurrection, our faith finds identity, purpose, and life.

Faith - John 20:24-29.

John 20:24–29 ESV

24 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” 26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although 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 see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Thomas and Judas were the only ones of the 12 who were not present this night. Judas had already killed himself and Thomas was not present…though we are not sure why or where he was.

Thus, later after Jesus had left and Thomas rejoined them, the disciples had to fill him in.

But he did not believe them. For this reason, he is often given the name, doubting Thomas.

He refused to believe unless he personally saw and touched Jesus.

Whether his disbelieve was due to his personality and character, fear, or even grief over his loss…it does not really matter. He refused to accept the testimony of 10 eye witnesses (and perhaps more if the ladies share their encounters with him).

A week later, Jesus comes to them again, and this time Thomas is with them.

He came in the same manner as before and spoke the same greeting of peace.

You have to imagine that they are startled again, despite his having appeared this way before. It would be like someone jumping out of a dark corner and startling them.

Jesus addresses Thomas and tells him to place his hands upon the scars, that he might believe.

Thomas does not seem to do so. There is simply an exclamation of his belief, now that he sees Jesus.

He certainly MAY have touched him, but the detail is not recorded, which I do find significant. Any detail or suggestion of him touching Jesus is simply not there, which for me suggests that step may no longer have been necessary now that he laid eyes on Jesus.

Maybe, he touched him to prove he was solid. But again, not sure.

Point is this…he did not believe until he saw.

He rejected eye witness accounts having to see for himself before he would believe.

Truth is though…God does not appear to rebuke him. He seems to understand. He affirms Thomas declaration of his deity. Jesus came, to provide what Thomas needed.

Thomas seems to have the Eyore of the disciples the pessimist. What little detail we have of him from the gospels, seems to bear this out. His love for Jesus, like the rest was deep. As a pessimist, his response then to Jesus death was harsher than the rest. Jesus comes to him and offers the evidence he needs, in compassion and care.

Jesus said…

Have you now believed because you have seen?

Blessed are those who HAVE NOT seen and yet still believe.

Which is harder? To believe AFTER seeing or before?

Jesus is making a statement….blessed are those who believe, without seeing…speaking of those who would come after who would not have first hand witness experiences.

My mind goes to Hebrews 11. Many of those listed here believed God without ever seeing the fulfillment of the promises that God was making to them.

They knew God. They trusted God. And even without seeing the end, the fulfillment, they KNEW it would be so. They KNEW it because they knew God.

Therefore they could trust.

Jesus had given these men what they needed. And yet they doubted. In truth, Thomas as no different than the rest who thought the woman’s story was idle tales.

They failed to understand Jesus’ words. They failed to understand his teaching of his resurrection, of his promises to return. They did not understand. And therefore, when word came of his return, they did not believe.

Jesus is making a point…blessed are those who believe without having to physically see.

Listen, God does not expect blind faith, though.

Romans 10:17.

Romans 10:17 ESV

17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.

God has given us his word.

He gave the people THREE years of signs…that they might see and believe.

He taught, he discipled, he fulfilled prophecy after prophecy.

And yet, they had to see to believe.

God has given us creation.

He has given us His word.

We have ALL we need to believe, to trust, even without seeing the fulfillment of His promises to us. Like the saints in Hebrews 11, God calls us to believe based on the evidence He has given to us, to hold fast to that, despite the temptations of the adversary to doubt.

We who follow the NT age, who have no personal eyewitness testimony to fall back on, believe because of the words recorded here…the very purpose for which they were penned. We have EYEWITNESS accounts of Jesus resurrection. This is what we depend upon…not having personally seen, we trust the signs, the writings, and the testimonies of those who have seen…and blessed are we for believing without seeing.

So Jesus affirms Thomas but also points forward to the fact that those who will later believe, without seeing, are blessed indeed.

Which, also points the reality of the Holy Spirit that we now have that empowers such believe….a reality even the disciples do not have yet.

Big Idea: Because of Jesus provable resurrection, our faith finds identity, purpose, and life.

Life - John 20:30-31.

John 20:30–31 ESV

30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

And here we come back to these verses we saw so many weeks ago when we began this book study…the purpose for this book.

These events are recorded for us…these signs are detailed for us…so that we might see and believe.

And that by believing, we would know LIFE with the SON of God.

The purpose of this book is so that we might see and believe.

The purpose of believing is that we my be forgiven.

The the result of being forgiven is that we are given a home, an identity, and a mission/purpose.

Is that not what the gospel does? It gives life where once there was death.

because Jesus dealt with the problem of sin.

The gospel IS ALL.

God did all of this OUT OF LOVE and DESIRE to restore us, as his creation, to a right relationship with himself by dealing with the problem of sin….a problem we were helpless to fix.

Jesus stepped in…

God planned it…

SO THAT we could know him, be forgiven and have an eternal hope with him.

Because of Jesus, we have eternal life.

Because of Jesus, we have hope

Because of Jesus, we have peace

Because of Jesus, we have joy

Because of Jesus, we have forgiveness

Because of Jesus, we have grace

Because of Jesus, we have mercy

Because of Jesus, we have a home with God. Forever.

THIS is what makes GOOD Friday, the most Egregious, heinous day in all creation, Good.

Big Idea: Because of Jesus provable resurrection, our faith finds identity, purpose, and life.

Conclusion

Big Idea: Because of Jesus provable resurrection, our faith finds identity, purpose, and life.

Proof - John 20:1-10.

Identity - John 20:11-18.

Commission - John 20:19-23.

Faith - John 20:24-29.

Life - John 20:30-31.

John 12–21: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary Chapter 33: The Resurrected Christ (John 20:11–31)

The resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ was the divine affirmation of His atonement accomplished at the cross. When God raised Jesus from the dead, He declared that He was propitiated by Jesus’ sacrifice, and had accepted it as payment in full for the sins of His people, completely satisfying the demands of His holy justice. Jesus was, Paul wrote, “delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification” (Rom. 4:25). The resurrection also demonstrated that where sin is atoned for, death is conquered and eternal life is given.

Application

We have life because Jesus died. As you reflect upon and meditate upon that reality, how does it (or should it) affect your daily priority and practices?

What is identity? Why is it so important in our lives?

How does our identity as children of God impact our lives?

How will you live out of your identity in Christ? How will it change the way you live this week?

We have a commission and charge from God. How well are you living it out?

How does having a commission from God affect our day to day lives?

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