The Power of the empty tomb John 20

Introduction

No matter what the world may say the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the single most important event in human history. The resurrection of Jesus Christ gives us victory over death and sin, it gives us the power to walk in newness of life, and it gives us a lively hope.

Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15:19 “If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.”

If this life is the best we get then we are of all men most miserable.

This morning I want us to turn to John 20 and look at the power of the empty tomb. We are going to look at 4 events following the resurrection that prove that Jesus did indeed rise from the dead and the purpose of John’s gospel.

Event #1: The empty tomb discovered vs. 1-10

Back story

Mary Magdalene was introduced to us in Luke 8:2 as a woman who had met Jesus when she was possessed with 7 devils.

She also appears at the foot of the cross with Mary, Jesus’ mother and a few other woman.

Due to the controversial nature of the death of Christ, his tomb had been sealed and guards were placed outside of it. There was no way to get in or out without the guards knowing. Matthew 27:62-64

Matthew 27:62–64 KJV 1900

Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again. Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first.

Mary Magdalene and a few of the other ladies had prepared spices to anoint Jesus. I’m sure there was sorrow, disappointment, confusion and doubt as they were making their way to the tomb.

Jesus had promised that he would rise again, but they were so blinded by their sorrow that they had forgotten this promise.

As they were walking that way the book of Mark tells us that they were talking amongst themselves asking “who was going to move the stone from the opening of the tomb?”

When they get to the tomb she notices that the stone had been removed from the door of the sepulcher.

After she sees the empty tomb, she runs to Peter and John and tells them that they had taken Jesus and she doesn’t know where they had put it.

When I think about Peter hearing this news, I’m sure he was fired up. He was ready to go find the supposed grave robbers

We see his reaction in verse 3

He and John took off running towards the tomb,

We also find a funny detail, where John tells us without telling us that he beat Peter to the tomb.

As they get to the tomb, John stoops down and looks inside and see’s the linen clothes they buried him in laying there, but he didn’t go in.

When Peter gets to the tomb they go inside and see the linen clothes, but they also see the folded napkin that would have covered his face.

Some believe that napkin served as a reminder to the disciples that Jesus had returned from the dead.

After John went in and saw the linens and the napkins, the bible tells us he believed. John saw all the evidence and couldn’t come to any other conclusion other than Jesus had indeed risen from the dead.

Paul Chappell said this “ At the end of Genesis, Joseph dies, at the end of Deuteronomy, Moses dies, at the end of Joshua, Joshua dies, but at the end of the Gospels, Jesus resurrects from the dead and the resurrection changes everything.”

John tells us that the disciples had in fact missed the scriptures promising the resurrection of Christ.

Jesus told them over and over that he was going to die, but he would return in three days.

All of the old testament prophecies about the resurrection and yet they still missed it.

Jesus told two of them in Luke 24 that they were “slow of heart to believe what the Prophets have spoken”

They knew the truth of the resurrection, but missed it. I’m pleading with you this morning, don’t miss this. Jesus came to earth, lived a perfect life for 33.5 years, hung on a cross and died for our sins, was buried, and three days later he rose from the dead, thus completing the gospel.

After Peter and John saw the empty tomb they went back to there house, but Mary Magdalene stayed by the tomb.

Event #2: Mary’s encounter with Jesus vs. 11-18

As Mary is sitting outside the tomb, she is weeping, and looks down into the tomb again and this time sees two angels.

One of the Angels is sitting at the head and the other at the feet of where Jesus’ body would have been laying.

The angels ask her why she is weeping.

I can imagine the pain in her weeping, after she saw the Jesus that saved her life hanging on a cross and being buried in a borrowed tomb and then going to that tomb to anoint Jesus with the burial spices and such and finding the empty tomb.

Notice she had still missed that Jesus had risen from the dead when she tells the angel the reason she is weeping in verse 13.

After she tells the angels why she was weeping she turns back away from the tomb and there was Jesus standing behind her.

She didn’t realize that it was Jesus, she thought it was just a gardener, and he asked her the same question that the angels had.

Her answer to Jesus was different, she confronts him as though he had moved the body.

She said this “Sir, if thou have borne (carried) him hence (from this place), tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.

She tells Jesus, if you have carried the body of Jesus away from this place, tall me where you put him and I will take care of Him.

Notice Jesus’ response: He just calls her name and immediately she knew it was Jesus. She turns to him and calls him Rabboni which means master.

When Jesus called her name she immediately knew it was Jesus. Just as Jesus knew Mary’s name, he knows our name as well. He wants to have a personal relationship and because of His death, burial and resurrection we can have a relationship with Him. All we have to do is believe the Gospel.

The Jesus tells her not to touch him, because he had not yet ascended to the father.

The context of this would bring us to think that when she recognized Jesus for who he was that she would have embraced him.

John Phillips said this “The Lord checked this demonstration of very human affection, telling her to let him go. All relationships were about to be changed, and his ascension would bring a new situation. His followers would no longer be able to see, hear, and touch him as before. A new and more permanent spiritual relationship was about to be forged. His father was to be their father; His God was to be their God.”

Mary’s message for the disciples from Jesus.

She was told to tell them that he would ascend unto His Father, which is now our father, and to His God, which is now our God.

Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection changed everything! We can now have a relationship with God because of it.

Mary went to where the disciples were and told them she had seen Jesus, and gave them the message he had given her.

Event # 3: Jesus Appears to his disciples vs.19-23

Here we find the first church meeting with the doors closed because they feared the Jews.

Imagine as the Jew’s watched the tomb for three days and three nights, rejoicing every day thinking they had defeated Jesus and then they go back to the tomb and Jesus isn’t there and no one knows where his body is. The Jews would have been furious and the Christians here are hiding because they fear what the Jews might do to them.

I imagine they have someone at the door standing guard watching incase anyone shows up.

As they are assembled Jesus came and stood in the midst of them and says peace be unto you, then shows them his hands and his side.

When the disciples realized who it was they were glad!

Jesus commissions them to do what God had called him to do

The disciples then became the sent ones like he had been sent by the father.

Jesus didn’t just commission them he enabled them through the Holy Ghost just as he had been enabled in John 1:32-34.

Only Christ can forgive sins, but Christ has given us the ability to point people to him. The disciples didn’t have the power to forgive sins, but rather the ability to point people to Christ after the Holy Spirit does the work.

All of the disciples were there except for one, Thomas, were there for this, Thomas would have to wait a week to see Jesus again.

Event #4: Thomas’s Confession vs. 24-29

Evidently sometime during the week the disciples saw Thomas and were telling him what he missed when he wasn’t at church. They told him they had seen the Lord

His response was this unless I see his nail pierced hands and put my finger into the nail piercing and put my hand into his wounded side I won’t believe it is him.

After 8 days the church was meeting again and Thomas was there this time.

During the meeting Jesus shows up again and tells them peace be unto you. He then calls Thomas and tells him to put his finger in his hand and to put his hand in his side and tells him to not be faithless, but to believe.

Then we see Thomas’s confession when he cries out “My Lord, and My God”

By saying My Lord, he put Jesus on the throne of his heart.

By saying my God, he put Jesus on the throne of the universe.

Jesus tells him because he saw Jesus, he believed, and then tells him “blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.

The Bible says in Romans 10:17 “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

We might not be able to see Jesus, touch his nail scarred hands, or put our hands in his side, but we have the Word of God, which tells us that the only way to heaven is Jesus Christ, which leads us to our final point…

The Purpose of John’s Gospel vs. 30-31

The Bible tells us that Jesus did many others signs in the presence of the disciples that John didn’t write in his gospel, because what was written had a specific purpose.

John tells us he wrote what he wrote in his gospel so we might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing we have life through his name.

Conclusion

This morning I don’t want to take for granted that everyone here has trusted in Christ as their saviour. But I’m here to tell you like Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:1–4 “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:”

Believing this is the only way to heaven, their is no secret prayer that gets you to heaven, you can’t be good enough to get to heaven, you can’t pay enough money to get to heaven.

Jesus tells us this in John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” and John 11:25.

If you have never trusted Christ as your saviour what better day then the day we celebrate his resurrection. Come this morning and we can show you from the Bible how you can be saved