The Risen Christ
Reflecting God’s Character • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Today’s Reading from God’s Word
Today’s Reading from God’s Word
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.”
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.
Introduction
Introduction
As we reflect on the resurrection today, the pinnacle of our faith, we know it is the moment that changed history and our lives forever.
In John 20, Jesus has risen from the dead, fulfilling His promise.
19 Jesus answered, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it up in three days.”
20 Therefore the Jews said, “This temple took forty-six years to build, and will you raise it up in three days?”
21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body.
In Mark 14:28, he said matter-of-factly:
28 But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.”
No equivocation. No doubt. After I have risen.
And so, this chapter gives us three bodily appearances to Jesus’ followers providing irrefutable evidence of his resurrection.
In doing so, these not only verify it,
but they reveal Jesus’ character and mission.
And here is something that is really interesting that I read about last week:
All of Jesus’ post-resurrection experiences are to His own — disciples and followers — not unbelievers.
You might think he could have dropped down into downtown Jerusalem right in front of the temple and declared to all his enemies “Here I am, I was right.”
But he doesn’t do that.
Instead, he used that 40 days to empower his disciples as witnesses — rather than convince skeptics directly.
If Jesus had appeared directly to unbelievers, the evidence would have been lost for they wouldn’t have believed it.
Their minds had been blinded.
Look at what Jesus says in Luke’s gospel.
31 “But he told him, ‘If they don’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded if someone rises from the dead.’ ”
This month, we’ve been exploring “Reflecting God’s Character.”
I believe there is no greater display of God’s heart than the resurrection.
In today’s passage, John 20:11-31, we see the risen Christ revealing God’s character through his faithfulness, his mission, and his compassion.
For a moment, if you will, picture in your mind:
A weeping woman.
A group of fearful disciples.
A doubting skeptic.
And in this passage, each one of them is met by the living Jesus, who shows up personally to transform:
Their sorrow into joy
their fear into purpose
and their doubt into faith.
Through all of this, we see a God who:
loves intimately
empowers boldly
and restores graciously.
So, today, we’re not just celebrating an empty tomb — we are embracing the living Christ who reflects God’s character and invites us to reflect it too.
Over the next few minutes, we’ll go through John 20 and see how the resurrected Christ shows us who God is and how we can live out His character in our world today.
We’ll walk through three encounters:
Mary Magdalene
The fearful disciples
and Thomas, the one who doubted
And we’ll see how, in each of these, that Jesus loves intimately, empowers boldly, and restores graciously.
Appearance to Mary Magdalene
Appearance to Mary Magdalene
Entering John 20:11, the resurrection morning is unfolding.
And John begins by focusing on Mary Magdalene, standing at the tomb, her heart shattered by loss.
Peter and John have already seen the empty tomb and gone home (John 20:10).
Mary Magdalene lingers, standing outside the tomb, weeping uncontrollably.
11 But Mary was standing outside the tomb, weeping; so as she wept, she stooped to look into the tomb;
“weeping” here as NASB translates is the word that describes “deep, unrestrained sobbing — a heart broken by loss.”
Mary, once delivered from 7 demons (Luke 8:2) had been transformed by Jesus’ love.
She followed him, supported his ministry, and stood at the cross (John 19:25).
Now, she believes his body has been stolen, and even a dead Jesus is better than no Jesus at all.
It is noteworthy that Jesus’ first appearance to someone after the resurrection is Mary.
Why Mary? Because Jesus chooses the broken, the devoted, to show his personal, faithful love.
This is the kind of God we serve.
He gets down and feels what we feel and loves us on a personal and individual basis.
And here, think of it…
Beyond operating the universe and upholding all things,
Beyond the commission to the disciples
Beyond all other things he had to take care of before he ascended,
His first priority was to show those who loved him that He loved them and that he was faithful in meeting them in their need.
We’re not in a system, we’re in a living, loving relationship with a personal God.
And I think we see that here in all its detail in the encounter with Jesus and Mary Magdalene.
Jesus wasn’t going to leave her in sorrow because He said he would not:
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.
21 When a woman is in labor, she has pain because her time has come. But when she has given birth to a child, she no longer remembers the suffering because of the joy that a person has been born into the world.
22 So you also have sorrow now. But I will see you again. Your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy from you.
Here, he finds the most sorrowful one and uses her as a living example of how his love reaches down to turn that sorrow into joy.
Let’s look again at the text: v. 11-13:
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.”
Her love is just profound.
Now, v. 14:
14 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know it was Jesus.
Now, this could be because of her weak faith. She didn’t expect Him so she didn’t see him.
Or, I think just as likely, because he was now in a supernatural body - a glorified body.
The men on the road to Emmaus didn’t know who He was without him opening their eyes.
And the apostles in the boat in John 21 — weren’t too sure who he was.
But he does reveal himself to her:
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.”
Again … see her great love and devotion.
v. 16:
16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” Turning around, she said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!”—which means “Teacher.”
Miriam.
He speaks to her in her name, in her own language, the name her family and friends knew her by, the name which he had always used in speaking to her, Miriam.
And she turns around, and calls him Rabboni.
This word was used most frequently in their time to refer to God.
Listen, the Lord knows your name.
He knows everything about you and he loves you in a personal way.
We do not have an indifferent Christ, we do not have a cold, calculating Savior — we have a warm and intimate and loving Christ.
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.”
She’s clinging to him. She’s hanging on to his physical presence.
And he says, it’s going to be different now — I’m going to go home and be with my Father — and my presence will be with you by the Spirit who lives in you.
But notice his imperative: “go to my brothers.”
Disciples had been called “servants” and “friends” but never “brothers” until now.
As Christians, we are brothers with Christ by virtue of His death and resurrection and our identification with it.
We are in Christ. He has borne our sin and we have died with him and risen with him in baptism.
26 for through faith you are all sons of God in Christ Jesus.
27 For those of you who were baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ.
isn’t it amazing to think that we stand before God as one of His own children?
Next verse: v. 18:
18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them what he had said to her.
I have seen the Lord!
Isn’t this our testimony too? The message of Christianity?
It’s so simple.
Hey, I’ve seen the Lord in my life and I want to share him with you.
You have firsthand testimony of what God has done for you!
And so, Jesus appears to Mary, because he wants to prove himself faithful.
Now, he will meet the disciples to reveal his bold empowerment.
Appearance to the Disciples
Appearance to the Disciples
He comes to the ten for a purpose. Remember, Thomas isn’t here on this occasion.
Verse 19:
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.”
The doors were locked. They were afraid of the Jews.
Fearful of any moment someone crashing in and arresting them.
And Jesus suddenly appears. How does he come?
He didn’t break a window and crawl in or rip a hole in the roof and drop down.
He came.
He just walked through the wall.
Luke says (Luke 24:37) they were startled and terrified and thought they were seeing a ghost.
He says, “Peace be with you.”
He had promised peace back in 14:27.
Now, he’s giving it. “I have risen, and you know have peace with God.”
This is not just a greeting.
The rebellion is over. The war is over.
They are at peace with God through his body.
20 and through him to reconcile everything to himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
Now, v. 20:
20 Having said this, he showed them his hands and his side. So the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.
This is just a beautiful scene as they exalt Him as their Lord.
Now, let’s look at the reason why he comes to them.
Their commission
Their commission
21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, I also send you.”
They couldn’t go into the world unless they were confident and at peace in their own heart.
And then he tells them they’re going to carry the gospel to the world.
And this is our task too.
And so, I ask, what’s your strategy?
To whom and how will you share the gospel?
This week, who is one person you can share Jesus with?
So, he’s proven himself faithful and now he will send the faithful.
22 After saying this, he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
I think this is more of a pledge here of what will come in Acts 2.
He’s going to send them and he’s going to equip them for that mission.
And by the way — he equips every believer with the Spirit.
9 You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to him.
And then he says:
23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
This is all tied to the work of Christ as we share the gospel.
When we share the gospel with someone — and they believe — by the authority of the word of God — we can tell them their sins are forgiven.
Appearance to Thomas
Appearance to Thomas
Jesus loved Mary intimately and empowered the disciples boldly. Now, he will restore Thomas graciously.
So now, John 20:24:
24 But Thomas (called “Twin”), one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.
You know when you skip church … things happen.
Notice, however, Jesus doesn’t give up on him.
And so, John goes to him.
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.”
So at this point, he doesn’t believe.
Now, v. 26:
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.”
I think he is here for one reason and we’ll see that in the next verse.
But he comes in and says again “Peace be with you.”
A loving Christ always meets His own at the point of their faithlessness for the purpose of bringing them to faith.
If you’re doubting like Thomas, Jesus invites you to bring your questions to him.
His strength meets you in your weakness.
v. 27:
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.”
Again, Jesus is meeting Thomas where he is.
He doesn’t come in and lecture Thomas. No judgment here. Just grace.
He comes in and meets Thomas in the weakness of his faith and lifts him up.
28 Thomas responded to him, “My Lord and my God!”
I don’t think Thomas ever took Jesus up on the test.
He didn’t reach into Jesus’ side — he simply said, “My Lord and My God.”
That’s quite a confession!
And it’s quite personal!
“My” Lord and “My” God.
And then Jesus blesses those who believe without seeing in v. 29.
Mature faith trusts without physical evidence.
7 For we walk by faith, not by sight.
As We Close…
As We Close…
And so, here he is, the resurrected Christ.
All the evidence is in.
Mary, the disciples, and Thomas — all show us who Jesus is.
Jesus will turn sorrow into joy, fill your life with purpose, and restore your faith when it is weak.
And John tells us why:
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.
The resurrection is not just a historical event — but a call to personal faith — where Jesus comes in and makes you new through a relationship with Him.
What about you?
Will you believe that Jesus is God so that you may have life?
Do you know He is alive?
Today, believe in Jesus, the resurrection and the life, and find life in his name.
Will you? All things are ready.
