The Resurrection of the Son of God
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
John 20 is one of the most unbelievable parts of the the entire bible - a dead man got back up, launching a worldwide religion that caught the whole world by storm.
Our faith hinges on this one event. Without it:
Jesus is still dead
The Apostles were lying
This is all for nothing
We will die and stay dead
So this morning we want to go through two questions:
Can we believe the resurrection?
What does the resurrection mean?
Because if the dead are in fact raised then life changes forever.
The Fact of the Resurrection
The Fact of the Resurrection
The Jewish Hope
The Jewish Hope
the first thing we should note about the resurrection is that nobody expected it. When the Jews read through the Old Testament they were inspired with hope, but not in the shape or form of Jesus’ death in resurrection.
If you asked a typical Jew in the days of Jesus what was wrong with the world it would be everything!
We were promised to be God’s special people! But now we’re oppressed by Rome
A descendant of David should be on the throne but instead we have Herod who’s only a puppet of Rome
And Israel is full of sinners who are keeping God and his kingdom away
But this wouldn’t last forever. The Jews believed that one day God would make everything right in the world. The bad guys would be put down while God’s people would be lifted up - even the ones who had died.
God is faithful to his promises no matter what. So if it looks like God hasn’t delivered on his promises to Israel, since so many of them are dead, then it must mean that God will do something about death itself.
Isaiah 25 has one of the clearest expressions of this hope:
7 And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. 8 He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken. 9 It will be said on that day, “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
So the Jews looked forward to the day when God would remove that veil of death and save his people. It’s the same hope Martha has in John 11:23-24
23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” 24 Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”
Notice when this resurrection happens - on the last day. The resurrection of Israel, when God would come to save his people and raise them up was a dream in an age far, far, away. The idea of anyone getting up from the dead now, whether it be her brother Lazarus or Jesus, was at the end - not today.
So why did Christians suddenly start teaching that resurrection had already begun, and with only one man - Jesus?
The Empty Tomb
The Empty Tomb
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.”
It’s the first day of the week and still dark. Jesus is the light of the world, and the lights have gone out. As if Jesus’ death wasn’t enough to bear, Mary finds the tomb empty!
But that doesn’t mean Jesus had been raised from the dead. Mary’s first thought, and what she tells Peter and John, is that he’s been taken away. Grave robberies were a fact of life in that day. Jesus had been buried with about 75 pounds of valuable spices that a grave robber could be interested in.
So the tomb is empty, and all Mary can think is that someone has taken away her Lord - not that her Lord got up.
But when Peter and John get there, some things aren’t adding up.
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.
Peter and John peer into the tomb and see that it’s empty, but it doesn’t look like it’s been robbed. The linen cloths are laying there and the face cloth is folded up in a place by itself.
What robber would take the time to unwrap the body instead of taking the whole shebang? What robber would take the time and care to fold up the face covering? What the disciples see here is less of a hurried grab-and-go and more like someone taking the time to make their bed in the morning.
This is enough, according to verse 8, to inspire some form of belief in John. Jesus had told them…
28 You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29 And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place you may believe.
John believes that Jesus has somehow gone to the Father, but in verse 9
9 for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead.
The empty tomb is something, but it’s not enough.
The Post-Resurrection Appearances
The Post-Resurrection Appearances
So why did the early Christians stake their lives on the idea that Jesus wasn’t stolen, but raised?
Because after they saw the empty tomb, they saw him walking around.
But even that was under scrutiny.
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.”
Here’s Thomas, who we often call doubting Thomas, but let’s not assume we would have much more faith.
I saw him die and dead people don’t get back up.
I saw the empty tomb and robbers can explain that.
You think you’ve seen him but those are just visions or hallucinations.
So Thomas says he needs to see for himself. He needs to touch. Otherwise no resurrection has happened.
And so, John 20:26-29
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.”
Jesus wasn’t a vision or a hallucination. He was flesh and blood. In other gospel accounts, including John 21, he eats and drinks. He’s felt by the disciples and seen by over 500 other disciples according to 1 Corinthians 15:6.
Four times Paul insists that Jesus appeared, and to many different people.
To Peter and then the twelve
To five hundred people, who you could have still talked to
To James and all the apostles again
Even to Paul himself on the road to Damascus
This wasn’t a private imagination or dream of one person. A lot of people saw Jesus after he had died. If this were not the case then why did the Apostles risk such a bold claim that could be refuted by so many?
If the resurrection didn’t happen Peter, Andrew, James and John would have gone back to fishing - like they try to do in John 21. Matthew would have gone back to collecting taxes, and all of the disciples would have thought “We had hoped! But a dead Messiah is no Messiah at all.”
But Jesus got up on the third day. He appeared to not just one, two, or even twelve - but to over 500 people. The fact that Jesus’ movement lasted beyond his death is a testimony that his disciples saw something different from all the other Messianic movements that went under when their leader died. They saw the resurrection.
The Meaning of the Resurrection
The Meaning of the Resurrection
But now we have to wrestle with another question: What does it all mean?
The resurrection wasn’t just some freak accident of nature that was interesting but of no value to anyone else. It drove men and women to be completely transformed, denying their family, their culture, and their own selves in pursuit of Jesus.
So we need to look at what the resurrection has to say about our own lives.
The Gardener
The Gardener
Back to Mary in John 20:11
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.”
So while Peter and John have taken off back home, but Mary sticks around. She sees two angels, one at the head and one at the foot of where Jesus laid and is too overcome with grief to be scared - all she can do is weep for her Lord.
As curious as those angels are, they’re completely neglected in favor of the one behind her.
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.”
She turns and sees Jesus, but doesn’t realize it at first. She thinks he’s the gardener - because they’re in a garden. Keep that in mind. You’d think any of Jesus’ disciple would recognize him, but for some reason they don’t. Like many of Jesus’ post-resurrection experiences he is unrecognizable.
Until he speaks to her.
16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher).
One word is all it takes - Mary! Because…
3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.
And something very important has changed in John 20:17…
Our Father
Our Father
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.’ ”
There are 92 verses where Jesus speaks of the Father - his Father. Only here this one time is it my Father and your Father. Somehow, Jesus’ death and resurrection has given us the right to be called children of God - to name him as our Father.
How does the death and resurrection make that happen?
Remember what Jesus said would happen when he left:
7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.
Jesus has been preparing his disciple for his departure and telling them to be excited for it. Because Jesus would obey God to the fullest and finish the old covenant, God would now begin the new covenant and send the Holy Spirit.
Paul tells us it’s the Spirit of adoption in Romans 8:15. John might call it the Spirit of new birth.
Remember what Jesus talked about with Nicodemus way back in John 3?
3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”
5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
Jesus was the first to receive the Spirit, and now gives it freely to those who believe in him.
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit
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.”
It’s evening on the first day of the week and the disciples are locked in. Out there are hostile Jews who just crucified their master; inside are those who receive Jesus.
And he breathes on them - “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
When we put this action with some other details John has been giving us we should be reminded of a familiar story - Genesis 1-2.
When I ask you to finish the verse “In the beginning… ” there’s a good chance you’ll end up at the beginning.
1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
But you might also think of John 1:1.
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
From the beginning, John wanted us to make connection between Jesus and the creation story. More connections are made in the crucifixion and resurrection.
On the day that Jesus was crucified Pilate said more than he realized when he showed Jesus, beaten and bloodied and announced “Behold the man!” Pilate said that on Friday, the sixth day of the week, when God made man in his image.
Just as God finished his work and rested on the seventh day, Jesus cried out "It is finished,” yielded up his spirit, and rested in the tomb on the Sabbath,
And when Mary first sees Jesus she supposes him to be the gardener - what Adam was in the Garden of Eden
John wants us to see that Jesus is doing something similar to what God did back at the beginning. He’s creating something new - something really good!
And we’re a part of it!
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.”
When God made everything very good he placed the man in the garden and breathed into him the spirit of life. And then he told them to keep and tend the garden - to take care of the good things God had already made and to keep on creating by subduing the earth and filling it with God’s image.
With this Spirit we are made new - born again from above, belonging to our heavenly Father, and given the job of working in Jesus’ new creation.
Connect
Connect
So here’s what the resurrection means in a nutshell: the resurrection of Jesus is a second chance for all of creation - you included.
We need that second chance because we have monumentally messed up the first time, introducing sin and death into the world, and breaking so much of those good things God had made.
How many of us would jump at the chance to start life over with all the knowledge you have now? How much better would you do? Because all of us have regrets. There are a lot of things looking back on I wish I had done. And sometimes what feels even worse is thinking of all the things I wish I hadn’t done.
Wouldn’t it be great if we could just start over from the beginning?
God invites us into a second chance even though we’ve died.
What do you think the disciples thought after seeing Jesus the first time after the cross? We’re told in multiple passages in the other gospels that they were afraid. You would be too. Dead people can get up from the grave now? What’s next?
But I wonder how much of that fear was from being confronted by their faithlessness. Without saying a word, Jesus’ presence is the world’s biggest “I told you so” in history!
I told you I was going to die on the cross - and you didn’t believe me
You told me that you would die with me - but you ran away
You told me that you would never forsake me - but you denied me three times
I told you that I would come back from the dead - and you doubted
Do you think the disciples were wising for a second chance then?
But what does Jesus say to his troubled disciples who have ditched him, doubted him, and denied him? Peace! And then he breathes a second chance into them.
Apply
Apply
God hasn’t given up on you. He’s given you a second, a third, and who knows how many more chances each and every time he forgives you of your sin. So if we worship the God of second chances, we need to be a people of second chances.
We can breathe new life into our relationships through a word of forgiveness - by giving people a second chance we give an opportunity for life.
