He is Risen!

Intro

John 20:1-18

Happy Easter! It’s about so much more than eggs and bunnies, candies and chocolates. It’s about a Risen Savior! It is a message of hope that is for all people, but not everyone puts their trust in God. Some attempt to put their hope in science. I came across a story I want to share with you.

Preaching Themes: Death, Hope, Jesus_Resurrection, Resurrection

Alan Sinclair does not want his death to be permanent. After he dies, his blood will be flushed from his body and replaced with antifreeze. Technicians will then cool the body with dry ice and fly it to a cryonics center in Michigan. The center will keep it at minus 320 degrees. When a solution is found for whatever kills him, future technicians will thaw him out. Cured Alan will exist on earth once more. His wife has already died and undergone the cryonics solution.

The Christian hope is that God will resurrect us from the dead, just as our Lord Jesus resurrected. In the newly resurrected state, we will need no cure because the main cause of death—sin—will have already been taken care of.

—Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell, “Hoping for Resurrection through Cryonics,” in 300 Illustrations for Preachers, ed. Elliot Ritzema (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2015).

Life is precious and we can’t help but cling to it for all we are worth. We desire to live long, healthy lives and accomplish great things that leave a legacy behind us. When a loved one passes away, we mourn and grieve the loss. As Christians, we know that death is only a temporary separation, but we still can’t help but grieve. When Jesus came, He reversed a lot of things. His miracles of resurrection were beyond belief and many people took notice of Him. As we’ve walked through John’s gospel, we’ve seen plenty of references to how many people came to see Jesus and Lazarus, whom He raised from the dead. But when Jesus was crucified and died on the cross, no one truly understood what was going on… not until afterwards when the Holy Spirit helped to give understanding about what needed to take place.

In today’s text, we find John focuses in on Mary Magdalene and her experiences at the tomb. There are benefits to comparing John’s account to the other gospels, but we won’t be doing much of that today, but I would recommend it for those who are curious to learn more.

On the path of discipleship, encountering the resurrected Jesus is a crucial moment foundational for our faith and salvation.

Empty Tomb

John 20:1–10 NASB95

Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came early to the tomb, while it was still dark, and saw the stone already taken away from the tomb. So she ran and came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.” So Peter and the other disciple went forth, and they were going to the tomb. The two were running together; and the other disciple ran ahead faster than Peter and came to the tomb first; and stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings lying there; but he did not go in. And so Simon Peter also came, following him, and entered the tomb; and he saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the face-cloth which had been on His head, not lying with the linen wrappings, but rolled up in a place by itself. So the other disciple who had first come to the tomb then also entered, and he saw and believed. For as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. So the disciples went away again to their own homes.

One thing a person could look for as they read through John’s gospel account of the death and resurrection would be to take special note of any time John references the passage of time. From the burial we looked at on Friday to now, we are looking at the passage of time. It’s Sunday morning… early morning. It’s still dark. A day was measured differently for ancient Israel than we do it today. While we might look at a day as being from 12:00 am to 11:59 pm, they counted a day as starting at sunset and going until the next sunset. Therefore, when it says that it was still dark, I wonder what time it truly was when Mary made her way to the tomb.

Some things to consider would be that upon discovering the tomb to be open and empty, she ran back to the disciples. I’m not sure about you, but running in the dark isn’t a very safe activity, so I wonder if dawn was approaching so that she could see the way. Also, the disciples upon hearing her report also ran to the tomb, and there was no mention that any of the disciples saw where the tomb was, therefore running in the dark on unfamiliar pathways is really not all that wise. And here’s a random thought stuck right in the middle of this point… of all the time the disciples were following Jesus, they walked. But here they are running to see what Mary had reported to them. Also consider how the disciples would look into the tomb… I’m assuming there was no light source in the tomb, so somehow they would have been able to see what was going on in there. Perhaps they had a lantern or a torch with them, but my imagination wants to picture this episode as happening early morning (our understanding of morning being the first parts of the day immediately after sunrise).

Focusing back in on what John says about Mary, I briefly want to mention that John is the only gospel that doesn’t mention other women there. It shouldn’t be all that surprising to us that the gospels vary in their descriptions of which women were there, as historically, a woman’s testimony was not considered reliable. This of course gives evidence that the gospel accounts can be trusted because if the disciples were going to make something up, they would have done so using evidence that couldn’t be disputed. This must indicate therefore that the report they received from Mary, and from the other women, was in fact what happened that fateful morning.

What did Mary find there? She found that the stone was rolled away and that the tomb was empty. She immediately jumps to the conclusion that someone has taken away Jesus’ body and she runs off to find Peter and John to let them know.

Peter and John then have a race to the tomb and you can almost tell that John takes a little delight in mentioning that the unnamed disciple (him) got there first, but it was Peter who rushed all the way into the tomb to see with his own eyes that the body of Jesus was not there.

The resurrection is all about subverting expectations. You can’t find a body when that body got up and walked out of there. But seeing the linen strips and the face cloth neatly folded and set aside was enough for John to report that from that moment on, he believed. And we know that belief is the number one necessary component for salvation and faith in Jesus.

Encountering Divinity

John 20:11–16 NASB95

But Mary was standing outside the tomb weeping; and so, as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been lying. And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.” When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. 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.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (which means, Teacher).

The story then shifts back to Mary again. It would appear that she must have followed the disciples back to the tomb, but after they left, she remained behind. Too bad for the disciples, because what happens next would have been incredible to behold.

As she is crying, she is bent over and looks into the tomb. Where Jesus’ body should have been laying were two angels, dressed in white. They ask her why she is crying and she declares that it’s because someone took away Jesus’ body and she doesn’t know where it is.

While the other gospels have unique and interesting descriptions of the angel(s), John shifts focus away from them immediately because someone greater than an angel is there too. It’s the one for whom she is crying.

Jesus is standing behind her, but as she turns around she fails to recognize Him. Perhaps her eyes were blurred by the tears, perhaps by grief, but somehow she is not fazed by the angels in the tomb, nor is she fazed by this person now standing immediately behind her.

Jesus asks her why she is crying… the same thing the angels just asked. Still not seeing Jesus for who He is, and still wrapped up in her grief, she asks if he knows where they put Jesus’ body so that she can go and get Him back.

Then He speaks her name… “Mary.”

Let me pause here for a moment and let you ponder the significance of that holy moment. Jesus Christ called her by name. “Mary.”

John 10:27 ““My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;”

She snaps out of the grief that has consumed her adn declares “Rabboni!” which means “Teacher.”

Commission & Submission

John 20:17–18 NASB95

Jesus said to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.’ ” Mary Magdalene came, announcing to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and that He had said these things to her.

Mary’s interaction with Jesus in two verses perfectly portrays the transition from disciple to apostle. Let me say that a different way. In these two verses, Mary goes from being a follower to being someone sent out with good news about Jesus’ resurrection from the dead!

We should all desire to follow Jesus… to see Him and physically walk in His footsteps. Alas, we will only ever metaphorically understand what it is to walk in His footsteps because He left to be with the Father so very long ago. But part of His mission was to equip His disciples to disciple others. In teaching and training those who follow Him, Jesus has effectively transmitted His life and teachings throughout history and we can participate in that discipleship/apostleship process just as the disciples we read about in the Bible.

Mary Magdalene was present at the crucifixion and she is one of the few who came Sunday morning to encounter the angels, and it would seem that she is the only one to encounter Jesus Himself still at the tomb!

And what are His instructions to her? Go and tell. Can anyone recite the Great Commission off heart? For those that can’t, let me read it for you: Matthew 28:19–20 ““Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.””

Go and tell. Mary was to go and tell Jesus’ disciples… telling them about His impending ascension to the Father. Implicit in that message is that Jesus is alive again… that He is no longer in that grave/tomb. That death no longer holds Him prisoner. He has overcome!

And more important than being told to do something is the doing of it. Mary obeys Jesus’ command, goes and tells the disciples all that she had seen and heard. It doesn’t matter what the culture thought of the witness of a woman at that time, the discipels were glad to hear of the news, unbelievable though it may be.

Conclusion

We need resurrection. I came across another little story that I found kind of humorous that will help set the stage for the conclusion this morning.

Preaching Themes: Death, Sin

Alan Campbell called the United Kingdom’s National Health Service to set up an appointment with a specialist. The NHS told Campbell he was dead. Even though the person on the other end of the line could hear him talking, she insisted he would have to return to his general practitioner for proof he was alive.

It is possible to be walking around, fully alive, yet to be completely dead in sin.

—Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell

Jim L. Wilson and Rodger Russell, “Alive, but Dead,” in 300 Illustrations for Preachers, ed. Elliot Ritzema (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2015).

Without Jesus, we are all dead men and women walking. We may have a heartbeat and brain waves, but we are all destined for the same fate sooner or later. Death comes for all of us. Unless the rapture happens and we are spared from death, which will be a one time event some undisclosed time in the future, we can’t escape that fate. What we do in this life makes all the difference. And the difference maker is Jesus Christ.

Mary came to a tomb expecting to find Jesus, but what she found instead changed history. If you come to Jesus expecting to find the same thing you would find with any other person who ever lived, you too will find the unexpected. For Mary, that was a stone rolled away from the opening of the tomb in which Jesus’ body was laid just days earlier. For us, there are some who might expect a body to still be in a tomb somewhere, but the more you search, the more you realize that body just isn’t there. You might expect to find a man, like any other, and yet you will find the Son of Man with no equal. You might expect to find a teacher but you will find a Savior. But finding Jesus is only part of the story… part of your story.

Mary went and told her friends what she had discovered. Peter and John raced to the tomb because they had to see for themselves that the tomb was empty. Sometimes you just have to see for yourselves. So, when you are sharing the gospel with friends and family about the risen Savior and they don’t believe you right away, invite them to come with you to witness the work of God in your life. For some, that might be an invitation to church. For others, it’s a deeper commitment to follow along as people live their lives so that others can see the transforming power of God at work. The fact of the matter is that the tomb was empty that fateful morning. It would have been a somber day with a spark of confusion. No one yet knew what it meant that the tomb was empty and so Peter and John go back to where they were staying and it is safe to assume that they had some very interesting conversations with the other disciples about it all. It wouldn’t be until sometime later that the disciples would encounter the risen Jesus. John says that at seeing the cloths lying there, he believed. What would he have told his fellow disciples who did not run to the tomb?

Mary’s dedication is inspiring as she stayed at the tomb and what she saw was beyond incredible. Not only did she have an angelic encounter, but she had a Jesus encounter too! The only thing that can make an angelic encounter pale by comparrison is to have an encounter with the risen Jesus. Even through tears and heartache, she wanted to find Jesus. Even though she was conversing with Jesus at that very moment, she sought Him out. She found out that day what Jeremiah 29:13 says: “‘You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.”

When Jesus called her by name, that was the moment her eyes were opened and she declared Jesus to be her teacher! We all need a moment like that where we call out to Jesus and acknowledge Him as our Lord and Savior! And if we are listening carefully enough, we might just hear Jesus calling us by name too.

On the path of discipleship, encountering the resurrected Jesus is a crucial moment foundational for our faith and salvation. What will you do about the risen Savior! Will you share the good news with others, or will you keep quiet? Will you follow Him or will you continue on the path you think is best for you? No greater adventure lies before you than the one you get when you choose to follow Jesus!