The Resurrection

John 20:1-10

Tonight we come to John chapter twenty and to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. What we learn from this passage is: The discoveries found at the empty tomb are a witness of the resurrection of Jesus.

Everything John is writing is intended to prove to us that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in Him we have eternal life, and because He rose to life again, we to, will be resurrected.

A. It is important we understand: The Resurrection is essential to our faith. This is not a secondary doctrine, this is primary. It is not something we can take or leave, we must believe in the resurrection of Jesus.

It may be hard to believe but there are many Christian denominations that deny the physical resurrection of Christ. However, The Apostle Paul tells us the resurrection is foundational to the gospel itself, and that believing in the resurrection is of first importance.

Look at 1 Cor. 15:1-14.

“Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 6. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time, most of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep;

Now drop down to Vs 12. 12. Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain.

So, the resurrection is not a secondary doctrine, unnecessary to our faith, it is essential.

In the book of Romans 10:9-10 Paul directly connects the resurrection to being saved. He says, “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”

Therefore, it is essential we believe in the physical resurrection of Jesus and that He is alive today, seated at the right hand of the throne of God, forever interceding for us, and because we believe He is alive and raised, we believe we too will rise again.

Not only is The resurrection essential to our faith but it is historical truth we can believe.

It is important we understand no one was there to see the resurrection. The evidence of the resurrection is seen in the results that took place after.

For example, the eyewitness accounts of the empty tomb, the resurrection appearances of Jesus, the silence of the Jewish leaders, the testimony of the disciples, who by the way, gave their life for that testimony.

W know the Resurrection was a historical fact because the Jewish leaders testified to it with their actions.

Look at Matthew 28:11–15 “Now while they were on their way, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all that had happened. And when they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, and said, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were asleep.’ “And if this should come to the governor’s ears, we will win him over and keep you out of trouble.” And they took the money and did as they had been instructed; and this story was widely spread among the Jews, and is to this day.”

No one disputes the empty tomb. Two things noteworthy: 1. The Roman guards could have been executed for falling asleep on the job, and 2. if the Jewish leaders, who admit the tomb was empty would of had Jesus body they would have paraded through the streets and called the disciples liars, yet they were silent.

MacArthur compares the results of the resurrection of Jesus to the creation of the world. No one was there to witness creation yet the evidence it happened is obvious. In the same way no one witnessed the resurrection but the evidence is overwhelming.

One last thought on the historicity of the resurrection. How do we know that George Washington was the first president of the USA? All of the ancient literature from that era says so. In the same way, all of the ancient literature from that time claims Christ rose from the dead.

Not one piece of ancient literature denies it. Therefore, in the same way all historical evidence is verified, the resurrection has been established as historical fact.

That was John’s point in writing about what he discovered at the empty tomb. He wanted to establish the fact of the resurrection to help us to believe, grow in our faith, and have life in the name of Jesus. (John 20:31)

John 20:1–10 KJV

The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre. Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him. Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre. So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre. And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in. Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie, And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed. For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead. Then the disciples went away again unto their own home.

The background and context: Jesus has been crucified, dead, and buried. The soldiers were ordered to speed up the process of His death by breaking His legs.

However, when they came to Jesus they found He had already died, so one of the soldiers thrust a spear in to His side, causing water and blood to flow.

This was a sign we believe of puncturing His heart. The point being Jesus was certainly dead. There was no mistaking that.

Then, Joseph of Arimathaea and Nicodemus come out of the shadows and become full fledged disciples taking the body down from the cross, wrapping it in linen cloths, preserving it with spices and ointment.

Placing Jesus in Joseph’s own grave carved from a rock in a garden near Calvary. All of this took place just before the Sabbath and it was a special Sabbath because it marked the beginning of Passover.

Now Jesus has been in the grave for three days and the grieving women who were at the cross come to the tomb.

That is where we pick up our story tonight in John chapter 20 and what we learn is: The discoveries found at the empty tomb are witnesses of the resurrection of Jesus.

The first thing I want you to see in this passage is:

I. Mary’s Discovery Vs. 1-2

Mary Magdalene was a faithful follower of Christ and it is only fitting that she be the first to discover the empty tomb.

Notice the timing of Mary’s discovery. Look at Vs 1, “The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.”

The first day of the week would have been Sunday morning. The Jews didn’t name their days the way we do. They numbered them one through seven but this was Sunday morning.

Jesus was dead and buried Friday night before sundown. He spent all day Saturday in the tomb, and now on the third day, Sunday morning He rose again.

This forever changed the day of worship. This is why we meet on Sunday morning the first day of the week. The Jews who became the first followers of Jesus and the foundation of the church, gave up meeting on the Sabbath and began meeting on the Lord’s day. The day of the resurrection.

Mary Magdalene was an interesting person. I say it was fitting for her to be the first to discover the empty tomb because it was she Jesus cast seven demons out of in Luke 8:2.

She had been for given so much and she was so grateful for all Jesus had done and you can see it in the way she responds to Him in death. Her commitment was unwavering.

John records Mary as the 1st witness of the empty tomb. It is important we understand, a woman had no credibility in a court of law as a witness, and if John were making this story up, she would not have been mentioned. Therefore, Mary becomes a powerful witness to the credibility of John’s account.

Furthermore, Mary was not the only woman to come to the tomb that morning. All four gospel writers include these faithful followers coming to the tomb, planning to anoint the body again. Notice Mary’s testimony in Vs. 2 “we know not where they have laid him.” The word we indicates Mary was not alone. But John records Mary as the first one of the women to discover the empty tomb.

These faithful women had stood at the cross, watched Him die, saw Him buried, and now, because they could not travel on the Sabbath, they are back at the tomb on the third day.

Notice the emphasis on how early it was. John repeats himself so we understand, it was “early, when it was yet dark.” This account meshes perfectly with the other gospel writers.

For example, Matt. 28:1 says “it began to dawn.” Mark 16:2 says, “ it was very early,” Luke 24:1 says, it was at early dawn.” and now John tells us it was still dark outside. In other words, the sun was getting ready to rise, but the Savior had already risen.

Notice the end of Vs. 1 tells us of the stone. All four gospel writers include the stone being rolled away. Why? Because this is the second evidence we see of the resurrection.

This stone would have been huge, and because it was the grave originally meant for Joseph of Arimathaea, a rich man, it would have been a round disc stone 4 feet in diameter, that would have been rolled down hill, into a grove at the opening of the tomb. Why do I say that?

Because in Vs 5 John stooped down to look into the tomb. After the stone was over the entrance to the tomb it would have been sealed by the Roman soldiers.

The point being: this stone would have been huge and nearly impossible to move. The seal would have to be broken and several strong men would have to roll it out of the way.

The women were incapable of doing it and the disciples who scattered and fled at the arrest of Jesus were not going to come back and move a stone being guarded by Roman soldiers.

Furthermore, notice the emphasis by John about how confused the woman and the disciples were over the empty tomb. In other words, they were not expecting a resurrection.

They were completely caught of guard and baffled by what happened, and John’s point is: they absolutely did not steal the body.

Also, it is important we realize a resurrected Jesus didn’t need the stone removed. He could have walked right through the stone in His glorified body. The stone was moved so the witnesses could go in, not so Jesus could come out.

Notice Mary’s response to the empty tomb, look at Vs. 2 “Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them,”

Mary’s reaction reminds me of when I have misplaced my cell phone or lost my glasses, she is in a panic, and she runs, but notice who she runs to; Peter.

It is a testimony to the strength and personality of Peter that Mary would run to him first. After everything that has happened with Peter, he is the one she trusts and depends on.

Also, notice John is with Peter as well. the other disciple, whom Jesus loved. What we see is: even though Peter had failed the Lord in His death, God’s people rally around him in life.

This is an example for us to follow. We are to rally around each other as believers. We are to support one another in our weakness, and always seek to restore each other in our failures. As long as a person seeks to be restored, the body of Christ is the one to do it.

Notice what Mary says at the end in Vs. 2, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.”

We don’t know who “”they are Mary s referring to, but obviously she does not know there has been a resurrection. She either thinks the authorities, Jewish or Roman have taken the body of Jesus or the grave has been robed.

BTW, grave robbery was so common during the Roman era, archeologists discovered writings from emperor Claudius in the first century making it a crime punishable by death. Isn’t it ironic though that Jesus was the grave robber of His own grave!!

What is important for us to realize is: a first century author would not use a woman as a witness, certainly not his first witness. This speaks of the truth of the Word of God.

There is not a story being corroborated here. They are not changing and making up facts, but reporting the evidence of discovery.

Remember all the disciples with the exception of John gave their life for what they knew to be true. By Mary being the first witness here nothing is changed we are simply given the facts so we can believe.

So, the first thing we see in the passage is: Mary’s discovery of the empty tomb. The next thing I want you to see in this passage is:

II. The Disciples Discovery Vs. 3-10

Here we see the disciples come to the empty Tomb and are astonished by what they find.

Notice Vs. 3, “Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre.”

Vs. 3 is pretty straight forward. It tells us Peter and John came to the tomb. However, they become the third witness in our story. The phrase “went forth” speaks of their demeanor as they went to the tomb. They were on a mission.

Obviously, they were concerned about what Mary told them and not knowing if the body was stolen and not expecting the resurrection, they went forth determined to get to the bottom of what happened.

Vs. 4 is parenthetical and describes how they went forth.

Notice Vs.4 “So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre.”

John tells us there was a lot of running going on that morning. It was like a marathon. First, Mary ran from the tomb to Peter and now, Peter and John run from Mary to the tomb.

What John is describing is the confusion and panic of the moment. The disciples have no idea what has happened at the tomb and that is the point John wants to make. They were as confused by the empty tomb as everyone else.

I also think it is interesting, John wants us to know he was faster than Peter. He mentions it twice, Vs. 4 and Vs. 8.

Some scholars have seen a competitive rivalry between Peter and John especially considering what is recorded in John 21:20-24.

Jesus told Peter what would happen to him when he is old and how he would die, and Peter questions Jesus about what would happen to John.

But I don’t think rivalry is the point John is making here. I believe he is just giving us as much of the facts as he possible. There may have been rivalry between Peter and John, but John’s purpose was to record the info accurately, and that’s what he does.

Notice Vs. 5 “And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in.”

Notice again John had to stoop down to look into the tomb. But the emphasis here is on what John saw. It was the grave clothes of Jesus lying there that got his attention. I will explain why in a moment.

Look at Vs. 6-7 “Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie, And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.”

Here we see the personality of Peter again. John hesitated to go into the tomb, but not Peter, he runs right in. Peter was the type of person to step on a bear trap or to run in a field of landmines to get the job done.

But the emphasis here is on the linens Jesus body was wrapped in. These linens become the 4th witness in our story. In our English translations we lose what John is describing they saw.

It is important we understand the Jews mummified their bodies. In other words they wrapped them tight and added spices to each layer of wrapping. And the head was wrapped separately.

What John is describing they saw that we lose in our translation is: the linens were lying in such a way as though they still contained the body.

To remove a body from grave linens you would have to unwrap it, but Jesus had resurrected right through the cloths.

Why is this important? because if His grave had been robed, the thief would not have taken the time to arrange the clothing back the way he found it. They would of unrolled the body but Jesus linens were undisturbed, as if He came right through them, which He did!!

Notice Vs. 8 “Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed.”

Some scholars have seen a spiritual metaphor between Peter and John and their arrival at the tomb. Peter would go on to become the leader of Jewish Christians. He was the first to enter into the tomb. However, John, who would become the Pastor and leader of the Gentile churches, was the first to believe.

Again, this is interesting but I don’t think John has any of that in mind here. John’s purpose was to record the events in the order they happened, and the Holy Spirit uses the insights in ironic ways to reinforce certain details and truths.

John records himself here as becoming the first believer in the resurrection. Others saw the empty tomb, but when John saw the linen wrappings laying the way they were, he believed!!

I want you to notice that even though John believed in what he saw, he still wants us to know that is not as complete in believing what the scripture said.

Notice Vs.9, “For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.

John tells us there is a more perfect understanding that comes from the scriptures. why? because the scriptures are God speaking to us!! The scripture is the fifth witness in our story.

John may have in mind Isaiah 53:10 “But the Lord was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days,”

God speaking through Isaiah Prophesied of the resurrection of the suffering servant. Or John may have in mind Psalm 16:10 “For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol; Nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay.” We know Peter thought of this on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2:27.

What is important is this speaks of the high regard the disciples had for the written Word of God. I don’t think there is anything as critical in the church today as recognizing the authority of scripture.

It is the foundation for everything we believe and you can see the failure of the modern liberal church because it has fallen away from the authority of scripture.

It is amazing to me how many people come to church every Sunday and don’t even bring their bible. The really have no idea if what we are talking about is true or where it comes from.

Men gave their life in the reformation so we could have a copy of God’s Word and not just rely on what someone else is teaching us. This bible is a privilege and an honor, and we need to recognize it as sacred because it is.

John thought it was more important than what he saw in the tomb, and Jesus tells us the Word teaches us about Him. John 5:39 ““You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me;”

I cannot overstate the importance enough of knowing the scriptures.

Now notice Vs. 10, “Then the disciples went away again unto their own home.”

This seems so anticlimactic from what has just happened. You mean to tell me they find the empty tomb. John believes in the resurrection and now they just go home!!

The truth is they were following instructions. Matthew 28:7 the angel told the women at the tomb to: ““Go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going ahead of you into Galilee, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you.””

John doesn’t record the second visit from Mary and the other women, where they tell the disciples what the angel said. John simply records what happened next. They left and went back to Galilee astonished and waiting to hear from Jesus.

Some of them we know did not believe and Luke tells us the words of the women seemed like non-sense to them. We read later that Thomas didn’t believe, but we know John did.

What we learn from this passage is: The discoveries found at the empty tomb are witnesses of the resurrection of Jesus. We are given at least 5 witnesses for us in this passage.

Mary, Peter, and John and what they discovered are given to us so that we can believe in the resurrection of Jesus, because the resurrection is essential to our faith. The resurrection teaches us that we will not only be glorified spirits in heaven, but we will have glorified bodies. Because He is risen we too shall rise.