Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Introduction

Greet everyone (be in front of the pulpit)

Attention (Why should they listen to you?) Throwing a bullet into the fire.

What is the Hearer’s problem?

We often fail to understand the significance of the message of the Scriptures.

They are in fact a message of life and hope

What is the Biblical Solution?

We are in good company!

The disciples had the same problem...

What do the hearers need to know?

Main Textual Idea:

Main Idea: It is Critical that You Understand the Scriptures

Why?

Why is it so important that you and I understand the archaic book?

What difference does it make?

Well, if it is what it clams to be, the very Word of God, then it is true.

And if it is true, then it has authority!

And if it has authority, then we ought to listen, obey and believe!

At the end of this sermon I will tell you Why it is absolutely critical that you understand the Scriptures.

But as we work through this text, there are some things that you need to understand regarding John portrayal of the Resurrection of Christ, the single most important event in human history!

There are three truths that you must understand regarding John’s depiction of this event.

And the first is this...

Body (Satisfaction)

1. Do You Understand that His Body Was Not Burgled?

(vs.

1-4)

When something is missing, often our first response is that it has been stolen.

Unfortunately, this is the same response some of the disciples had when they went to the tomb that Jesus was buried in early that Sunday morning!

Take a look at verses 1-4...

Give harmony from “The Words and Works of Jesus Christ” and then explain...

The earthquake

The decent of the angel

Explanation -

The opening of the tomb

The resurrection ()

The group of women who came “very early” hour of the “deep dawn,” while it was still dark

Mary Magdalene, ran ahead and found it open

Immediately ran back to find Peter and John leaving the other women.

The other women, completing their two mile walk from Bethany arrive a little after dawn ()

An angel appears to them with an urgent message to the disciples.

Peter and John, already on their way because of Mary’s message, show up to inspect the tomb.

Verse 1

“Now on the first day of the week” - It was A.D. 85 as John was writing his account of Jesus life and the resurrection.

Do you notice what John says?

This was the first day of the week!

Sunday, by the time John is writing this text had become the first day of the week.

It became prominent because of the resurrection!

and on that glorious day, Mary Magdalene was on her way to the tomb to finish the job started by Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea.

By the way, who were the “they” Luke mentions?

“Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark” -

So, although John doesn’t say so, Mary wasn’t alone but, for him, she is the primary focus.

Who was Mary Magdalene?

Mary loved and supported Jesus during His life and now she is caring for Him in His death.

And so,“Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark”

Perhaps John simply fails to mention the other ladies or she got ahead of them on the way and arrived to the tomb before them?

In either case, Mary Magdalene is the first person to identify that the tomb had been disturbed.

Mary Magdalene came to the tomb“…and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.” - Can you imagine?

She, walking up to the tomb, with the determination to finish preparing the body of Jesus for His continued burial, all of a sudden realizes in the darkness of the morning that the tomb was now open, she panics, doesn’t wait for the other women to see and respond, she runs back to find the disciples, not out of faith, but instead doubt!

Apparently from this text as well as others, the resurrection was the last thing on her mind.

So, what does she do?

Verse 2

“So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one who 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.”

- There are two things Mary Magdalene did.

First, she ran for help!

She talked with Peter and John, AKA “the one who Jesus loved”

“They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.”

-

Second, she assumed the worst.

She assumed someone had stolen the body of Jesus...

Verse 3 - Well, when Peter and John heard this news, they wasted no time and headed out the door to see what in the world was going on!

“So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb.” -

Verse 4 - They were pretty serious about getting there soon because John says...

“Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.”

- John was most likely younger that Peter and therefore a bit faster.

Be that as it may, isn’t it interesting to you that Mary’s first assumption when she saw the tomb open was that it was burgled?

Perhaps the Jewish leadership took the body?

Perhaps the Romans wanted to make another example to the Jews regarding their Messiah?

Maybe someone just wanted to retrieve the fine linens and spices for their own profits?

I’m sure Mary Magdalene had a myriad of thoughts racing through her head.

But out of all of those thoughts running around in her mind while she was running toward the disciples, there wasn’t one thought that Jesus actually resurrected from the dead.

She’s not alone in this, Peter and John didn’t think this either.

They didn’t run to the tomb to see a risen savior.

No! They ran to find out where the dead body of Jesus ended up!

This whole episode isn’t about a burgled body!

It is about a complete disregard for the promise of Jesus’ resurrection.

The Old Testament taught about the resurrection and Promised the Messiah would rise from the dead

Jo

describes the death of the Messiah in detail.

talks of life after death.

This is only possible because of the resurrection.

Jesus Tells of His resurrection over and over through the gospels.

Jesus

For Pete sake, even the Jewish leadership heard what Jesus said regarding His resurrection...

Matt

But Mary, Peter and John?

The resurrection didn’t seem to cross their minds.

They thought His body was burgled!

Illustration - Lost something, thought it was stolen…found out later I was wrong...

But It wasn’t burgled.

No one stole the body of Jesus.

He had risen Just at He said He would!