So that you may believe - John 20
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It is finished
It is finished
Last week Brent left us at this point. The culmination of all Jesus had done. The final product and the prophesies that were to be fulfilled was finished. For us now we look at that as a celebration, as we should, but for the disciples, that wasn’t the case. Imagine walking with someone. Learning from someone and devoting your entire being to someone for it to all end with death on a cross. You just witnessed the man who is supposed to deliver you from confines of this world suffer the most brutal death.
Just as we would, the disciples are in this place of grieving the loss of their teacher, their friend, their brother. Now it is important to understand this because it sets the stage of the mindset they had going into this encounter with Jesus. They are probably in a stage of shock and denial.
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. 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.” So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.
So Mary got to the tomb first and sees that it is empty. Her response is “I got to get Peter and John. What do we do?” And they run to the tomb. What we see here is a sense of urgency to see what is going on. John goes so far as to point out that he got their first. Probably to boast a little bit, but it’s all good.
It reminds me of when you tell younger kids to race to get you something and they book it even though they have no idea that they are doing you a favor. It works with youth students too.
So there is a sense of urgency to see what happened to Jesus.
And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples went back to their homes.
That’s probably scary and confusing to see… Imagine looking in and seeing linen clothes lying there with no body.
Though they believed they did not understand what was happening. There was a blindness to what had transpired.
The Davidic Covenant that they had been taught. The promise of a saviour that would come from the line of David required that someone to be alive. The confidence in the Messiah that they were to have was killed. What they didn’t understand is that the death was necessary to bring the resurrection that conquered death.
They are experiencing this in real time. They are grieving. They are in a stake of shock and awe.
But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. 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.” Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she 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 Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). 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.’ ” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.
The next part of the passage is a conversation with Mary and Jesus in which Mary thinks Jesus is a gardener.
Mary’s expectation of who Jesus is are not met and cause her to be blinded. She cannot see Jesus standing right i
When Jesus appears to Mary and later appears to the disciples. there is doubt present. Even though Jesus had told them this before. Even though scripture was obvious about it.
In Luke’s account of these events he addresses this by showing Jesus acknowledged what had to be fulfilled.
And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
I can imagine Jesus thinking “How do these guys not get it?? It was there all along.
EXPLAIN MCU
If this was a Marvel movie there would have been 10 videos that were all longer than the movies themselves explaining what happened based on the comic books and other films. I know because I am the guy that sits there and watches them all.
I have a similar story actually. My dad is a Pastor, he has been since I was 9. I was raised in church. We used to joke that we had something for church every night of the week and for the most part that is true. The gospel was the central part of my upbringing. I knew what I had to do or at least I thought I did. I memorized the right passages and learned the right songs. I led a small group, worship and youth group when I was 14. I tried to serve and love others the best I could. But something never felt right. I lived in a constant state of confusion because I wasn't sure what I was teaching was real. The environment I grew up in was the complete opposite of a happy christian place.
I grew up in Stockton, CA. When I was in high school, the recession had hit, the city declared bankruptcy and everyone I knew were into gangs, sex, and drugs. The world around me was so distracting that the only thing I knew to do was “live my life for God” without surrendering the rest.
This all culminated in a moment at a youth conference with Hillsong’s With Everything in the background where I realized that the whole point of faith is not that we see first and have faith in what we have seen. The whole point of faith is that it starts at the point of not seeing God that we can look through HIS eyes once we have that faith. Faith is what is required for us to see Jesus.
Like something out of a movie, I could audibly hear God’s voice just say, “Daniel” and in that moment I knew I didn’t have go through this alone. In that moment that doubt I had was gone.
CONCRETE EXAMPLES of what this looks like in your life.
Who is my audience?
What are they going through?
What do they have going on?
See the evidence of Jesus has always been there. And the purpose of the evidence is so that we may believe.
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
Everything Jesus has done. From his baptism and his miracles to the cross and resurrection has been done so that we may believe.
The God of the universe came down and became fully man with the goal of showing you who he is. The stories and prophecies and fulfillment of prophecies. The poetry and songs written about the coming Messiah all came together right here. In this moment and all of is in place so that you may believe.
I am going to invite the band up and I am going to pray. But before I do I want to leave you with one question. Do you believe? Do you believe in the Messiah who gave everything for you so that you wouldn't have to suffer the brutality that is the death of the cross? That is our invitation today. What we simply believe.
Don’t let doubt get in the way of what you believe.
Let’s pray