The Resurrection Man
Aim: To show that Jesus is the resurrection and the life.
Text: John 20:1-2
Introduction: There is a very fascinating and macabre story in the news this week. Michael Mastromarino, a New Jersey dentist pleaded guilty on Tuesday to bodysnatching. Apparently he ran a huge illegal racket in the body parts of human corpses, including that of the BBC journalist Alistair Cooke, that netted him some $4.6 million dollars.
It’s hard to believe that body snatching is still going on. Of course during the 17th and early 18th centuries, body snatching was rife. A growing number of anatomists, keen to improve their medical knowledge, needed corpses on which to conduct dissections, bodies were difficult to come by, as it was only legal to perform a dissection on the corpse of a recently executed criminal. So ‘body snatchers’, made money by digging up fresh corpses and selling them to medical schools and hospitals.
When Mary Magdalene first arrived at the tomb of Jesus she thought His body had been snatched. She ran to Peter declaring, “They have taken away the LORD out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.”
Later, when the Jewish leaders, heard that Jesus body was missing, they bribed the Roman soldiers to say, “His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept.” And that is a rumour that persists to this day.
Yet we have to ask how in the world would a team of untrained, unarmed disciples be any kind of match for a crack battalion of Roman soldiers? These men were Pilate’s own special guard. There would have been up to 16 of them placed on guard at the tomb of Jesus. There is no way in the world those soldiers would have permitted the disciples anywhere near the tomb especially after Pilate had instructed them concerning the tomb – “Make it as sure as you can” (Matt 27:65). Besides to fail in this order would have meant certain death for these soldiers!
But the irony in all this is that Jesus was not the victim of body snatching, but He Himself is the body snatcher.
You say, “What do you mean?”
There was an interesting name applied to the body snatchers of the 17th & 18th centuries. They were sometimes called “the resurrection men.” Jesus is the original Resurrection Man.
Of course some say He never rose.
Some suggest Christ’s body was placed in the wrong tomb, so that when the women & disciples returned He wasn’t there! But we understand that the women observed every detail of his burial and knew exactly where the tomb of Joseph of Arimithea was and where to go.
Others say Jesus wasn’t really dead, but merely fainted and was supposed dead. They buried a living man.
Illus: I like the story of a man who wrote to Christian magazine saying, “Dear Editor, our minister said on Easter, that Jesus only fainted on the cross and that the disciples nursed him back to life. What do you think? Yours bewildered.
He got the reply “Dear bewildered. Beat your pastor with a cat ’o’ nine tails with 39 heavy strokes, nail him to a cross; hang him in the sun for three hours; run a spear through his side...put him in an airless tomb for 36 hours and see what happens.”
The Bible makes it clear that when the Roman soldiers approached Christ with the intention of breaking His legs they saw that he was DEAD ALREADY.
The message of Easter is that He arose! Jesus is the original “Resurrection Man,” and as the resurrection man he is the great body snatcher.
I. He Snatched Bodies From The Grave During His Life.
A. The Widow’s Son at Nain
1. In Luke 7:11-15 we read, “And it came to pass the day after, that he went into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much people. Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother.”
a. It is interesting that Jesus should tell this young man, to arise. That is what the word resurrection means: “To re-erect, to stand up!”
B. Jairus’ Daughter – Mark 5:35-42
1. As we read this account, Jairus,’ daughter was at first said to be ill, and at the point of death.
2. But Jesus delayed going to her, and she passed away. Jairus was told he was wasting his time speaking to Jesus any more.
3. When He and His disciples arrived at Jairus’ home there was in the words of Scripture a “tumult”, a commotion, and people were wailing loudly.
4. Jesus said, “Why make ye this ado, and weep? The damsel is not dead, but sleepeth.”
(i) But they laughed Him to scorn
5. Then entering into her room, the Resurrection Man took her by the hand and said “Talitha cumi,” that is, “Little girl, I say unto thee arise!”
(ii) “And straightway the damsel arose, and walked; for she was of the age of twelve years. And they were astonished with a great astonishment.”
C. Then of course there was his friend Lazarus – John 11:1-44
1. Hearing that Lazarus was very ill again Jesus delayed coming. In fact he didn’t move for two whole days.
2. In fact by the time Jesus arrived Lazarus had been dead for four days, and his body was beginning to rot!
3. Approaching that home of grief, Jesus told Martha, Lazarus’ sister, “Thy brother shall rise again.”
a. He said, “I am the Resurrection Man”
b. “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.” (John 11:25-26)
4. Then making his way to Lazarus’ tomb, the Body Snatcher stood at the door and cried “Lazarus come forth!”
(i) “And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with graveclothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go.” (John 11:44)
II. He Snatched Bodies From the Grave In His Death.
A. The very last thing Jesus said on the cross, before He died was, “’Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit’: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.” (Luke 23:46)
1. Now, Matthew then tells us, “The veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.”
2. He’s at it again, robbing the grave, snatching the bodies!
III. He Will Snatch Bodies From the Grave In His Coming Again.
A. In John 5:28 we read that Jesus said, “Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.”
1. Someday all of us are going to die; our spirit and soul shall leave our body, and shall go to our eternal destiny.
2. The body will then be laid to rest. Some see that and think that is the end of that; but like the Jewish leaders of old, they have taken no account of the Resurrection Man.
3. You see just as He called Lazarus from the grave in His life, the saints from the graves in His death, He will call us from the grave in His coming again!
4. We shall stand erect before the bar of God’s court – good news for some, those who have believed, who shall receive glorified bodies and enter into life eternal: bad news for others who being still in their sins are risen to face damnation.
a. “For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.” (Job 19:25-27)
Conclusion: Jesus is the ultimate body snatcher. The Christian has nothing to fear in death. We are not awaiting the undertaker, but the uppertaker.
“In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” (1Cor 15:53-55)
Let me encourage you tonight to give your heart to Christ; to believe the gospel and be saved. To accept for yourself that Jesus died, was buried and rose again for you. Will you believe on the Resurrection Man?
