Witness to the Living Lord John 20:1-23
Easter Sermon by Don Emmitte, Grace Restoration Ministries
Take Your Bibles, Please…
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. 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. 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. On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.” (John 20:1-23 ESV).
Some Background
There is evidence that Christians originally celebrated the resurrection of Christ every Sunday, with observances such as Scripture readings, psalms, and communion. At some point in the first two centuries, however, it became customary to celebrate the resurrection specifically on one day each year. Many of the religious observances of this celebration were taken from the Jewish Passover. This well-known Old Testament event centers on God’s deliverance of Israel from Egypt through ten miraculous plagues. These included how the death angel would “pass over” all the houses where the Israelites lived. They were instructed to put blood over their doorposts to ensure that only the firstborn of Egypt would die. In this first Passover, it was only the blood of the slain lamb that protected each Israelite home. While Egypt suffered the plague of death, the Israelite firstborn were delivered by blood. By obeying God’s command and by faith in His promise to protect them, they were spared from death. Considering the substitutionary atonement of the death of Jesus it is not surprising the church would begin an annual celebration, or Holy Day, becoming Easter Sunday. Just as Israel was delivered from death, so did they believe they were delivered in Jesus.
We ought to remember the backdrop of the first Easter however. It was not a time of celebration, but darkness as a result of the passion and death of Jesus. Even though he had taught them at least three times specifically about the events of his death always promising the resurrection, they could only feel the grief and terror of death. Only later when they saw and experienced Christ in resurrection would they be set free from this fear to an unshakable hope of eternal life.
Remember they well knew the stories of the Old Testament. They knew of the wrath of God that had been visited on the earth in the great flood. They knew of the Exodus and how God redeemed the nation according to his covenant. They had rehearsed all of the history of the Judges of Israel. The great men and women of those days like Gideon, Sampson, and Deborah. They knew the incredible feats of David beginning with his defeat of Goliath to the uniting of the nations. They studied and memorized the writings of the prophets. Men like Elijah, Daniel, Isaiah, and Jeremiah were household names to them. They had come to know Jesus and believed him to be the savior and coming king of Israel They hoped for the restoration of the nation through his leadership. After all, did he not heal the sick, raise the dead, and speak with an authority like no other man? Surely this was the promised Messiah. Now he was dead. Cruelly killed and cursed in crucifixion. They saw him die and buried him in a borrowed tomb. Now huddled together they began to wonder what would happen to them. This is the backdrop of that first Easter. Significantly different that today, isn’t it? So, let’s go back to that first Sunday morning.
First, note the overwhelming emotions of those who first faced the empty tomb.
1. Notice the reaction of Mary Magdalene as she is overwhelmed with grief (vv. 1-2, 11). Other gospels tell us she was not the only woman to come to the tomb that morning. At least three other women accompanied her. But Mary was the one who ran back and told the disciples about the empty tomb. Mary wasn't wishing for a resurrection, and then hopefully imagined it. She had no thought of resurrection yet, and believed the body of Jesus had been stolen. She must have been beside herself. She ran to Peter and John and exclaimed the news that someone had obviously stolen his body.
2. Notice the reaction of Peter and John as they were overwhelmed with fear (vv. 3-9). Can you picture it? John, being a little quicker than Peter, reached the tomb first. He stopped and as Peter approached they looked in and saw it to be empty. This seems an uncharacteristic tentativeness on the part of the apostle who stood by Jesus through the crucifixion. He was the only apostle brave enough to do that. So, why, at the entrance to the tomb, does this man, of all men, pause? One reason may be he feared that upon entering the tomb he would find Mary Magdalene had been wrong. Instead of finding an empty tomb, with all the possibilities that entailed, perhaps he was afraid he would be confronted with the body of Christ. Wasn't that what was to be expected? And if John had entered the tomb and found the body of Jesus, that would mean he would have to accept the finality of the victory of the Sanhedrin and the Romans. He would be forced to admit to himself that Jesus' beautiful words were nothing more than that, that Jesus' promises were empty, and that the man whom he had followed and loved for three years was lost to him forever. Perhaps in that moment he paused outside the tomb, John fought an epic battle with despair and doubt. His exhausted faith had been tried and tested over three long days. How much more did he have left? Perhaps his hesitation was a desperate attempt to hold on for one more moment to that sliver of hope he had allowed himself upon learning Mary Magdalene's tale. Perhaps, in his mind, by hesitating John was clinging to Jesus and His memory and His promises when, by entering the tomb and confronting Christ's body it would mean letting all of that pass away. Maybe by pausing, he was trying to keep faith with Jesus, when his faith was faltering.
Second, note how Jesus appears to each of them (vv. 14-27).
1. Jesus appears to Mary with tenderness and compassion (vv. 14-20). Stricken with her grief and fear she meets two angels. This is one of the few places in the Bible where someone encounters angels and they are not stricken with fear. It shows that Mary was so grieved at the loss of Jesus that she was unaffected even by an appearance of angels. She begs them to tell her where he has been taken. She still doesn’t imagine the possibility of the resurrection. Tenney says, "Her words reveal her devotion. She never paused to consider how she would carry the corpse of a full-grown man or how she would explain her possession of it." Then Jesus speaks to her. He utters one word; it is her name, “Mary.” It is not said in reprimand, but tender compassion. At the sound of his voice she knows. She knows its Jesus. It is not an apparition or vision. She knows it’s really him.
How like the Savior to speak to her with such concern and compassion. Jesus always comes gently speaking, transforming our grief to gladness. This is what that first Easter meant to her. Oh, we could make much of the fact that Jesus appeared first to a woman, and to this woman; but, after all has been said, Jesus is appearing to the one who needed him at that moment. Bruce Chilton writes that Mary's visit from Jesus after his resurrection "gave access to a world where death no longer had dominion. Instead, dying marked an entry into God's presence. This is what the angelic youth at the mouth of the tomb announced: Jesus' victory over death." Jesus sends Mary with this message to the disciples.
2. Jesus now appears to the Peter and John with the others in the Upper room (vv. 21-23). We are told of five appearances of Jesus on the resurrection day: to Mary Magdalene, to the women, to two on the road to Emmaus, to Peter and here to ten of the disciples, Thomas being absent. The Gospel of John tells of two of these five appearances. He writes, On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” (John 20:19 ESV). How did Jesus enter the room? We don’t know for sure, however we can say John wants us to know that Jesus was not limited by the physical world any longer. Jesus then speaks those words that turn their fear to peace. He says, “Peace be with you.” After their desertion of Jesus on Friday, the disciples were probably expecting words of rebuke or blame. Instead, Jesus brought a word of peace, reconciling peace. Now, that a word I need today. Isn’t it a word you need? Peace!
A Final Thought
There have been some who have claimed the empty tomb was no more than an elaborate ruse to cement the beginning of a new religion. We have heard of those who have sought to start their own religion. Billy Graham wrote in his book, World Aflame, telling of such a man. His name was Auguste Comte, a French philosopher. He declared he would begin a new religion that would overshadow the religion of Christ. He said his religion would have no mysteries and would be as plain as the multiplication table; its name was to be positivism. Thomas Carlyle, a Scottish essayist, answered his claim: “Very good, Mr. Comte. All you will need to do is to speak as never a man spoke, and live as never a man lived, and be crucified, and rise again the third day, and get the world to believe you are still alive. Then your religion has a chance to get on.”
There have been many great teachers, mystics, martyrs and saints who have spoken words full of grace and truth through the centuries since Jesus walked this earth in his humanity. I like what Malcolm Muggeridge has said best:
“In the case of Jesus alone the belief has persisted that when he came into the world, God deigned to take on the likeness of a man in order that men might reach out. For myself, as I approach my end, I find Jesus’ outrageous claim ever more captivating and meaningful. Quite often, waking up in the night as the old men do, I feel myself to be half out of my body, hovering between life and death, with eternity rising in the distance. I see my ancient carcass, prone between the sheets, stained and worn like a scrap of paper dropped in the gutter and, hovering over it, myself, like a butterfly released from its chrysalis stage and ready to fly away. Are caterpillars told of their impending resurrection? How dying they will be transformed from poor earth-crawlers into creatures of the air, with exquisitely painted wings. If told, do they believe it? I imagine the wise old caterpillars shaking their heads – no, it can’t be; it’s a fantasy. Yet in limbo between living and dying, as the night clocks tick remorselessly on, and the black sky implacably shows not one single streak or scratch of gray, I hear those words: I am the resurrection, and the life, and feel myself to be carried along on a great tide of joy and peace.”
