Erasing Doubt
Text: John 20:1-18
Introduction
1. Illustration: Max Lucado, in his book, "Six Hours One Friday," tells the story of a missionary in Brazil who discovered a tribe of Indians in a remote part of the jungle. They lived near a large river. The tribe was in need of medical attention. A contagious disease was ravaging the population. People were dying daily.
A hospital was not too terribly far away — across the river, but the Indians would not cross it because they believed the river was inhabited by evil spirits. And to enter its water would mean certain death.
The missionary explained how he had crossed the river & was unharmed. But they were not impressed. He then took them to the bank & placed his hand in the water. They still wouldn’t go in. He walked into the water up to his waist & splashed water on his face. It didn’t matter. They were still afraid to enter the river.
Finally, he dove into the river, swam beneath the surface until he emerged on the other side. He raised a triumphant fist into the air. He had entered the water & escaped. It was then that the Indians broke into a cheer & followed him across.
Isn’t that what Jesus did? He entered the river of death & came out on the other side so that we might no longer fear death, but find eternal life in Him.
2. People can know all of the evidence about Jesus death and resurrection and still doubt. Sometimes it takes being touched by Jesus to come to a place of saving faith.
3. The resurrection of Jesus shows us...
A. Doubt Causes Panic
B. Seeing Is Believing
C. Touching Is Even Better
4. Let's stand together as we read John 20:1-18
Proposition: Being touched by the risen Lord erases doubt.
Transition: First let's talk about doubt, because...
I. Doubt Brings Panic (1-2).
A. They Have Taken The Lord's Body
1. In order to set the scene let's remember a few details.
A. Jesus had told his disciples and close follower that he would have to be turned over to the religious authorities, be crucified, but that he would rise again on the third day.
B. Even though he told them this over and over they couldn't grasp it.
C. When the officials came and arrested him they all ran and hid, except Peter who followed behind him but denied three times that he even knew Jesus.
D. Then Jesus was crucified and they all lost hope.
2. Now let's see what happened on that third day. John tells us, "Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance."
A. Mary Magdalene came to the tomb very early on the first day of the week, for John tells us that it was "still dark."
B. That it was still dark will perhaps explain why Mary did not see the things Peter and John saw later.
C. However, she does not appear to have paused for long enough to see much, whatever the state of the light.
D. Her early arrival is evidence of a determination to get on with the task at the soonest possible moment.
E. It is not clear why John does not mention any woman other than Mary when all the other Gospels tell us that she was not alone.
F. It may be that he knew that she was the first to see the risen Jesus and that he was not concerned accordingly with the others who did not see Jesus at the same time as did Mary.
G. John proceeds to tell us that Mary saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.
H. The women had been anxious about this, since they knew that they could not roll it away themselves (Morris, The New International Commentary on the New Testament – The Gospel According to John, 733).
3. After seeing the stone rolled away Mary expects the worst. "She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, “They have taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”
A. Mary's immediate reaction was to tell the disciples. She ran off to Simon Peter (who appears still to have been recognized as the leading apostle, despite the denials), and to the "the other disciple" , "the one Jesus loved".
B. She had seen that the tomb was empty and concluded that the body had been stolen (what else?).
C. Apparently the thought of a resurrection did not enter her mind.
D. So she told the two men that the body had been taken away. Her "they" is not defined, but it can scarcely mean "people in general."
E. It will refer to the enemies of Jesus, perhaps especially the chief priests.
F. She adds, "we don't know where they have put him!" The plural "we" indicates that other women were associated with her in the discovery, though she is the only one John mentions.
G. It is in fairly likely, considering that she went to the tomb "while it was still dark", that others were with her.
H. A woman would scarcely have ventured outside the city alone at such an hour with Jerusalem crowded with visitors for the feast, visitors who might be of uncertain character and who might be lurking anywhere (Morris, 734!)
I. The most important thing to see here is that even though she had heard Jesus say that he would rise from the dead on the third day, she still assumes that his body had been stolen, rather than to take Jesus at his word.
J. Her doubt caused her to panic!
B. Doubt Obstuct s Truth
1. Illustration: If faith never encounters doubt, if truth never struggles with error, if good never battles with evil, how can faith know its own power. In my own pilgrimage, if I have to choose between a faith that has stared doubt in the eye and made it blink, or a naïve faith that has never known the firing line of doubt, I will choose the former every time (Gary Parker as quoted by Lee Strobel, The Case for Faith (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Pub. House, 2000), 243).
2. Things get out of control when we forget that God is in control.
A. Matthew 14:30-31 (NLT)
But when he saw the strong wind and the waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted. 31 Jesus immediately reached out and grabbed him. “You have so little faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?”
B. Doubt is the enemy of faith.
C. When we allow the devil to sow seeds of doubt in our minds our faith begins to crumble.
D. But in times like this Jesus says to us "why did you doubt me?"
E. He has never failed us before and he's not going to now.
F. He has promised to always be with us no matter the circumstances.
G. When difficulties come our way Jesus says, "Don't worry I've got this!"
H. When doubt enters our minds we need to take authority over it is Jesus name and dismiss it.
I. We need to stand on the promises of God's word and believe and our doubt will flee.
Transition: Doubt causes fear, but...
II.Seeing Is Believing (3-10).
A. He Saw And Believed
1. Now the focus turns from Mary to two of Jesus favorite disciples, Peter and John.
2. Once they heard the news that Jesus body was missing, "Peter and the other disciple started out for the tomb. 4 They were both running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first."
A. The disciples apparently wasted no time talking. They set off to see for themselves.
B. Peter is mentioned first as though he took the initiative and set off. The other then decided to come, too.
C. They were going to the tomb. The result was that they were both running.
D. The one who started second reached the tomb first. It is often said that he was younger than Peter, and he may have been.
E. But the text does not say so and we must bear in mind that speed and youth are not synonymous.
F. It is not impossible, moreover, that the Beloved Disciple was more familiar with the area than Peter and took a shortcut to the tomb. We do not know (Morris, 734).
3. Once he arrived John "He stooped and looked in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he didn’t go in."
A. Apparently the Beloved Disciple was somewhat lacking in confidence or hesitant.
B. He seems not to have begun this race to the tomb, but to have followed Peter's initiative.
C. Now, arrived at his destination, he hesitated to go inside the tomb, but contented himself with standing outside and looking in.
D. From this position he could see the "linen wrappings."
E. No mention is made of the headcloth; presumably it was not visible from where he stood, though when Peter went into the tomb he would see it immediately (Morris, 735).
4. Then John tells us, "Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, 7 while the cloth that had covered Jesus’ head was folded up and lying apart from the other wrappings. "
A. It is not said how much later Peter arrived. But when he got there he did not hesitate but went straight into the tomb.
B. He saw the cloths that had been around the body.
C. John specifically mentions that the cloth that had been on Jesus' head was not with the others, but was wrapped up in a place of its own.
D. John is plainly describing an orderly scene, not one of wild confusion.
E. This means that the body had not been taken by grave robbers.
F. They would never have left the cloths wrapped neatly. They would have taken the body, cloths and all, or would have taken the cloths off and dropped them in a heap (Morris, 735).
5. Now here is where it gets really interesting as John finally enters the tomb, which makes this an eyewitness account. Referring to himself, he says, "Then the disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed— 9 for until then they still hadn’t understood the Scriptures that said Jesus must rise from the dead. 10 Then they went home."
A. Encouraged by Peter, the other disciple also entered the tomb. John repeats that he came there first, and goes on to say, "He saw and believed."
B. Neither verb has an object. We may easily assume that the object of the first is the grave clothes.
C. These are at the moment, the center of attention. There is no real uncertainty here. But what did he believe?
D. That Jesus rose is our natural answer, but immediately John goes on to say that they did not yet know the Scripture that Jesus must rise.
E. He may mean that, on the basis of the evidence before his eyes, the Beloved Disciple believed that a resurrection had taken place, even despite his ignorance at this time of the significance of the Scriptures relevance on the subject.
F. The Easter faith means more than the conviction that a resuscitation has taken place; it includes understanding that the divine purpose revealed in Scripture has now taken place.
G. It seems that John had now come to believe that the resurrection had taken place, but that he did not yet appreciate all that that meant.
H. It is worth noting that John puts some emphasis on the fact of the empty tomb. Not only was it seen to be empty by Mary, but also by Peter and the Beloved Disciple.
I. "The implication is not that Peter saw but did not believe; it is only that the narrator tells Peter's story as an external observer but the beloved disciple's story as his own" (Morris, 735).
J. John saw and believed!
B. Eyes of Faith
1. Illustration: Helen Keller: "I have walked with people whose eyes are full of light but who see nothing. They see nothing in the woods or sky, nothing in sports, nothing on the street. Their soul's voyage through this enchanted world is a barren waste."
2. When doubt gets in the way just look through the eyes of faith.
A. John 20:28-29 (NLT)
“My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed.
29 Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”
B. Sometimes we believe because we have seen Jesus with our physical eyes.
C. We have seen him work miracles.
D. We have seen him meet our financial needs.
E. We have seen him heal our hurts.
F. We have seen him restore relationships.
G. We have seen him reach down and brings us out of the biggest, deepest holes.
H. But sometimes we need to see him through the eyes of faith.
I. We need to see him when our backs are against the wall.
J. We need to see him when we are down to our last dime.
K. We need to see him when there is no other way out.
L. It is in those times that faith becomes real to us and it lifts us out of the depths of despair.
M. Open our eyes Lord we want to see Jesus!
Transition: Doubt brings panic, seeing is believing, but touching is even better!
III. Touching Is Even Better (11-18).
A. Don't Cling To Me
1. Now the scene shifts back to Mary. She is still lost in her sorrow.
2. John says, "Mary was standing outside the tomb crying, and as she wept, she stooped and looked in."
A. Mary was standing just outside the tomb, and weeping.
B. John says nothing about her return to the tomb, nor about whether she got there before the two men left.
C. He simply pictures her as standing at the tomb and weeping.
D. While she continued weeping she stooped down and peeped in.
E. Though she had been at the tomb before, this is the first mention of her looking inside it (Morris, 739).
3. As she looked in, "She saw two white-robed angels, one sitting at the head and the other at the foot of the place where the body of Jesus had been lying. 13 “Dear woman, why are you crying?” the angels asked her. “Because they have taken away my Lord,” she replied, “and I don’t know where they have put him.”
A. She sees (John uses the present tense for greater impact) two angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and the other at the feet.
B. The angels do not play a major part; their one function is to ask Mary why she is crying, after which we hear no more of them.
C. Mary's reply is much like her words to the disciples in verse 2, though now she uses the singular "I don't know."
D. No other women are associated with her at this moment.
E. The question concerns her personal grief, and her answer relates to this only.
F. The depth of her grief is perhaps due to the emphasis the Jews of the day placed on correct and proper burial.
G. They regarded with disgust any disrespect paid to a corpse.
H. Not knowing what had happened to Jesus' body was worrying Mary and distressing her deeply (Morris, 739).
4. After speaking with the angels, "She turned to leave and saw someone standing there. It was Jesus, but she didn’t recognize him."
A. No answer of the angels is recorded. Perhaps Mary withdrew abruptly.
B. She may have heard a movement behind her. Or, as many commentators from Chrysostom down have held, the angels may have made some motion at the sight of the Lord behind Mary.
C. We do not know. But she turned right around and saw Jesus standing there.
D. Why she did not recognize him is not said. It is possible that tears were blurring her vision, but tears are not usually a reason for failing to recognize someone well known to us.
E. There seems to have been something different about the risen Jesus so that he was not always recognized (Morris, 740).
5. Then Jesus says to her, “Dear woman, why are you crying?” Jesus asked her. “Who are you looking for?” She thought he was the gardener. “Sir,” she said, “if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and get him.”
A. Jesus repeats the question of the angels, "Dear woman, why are you crying?" and adds, "Who are you are looking for?"
B. This might have started Mary along the right track. She was looking for a corpse whereas she should have been seeking a person.
C. Why Mary took him for the gardener is not clear. Perhaps it was the only logical thing. Who else would be in the garden so early, and who else would question her as to what she was doing?
D. What is certain is that she did take him for the gardener and she leaped to the conclusion that he may well have carried away the body she was seeking.
E. So she asks whether this were the case and lets him know that she wants to take the body away.
F. She does not say, "in order to give it decent burial," but that is implied.
G. Interestingly, she says nothing of whose body she meant, nor even that she did mean a body.
H. Her answer presupposes quite a bit of knowledge of the circumstances.
I. But that is quite understandable, given the depths of her grief.
J. A thoroughly grief-stricken person does not make allowances and go into full explanations.
K. She uses "him" three times: it was he who filled her thoughts to the exclusion of all else.
L. It has often been pointed out that Mary unaided would have found it difficult to "get him." But grief like Mary's does not perform exact calculations as the weight that can be lifted (Morris, 740).
6. Then Jesus touches Mary's heart with one word...her name. “Mary!” Jesus said. She turned to him and cried out, “Rabboni!” (which is Hebrew for “Teacher”)."
A. With a mastery of language John tells how Mary came to know that it was Jesus.
B. The risen Christ utters but one word, her name. Mary turns. Evidently, after turning toward Jesus she had turned back to the tomb.
C. This further act of turning indicates that something in the way the name was spoken caught her attention.
D. When the Good Shepherd calls his sheep they know his voice.
E. Immediately she calls out in Aramaic "Rabboni," which John translates for the benefit of his Greek readers.
F. It indicates plainly enough that Mary had come to recognize Jesus.
G. This seems, however, to have been an unusual form of address. In the older Jewish literature it appears to be used, but seldom with reference to men, and as a mode of address it is mostly used of addressing God in prayer.
H. John may want us to understand Mary's reaction to the presence of the risen Lord as similar to that of Thomas who said, "My Lord and my God" (Morris, 741).
7. Then Jesus says to her, “Don’t cling to me,” Jesus said, “for I haven’t yet ascended to the Father. But go find my brothers and tell them that I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.”
A. Mary's immediate response was to touch Jesus and cling to him. But Jesus stopped her.
B. Perhaps Mary wanted to hold Jesus and not lose him again. She had not yet understood the Resurrection.
C. Perhaps she thought this was his promised Second Coming. But Jesus was not to remain on this earth in physical form.
D. If he did not ascend to heaven, the Holy Spirit could not come. Both he and Mary had important work to do.
E. Prior to his death, Jesus had called the disciples his “friends”.
F. But here, because of the Resurrection, Jesus’ disciples had become his brothers.
G. Christ’s resurrection creates this new level of relationship because it provides for the regeneration of every believer.
H. After Jesus ascended to his Father, he would come to his disciples and give them this new life and relationship by breathing into them the Holy Spirit.
I. Thus, for the first time in the Gospel, it is made clear that Jesus’ Father is our Father, that Jesus’ God is our God.
J. The death and resurrection of Jesus ushered in a new relationship between believers and God.
(Barton 459).
8. Then "Mary Magdalene found the disciples and told them, “I have seen the Lord!” Then she gave them his message."
A. Mary was the first person to see the risen Christ. She obeyed Jesus and found the disciples, telling them,
B. “I have seen the Lord!” Then she gave them Jesus’ message.
C. Jesus’ words should have been a great comfort to the disciples.
D. Despite their deserting him in the Garden, he was calling them his “brothers” and explaining that his Father was theirs, his God was theirs.
E. But this report was no more believed by the disciples than the women’s report of the angels’ words.
F. The disciples were still hiding behind locked doors, for fear of the Jews (Barton, 460).
G. After being touched by Jesus she was prompted to action.
B. Touching Jesus
1. Illustration: Bruce Larson said, "The events of Easter cannot be reduced to a creed or philosophy. We are not asked to believe the doctrine of the resurrection. We are asked to meet this person raised from the dead. In faith, we move from belief in a doctrine to a knowledge of a person. Ultimate truth is a person. We met him. He is alive-"
2. Have you been touched by Jesus?
A. Acts 9:4-5 (NLT)
He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?”
5 “Who are you, lord?” Saul asked. And the voice replied, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting!
B. Being touched by Jesus will change your life forever.
C. Saul was touched by Jesus, in fact, knocked off his horse. It changed him from a church persecutor to the greatest Evangelist the world has ever known.
D. Being touched by Jesus changed my life. He reached out and touched me in a very real, and personal way. At that moment I went from believing to knowing.
E. Have you been touched by Jesus?
F. If not are you ready to come up here this morning and meet the risen Savior?
Conclusion
1. People can know all of the evidence about Jesus death and resurrection and still doubt. Sometimes it takes being touched by Jesus to come to a place of saving faith.
2. The resurrection of Jesus shows us...
A. Doubt Causes Panic
B. Seeing Is Believing
C. Touching Is Even Better
3. Are you ready to be touched by Jesus today?
