“The Beauty of an Empty Tomb”
John 20:1-20
At the height of operation Desert Storm, about 25 years ago, parents and loved ones received some of the worst news possible. I recently read the story of one family whose son had been sent into battle-and they received news that his life had been taken. Those kinds of calls are never easy for the Pentagon to make and of course for the parents who receive them they are almost unbearable. One of those messages came to a mom named Ruth. The message was that her son Clayton and stepped on a landmine in Kuwait and was killed. She said she wept for three days straight. She was angry. She felt empty. She said the loss was simply too much. Three days later the phone rang again-and the voice on the other end said, mom, it’s me... It’s Clayton. I’m alive. She could hardly believe it. She said, I laughed... I cried; I felt like turning cartwheels because my son who I thought was dead was actually alive.
This morning we come to a story that is similar. The disciples and family members and other followers had all witnessed the death of Jesus. There could be no mistake about it. He had faced 39 lashes at the hands of the Romans. Spikes had been driven through both his wrists and his feet. Some died from the beating alone. A spear was thrust into his side and he had hung on the cross for six hours. From 9 o’clock to 3 o’clock that day. After they made certain that he was dead, they took him from the cross and his body was prepared for burial. A tomb had to be borrowed from Joseph of Arimathea and a man named Nicodemus came and prepared his body for burial in the tomb. The body would then be washed. Nicodemus anointed the body with spices and the body was wrapped tightly, hands and feet were bound with strips of linen and his face was covered with a cloth. This was all according to the tradition of the Jews.
Some of you have faced the death of a loved one this year. Others will before the year is gone. It is a fact of life that we would like to ignore but we cannot. All of us will have to face death at some time. Our own or that of someone we love dearly. Solomon tells us in the Old Testament: Ecclesiastes 3:1-2a… But the fact that we will all face death offers very little comfort. The truth of the matter is this: one of the most common fears we face today is the fear of death. It has been that way for thousands of years; really since the beginning of time, man has feared death. Hebrews chapter 2 speaks to this. It was recognized 2000 years ago that man had this fear of death and some are held in slavery all their lives, because of it. But notice closer what the Scripture says-Jesus came to free us from that fear: one of the reasons Jesus went to the cross was so that you and I would not have to have this fear. Actually it’s not hard to imagine where this fear comes from.
1. The loss of family and friends close to us. We watch a loved one go through the process and we ask questions. Will they be in pain? Am I now going to be alone? What’s next for them?
2. The fear of the unknown. Death makes us feel that we are not in control and the truth is we are not. These things are in God’s hands.
3. Fear of what we will leave behind. Or not leave behind. Will our families be able to cope? Will they be able to handle the financial burden?
4. Fear of Regret. Have we done all that we could? What will we be remembered for? Or will anyone even care? Here’s the good news. The Scripture speaks to this fear.
So let’s look at some things we need to understand about death.
(1) We will not be alone when we die. Jesus said I will never leave you. He said I am with you always. The very one who conquered death will walk through the process with us.
(2) Actually we know more about death than we may realize. We don’t have to be in the dark about this subject. The Bible has verse after verse, chapter after chapter dealing with death and what life will be like after death. In fact I was going to list all the passages in Scripture where there is a reference to death-list them all the back of your sermon notes so I went to the concordance and I realized that it would take 114 pages print it all out. 114 pages. So you’ll just have to read the book.
(3) Our fear of regret must be resolved now. No tomorrow. Do it now while you can actually do something about it. If you have something between you and another person/family member, ask forgiveness. Deal with it. Paul said, if it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. You may not be able to solve everything but you should try-if there’s no response then they will have to deal with it. But at least you will not leave regret. If you have regret now, deal with it now. Stephen Covey who wrote the 7 habits of highly successful people, said, “I don’t know anyone who on their deathbed said, you know, I wish I had spent more time at the office.” I believe our regret, if there is any, will be over what we do or what we did not do for the people we love. Solve it now if you can. Deal with it today.
(4) Death of someone we love can cause us to examine our faith. That’s a good thing. Thomas did that. We remember more than anything about Thomas-he was a doubter. A skeptic. Perhaps you are as well. We learn later in this same chapter that Thomas was not with the disciples when Jesus returned. So the disciples go to tell him. Look at his response in verse 25. Maybe you’re like that. Death causes us to ask questions. Death causes us to examine our faith. We simply cannot walk through the valley of the shadow of death without asking questions however... we do not have to be afraid.
(5) Death of someone we love can offer us a new perspective. When we lose someone we realize the brevity of life. The Bible says life is like a vapor-here one moment and then gone the next-it says that we are like water spilled on the ground; it cannot be recovered. So we respond in a variety of ways when death confronts us.
Some doubt like Thomas. As though it will never happen to us. Thomas would not believe there was a resurrection until he could see Jesus himself.
Some are confused. This passage we see a woman named Mary Magdalene. She had seven demons cast out of her. She became a very devoted follower of Christ. She followed him the rest of her life-all the way to the grave. In fact, she was the first one to learn that Jesus was alive. But at the same time she was confused. In her confusion she didn’t even recognize this was actually Jesus. Standing right in front of her and she didn’t even recognize him. Death can confuse us.
For several weeks now we have been talking about what it means to feel completely empty. For most of you I don’t have to describe that feeling in detail because you know exactly what it feels like. Perhaps you even feel that way today. So we have tried to answer questions like …what do you do when you feel empty? Who do you go to? And when we feel that way why does it seem that God doesn’t care? Why does He seem to be silent when we really need him? You may feel like you are in the same place today. You’ve lost someone dear to you and life has been a bit confusing for you lately. I challenge you today to let Jesus speak to you. Because Jesus is alive. And he promises us that all of us who walk through death as believers …….we will also live again. He promises us what the Scripture calls eternal life. Jesus is the only one who faced death-came out on the other side and he returned to tell us about it.
In 1887, twenty two years after the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln, his coffin was dug up and opened because there were constant rumors that his body was not in the grave. So they dug it up and the body was there. The rumors continued so 14 years later they had to dig it up again. Both times witnesses were present who testified that Lincoln was still in the grave. Three days after the death of Jesus Christ, similar rumors began to spread throughout the land of Israel. Only this time there were no witnesses who could say that they had seen His body. In fact, to the contrary, many witnesses claimed to have seen him out of His grave and even talked with Him after the resurrection.
• Mary Magdalene
• Mother Mary weeping and is fearful. Jesus then approaches her from behind.
• Later that Day, two disciples on their way to Emmaus see Jesus.
• The Lord appeared to Jesus appears once again to the apostles. This time Thomas is with them.
• The Appearance to the 500.
• The Appearance to James.
• To Saul on the road to Damascus.
As great a man as Lincoln was there were witnesses to prove he was still in the grave. If one of our Presidents or another leader in our government were to cry out today to Lincoln for help, there would be no response. If a scientist were to cry out to Einstein for help today there would only be empty silence. If someone were to call out to Mohammed or Buddha or Ghandi today there would be no help. But if you and I call out to Jesus Christ there is instant power available to us... power to change lives ...why? Because He lives!
At a park in California there is a rock hanging on a rope with a large sign next to it. Weather Station report, "Check the rock if it’s wet it’s raining, if the rock is swinging it’s windy, if it’s dry it’s not raining, if you cannot see the rock it’s foggy, if the rock has been blown away it’s a tornado.” Funny but true and there is a profound truth we find here and I want to draw your attention to it today … if you feel empty or you feel lost or you don’t know what tomorrow will bring ... just "Check the Rock."
