In Jesus Holy Name Easter II 2020
Text: John 20:25b Redeemer
“Overcoming Doubts, What Will It Take?”
He is Risen! He has risen indeed!
The disciples on Easter morning had forgotten a promise of Jesus. He had told them that he would be arrested and crucified, but he would to rise from death on the 3rd day. Overwhelmed with grief, they had forgotten. The Gospels tell us that the women, in the pre-dawn light made their way to His gravesite. The Romans would not bother the women. The men, well, they remained sheltered in. Sadness and gloom filled their hearts and room.
Neither his friends nor his enemies doubted that the great leader was dead. The experts, as well as numerous eyewitnesses, were willing to attest to the fact. Even so, rumors began to circulate and people began to believe that their leader was not in his grave. That explains why a small group of people came together in the graveyard to see for themselves. They had to know; was their leader there or was he not. And if he wasn’t in his grave, what had happened to his body? Sound familiar? Well perhaps it is not as familiar as you might think.
On this Sunday, the Sunday after the “church” celebrated the resurrection of Jesus, I’m not talking about Jesus. I’m talking about Abraham Lincoln. In the years after the great president’s funeral many people came to believe that his body had been stolen. Such a belief was not without foundation. After all, more than one attempt had been made to steal President Lincoln’s corpse.
That is why in 1887, the Emancipator’s casket was opened. His super- secret honor guard saw for themselves; The President’ body remained where it had been placed. The rumors were silenced, the case was closed.
At least the case should have been closed. The date was September 26, 1901. On that date President Lincoln’s body was to be placed into its final, and more secure, resting place. But before it was enclosed in a great, steel cage, surrounded by tons of concrete, it was decided that Lincoln’s casket should be opened once more. Over the decades rumors had returned. Some still believed that somebody had managed to steal the President’s corpse.
In 1901, solemnly, 23 people filed past the box. All agreed, more than 30 years after his death, Lincoln’s remains were there. Yes, his black suit was now covered with a yellow mold, his gloves had long disappeared, but his face, his beard, the mole on his cheek were all recognizable. Today we know the corpse of Abraham Lincoln awaits the day of resurrection in its crypt underneath the giant monument at Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, Illinois. The rumors were finally laid to rest.
It’s true that Jesus had predicted that he would be put to death and then be raised to life. But his followers did not understand it. A resurrection was the farthest thing from their minds after His crucifixion. They were afraid of being caught by the same soldiers who had arrested Jesus. They were “sheltering in”. They were afraid of what they might encounter if they left their safe space.
Forget the predictions of Jesus. The disciples had given up. Who really expected a resurrection on that Sunday morning? Not the disciples. Of course. No one rises from the dead. Not after three days. Not after being scourged. Not after hanging on a cross for six hours. Not after having a sword thrust in His side. Not after being covered with 100 pounds of spices and wrapped in a burial cloth. Not after being sealed in a tomb. No, the odds are against it. It was impossible.
The women who had been at the cross, saw the Savior die. They followed his funeral procession to His borrowed grave. They knew its location because it was their intention, when the Sabbath Day restrictions, of enforced “sheltering in” would be lifted, they would return to the grave and pay their final respects.
They had no inkling that Jesus might actually defeat death…which is obvious by their predawn trip to Joseph’s tomb in which the corpse of Jesus had been placed.
When they arrived. The stone was rolled away. The tomb empty. Their first thought? Someone had stolen the body of Jesus.
The women did not have the slightest idea what had happened. They weren’t
looking for a resurrection. Luke tells us that when the women told the apostles what the angel had said, they “…did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense” (Luke 24:11). Nonsense! So two of the doubters, Peter and John ran to the tomb. They found it empty. They saw the linen shroud still lying on the stone slab. It was not crumpled up like your bed covers when you arise from sleep in the morning. No! It was undisturbed, like a deflated glove, after the hand was removed. The resurrected physical body of Jesus just passed through the linen shroud, leaving it deflated.
There are two kinds of doubters in the realm of spiritual truth. There are hard-boiled rationalists who say, “I don’t believe it and there’s nothing that will make me believe it.” Such people enjoy their doubt. They talk about it. They laugh about it. They get angry when they are refuted. The Pharisees fall into that category. When they asked Jesus for a sign, He refused, calling them “an evil and adulterous generation” (Matthew 16:1-4), because they doubted that He was God in their midst.
Amazingly, it was the enemies of Jesus, not His family, not His friends nor followers, who understood the impact of His potential resurrection. That is why, after Jesus had breathed His last; after His heart had been punctured by a Roman spear; after His cold and lifeless body had been hurriedly buried in a borrowed tomb; the Jewish chief priests and scribes went to Pilate and said: “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, “after three days I will rise.”
“Therefore, order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal his body and tell the people, “He has risen from the dead”, and the last fraud will be worse than the first.” (Matt. 27:63-64) Their fear was realized when the angel told the women: “I know you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here. He has risen from the dead.”
There is another kind of doubter, the person who says, “I don’t believe but I’m willing to believe if I can see for myself.” Thomas fits this category. He is not an unbelieving skeptic; he is a wounded believer. A week later, Jesus appears in the locked and shuttered upper room with the disciples. Jesus invites Thomas to see for himself. He believed.
I know that Thomas has gotten a bad reputation, doubting Thomas, we call him. Jesus did not worry about his doubt, nor does Jesus worry about yours. Jesus speaks to him as to one whose faith is weak, Jesus came just so Thomas could be sure. Jesus didn’t put him down. He said, “See for yourself. Stop doubting and believe.” Here is the wonderful truth: Doubters are welcome at the empty tomb.
It’s okay to be an honest doubter. Lee Strobel was that kind of a doubter. If you had asked Lee Strobel in the late 70”s if he believed in a loving, all knowing God, he would have readily denied His existence. He is the author of “The Case for Christ”, “Jesus: Fact or Fiction” and other books.
He writes; “After my wife became a Christian, I began to see positive changes in her character and values. I observed a marked difference in the way she treated people and cared for others. It was then that I decided it was time to put my professional investigative skills to work, so I began to research the life of Christ.
“As someone trained to deal with facts and logic, I wasn’t willing to put my faith on wishful thinking. I needed solid evidence that Jesus is, indeed the unique son of God. Based on scientific evidence, I became convinced that there was a Creator of the Universe. Based on historical data, I become confident “ that the claim of Jesus to be the Son of God was true because he rose from the dead.”
So, if you are watching today and you identify with Thomas or Lee Strobel, with your doubts it’s okay. I encourage you to investigate the historical facts, or read Lee Strobel’s Case for Christ.
Here is the truth. If Jesus did not rise, then He was not the Son of God. He was just a regular Man just like everyone else. If he was a regular Man, He could not have fulfilled all the prophecies made about Him. It is true that Jesus suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. If Jesus remains dead, then He was a Liar. And Christianity is a monumental Deception.
If Jesus remains dead then our broken commandments remain unforgiven. Our own broken ethical standards, our resolutions remain disappointments. Life is without hope. Happiness will be elusive. Peace with a Holy God, absent.
“So, then, did Jesus rise?” If you have ever thought about death and the
grave… then you ought to inquire, “How can I be sure?” This is the question of Thomas. If that is the question which is in your heart today… let me ask you a question. “What would it take to convince you that Jesus has risen from the dead?
What would it take for you to believe? The question is all important. Your
eternal destiny, heaven or hell rest on the answer you give. What proof can I offer? Well,….. I could tell you to look at the prophecies which Jesus fulfilled. That is an explanation which carries some weight. It is a claim which no other faith can make. But it calls for work on your part. You will have to choose to believe that the “Intelligent Designer of the Universe” chose to take upon Himself human flesh and blood in the person of Jesus and live a perfect life.
Let me ask it another way. “Where is the dead body of Jesus?” President Lincoln never left his casket. Where is the corpse of Jesus? Why did the Jewish leaders not produce the body of Jesus?
It should have been a simple thing to do. If they could not do it, then why not produce a look alike body, a clone. They didn’t because they could not. That’s right, they could not. They could not say the body was stolen. They could not say these things because it was common knowledge that this crucified Jesus was alive and well. Peter saw Him. The eleven disciples saw Him. The two disciples on the road to Emmaus saw Him. The women saw Him. Thomas saw Him and believed.
Frederick Buechner is a theologian, author of over 30 books, he wrote: “if you don’t have any doubts you are either kidding yourself or asleep.” Doubts keep the mind active and searching for answers.” Jesus has a word for us. “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29). No one can remain neutral forever. You can bring your doubts to the empty tomb, but you have to make a choice. You cannot stay on the fence forever. Either you believe or you don’t. It’s a wonderful day to make that choice. It’s a great day to stop doubting and start believing.
Let me leave you with a few lines of a poem by Pastor Steve Garnaas-Holmes, “Thomas Undone”
“The un-ease you feel is not doubt.
It is hunger to go deeper.
Don’t belittle your restlessness
Let it lead you. Reach out.
For even now (Jesus) is saying your name.
You are not done yet.”
