On May 4, 1865, after weeks of his body being on display in Washington D.C. and a few other cities, Abraham Lincoln was “laid to rest” in a cemetery near his home in Springfield, Illinois. But Lincoln didn’t "rest in peace." In 1876, there was a plot to raid his grave and steal his body. It didn’t work. Then 11 years later, because of rumors that his body wasn’t in that grave, his coffin was dug up and opened to confirm it was there. It was. But the rumors continued, 14 years after that, the coffin was dug up again. Both times witnesses were present who testified Lincoln was still in the grave. In all, Lincoln’s body was moved 17 times and his coffin opened 5 times before finally resting in peace thirty-six years later inside a steel cage, beneath two tons of concrete poured ten feet high over his coffin. (https://www.thehistoryreader.com/us-history/plot-kidnap-dead-president-abraham-lincoln/; and David Henderson, “Overcoming Death,” 5/25/2011, sermoncentral.com)
Lincoln is still in his grave and there were witnesses to that.
But Jesus is NOT in His grave, and there were witnesses to that as well.
Paul wrote: “I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.” I Corinthians 15:3-8
Over 500 witnesses saw the risen Savior, and most of them were still alive when Paul wrote to the Corinthians.
Now, what’s intriguing about our text this morning is that John only focused on 3 of those 500 people who witnessed the resurrection of Christ. First, there was John himself (who always referred to himself as “the other disciple” OR “the disciple whom Jesus loved”). Then there was Peter, and then Mary Magdalene. Three witnesses! And what we’re going to do is focus on WHAT each of them saw, and HOW it affected them.
And we’re going to start with John. John was with Peter when Mary Magdalene came and reported Jesus body was missing. We’re told “the other disciple (John) 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 the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed.” John 20:4-5 & 8
Now, in the Gospels, Peter always seems to get first billing. Whenever we read about them in the Gospels, it’s always PETER, JAMES and JOHN. John was always last, and Peter was always first. But now John got to be first. He outran Peter and beat him to the grave.
And when John got to grave it says that he looked inside and “he saw and believed.” But then we’re told “AS YET they (Peter and John) DID NOT UNDERSTAND the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead” (John 20:9). But wait! If John didn’t understand the Scripture about Jesus rising from the dead… what did he believe?
Well, all John knew about anything was what Jesus had taught him. Mark 8:31 tells us that Jesus “then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and AFTER THREE DAYS RISE AGAIN.” Mark 9:31 says Jesus told them again "The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and AFTER THREE DAYS HE WILL RISE." And as Jesus was going into Jerusalem for the last time, He again told them “the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles, who will mock him and spit on him, flog him and kill him. THREE DAYS LATER HE WILL RISE." Mark 10:33-34
Over and over again, Jesus drove home the fact that the grave would not hold Him. He’d rise on the third day. And now John SEES that the grave is empty and he remembered what Jesus had said. John payed attention.
He may not have known the Old Testament prophecies that spoke of Jesus’ resurrection, but he knew Jesus… and He believed Him.
Now notice – the Gospel doesn’t tell us that John told anybody else. Why not? Well, maybe he didn’t feel he had enough evidence.
But John Believed!
By contrast, it almost seems like Peter… DIDN’T believe. “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.” (John 20:6-7) Then we’re told: “Then the disciples went back to their homes.” John 20:10
We’re not told that Peter felt anything or said anything when he saw empty grave… he just went home. In fact, nowhere anywhere in the Gospels are we told that Peter believed (at this point) that Jesus had risen from the grave. So... did Peter NOT believe? Well, it’s possible, but I think it goes deeper than that. Just like John, Peter would have seen the grave clothing off by themselves “the face cloth… folded up in a place by itself.” No grave robber would have messed with that. He wouldn't have taken off the graveclotes, he wouldn't have removed the face cloth. He would simply have picked up the body and walked away. There was no reason for a grave robber to leave the rest behind. The evidence was there, and it was obvious - Jesus had risen.
I think the old Easter song by Don Francisco “He’s Alive” best described what Peter’s emotions might have been after seeing empty tomb:
“Well something strange had happened there, but, just what I did not know. John believed a miracle, but I just turned to go. Circumstance and speculation couldn't lift me very high, cause I'd seen them crucify Him, and then I saw Him die.
“Back inside the house again, the guilt and anguish came. Everything I'd promised Him just added to my shame. When, at last, it came to choices, I denied I knew His name. And even if he was alive, it wouldn't be the same.”
Francisco’s take was that Peter’s faith had been crippled by his denial of Jesus., He didn’t think Jesus would love him anymore, so what difference would it make? By contrast, John strongly believed Jesus loved him. Over and over again throughout his gospel, John describes himself as “The disciple whom Jesus loved.” (John 13:23) He never doubted Jesus' love. In fact, it was JOHN that proclaimed that: “God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son…”
You see, the problem for Peter was that he believed that once he’d messed up, Jesus would never love him again. And so, the resurrection was meaningless to him, because he didn’t think Jesus loved him. What difference would it make? Or at least that’s what he thought. And until Peter realized that he was wrong (Jesus DID love him) he would forever struggle with the idea of resurrection. And he wouldn’t have told anybody about the risen Christ. And at this point… it seems that Peter didn’t tell anyone.
Lastly, we come to Mary Magdalene. She would seem like a minor character in the resurrection. I mean, Peter and John were wayyyy more important people than she was. Or were they? I counted the verses in this passage
Peter is referred to in 6 verses, John is referred to in 4 verses… but Mary Magdalene gets 10. Most of the verses about Christ’s resurrection involve Mary Magdalene. In every one of the Gospels she shows up. In fact, Matthew, Mark and Luke tells us that other women were there at the tomb, but in every Gospel - Mary Magdalene is mentioned FIRST! And EVEN at the crucifixion, when it was the women (not the men) that showed up, Mary Magdalene was always there.
So who is this woman? We don’t know much. Mark 16:9 tells us “when (Jesus) rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons.” And that’s it! . (The reference to her having 7 demons cast out is also mentioned in Luke 8:2 where it says she helped support Jesus' ministry financially)
There's speculation that tries to tie Mary to other women in the Scriptures... but that's all it is - just speculation. This is all we know about Mary - she was a woman from whom Jesus had cast out 7 demons and who supported His ministry. But we know nothing more (see footnote 1).
But once Jesus touched her life, once He healed her pain, she was a faithful follower of Jesus forever after that.
And here, we find her at the grave. John 20:1 tells us “Now on the first day of the week (Sunday) Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.”
Mary saw was that the stone had been rolled away from the tomb, and it seems she had looked into the tomb and saw Jesus’ body was gone… (see footnote 2) but then she simply jumped to conclusion that somebody’s robbed the grave, and she goes and tells Peter and John. And when she returns to the tomb a little later, we’re told she unknowingly speaks to a couple of angels… and then “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.’ John 20:14-15
Mary is a single-minded woman. Somebody’s stolen the body of Jesus… she’s gonna steal it back! "I will take Him away." She’s willing to do whatever was necessary to honor the Jesus who changed her life.
And then “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.’" John 20:16-17
Now, I don’t know what made it so Mary realize that this was Jesus, but once she knew she wanted to cling to Him and never let Him go. But she listens to Jesus. She lets Him go, because He asked her to, and then she “went and announced to the disciples, ‘I have seen the Lord’ — and that he had said these things to her.” John 20:18
Now what does this tell us about Mary? First it tells us that Mary Magdalene was NOT an important person. I mean, she’s only mentioned in 3 places… in Luke there's just one verse that tells us that she supported Christ's ministry, and then we find her at the cross and then at the tomb. And that's it. She’s not found anywhere else in Scripture. EVER! And we hardly know anything about the woman. She didn’t give any speeches/ write any books, she didn’t have a YouTube channel or famous Twitter account. She just seems to appear out of nowhere, and then she disappears.
But this confirms what I’ve always believed from Scripture. God uses people we would think are unimportant… to do important things. In Mark 16:9 we’re told that “when (Jesus) rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared FIRST to Mary Magdalene.” Jesus didn’t appear 1st to Peter or James or John – those are IMPORTANT MEN. Instead, He appears to Mary Magdalene, someone we don’t anything about! And she’s the person Jesus sends to tell the Apostles about His resurrection.
Allow me to let you in on a secret: To God - the most important person is the one He can trust to do what He asks. The most important person to God is not the person who's famous, or powerful, or well-connected, or wealthy. The most important person to God is the person that will do what God asks. That's the secret.
Matthew 28:10 Jesus told her (and the women with her) "Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me." So God used an UNimportant person to do an important thing, because He could trust her to do what He asked.
Secondly, despite what I just told you about Mary Magdalene NOT being important - she WAS important! She was important to God. She’s mentioned repeatedly in ALL the Gospels, and she’s shown to be a woman of courage and determination. Nothing is going to stand between her and her serving Jesus. The men are all in hiding. They’ve locked their doors and barred their windows. But not this lady!!!! She stands firmly at the cross… and she goes early to the tomb. No one is going to stop her from being near Jesus.
She’s even willing to go steal Jesus’ body back from whomever took it - and may the Lord have mercy on the guy who tries to stop her. I’ve seen women like this… you DO NOT want to mess with them! And God admires that about her.
CLOSING: Now, we’ve looked at how John and Peter and Mary dealt with empty tomb. The question for you this morning is this: What do you do with it? What do you do with the empty tomb?
Are you like Peter? Have you messed up somewhere in your life? Have you done something that's brought you shame? And you're just not so sure Jesus likes you all that much. That He cares for you. Peter recognized that Jesus has risen from the grave - he just didn’t want talk about it. Something was holding him back. He didn’t think Jesus loved him. So, is there something holding you back from telling others about Christ. Has the shame and the guilt of the past so overwhelmed you that don’t think Jesus loves you all that much? If so, that’s not true. Jesus DOES LOVE YOU! That's why He died on the cross... and He'd do it just for you if it came down to it. But if you don’t feel it… you won’t share it! If you struggle with that, you desperately need to know how much you mean to Him and much He cares for you.
So, are you like Peter... or, are you like John? Do you believe and that Jesus loves you deeply, but you’re not ready to talk about it. You see, that's where John was at, I think. John believed Jesus loved him, but he didn't feel he had enough evidence. Until he had enough evidence, he wasn't going to talk about the resurrection all that much. And, that's OK. It's OK to wait until you've got enough evidence. But what's NOT ok is if you say "Well, that's just the way it is. I'm not going to have any more evidence, so I'm not going to talk about Him. That's pure laziness. How can you possibly say you love Jesus and you love Him back if you're just willing to sit on the couch, turn on the TV and then just blank out, when you could, and should "I want to find the evidence. I want to know about this risen savior so I can share Him with other people. Do not... do not accept the idea that you don't know enough. Refuse to not know enough. Look for it. Seek it out. Know it. Because if you don't know it, you won't show it.
So, are you like Peter, or are you like John... or, are you like Mary Magdalene? You may not understand everything that happened, but you don’t feel you need to have ALL the evidence. You simply love Jesus so much that no one’s going to shut you up. Like Mary, are you bold and confident in your faith? Like Mary, are you ready to do whatever is necessary to let others know what He means to you?
INVITATION
Footnote1: No, Mary Magdalene was probably NOT a prostitute. Many people have heard this lie so often that they don’t realize there is no Biblical substantiation for this belief. Some have tried to tie her to the "woman in the city who was a sinner" (Luke 7:37) who washed Jesus’ feet, but there is no scriptural basis for this. The city of Magdala did have a reputation for prostitution. This information, coupled with the fact that Luke first mentions Mary Magdalene immediately following his account of the sinful woman (Luke 7:36-50), has led some to equate the two women. But there is no scriptural evidence to support this idea. Mary Magdalene is nowhere identified as a prostitute or as a sinful woman, despite popular portrayals of her as such.
Others have tried to make her out to be the woman whom Jesus saved from stoning after she had been taken in adultery (John 8:1-11). But again this is an association with no evidence. The movie “The Passion of the Christ” made this connection. This view is possible, but not likely and certainly not taught in the Bible. (https://www.gotquestions.org/Mary-Magdalene.html)
This falsehood was first given legs by a sermon by Pope Gregory I (d. 604) where he equated both Mary of Bethany and the anonymous hair-washing sinner woman (Luke 7:36-50) with Mary Magdalene.
Footnote2 : https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/tombs-and-tombstones tells us that “The tomb of ‘… yhw who was over the household’ contains the inscription: ‘Cursed be he who opens this.’ This is similar to the inscriptions common in the Second Temple Period, which contained the name of the deceased and a warning not to open the grave.”
