Last Christmas, our family decided to do something different. We decided to take a vacation together in Orlando.
A few of us are runners and my Son wanted to run one of the Disney series of races so we went to Disney, camped out in Ft. Wilderness and had a “running vacation.”
I chose to do the Half Marathon yet the night before we were told that a huge thunderstorm/lightning storm was coming in and they were narrowing the mileage of the race from 13.1 miles to 7.1. Yet, if you are a “real” runner, that’s not kosher. If you are going to wear a shirt that says that you ran 13.1 miles you don’t run 7.1 and call it good.
That morning I got up and we arrived at the starting line at 3:45 a.m. Yet, my starting wave did not begin until around 6:00 a.m. so as the rain began to fall, I put my earbuds in, set my watch to record my miles, and started running the parking lot loop to get in a few early miles before I got in line for the race.
As I ran, I noticed that I was not the only crazy person who was running in circles at 4:00 a.m. in the morning on vacation and the longer I ran the more people joined us as the rain came down in torrents.
As I ran, I began singing and worshipping God with a song by Bethel Music recorded by Brandon Lake called: “I thank God.” The lyrics at the end of the song have what seems to be an endless series of words celebrating Jesus Resurrection that go like this:
Get up, Get up, Get up, get up (Yeah) Get up outta that grave (Okay) Get up, Get up, Get up, Get up out of that grave (Yeah) Get up, get up, get up, get up outta that grave (Yeah) --- as a matter of fact, I counted the lyrics-- 24 times in that refrain the song says: “Get up, get up, get up, get up outta that grave...”
Now imagine this for a moment. A middle aged white guy with an orange shirt that says on the back “Shut up and run” -- running circles through a Parking lot at 4:00 a.m. at Disney World, singing to the top of his lungs as he runs- Get up, get up, get up, get up out of that grave.. Yeah!!
My son chased me down and said: “Dad, I’m not sure you know what you’re doing because I know you’re caught up in your running and worshipping, but who are not believers probably have no idea what you are talking about and think you are crazy!”
Of course, we laughed about it, and so you will know, I didn’t stop singing. I just went with it. Why not? If they think I’m crazy they might need to remember that they are also running in a thunderstorm 13.1 miles on vacation too--- and I looked a whole lot happier than they did! I was celebrating the resurrection!”
By the way, I didn’t do 13.1 -- I ran 13.2 just for the fun of it but kept singing that song most of the way.
Transition:
In John 20 today, we see three runners:
a) In verse 2-Mary Magdalene saw the stone was rolled away so it got her running. Verse
2 says: “So she ran and came to Simeon Peter.
b) In verse 4- Peter and the “other disciple” (John) were running. It reads: “they ran
together.”
Running in the New Testament was undignified. It was considered culturally wrong and shameful. It required someone to grab their robe, pull it between their legs and take off. In their day it was about like a someone running down to the mall in their boxers. It was inappropriate and wrong.
Yet, they ran. They lost all sense of composure. There was something to be seen immediately. It couldn’t wait. The grave was empty and they had to go and see.
Transitional Sentence: This Easter morning, I want to invite you to come to the tomb with these runners and see what all the excitement is about. What’s exciting about the empty tomb?
I. Faith is Found At the Empty Tomb
vs. 1-2- “Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came early to the tomb while it was still dark, and saw the stone already taken away from the tomb. So she ran and came to Simeon Peter and the other disciple whom Jesus loved and said to them, They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb and we do not know where they laid Him.
Explanation:
It had been a tough weekend for the disciples. Their King, Jesus had been arrested, beaten, had His clothing torn from His body and was nailed to a splintery cross.
As he hung there, shamed, bleeding, suffocating in sheer agony, many questions ran through their mind. Doubts and questions rolled in.
Have you ever had that happen to you? Have you ever expected God to do something in your life and He didn’t? Have you ever prayed a prayer thinking that God would respond in the way you expected and He didn’t? Of course you have. We all have.
Have you ever put your hope in God--- only for circumstances to come and your faith collapse in the midst of the driving questions of doubt?
If so, you will identify with Mary and the disciples who ran to the tomb that first Easter morning. Doubts are often part of discipleship.
The Jews would visit the tombs after death for a number of days by tradition. There were two reasons for it:
a) To assure that they were actually dead. They did not believe the soul departed for
three days afterward so they went to assure that their loved one was actually gone.
b) To place burial spices on their loved ones in the folds of their grave clothing.
In this passage it is obvious that Mary knew Jesus was dead. There are several reasons why she knew He was dead:
1. Luke 23:48-49 tells us that she stood close to the cross and saw his crucifixion
personally.
2. John 19:41 tells us that John the disciple (one of the other runners) so close to Jesus
at the cross that Jesus in agony was able to give him directives on taking care of His
mother. She had another eyewitness that knew the facts as well.
3.Rome, the highest governmental authority on earth at the time declared him dead and
assured it with a spear in his side and evidence of blood and water from his heart
draining out. Mark 15:15
Luke, as a physician described a condition now called “hypovolemic shock” from which one can not recover. Here’s what happened:
1. The heart would race to pump blood that was not there.
2. The victim would suffer extremely low blood pressure.
3. The kidneys would shut down to preserve bodily fluids
4. The person would experience extreme thirst as the body desired to replenish lost fluids.
5. The person would die.
Interesting, one of the last things Jesus said was: “I thirst.” John 19:23
One physician recently wrote:
Prior to death, the sustained rapid heartbeat caused by hypovolemic shock also causes fluid to gather in the sack around the heart and around the lungs. This gathering of fluid in the membrane around the heart is called pericardial effusion, and the fluid gathering around the lungs is called pleural effusion. This explains why, after Jesus died and a Roman soldier thrust a spear through Jesus’ side, piercing both the lungs and the heart, blood and water came from His side just as John recorded in his Gospel (John 19:34)
Two Roman soldiers even declared Him dead. The one in Mark 15:39 that said: “Truly this was the Son of God.” And Pilate in Mark 15:44-45 asking the centurion in charge of the execution if Jesus was dead and the Bible says: “ascertaining this from the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph.”
This undeniable evidence and eyewitness account of Mary led Mary to come up with another conclusion that she reported to the other runners: “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb...” vs 2
Yet, gloriously she learned that her conclusion was unfounded and her hope was restored because her conclusions were wrong.
Another disciple named Thomas experienced the same conclusion. Eight days passed of unbelief. He said: “Unless I see in His hands the imprint of nails and put my finger in the place of nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” John 21:24
Yet, His conclusions were wrong. Jesus appeared to him 8 days later and said: “Reach here your finger and see my hands...” vs. 25
Application:
The resurrection of Jesus should teach us something about our doubts and fears. They are only temporary. That is: In your life, it might be dark Friday; but Sunday is coming. Today all you might only see one chapter of the circumstances called life; yet the good news us; Jesus always writes the conclusion.
The Bible says: “Weeping might endure for the night; but joy comes in the morning.” Psalm 30:5
The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the foundation of our faith in dark times because it reveals that God’s not dead! He is alive!
Because He is alive you can trust that all the promises of God. They are guaranteed with the resurrection.
What am I talking about? Promises like this: “I will work all things together for the good to those who love me and are called according to My purposes.” Romans 8:28
When Jesus is your resurrection and your life; you might be miserable for a moment, It might be dark Friday one day; but trust me; resurrection Sunday is coming.
You can have hope and faith based on one event that proves its worth hanging on; that event is the resurrection of Jesus Christ! That’s evidence enough to believe, trust, and walk by faith!
We can walk by walk by faith today because Jesus walked out of the tomb. It is the foundation of our faith!
Transitional Sentence: What’s exciting about the empty tomb?
II. Facts Are Found At The Empty Tomb
vs. 5-7- “...and stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings lying there; and he did not go in. And so Simeon Peter also came following him, and entered the tomb; and he saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the face-cloth which had been on the head, not lying with the linen wrappings, but rolled up in a place by itself and the other disciple who had first come to the tomb then also entered, and he saw and believed.”
Explanation:
In verses 5-7 John gives great emphasis in on how the grave clothing is arranged. He covers the exact and precise way that the clothes were arranged, ‘’Why did he detail this account? The reason why is because they provide undeniable evidence that Jesus rose from the dead.
Verse 8 tells us that John saw the arrangement of the burial clothes and he believed, without a doubt, that Jesus had risen from the dead.
What did he see? In verse 5 it says: “He saw the grave clothes lying there.”
The word “lying” there does not mean that the. Grave clothes were sprawled out across the floor of the tomb. This is not saying that Jesus left the tomb like a teenage boy leaving his dirty clothes
on the floor, it means so much more than this.
To explain I’ve got to describe how Jews prepared bodies for burial in antiquity:
1. Hundreds of small strips of cloth were wrapped around individual parts of the body. In
our day it would be like having long band-aids and wrapping a body with them until it
was completely covered. It would begin with the feet and end with the head.
2. John 19: 39-40 tells us that Joseph of Arimathea bought 100 pounds of spices and
with every long bandage, they intermingled spices. The liquid spices were poured and
would harden causing the bandages to become encrusted to the skin-- making it like a
cocoon.
3. Third, a larger burial cloth was wrapped around the body from toe to foot.
4. Finally, a separate and special cloth for the head (the head napkin) would be wrapped
around Jesus head.
Literally, the body was placed there like a mummy. It was placed on a special table like bench and left behind as Good Friday closed and the Sabbath began.
Simeon Greenleaf, who founded Harvard Law School, was interested in this arrangement because he teaches about collecting evidence to prove a case and he said this: “...The word “lying” is a word used that means “Lying precisely as the body had laid in them. The grave clothes were in exactly the same position the body had occupied... but the linen clothes were undisturbed, just as they had been when the body of Jesus lay within them, but there was no body, the linen clothes were empty!”
Then he adds: “When the disciples saw the “linen clothes lying” –- uncut, undisturbed, lying just as they had been, yet they were empty –- it convinced them that the body had been miraculously, supernaturally removed. Had some human hand stolen the body, he would have been forced to slit open the bindings in order to remove the body.
Yet, no human was involved in the resurrection. Do you know what Romans 8:11 says: “God raised Jesus from the dead...” And God left evidence that this was not an act of human design; this was a miraculous act of Almighty God!
Illustration: Jesus Christ Superstar- Classic crud
The movie and musical , Jesus Christ Superstar was a musical that ran on Broadway in the 1970’s --- was made into a movie--- and is often replayed as a classic of yesteryear.
Honestly, it is a blasphemous and disturbing rendition of Jesus Christ that does several things: Judas is made the hero of the musical. Mary Magdalene is depicted as a prostitute that never changes her ways. But the most disturbing thing about it is that the movie concludes with Jesus dead on the cross.
Basically, it says that Jesus was born, lived, and died, and that’s the rest of the story. Honestly, if Satan could have written the story of Jesus’ life; this would have been exactly what he wanted. He would have loved for Jesus to stay dead.
Application:
Yet, that’s not how the story goes. Much to Satan’s demise God raised Jesus from the dead!
To prove it God left an exhibit that only He could provide. He raised up His only begotten Son and glorified Him through leaving behind the graves clothes like a cocoon; as if to say, a metamorphosis has taken place, new life has come. He is not here! He is risen!
Listen: The stone was rolled away, not to get Jesus out, but to call us to look in. The grave clothes were emptied, not to let Jesus out, but to get us into the tomb to examine, see, and believe.
The languages help us get the picture of what is happening here, Take a look at the word “saw”:
a) In verse 6 the word “saw” is the Greek word--theopeo-- which means to see with
physical eyes. It is a generic term that means “To behold or look at something
carefully or intently.” It basically means: “Something caught their eye.”
b) In verse 8 the word “saw” is the Greek word --horao- which means to see something.
intellectually. It means “to pierce the mind with intelligent comprehension.” It’s like when
someone shows us something and suddenly we understand and say “Oh, now I see!” or “The lights just came on!”
The tomb was empty of Jesus but left full of facts that get us up out of our grave and bring us to believe!
Transitional Sentence: What’s exciting about the empty tomb?
III. Our Future is Found At the Empty Tomb
Vs. 7- “...and the face-cloth which had been on His head, and lying with the linen wrappings, but rolled up in a place by itself.”
Explanation:
One of the most interesting things about the grave clothes is that the separate cloth for the face is noted as “rolled up in a place by itself.” Vs. 7
What does this mean? It was lying in a place by itself? John says the face cloth is wrapped separately. The word used here is “soudavrion” which simply means: “wrapped or folded.”
To understand this, we have to understand the Jewish Passover. During the Passover there is a practice where three pieces of matzah bread are taken, put in a napkin, and set aside for another day.
One rabbi reflected on it and explained the practice of setting aside bread in a napkin for later and said: “But it is toward the Passover of the future that our memories are directed.”
In the Middle Ages, this practice of setting aside a napkin with unleavened bread in it became a game where Jewish parents would hide the bread in the napkin (like hiding Easter eggs with your children) and the one that found it would get the Passover prize.
Yet, what Jesus is saying through the folded head napkin is this: “I’ve got your future in my hands.” There’s no future in dead god’s; only the living God!
What Jesus is saying is: “I’m with you. Everything is in order. I’ve got you. No worries. I am Lord and Master. If I can handle death, I can handle your future. Trust me. Believe me. Follow Me. Worship me. Live for and with me! I am alive forevermore!”
Conclusion: Ted Williams- Hoping for a scientific resurrection of sorts
Ted Williams was a great baseball player who died on July 5, 2002. After he died his son did something strange. Instead of bury his Dad, he had his body suspended upside down and cryogenically frozen.
In short, it was sealed in a liquid “tomb” of liquid nitrogen where it remains today. When asked why this was done his son said: “I am hoping for a scientific resurrection of-sorts someday.”
Well, here’s what I know. Science has never resurrected anyone but God did. God in the person of Jesus Christ raised Lazarus from the dead and God the Father raised Jesus Christ from the dead.
I don’t know who you are trusting to give you eternal life; but I have someone I would like to recommend to you today. How about Jesus? Who conquered death and is alive and knocking on your hearts door right now?
In the final book of the Bible; the Book of Revelation, Jesus says these words: “I am the first and I am the last, I am the living One, and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, I have the Keys of Death and Hell.” Revelation 1: 18
He got up out of that grave to come live in your heart. Invite Him in. He’s alive and waiting for you. Faith---Facts-- and your Future is found at the empty tomb.
