I KNOW THAT MY REDEEMER LIVES (JOHN 20:1-10 )
It’s been quite a while since MH 370 disappeared from thin air on March 8, 2014. Military radar tracking revealed that the Beijing-bound plane made a sharp turn over the South China Sea and changed altitude as it headed toward the Straits of Malacca. The plane was reportedly flying at 35,000 feet before it descended as low as 12,000 feet and then disappeared from radar, according to the official.
http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/24/world/asia/malaysia-airlines-plan
The Inspector-General of Malaysian Police said police were focusing on four possibilities over what happened: a potential hijacking, sabotage, psychological issues or personal problems of the passengers and/or crew.
Ten planes and nine ships searched in vain for the plane or the wreckage. The trail was cold from Malaysia to Australia, from northern to southern Indian Ocean, from radar to black box. All they found were floating objects that include a “wooden pallet,” “a gray or green circular object,” and “an orange rectangular object,” that turned out to be old fishing equipment more than six feet in length. Experts said the search could take weeks, months and years - “a long time,” according to some.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-26847402
The biggest mystery in the Bible and history must be the disappearance of Jesus’ body. Did the disciples hide his body? Did the ladies take it? Did robbers steal it? John’s account of the resurrection is as puzzling, as personal and passionate a story as any. There was no fool proof of Jesus’ resurrection, but the firsthand evidence speaks for itself. Three of Jesus’ favorite followers were there to witness the event and the evidence of the resurrection. No one witnessed the resurrection, but many were changed by it.
What is the power of the resurrection? What is the purpose of the resurrection? What is the promise of the resurrection?
Hurry Up and Tell in Love
1 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!” (John 20:1-2)
A man was pulled over by a policeman and asked if he knew he was going too fast. He said, “I’m sorry officer. I had my cruise control on and just forgot the speed limit changed.” His wife said, “Harry, I told you two miles ago that you were speeding.” Harry gives his wife a dirty look as the officer pulls out his ticket book.
“By the way, sir, did you know that your left rear signal lens was broken?” the policeman asks, to which Harry replies, “Oh wow, it must have just happened in the mall parking lot we just left.” His wife again interrupts and says, “Harry, how can you sit there and lie to that nice policeman? I told you to fix that three weeks ago!” Harry gives another look that could kill as the officer starts writing.
The policeman adds, “I am going to have to cite you for not wearing your seatbelt, also.” Harry says, “I just unbuckled as you came up to the car so I could get to my driver’s license if you needed it.” The little lady pipes up, “Harry, you know good and well, I tell you all the time that you better buckle up, ‘cause YOU NEVER WEAR YOUR SEATBELT!”
Having taken all he can stand Harry turns to his tormentor and says with great exasperation, “Woman would keep your big mouth shut!”
Now the officer looks at and addresses the little lady and asks,”does he verbally abuse you like this often, ma’am?”
Says she, “Oh no, only when he has had one drink too many.”
One of the pointed differences between Christianity and other religions is that the biggest credit and highest accolade in the most important event in church and world history were bestowed upon ladies. The bravest disciples of Jesus on resurrection day were women, not men. They were the finest, fairest and fittest disciples. Luke’s gospel tells us that at least four women were present at the tomb, Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James and others (Luke 24:10)l. Matthew and Mark were unanimous saying in four Greek words, “all (the disciples) deserted him, fled” (Matt 26:56, Mark 14:50). Unlike the men, the ladies never deserted Christ. They watched Jesus from a distance or “makrothen” (Mark 15:40), but they never disappeared from sight, ran for their lives or denied Him when questioned. The women were unflagging in caring for and looking after the needs of Jesus and the disciples, before (Mark 15:41) and after his death. Unlike Peter who followed at a distance (Luke 22:54) and denied Him three times, the women followed him, mourned and wailed for him (Luke 23:27). They were with Jesus before, during and after. Such were the passion and perseverance of women for the Lord. Luke’s gospel informs readers that the women took the spices and perfumes (ointments) they had prepared (Luke 23:56, 24:1) and then went to the tomb (Luke 24:1). Mary Magdalene had more reasons than most to serve the Lord in life and death. Jesus had cast out seven demons from her (Luke 8:2). Like other women, she was consistent, committed, considerate, courageous and conscientious.
The Priests The Ladies The Apostles
The Rulers
The Fearful Ones The Returnees
The Feeble Ones The Runaways
The Fragile ones
These women had a story to tell discovering the empty tomb, but unfortunately the men did not believe them (Luke 24:11) because their words seemed to them like nonsense (leros) or idle tale (KJV) – a woman’s tale or a fishy story. What motivated the ladies? Matthew noted that the angel proclaimed the good news of Jesus’ resurrection with four imperatives: (Do not) “be afraid,” “come,” “see” and finally “tell” (Matt 28:5-7), the last imperative “tell” echoed by Mark (Mark 16:7). Following that, Mary “ran” or “trecho” in Greek (Matt 28:8), the same “running” Mary did in verse 2 (John 20:2), but added the adverb “hurried/quickly” (tachu). Jerusalem, with its many hills, was not ideal or meant for runners, men or women, especially the latter. A Jerusalem runner said, “You cannot run five minutes without finding yourself climbing up another hill or flying down one.” Wonderfully, the resurrection is the only reason a woman in the New Testament ran (Matt 28:8, John 20:2). Matthew recorded more than one Mary ran (Matt 28:8) – Mary Magdalene and the other Mary. They responded strongly, swiftly, and speedily. There was not a moment too soon and no time to waste. Mary Magdalene was the first to be credited with seeing Jesus, or rather, Jesus revealed himself to her. Her courage outfought the fear of facing the guard who was posted at the door. The day after Christ was crucified, the chief priests and the Pharisees convinced Pilate to secure the tomb area until the third day for fear that the disciples would come and steal the body and tell the people that He was resurrected, to which Pilate responded with two imperatives - “go” and “secure” the tomb by putting a seal on the stone with a guard at hand (Matt 27:62-66). Soldiers were plural (Matt 28:2).
Hurry Up and Think with Hope
3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen. (John 20:3-7)
12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened. (Luke 24:12)
The vice-principal of a South Korean high school who accompanied hundreds of pupils on a ferry that capsized had committed suicide, police said as hopes faded after three days of finding any of the 274 missing alive. The Sewol, carrying 476 passengers and crew, capsized on Wednesday on a journey from the port of Incheon to the southern holiday island of Jeju. Kang Min-gyu, 52, had been missing since Thursday. He appeared to have hanged himself with his belt from a tree outside a gym in the port city of Jindo where relatives of the people missing on the ship, mostly children from the school, were gathered. Police said Kang did not leave a suicide note and that they had started looking for him after he was reported missing by a fellow teacher. He was rescued from the ferry after it capsized.
Yonhap reported the note read: “Surviving alone is too painful while 200 remain unaccounted for. I take full responsibility. I pushed ahead with the school trip.” http://news.sky.com/story/1244923/vice-principal-rescued-from-ferry-found-hanged
Hope is at its most valuable in the face of death, devastation, disaster and despair. Hope changes our act, our attitude and aim in life. It did not matter who ran fast or who ran last – John or Peter, but both kept chase.
Peter and John ran to the tomb to see for themselves and to corroborate Mary’s testimony. Running requires energy, endurance and equipment. Peter was not much of a runner, sprinter or athlete because John outran him to reach the tomb. Some suggested John was obviously younger than Peter not only because the book of John was written about 30 years later than the other gospels but also because John ran faster, leaving Peter in the dust. Peter, on the other hand, was more adventurous and ambitious than John. He went into the tomb to explore and examine the evidence for himself. Peter was not fit in running, but fine in thinking. Peter wanted untouched and uncompromised evidence to deliberate, deduce and decide things for himself. He was more curious than cynical, more direct than doubtful, and more involved than indifferent. It was a redemption of some sort for him. The verb “went into (the tomb)” in verse 6 is a contrast to his previous decision to follow Jesus “from a distance” (Matt 26:58, Mark 14:54, Luke 22:54). The previous Peter, unlike the women who followed Jesus to the cross, followed Jesus to the courtyard only (John 18:15). Peter prefers to investigate rather than be informed.
John’s account is important because he is the only insider piecing together the internal evidence from the tomb. Overall these five pieces of evidences would decide Jesus’ resurrection: the stone, the seal, the soldiers, the spices and the scene of the sepulcher or tomb. The first three in one verse includes the seal, the stone and the soldiers (Matt 27:66). Mark noted that the stone was very large (Mark 16:4). The fourth, according to John 19:39, was about seventy-five pounds of spices in NIV, or 100 pounds in KJV, wrapped around Jesus’ body. Finally, the climax of the scene or the sepulcher that were the final and most important piece of evidence : the strips of linen (plural) lying on the floor and the burial cloth (singular) from Jesus’ head that was curiously wrapped or folded (v 7), the same word for the way Joseph of Arimathea wrapped his body (Matt 27:59, Luke 23:53).
With these five pieces of evidence, it is not too difficult to determine the chances of the ladies, the disciples and even thieves from stealing the body. First, the ladies were too limited in strength. It was not an ordinary stone but a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb (Matt 27:60). Second, the disciples were too cowardly to act. Third, the robbers were unlikely to unwrap the body for fear of bad odor. Also, men would hardly bother to separate linens from cloth, nor are they that neat. Warren Wiersbe says, “In fact, with the presence of the spices in the folds of the clothes, it would be almost impossible to unwrap a corpse without damaging the wrappings. The only way those linen clothes could be left in that condition would be if Jesus passed through them as He arose from the dead.”
The transformed Peter from the timid Peter we know was the most powerful evidence of the resurrection’s impact. The verb “see” (thereo) in verse 6 is also translated as perceive, observe and consider. Merriam Webster defines a theory as “an idea that is suggested or presented as possibly true but that is not known or proven to be true.” It is not conclusive but it is convincing and credible. Peter was convinced and not cautious, careful or curious anymore. He was confident and not clueless. There was controversy but it was not contradictory. In the end it kept Peter thinking, more like “wondering” (Luke 2 4:12), which is also translated as astonished (Matt 8:10), amazed (Matt 8:27), awe (Matt 9:8), surprise (Mark 15:44) and marvel (Luke 2:33) in NIV.
Hurry Up and Triumph in Faith
8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) 10 Then the disciples went back to their homes. (John 20:8-10)
The renowned infidel Robert G. Ingersoll (1833-1899), also nicknamed as “The Great Agnostic,” was renowned for his attacks on Christianity. His lectures against Christ and the Bible and his oratorical ability usually assured him of a large crowd. At the height of Ingersoll's fame, audiences would pay $1 or more to hear him speak, a giant sum for his day. (Wikipedia) One night after an inflammatory speech in which he severely attacked man’s faith in the Savior, he dramatically took out his watch and said, “I’ll give God a chance to prove that He exists and is almighty. I challenge Him to strike me dead within 5 minutes!” First there was silence, then people became uneasy. Some left the hall, unable to take the nervous strain of the occasion, and one woman fainted. At the end of the allotted time, the atheist exclaimed derisively, “See! There is no God. I am still very much alive!” After the lecture a young fellow said to a Christian lady, “Well, Ingersoll certainly proved something tonight!” Her reply was memorable. “Yes he did,” she said. “He proved God isn’t taking orders from atheists.” (James Wilson, Sermon Central).
The conclusion was remarkable because John’s truth and Peter’s trust triumphed over the testimony of the ladies - fact and faith over feelings. John was a model of a disciple. He was sacrificial, sensitive and steadfast, never selfish, sour or scared. At the cross, he was the only apostle who stood by Jesus and stood with the ladies (John 19:26). At the tomb, he waited for Peter to catch up, allowed him the next move, gave him the chance and space to decide.
Some believe that Peter and John were rivals for Jesus’ affection because of Peter’s famous reference to John: “Lord, what about him?” (John 21:21). John’s insistent on calling himself in his gospel as the disciple “whom Jesus loved” (John 13:23, 20:2, 21:7, 20) did not erase or lessen the suspicion. The credit to John, however, was not how fast he ran but how firm he believed, not how speedy he was but how sure he was. John was first to arrive, last to enter, but quick to believe. The difference between John and Peter at this point is that both saw, but one believed, the writer of the gospel. John’s gospel repeats the verb “believe” as many as six times in the chapter (v 8, 25, 29*2, 31*2), including ending with twice the last verse of the book. “Believe” is the most glaring verb in the book found 11 times in Matthew, 14 times in Mark and nine times in Luke, but 98 times in John. John was the first apostle to believe Him in the post-resurrection era.
John’s faith was not based on emotions, but on evidence; not on feelings but on facts; not on sensation but with substantiation. Peter and John were two sides of the Resurrection story. The former was driven by guilt, the latter was driven by grace. One was fearless in belief, the other had faith to believe. Peter was filled with thoughts, but John was full of trust. One rushed to enter, the other reached a conclusion. The two men’s path to faith was legitimate. Verse 10 is a conclusion and a unity statement, the disciples (plural) went away (plural) to their (plural) homes.
Conclusion: The crucifixion means rebellion, regret, rebuke, resentment, revulsion, but the resurrection means redemption, restoration, reversal, reconciliation and renewal. Christ has conquered sin, death and Satan. Are walking in newness of life (Rom 6:4) and bringing forth fruit unto God (Rom 7:4)? Are you living in the past or present? Do you trust in the truth of the resurrection, the testimony of the Scriptures and the transformation power of God?
