Easter Sunday
Iliff and Saltillo United Methodist Churches
April 23, 2000
“Open Eyes and Believing Hearts”
John 20:1-18
INTRODUCTION:
ILLUSTRATION: If you were asked to describe this Easter without using any words--just using only punctuation marks, what punctuation mark would you choose? Maybe you would describe it with a coma--it makes you stop, pause, think, and listen, but that’s about it. Maybe you would describe it with a period--you thought you’d feel excited about the day, but instead it seems to be more like an empty ritual--period. It was a day like that for Jesus’ disciples. The end of the sentence and an end to their expectations. But wait, news came in of an empty tomb--now there’s a question mark. Now they are perplexed and beginning to doubt. An angel speaks,”He is not here, but He has risen! The punctuation mark turns into an exclamation point!
On resurrection morning there were many reactions to this historic event. Mary Magdalene who approached the garden tomb first could think of no other possible explanation than that someone had come and taken Jesus’ body from the grave. She came with spices to anoint a dead body not to meet a living Christ. In spite of Jesus telling his followers what would occur, they didn’t grasp the meaning. Upon seeing the stone rolled away, Mary was emphatic in saying, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb and we don’t know where they have put him.” When two of his disciples heard the news, they QUICKLY came to investigate. John outran Peter and LOOKED into the tomb but didn’t GO in possibly out of fear or respect. When impulsive Peter got there, he charged right on into the tomb. Although quick to enter the tomb, Luke 24:25 tells us that Peter “went away WONDERING to himself what had happened.” When John finally ventured into the tomb, he saw the grave clothes in one place and the napkin that was around Jesus head NEATLY FOLDED UP and LYING IN A SEPARATE PLACE. This Jewish custom was a sign that spoke to him.
STORY: It is told that when a guest went to someone’s house for a meal that if they had had a really good meal and great hospitality, they would leave their napkin crumpled up at their plate. If they were not treated well and had a horrible meal, they would neatly fold up the napkin and place it by their plate indicating their displeasure and it was saying, “I’m not coming back here again.” This spoke to John who knew the Jewish customs. Scripture says, “he SAW and BELIEVED.” What did he believe? He believed that the resurrection really did happen.
Later on when Thomas heard the news, his reaction was one of DOUBT. He said, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were and put my hand in his side, I will not believe it” (John 20:25).
Today we are so much like these people and react in a variety of ways just as they did.
1. A Process--Seeing and believing is not usually a one time event. It is more often a process. We all need time before we can see and understand spiritual truths. At first we may be like Mary who heard the resurrection announcement. Luke 24:11 says at first the “men did not believe the announcement coming from the women at the tomb.” It’s impossible! It’s a fairy tale! Today many people think the same way. It is not logical. It just doesn’t make sense. You might have thought this at one time in your life and some may still feel this way.
When Mary Magdalene went to the garden tomb it was still dark. When it comes to spiritual things we may live our lives with no light shining in--walking in darkness for a long time--not really caring about church or Jesus or perceptive to any of it. Then as Mary Magdalene began to see the dawning of that first Easter morning, we too, begin to slowly perceive and understand things that up to that point we had no interest in whatsoever.
What starts the process in our lives? You might remember when you first heard about Jesus. Maybe it was through your family, a Sunday School teacher, a crisis event or some other wake up call. You could probably all share numerous experiences.
ILLUSTRATION: It is said that our search for God and His search for us meet at windows in our everyday experience. But we must learn to look with more than just our eyes and listen with more than just our ears.
2. Their Own Style--In our scripture today we find that these men and women began the process in quite a variety of ways and in their own unique style. Mary Magdalene did not look for a risen Savior when she approached the tomb. She went there for the sole purpose of taking spices to anoint his body. Somewhat like we take flowers to a gravesite. To her there was no hope. Jesus had died on the cross. There was defeat and there was nothing she could do about it. She was saddened by his death and all hopes had vanished. Someone had come and taken him away.
STORY: The four year old son of an undertaker was puzzled one Easter morning when he heard about the Resurrection. “Do you mean,” he asked, “that Jesus really rose up from the dead?”
“Oh, yes,” the teacher said.
The little boy shook his head and said, “I know my daddy didn’t take care of Him after He died. He’d never get up again!!”
Mary could not see beyond the present dark morning. Her heart could not believe much at that point, but at the same time she MADE THE EFFORT to go to the garden. She HUNG AROUND a little longer than the others. The process had started although it wasn’t instantaneous.
Today you may not believe very much or you may believe a lot. You may be a very committed Christian or a very peripheral one. You may not have even started the process. You may feel that it is impossible to believe. Check it out. What are the facts?
Peter and John heard the news and even though they had followed the Lord closely for a long time, the resurrection message was hard for them to believe too. They reacted according to their style also. John ran quickly to the tomb and LOOKED in but did not go in at first. He saw the grave clothes and interpreted what he saw. They were signs to him. Peter got there and rushed in, but scripture says he went home WONDERING. Do we wonder about things and come up with no good answers many times? It’s OK to wonder. God can take us beyond the wondering stage. He can take us beyond the unbelief stage as we continue to CHECK OUT THE FACTS. Make the effort to go to church consistently over a period of time--not just once in awhile. Check it out for yourself. When John finally got up enough nerve to go into the tomb and check out things a little further, scripture says, “He SAW and BELIEVED.”
We may be like Thomas who DOUBTED and said later on in this same chapter, “I won’t believe unless I SEE the nail prints and touch his hands.” What doubts still linger in your heart about Christianity and about the proclaimed good news? You might say, “Oh, I DOUBT if this works today. I’ve heard it all my life. God doesn’t answer prayers today or is not personally involved in my life. I DOUBT if he will heal me...I doubt if he will do it for me.
Matthew 28:17 says back then “some doubted.” As we proclaim the Easter story once again in the year 2000, what doubts do you have? It’s OK to have honest doubts because through them we can examine the facts more closely and make our decision.
Jesus said to Thomas, “go ahead and put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Stop doubting and believe.” Jesus is saying, CHECK OUT THE FACTS for yourself and see if what I am saying is not true.
Today you may have doubts about what Jesus did for you personally on the cross and doubts about the resurrection. Is it just a fairy tale? Something I have heard about for years but it’s not for me?. Does it contain the power that scripture says it does? Is it just a teaching of the church down through the centuries?
Jesus is saying to us today--CHECK IT OUT FOR YOURSELF IN YOUR OWN STYLE--It’s OK to wonder--it’s OK to doubt--it’s OK to take it slow as John did at first. Where does that lead? For John, he “SAW and BELIEVED.” We see the others in the early church. They were no longer doubtful, fearful people. Peter became a bold leader in the early church who was not WONDERING but was CONVINCED. He was empowered by the Holy Spirit to live out his life preaching the good news, seeing people healed and restored through the work of the Risen Christ.
3. Personal Encounter--How did this happen? What made the difference from that first Easter morning what makes the difference our lives today? As we read on in the scripture we find that only when they encountered Jesus PERSONALLY were they able to accept the news of the resurrection. When Jesus SPOKE MARY’s NAME--her eyes were opened--her heart believed. She exclaimed, “I have SEEN the Lord.”
Later on the road to Emmaus, Jesus walked with them. They still didn’t know him--but in an instant when he “took bread, gave thanks, and gave it to them, “their eyes were opened and they recognized him.” (Luke 24:30). They said, “didn’t our hearts burn within us.” There was a personal encounter with the Risen Christ and as a result they now had “open eyes and believing hearts.”
Thomas touched the nail prints and to him that was the encounter that dispelled his doubts. He exclaimed, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus told him “because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.” (John 20:28, 29).
We do not see the Risen Christ standing before us today with our physical eyes like Doubting Thomas did but he is not any less real. We see him through the eyes of faith. We see Him through the ways that He works in our lives to change us. We see him in answer to numerous prayers--as he works out impossible tangles in our lives. We see him bring healing to our bodies. We see him giving us the power to defeat the devil and to become more than conquerors through what he achieved on the cross.
When did you first encounter the risen Christ personally? You may say, “many years ago” or you may say, “I’m not there yet.” You can find him to be just as real to you today as he was to these New Testament people.
At what point in your life did you recognize Jesus and begin to believe?
What were signs along the way that spoke to you and helped to open your eyes?
Who were significant people who helped bring you to a personal encounter with the Risen Lord?
4. Commitment and Devotion--Once they “saw and believed” they went a step further. They committed their lives to serving the Lord and began to see growth take place. Spiritual growth doesn’t happen automatically. We must make the effort by preparing our hearts, by studying and by developing a habit of faithfulness and commitment.
STORY: There was one pastor who never prepared his sermon during the week and on Sunday morning he’d sit on the platform while the church was singing the hymns and desperately praying, “Lord, give me your message.” One Sunday while desperately praying for God’s message, he heard the Lord say, “Ralph, here’s my message. You’re lazy.”
The early Christians were not lazy Christians and we don’t want to be either. They began to more fully understand the reality of His presence in their daily lives as they committed their lives totally to Christ. They allowed the Holy Spirit to give them insight--not only in the truths of the resurrection but on the TOTAL PACKAGE.--knowing who we are in Christ--knowing that we are able to live an overcoming life in a darkened world--knowing that we can survive the tough times of life--because we KNOW the POWER of the Risen Christ and we are CONVINCED that “greater is he that is in us than he that is in the world.” ( ).
CONCLUSION--Today do you sometimes find yourself “slow of heart to believe” ? Do you wonder if He will do what he says he will do?
I think we are all like that at times. Today start where you are, not where you would like to be. Check out the facts for yourself in your own style, encounter the Risen Christ personally and commit your life to Him. When you do, you will find that you will have “open eyes and believing hearts.” What do you need from the Lord today?
Shall we pray:
