Seeing The Risen Lord

Jesus has risen. The tomb was empty. The stone covering it has been rolled away.

• God has accepted the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. He died on behalf of sinners and paid the penalty of our sin. God raised him from the dead on the third day

• The disciples were told of this before it happened, not just of His death but also His resurrection.

• Jesus told them that He will be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again. In the Gospel of Mark, he said it 3 times.

• But it would take them a while more before they fully understand what it means.

We have just read John 20 an account of the resurrection of Jesus on the morning He was raised.

• All four Gospel writers describe the resurrection morning, but each one provides us with different details. We read John’s account today.

• It was in the early morning on the third day after His death, which is the first day of the week, a Sunday, that the disciples got to know that the tomb was empty.

John tells us of Mary Magdalene, the woman whom Jesus healed when He cast out from her seven demons (Luke 8:2, Mark 16:9) some time back in Galilee.

• She has become a faithful follower of Jesus and supporter of His ministry (Mt 27:55).

• She was among the few who witnessed Jesus’ crucifixion, burial and resurrection.

• She was watching Jesus at the crucifixion (Mt 27:56, Mk 15:40), she was at the tomb when Jesus was laid (Mt 27:61, Mk 15:47), and now she was among the first to be at the tomb.

• Mary Magdalene has the honour of being the first to see the resurrected Jesus.

On this first Easter Sunday morning, she came to the tomb in grief, not expecting Jesus to be raised. The empty tomb only deepens her sorrow.

• John tells us, “Mary stood outside the tomb crying.” (20:11). As she wept, she saw two angels. They asked, “Woman, why are you crying?” (20:13)

• When Jesus appeared, He asked the same question, “Why are you crying?” (20:15)

Clearly we have a woman overwhelmed in sorrow. The empty tomb added to her grief.

• It was not good news. The body of her loved one was missing.

• Jesus stood by her and yet she could not recognise Him. Emotions clouded her eyes to the truth.

DON’T LET EMOTIONS BLIND US TO THE TRUTH

She was overcome by sorrow to see the truth of what has just happened.

• The last few days have been extremely emotional for her, having witnessed a loved one being crucified, died and buried in the tomb, up close.

• She was there when all of these happened. Having known and loved Jesus since her miraculous healing in Galilee, this end to Jesus was devastating.

• Her hopes have been dashed with the death of Jesus. It was a tragedy.

Sadness has a way of blinding us to the truth. It can shake our faith in God.

• Everything is interpreted in the negative. We see only the problem, the pain, the disaster. We see only our point of view, the human perspective - death is the end.

• And ‘if the tomb is empty, then His body must be stolen.’ That was Mary’s conclusion, her only conclusion.

• Even the appearance of the angels did not awaken her to think otherwise.

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In the Gospel of Luke, we have another very similar situation, happening on the same day, where two disciples of Jesus could not recognise Him.

• Luke 24:13-35. They were on the road to Emmaus, leaving the place of sorrow and hopelessness, Jerusalem.

• Jesus came alongside and talked with them, but they could not recognise Him.

• Luke said they were downcast, feeling sad and discouraged by all that has happened in Jerusalem. They were so overcome by grief to see the truth.

Listen to what they say to Jesus in Luke 24:22-24 "22…some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23but didn't find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see."

• They could report the facts and yet leaving Jerusalem. You can almost sense the skeptism, “This is crazy, listen to what these women said, they were out of their mind…”

• They could only believe His death, not His resurrection, even though Jesus had already told them a few times that He would be raised on the third day.