The Three Faiths Of Easter

The Three Faiths of Easter

John 20:1-18

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Have you ever noticed how much running there is in the Bible? There’s so much that sometimes it leaves me breathless and unable to catch my breath.

Most of the running refers to how we’re to approach our lives as believers. The Bible often likens our spiritual lives to a race that we’re told to run with endurance so we can cross the finish line at the end, which is heaven. (1 Corinthians 9:24; Hebrews 12:1-2; Isaiah 40:31; Galatians 5:7; Habakkuk 2:2; Psalm 119:32).

But there are various places where the Bible records people literally running as well.

Like when the young man wanted to run with the news that Absalom had been defeated. But he didn’t have all the information, and so he gave an incomplete report to King David (2 Samuel 18:19-33).

The story reveals that we are to run with a purpose, or God’s Kingdom business, which mostly involves running with the full message of Jesus Christ, that is, the gospel message of God’s grace and mercy through what Jesus did for us upon the cross, as He took our place and died the death we all deserve, and on the third day He rose from the dead.

And so, we need to run with this message of hope 6’and comfort and not one that is unsure bringing a partial or incomplete message.

And in our story of Jesus’s resurrection, there’s a lot of running going on as well.

Read John 20:1-18

Today, people always seem to be running. They’re running to work, the grocery store, to pick up the kids and take them to this or that event. And there’s also a lot of running that’s not getting anyone anywhere. I’m talking about people running on treadmills or around the block to get healthy or lose a little weight

And while the three people in our story are running with a purpose, they’re also running through a graveyard. Normally you walk through cemeteries out of reverence, never run. But these three had somewhere to go, and something to see and check out.

And my prayer is that all of us will likewise run, not right now, nor out of the church, but when we hear the good news of what Easter, or Resurrection Sunday is all about, my prayer is that we’ll run to the Lord to receive His grace and mercy for our lives and then bring the world the complete message of the good news of Jesus Christ.

And so, it was on this morning these three began their Easter morning run, and what we see is each of them represents three types of faith that are present in a lot of us when we come to the empty tomb.

A Simple Faith

The first faith present on Easter morning is the simple faith of the Apostle John. He’s called the disciple Jesus loved. What a great nickname to have. And like Peter, he’s very close to Jesus, in fact, he’s one of the inner three.

When Jesus had something special to do, he took Peter, James and John with Him. Like when He went up to the Mount of Transfiguration, or when He went further in at the Garden of Gethsemane.

This closeness can be seen in the Last Supper as John, who is the youngest of the twelve, sat right next to Jesus. And when Jesus was crucified John was the only disciple who witnessed it, and it was to John that Jesus gave instructions upon the cross to care for His mother.

“When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, ‘Woman, behold your son!’ Then He said to the disciple, ‘Behold your mother!’ And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.” (John 19:26-27 NKJV)

When Mary Magdalene brought news that the tomb had been opened and was empty, both Peter and John took off running to see it for themselves. And while John got there first, he never went inside. He saw it was empty except for the grave clothes and the cloth that was around Jesus’s head folded neatly to the side.  And after Peter went in, John went in as well, and it says he believed.

“Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed. For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead.” (John 20:8-9 NKJV)

John wasn’t skeptical like doubting Thomas that had to see and touch Jesus for Himself, instead John simply believed, without any sort of “proof.” The tomb was empty and that’s all He needed. He sort of embodies the promise Jesus makes to Thomas saying, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29b NKJV)