Sermon - March 31, 2013 - Easter 2013 - John 20:1-18 - Sturgeon Christian Church
John 20:1-18
20 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. 2 So she *ran and *came to Simon Peter and to 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 have laid Him.” 3 So Peter and the other disciple went forth, and they were going to the tomb. 4 The two were running together; and the other disciple ran ahead faster than Peter and came to the tomb first; 5 and stooping and looking in, he *saw the linen wrappings lying there; but he did not go in. 6 And so Simon Peter also *came, following him, and entered the tomb; and he *saw the linen wrappings lying there, 7 and the face-cloth which had been on His head, not lying with the linen wrappings, but rolled up in a place by itself. 8 So the other disciple who had first come to the tomb then also entered, and he saw and believed. 9 For as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. 10 So the disciples went away again to their own homes.
11 But Mary was standing outside the tomb weeping; and so, as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb; 12 and she *saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been lying. 13 And they *said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She *said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.” 14 When she had said this, she turned around and *saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus *said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing Him to be the gardener, she *said to Him, “Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away.” 16 Jesus *said to her, “Mary!” She turned and *said to Him in [a]Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (which means, Teacher). 17 Jesus *said to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.’” 18 Mary Magdalene *came, announcing to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and that He had said these things to her.
Let’s Pray!
Let’s start with a refresh on the activities that have happened so far, pulling from the other accounts in the Bible.
When Jesus had been sealed in the tomb after His death, there had not been enough time to prepare His body. So early Easter morning, a group of women approached the tomb where Jesus’ body had been laid. As they got closer, suddenly a thought occurred to them: “Who is going to roll away that huge stone door for us? But, they found that it was not an issue, they also found that the guards appeared dead, so they walked past them into the tomb where Jesus body had been placed. When they got there, they did not find His body! Suddenly, two angels appeared and proclaimed to them that Jesus had risen! They were told to go and tell His disciples, so they did. The ladies were met with disbelief. Think about it. Guards that seemed to be dead…the stone rolled away…men in bright clothing…Jesus alive?! None of it made any sense. But it got John, Peter, and Mary Magdalene moving. There was an empty tomb. No one doubted that part of the women’s story. But what they needed to decide for themselves was why it was empty and what it all meant.
That’s the same thing that you must decide. It is probably safe to say, that we all agree that there is an empty tomb. Most likely you wouldn’t be here today if you didn’t believe that much. But the question is how are you going to respond to that empty tomb. Three different people came to the tomb that day, and each one responded in a different way.
The first to arrive at the tomb was John.
When John heard the news, he jumped up and ran with all his might to get to the tomb. He loved Jesus. Of all the disciples, he had been the most faithful. He had been in the courtyard when Jesus was interrogated and sentenced to die. He had been at the foot of the cross when Jesus hung there dying. He had willingly taken Jesus’ mother into his home to care for her. He was so excited about the possibility that Jesus might actually be alive that he ran faster than he ever had before. But when he got to the tomb, he did not go in. He looked inside and saw some of what Mary had said was there, but he stayed outside.
Maybe he stayed outside because he had to catch his breath after the long run. Maybe he stayed outside because he was afraid. What if Mary was wrong, and Jesus’ body had been moved to another part of the grave? He was afraid to get his hopes up.
Then Peter arrived and walked right in without the slightest hesitancy. He saw everything just as Mary had said. The linen that had covered Jesus’ body was all neatly lying in place. When Peter arrived and entered the tomb, John figured that it must be ok to enter, so he too he went in. They both saw all the evidence, but they had different responses to the evidence.
Verse 8 tells us that John saw and believed. The empty grave was enough evidence for him that what the women had said was true. Jesus really had risen from the dead! John didn’t need to see Jesus to know that Jesus was alive. He had heard Jesus’ prophecies about His coming death and resurrection, and now, here was the empty tomb. He Believed!
There are many people like John here today. We believe because there is an empty tomb. We don’t need to see to believe. We like John believe by FAITH.
Peter ran a little slower than John. Peter wanted to see Jesus, but there was a part of him that dreaded the idea. The last time that he had looked into the eyes of Jesus was just after Peter had denied Him. If Peter saw Jesus, he knew he was going to be confronted with his sin and guilt. He wasn’t sure that he could handle that. Peter’s vision was clouded by the pain that he felt over his past. He wanted Jesus to be alive, but he didn’t know how he was going to be able to face Him.
Maybe there are people like that here today. You want to believe, but there’s just too much pain, to much history. Peter went in and examined the evidence, the linen that had wrapped his body and the piece of cloth that had been around His head. It was enough to prove that SOMETHING had happened there. But it wasn’t enough to prove that Jesus was alive. He needed more evidence.
Then Peter did one of the most foolish things of his entire life.
He left. Something as important as this and he just left. If Peter had hung around just a little while longer, he would have witnessed the same miracle that Mary is getting ready to see. There wasn’t enough evidence because he didn’t hang around long enough.
Too many people don’t have enough evidence to place their faith in Jesus because of the simple reason that they don’t hang around long enough. They don’t read God’s Word enough. They don’t spend enough time around God’s people. They don’t spend enough time in prayer.
Peter walked away from that empty tomb with his heart still broken.
Then, there was Mary Magdalene. When the others left she stood there crying.
Mary had lost that which was more valuable to her than anything else – she had lost Jesus. To her, Jesus meant…
• Release – When she had met Jesus, she was enslaved by 7 demons. Jesus had freed her.
• Forgiveness – Not only had Jesus released her from her demons, he had released her from her sin.
• Someone to believe in – When Jesus was alive, Mary believed in what He was doing.
• Leadership – She was lost without Jesus. She had given her life to Jesus, and in turn He had given her life meaning.
She thought that all that was gone, so she cried…she wept. But then a miracle happened.
Jesus appeared!
That’s what Mary wanted more than anything else. Mary got her desire. She said, “I have seen the Lord.”
Everyone here is like one of these three witnesses. All three saw the same tomb and examined the same evidence, and all three had different reactions.
Many of you are like John. You see the empty tomb and you believe. Jesus says that you are blessed. Rejoice that Jesus is alive. It means that you will live with Him for all eternity.
Some of you are like Peter. You see the empty tomb and you don’t know what to believe. There’s something going on, but you don’t know what. There is only one way that you will ever understand. Stick around. Don’t just come on Easter. Come back again and again until you see the miracle of your own life changed.
And then some of you are like Mary. You see the empty tomb, you see the change in people’s lives and you think that there has got to be some practical explanation of what has happened. Mary didn’t believe either. But she hung around long enough to have her questions answered and her faith grown. Maybe that’s you. You’re not sure what happened on that day, or how it impacts your life. You ask, “What does it all mean?” Since Jesus is alive, Jesus can be to you all those things that Mary thought she had lost – release, forgiveness, a reason to exist.
Maybe you’re ready to believe in Jesus today. If so, when we sing, I want you to come forward, tell me that you are ready to take Jesus as your Savior.
Happy Easter and God Bless,
Thanks for Reading.
Robert
20 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. 2 So she *ran and *came to Simon Peter and to 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 have laid Him.” 3 So Peter and the other disciple went forth, and they were going to the tomb. 4 The two were running together; and the other disciple ran ahead faster than Peter and came to the tomb first; 5 and stooping and looking in, he *saw the linen wrappings lying there; but he did not go in. 6 And so Simon Peter also *came, following him, and entered the tomb; and he *saw the linen wrappings lying there, 7 and the face-cloth which had been on His head, not lying with the linen wrappings, but rolled up in a place by itself. 8 So the other disciple who had first come to the tomb then also entered, and he saw and believed. 9 For as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. 10 So the disciples went away again to their own homes.
11 But Mary was standing outside the tomb weeping; and so, as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb; 12 and she *saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been lying. 13 And they *said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She *said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.” 14 When she had said this, she turned around and *saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus *said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing Him to be the gardener, she *said to Him, “Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away.” 16 Jesus *said to her, “Mary!” She turned and *said to Him in [a]Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (which means, Teacher). 17 Jesus *said to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.’” 18 Mary Magdalene *came, announcing to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and that He had said these things to her.
Let’s Pray!
Let’s start with a refresh on the activities that have happened so far, pulling from the other accounts in the Bible.
When Jesus had been sealed in the tomb after His death, there had not been enough time to prepare His body. So early Easter morning, a group of women approached the tomb where Jesus’ body had been laid. As they got closer, suddenly a thought occurred to them: “Who is going to roll away that huge stone door for us? But, they found that it was not an issue, they also found that the guards appeared dead, so they walked past them into the tomb where Jesus body had been placed. When they got there, they did not find His body! Suddenly, two angels appeared and proclaimed to them that Jesus had risen! They were told to go and tell His disciples, so they did. The ladies were met with disbelief. Think about it. Guards that seemed to be dead…the stone rolled away…men in bright clothing…Jesus alive?! None of it made any sense. But it got John, Peter, and Mary Magdalene moving. There was an empty tomb. No one doubted that part of the women’s story. But what they needed to decide for themselves was why it was empty and what it all meant.
That’s the same thing that you must decide. It is probably safe to say, that we all agree that there is an empty tomb. Most likely you wouldn’t be here today if you didn’t believe that much. But the question is how are you going to respond to that empty tomb. Three different people came to the tomb that day, and each one responded in a different way.
The first to arrive at the tomb was John.
When John heard the news, he jumped up and ran with all his might to get to the tomb. He loved Jesus. Of all the disciples, he had been the most faithful. He had been in the courtyard when Jesus was interrogated and sentenced to die. He had been at the foot of the cross when Jesus hung there dying. He had willingly taken Jesus’ mother into his home to care for her. He was so excited about the possibility that Jesus might actually be alive that he ran faster than he ever had before. But when he got to the tomb, he did not go in. He looked inside and saw some of what Mary had said was there, but he stayed outside.
Maybe he stayed outside because he had to catch his breath after the long run. Maybe he stayed outside because he was afraid. What if Mary was wrong, and Jesus’ body had been moved to another part of the grave? He was afraid to get his hopes up.
Then Peter arrived and walked right in without the slightest hesitancy. He saw everything just as Mary had said. The linen that had covered Jesus’ body was all neatly lying in place. When Peter arrived and entered the tomb, John figured that it must be ok to enter, so he too he went in. They both saw all the evidence, but they had different responses to the evidence.
Verse 8 tells us that John saw and believed. The empty grave was enough evidence for him that what the women had said was true. Jesus really had risen from the dead! John didn’t need to see Jesus to know that Jesus was alive. He had heard Jesus’ prophecies about His coming death and resurrection, and now, here was the empty tomb. He Believed!
There are many people like John here today. We believe because there is an empty tomb. We don’t need to see to believe. We like John believe by FAITH.
Peter ran a little slower than John. Peter wanted to see Jesus, but there was a part of him that dreaded the idea. The last time that he had looked into the eyes of Jesus was just after Peter had denied Him. If Peter saw Jesus, he knew he was going to be confronted with his sin and guilt. He wasn’t sure that he could handle that. Peter’s vision was clouded by the pain that he felt over his past. He wanted Jesus to be alive, but he didn’t know how he was going to be able to face Him.
Maybe there are people like that here today. You want to believe, but there’s just too much pain, to much history. Peter went in and examined the evidence, the linen that had wrapped his body and the piece of cloth that had been around His head. It was enough to prove that SOMETHING had happened there. But it wasn’t enough to prove that Jesus was alive. He needed more evidence.
Then Peter did one of the most foolish things of his entire life.
He left. Something as important as this and he just left. If Peter had hung around just a little while longer, he would have witnessed the same miracle that Mary is getting ready to see. There wasn’t enough evidence because he didn’t hang around long enough.
Too many people don’t have enough evidence to place their faith in Jesus because of the simple reason that they don’t hang around long enough. They don’t read God’s Word enough. They don’t spend enough time around God’s people. They don’t spend enough time in prayer.
Peter walked away from that empty tomb with his heart still broken.
Then, there was Mary Magdalene. When the others left she stood there crying.
Mary had lost that which was more valuable to her than anything else – she had lost Jesus. To her, Jesus meant…
• Release – When she had met Jesus, she was enslaved by 7 demons. Jesus had freed her.
• Forgiveness – Not only had Jesus released her from her demons, he had released her from her sin.
• Someone to believe in – When Jesus was alive, Mary believed in what He was doing.
• Leadership – She was lost without Jesus. She had given her life to Jesus, and in turn He had given her life meaning.
She thought that all that was gone, so she cried…she wept. But then a miracle happened.
Jesus appeared!
That’s what Mary wanted more than anything else. Mary got her desire. She said, “I have seen the Lord.”
Everyone here is like one of these three witnesses. All three saw the same tomb and examined the same evidence, and all three had different reactions.
Many of you are like John. You see the empty tomb and you believe. Jesus says that you are blessed. Rejoice that Jesus is alive. It means that you will live with Him for all eternity.
Some of you are like Peter. You see the empty tomb and you don’t know what to believe. There’s something going on, but you don’t know what. There is only one way that you will ever understand. Stick around. Don’t just come on Easter. Come back again and again until you see the miracle of your own life changed.
And then some of you are like Mary. You see the empty tomb, you see the change in people’s lives and you think that there has got to be some practical explanation of what has happened. Mary didn’t believe either. But she hung around long enough to have her questions answered and her faith grown. Maybe that’s you. You’re not sure what happened on that day, or how it impacts your life. You ask, “What does it all mean?” Since Jesus is alive, Jesus can be to you all those things that Mary thought she had lost – release, forgiveness, a reason to exist.
Maybe you’re ready to believe in Jesus today. If so, when we sing, I want you to come forward, tell me that you are ready to take Jesus as your Savior.
Happy Easter and God Bless,
Thanks for Reading.
Robert
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