He is risen! He is risen indeed! We see that today in an empty tomb! And why is the empty tomb so important? So that, as John says in 20:31, that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. And that is what we see come out of this passage. The end is faith in Christ.
We are going to explore a story today that takes us from darkness to light, from denial to faith, from doubt to confidence.
From denial to faith – the story of the empty tomb:
- Mary Magdalene in denial
- Peter investigates
- John believes
Mary Magdalene in denial
Now on the first day of the week!
Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark. It was the beginning of a new creation! On the first day we move from darkness to light. On the first day of the first week in history, God said, “let there be light!” And what happened? Light shone in the darkness!
Mary left while it was still dark, symbolic of where her heart was. Still in the dark. But can you see the sun coming up, beloved? Can you see the God of light speaking into the darkness of the world once more, “LET THERE BE LIGHT!” Can you hear his voice is speaking to darkened hearts? Let there be light!
Glory. Hope. Life! The Son of righteousness arises to shine in the hearts of all! John begins his gospel with this theme of light and darkness when he said in John 1:4-5, “In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
The verbs are all present tense conveying that there is something exciting taking place. This is not an event that is just historical – but for the apostle John it is an ever-present event. The crucifixion is the past. The resurrection is present. He lives – never to die again!
Also, just as a side note, notice it is a woman that is the first at the tomb. This is one of the reasons we can trust the Bible, because if this was made up, they would have never have had a woman go first to the tomb… Their testimony was not reliable and would not have been upheld in court. No one making this up would have put women as witnesses.
She saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. That stone that the Romans had rolled there, which the Jewish leaders had sealed, and in front of which they had posted a guard. The guards are gone, the seal is broken, and the stone is rolled away. Something was happening. But still her heart was darkened. She looks and runs to tell others.
So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, Can you imagine what they are feeling? For John: the one who loved him, and whom he loved best, was gone. Dead. So he thought. For Peter the final memory of Jesus’ life was his denial! The one who denied him, and the one who Jesus loved. Could there be two more heartbroken people in Jerusalem at that time? They were together in their heartbrokenness when Mary comes in breathing hard – and says, They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him. Who are these people who Mary thinks have taken him? We don’t know who she has in mind – possibly the Romans or the Jewish leaders. Regardless, her first reaction was to think the body of Jesus was stolen. She wasn’t wishing for or anticipating the resurrection of Jesus, and she certainly did not imagine that he was alive out of wishful thinking, as some people claim. Her mind was on finding the dead body and taking care of it.
Notice that, even though she believes him dead, she still calls him Lord! But not yet the living Lord of heaven and earth! She is still in the dark – it won’t be until later when her eyes are opened. Mary had heard many times Jesus talking about his death and resurrection. But sorrow and seeming inevitability and finality of death clouded her mind.
I don’t know where you are on your faith journey, but if this is you, I challenge you to look a little closer. Some of us are in the dark. Your life has not experienced the reality of Christ’s resurrection. You are maybe afraid to have that kind of hope, because the world has just destroyed hope before. Don’t stop seeking. Don’t stop looking. The resurrection is real. The new creation has begun.
Peter investigates
So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. 4 Both of them were running together, What must have gone through their minds as they were running!? Tradition has Peter as an older man and John younger, so it is no wonder that …other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.
Why does the Bible tell us this? It’s details – details matter. Because this is a real story. It really happened. This is not some imaginary resurrection we believe! This day really happened; these two men, one middle aged and one maybe in his 20’s really ran. It’s as if John can remember it like yesterday, although he is writing this years later.
5 And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, John reaches the tomb first, but just looks in. The verb here for ‘look’ is the same as in verse 1 with Mary. He looks. … but he did not go in. Maybe he didn’t want to raise his hopes. But when he sees the linen cloths, he must have known this was not a simple removal of a body to another place. What was it that made him not want to go in? We don’t know – all we know is that he just looks.
6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. Peter is always forward, maybe even brash, and does not hesitate. He goes into the tomb to investigate. I say investigate because here the verb for ‘look’ changes to a verb that means to “see or watch closely”, and what does he see? You can see him looking around at the tomb.
He saw the linen cloths lying there, 7 and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. There are the linen cloths with which they had bound him. There was the face cloth, which had covered his head. But strangely it was not lying with the linen clothes, but folded up in a place by itself. As if someone had deliberately stood up in the tomb and made his bed before going out.
Was there something familiar in the way it was folded? I wondered about this detail in John’s account, because most of us have little habits that mark us out. Was there something there that they thought: Jesus must have done it?
We don’t know. We do know that this had been a deliberate act and that the cloths were not ripped up and strewn all over. This was done with purpose. This was the Lord of life – the light of life – putting death to rest forever. And yet Peter does not yet see it. He is closer to the truth then Mary – he walked in. He sees. He investigates, and realizes something happened. But the light hasn’t dawned. Beloved, if there is any doubt – please come and see, the tomb is empty. Look through the eyes of Peter and see the empty grave, with the folded linen. Investigate. Think about it… If this grave is empty, what are the implications! And believe!
John believes
8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw… What did he see? The same things… but he goes one step further, it says, he saw and believed; Again a different word for seeing is used. The story that begins in the dark ends with the light of faith in the heart of the beloved disciple! There is the dawn, the first inkling of light has flooded the heart – he believes!
The beloved disciple is an example to all the ones loved by Jesus. “Blessed are those who do not see and believe” – that is what Jesus says when he appears to them later in this chapter. We often think that pertains to us, and it does, but John was the first of us! He was the first to believe without seeing the body!
O, how it must have felt! This was their hope… this was their life. He saw and believed.
Do you see? Do you believe it? That is the question. I challenge you: look, investigate, believe! This faith is not blind, it’s real! The body is gone. It has never been found and will not be found on this earth. The saints are beholding the resurrected One in heaven even as we speak! I challenge you anew embrace you resurrected Savior with a living faith! He is the first fruits of the new creation – the first fruits of the resurrection. Death, the punishment for sin, has been paid. And life is yours! Because He lives, the future is secure! Your debt is paid! Death is not the end!
As Paul, another apostle, says, “I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death.” If you do not believe in the resurrection, then this life is all there is. Then there is no hope, and suffering becomes unbearable, death becomes insufferable. But knowing that my grave and our grave will be emptied one day? Knowing that because He lives, I too will live! That changes everything! It is the same power that raised Christ from the dead, that raises dead sinners to become living saints!
The grave is empty. This is so important that all the gospels record it. Why? Because it has massive implications for us. Many of our members have passed through death since the institution of this church. For those who are buried their bodies are still there. But here is one tomb in the middle of history that is empty. That means the curse has been broken. Death is conquered. That empty grave means that every single grave of everyone who has died in Christ – will be empty. Every funeral day undone in a day of rejoicing. This empty tomb speaks to you and me today and says: do not fear death.
John, although he believed, did not see the full consequences of his faith. The sun was up, but it was still dawn. 9 for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead.
This is the ultimate proof. The Scriptures – what scriptures? – for John it was the Old Testament.
Believing and understanding the full implications of Jesus’ resurrection are two different things. But it would come. They would understand that He was the temple that would be rebuilt, He was the second Adam who would undo death, His body would not see decay, as David sang in Psalm 16: He would reign for ever and ever over David’s throne and His kingdom. He was the servant king promised in Isiaah, who would bring in the new creation! He is the living advocate, and high priest!
In Conclusion:
The resurrection means that Jesus was declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead (Romans 1:4).
The resurrection means that we have assurance of our own resurrection: For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus (1 Thessalonians 4:14).
The resurrection means that God has an eternal plan for these bodies of ours. The body and the soul are made by God and sacred. Plato could only get rid of sin by getting rid of the body, Jesus did it by resurrecting the body! (1 Corinthians 15)
The resurrection means that Jesus’ ministry has not ended: He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He ever lives to make intercession for them (Hebrews 7:25).
10 Then the disciples went back to their homes. John went home changed forever. Even though he did not understand. He was the beloved of Jesus.
Beloved of Jesus,
You are about to go home. But I pray it is not the same as when you entered this morning.
He is risen. He is risen indeed. That changes everything.
Amen.