The Event of the Resurrection
Notes
Transcript
Read:
1 The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.
2 Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.
3 Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre.
4 So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre.
5 And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in.
6 Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie,
7 And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.
8 Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed.
9 For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.
10 Then the disciples went away again unto their own home.
11 But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre,
12 And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.
13 And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.
14 And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.
15 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.
16 Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.
17 Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.
18 Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her.
Conspiracy theories have been around since probably the dawn of falsehoods.
I had a professor in college who said that a conspiracy was just a theory you didn’t have evidence for yet.
One of the more fascinating and interesting conspiracy theories that has been gaining in momentum over the last few decades is the one that alleges The moon landing never happened.
some key arguments used by conspiracy theorists include:
Flag Movement: Critics argue that the American flag planted on the moon appeared to be fluttering, suggesting the presence of wind. Since there is no atmosphere on the moon to create wind, they claim this indicates that the moon landing was staged on Earth.
Lack of Stars: In photographs taken on the moon's surface, there are no visible stars in the background. Conspiracy theorists argue that this is suspicious because space should be filled with visible stars, especially in the absence of Earth's atmosphere.
Lighting and Shadows: Some claim that the lighting and shadows in photographs and videos of the moon landing are inconsistent, suggesting that artificial lighting sources were used to stage the scenes.
Footprints and Rover Tracks: Critics argue that the footprints left by astronauts and the tracks made by the lunar rover appear too defined and well-preserved for a place with no atmosphere or weather conditions to erode them over time.
Radiation Hazard: Conspiracy theorists often point to the Van Allen radiation belts surrounding Earth and argue that astronauts could not have survived passing through them without being severely affected by radiation.
Lack of Technology: Some claim that the technology available during the 1960s was not advanced enough to send humans to the moon and return them safely to Earth. They question how such a feat could have been accomplished with the technology of that era.
Political Motives: Critics argue that the moon landing was staged by the United States government during the Cold War to gain an advantage over the Soviet Union in the space race, and that the entire event was fabricated for political reasons.
Now if you could talk to Neil Armstrong - who is now deceased, you might find some answers to some of these questions.
but my sermon this morning is not on the veracity or the alleged deception of the moon landing. No the issue before us is much larger and far more significant - it has eternal ramifications. It has to do with the eternal destiny of every one of us.
You understand - that we are eternity bound creatures - and what we do with the issue of the resurrection has a determinate effect on how that eternity will be spent
Now today is what our calendar calls, Easter - I prefer the term Resurrection Sunday - for it is on this day we celebrate not some egg laying rabbit - but the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
The resurrection of Christ and the fact of the empty tomb are not part of the world’s complex and continuing mythologies. This is not a Santa Claus tale—it is history and it is reality.
A. W. Tozer
Can you imagine the shock, the horror, the confusion of those women finding an empty tomb -
Now if you compare the Gospels you find an interesting dilemma:
1 In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.
1 Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.
but the text we read this morning reads:
1 The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.
So Matthew and Luke have it in early dawn
But John still has it dark
Mark evades it all together by saying “very early”
I think this is very easy to reconcile - it could be the individual’s idea of dawn
but I don’t think that fits because Matthew mentions two women, Mark mentions three women,
John only mentions Mary Magdalene and emphasizes it was “yet dark”
Here is how some scholars have explained this - and it makes sense to me - It is quite possible that Mary Magdalene ran ahead of the other women and arrived before the sun rose, just as John describes, whereas the others reached the tomb after sunrise as Mark records.
Others have suggested that it was dark when the party of women left, but after sunrise when they arrived at the tomb.
I tend to agree with the Mary Magdalene running ahead thought - because John gives a detailed personal description of what happens - not so much to the other women - but to Mary Magdalene.
We see in this passage, not just a happy ending to a sad and tragic story - a Walt Disney bow to a fairy tale
No we see God at work, The Power of God on display, Redemption in action,
As one songwriter put it
Death has died, the chains have been broken
Death has died, my heart sings without end
Death has died, Heaven's door is now open
Death has died, and we can live again
There is no mistaking the importance of seeing the resurrection of Christ as a major epoch in the unraveling narrative of Christianity
It was a pivotal moment for humanity - for salvation -
And while we are focusing on the resurrection - it is really best to think of Christ’s death and resurrection as a single event, rather than two separable events.
The Word of Life: Systematic Theology, Volume Two Death and Resurrection Inseparable, Viewed as Integral Salvation Event
For “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification” (Rom. 4:25). The cross “contains in itself the mystery of Easter” (Leo, Serm. LXXI.1, NPNF 2 XII, p. 182). Cyril of Jerusalem understood that one sees Jesus’ death most clearly through the lens of the resurrection: “I confess the Cross, because I know of the Resurrection” (Catech. Lect. XIII, FC 64, p. 6).
As cross is inseparable from resurrection, so is resurrection inseparable from the cross: “So then, let us remember that whenever mention is made of his death alone, we are to understand at the same time what belongs to his resurrection. Also, the same synecdoche applies to the word ‘resurrection’: whenever it is mentioned separatedly from death, we are to understand it as including what has to do especially with his death” (Calvin, Inst. 2.16.13).
“ ‘Sin was taken away by his death; righteousness was revived and restored by his resurrection.’ For how could he by dying have freed us from death if he had himself succumbed to death?” But “thanks to his resurrection—his death manifested its power and efficacy to us” (Calvin, Inst. 2.16.13).
I want to focus this morning on the event of the resurrection and this passage gives us three important things to note:
1. True Christian Faith is Placed in A Historical Event Not Evidence
1. True Christian Faith is Placed in A Historical Event Not Evidence
Now there is astounding evidence for the resurrection of Jesus
If I had the time I could lay out several arguments for the validity of the resurrection of Jesus
Irwin H. Linton was a Washington, D.C. lawyer who argued cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. He argues that the Resurrection “is not only so established that the greatest lawyers have declared it to be the best proved fact of all history, but it is so supported that it is difficult to conceive of any method or line of proof that it lacks which would make [it] more certain.”[14] And that, even among lawyers, “he who does not accept wholeheartedly the evangelical, conservative belief in Christ and the Scriptures has never read, has forgotten, or never been able to weigh—and certainly is utterly unable to refute—the irresistible force of the cumulative evidence upon which such faith rests….”[15]
The point is that this sort of story could only have any point at all in a community where the empty tomb was an absolute and unquestioned datum.
N. T. Wright
Insurmountable amount of items deemed as evidence does not mean the same thing as burden of proof.
The classified documents case against former President Donald Trump includes 1,545 pages of classified evidence, 1.1 million pages of unclassified evidence and at least three years worth of surveillance video
Yet the court date, at least last I heard wasn’t going to be until May - that doesn’t mean he is guilty - even though a large portion of Americans believe it to be so.
Did you catch that - even with all the evidence it comes down to a matter of faith - believe
So we can be bogged down with ever so much evidence for the resurrection - but if you are predisposed to disbelieve - it doesn’t do any good.
While I find the historical evidence for the resurrection of Jesus overwhelmingly strong in favor of its validity my Christian faith is not based on the evidence.
As Christians - even in our attempt to defend the faith - we should avoid giving the impression that the Christian faith is based on the evidence for Jesus’ resurrection.
It is a fact that we can know that Jesus rose from the dead completely apart from an apologetics course, or memorizing evidentiary facts ad nauseam
As William Lane Craig writes in the preface to The Son Rises:
The simplest Christian, who has neither the opportunity nor wherewithal to conduct a historical investigation of Jesus’ resurrection, can know with assurance that Jesus is risen because God’s Spirit bears unmistakable witness to him that it is so. And any non-Christian who is truly seeking to know the truth about God and life can also be sure that Jesus is risen because God’s Spirit will lead him to a personal relationship with the risen Lord. Thus, there are really two avenues to a knowledge of the fact of the resurrection: the avenue of the Spirit and the avenue of historical inquiry. The former provides a spiritual certainty of the resurrection, whereas the latter provides a rational certainty of the resurrection. Ideally these ought to coincide, the Spirit working through the rational power of the evidence and the evidence undergirding the witness of the Spirit. But even if the historical avenue proved inaccessible, the avenue of the Spirit to a knowledge of the resurrection would remain open and independent.
It is this truth that takes away all excuses for rejecting Christianity based on lack of evidence.
But when we base our faith upon the even of the resurrection rather than on the evidence - that is when we see it move from a convinced mind to a transformed heart.
The resurrection interprets the empty tomb, not vice versa.
N. T. Wright
They are at a loss to understand the empty tomb; it is beyond their comprehension. Their confusion is a reminder that a fact as irrefutable as the empty tomb does not lead to faith.
James R. Edwards
2. The Resurrection is a Learning Event
2. The Resurrection is a Learning Event
Now John 20 has quite a bit to share with us about a woman named Mary: there are actually six or seven Marys in the New Testament because it was a very common name
But John is specific that it is Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene was very prominent in the life of Jesus
She recieved some press during the days of the Da Vinci Code, but no, she was not married to Jesus, but yes, she was a very devoted follower of Jesus and loved him with all of her heart.
The first time we meet this remarkable woman in the New Testament is the Gospel of Luke.
It says that she was part of a delegation of women that actually followed Jesus and helped support him in his ministry.
And then it includes her and it says, Mary Magdalene, out of whom Jesus cast seven demons.
Now some people think that perhaps these were just psychological scars -
But when the New Testament talks about someone having evil spirits or devils it literally means they were possessed by evil spirits or demons.
We see this play out very clearly in the story of the demoniac - when Jesus cast out the legion of evil spirits they went into the pigs. - A transfer not of some psychological scar or some unnamed epileptic disease - but a transfer of erratic and demonic behavior that led to the herd of swines demise.
It was these very evil spirits that Jesus had come to do battle with in his earthly ministry, as well as their leader in his death and resurrection.
We don't know how it is that Mary Magdalene had these spirits.
Perhaps she had been involved in some type of occult behavior
Perhaps it was connected to living a life of unrestrained immorality? She has at times been called a prostitute, we do not know that she was a prostitute
We really aren’t sure - and we aren’t given all of the details
But whatever it was, there it is in the text, as plain as day Mary Magdalene, one out of whom Jesus cast seven demons.
Can't you just imagine what it was like for this woman to finally be clean? That Jesus speaks the word and the demons leave.
Her sin, which had harassed her, also is gone.
The voices of self-condemnation and self-hatred, they left her.
And for the first time in her life, she sensed a cleanness, a wholeness, an ability to be able to relate to this world with joy.
Jesus gave that to her. I suspect that Jesus was probably the only man she ever met whom she could have possibly trust.
He was a man with impeccable purity, a man who was able to minister with such a sense, without manipulation, without false motives.
She never had to hear a suggestive remark from his lips.
And because of the deliverance that she experienced, she loved him and loved him deeply.
The next time we see Mary Magdalene is at the cross.
The cross, the crucifixion, the site of execution was no place for anyone let alone a woman
And yet we find in the Bible where Mary was right there - Mary Magdalene and a number of other women - we aren’t told for sure how many - they stayed till the bitter end.
They loved Jesus
Even when all the disciples had forsook Jesus and fled - not Mary - God bless her - Jesus had done too much for her, she loved him too much.
They didn’t just stay at the cross -Mary Magdalene followed Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus as they took the body of Jesus bound in linen wrappings with spices to the tomb they wanted to know where his body was laid.
Our reading reminds us that Mary Magdalene was the last woman at the cross and the first woman at the tomb.
You have to wonder what Mary was thinking - perhaps in her grief stricken state she really wasn’t thinking -
She comes early in the morning - notices the stone is rolled away, the body of Jesus is gone
Not only have the enemies of Jesus murdered her Lord, but now they have desecrated his body.
In her distraught and traumatized state we read
2 Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.
Peter and John come running they look in the Bible says that Simon went into the tomb - John looked in but Peter stepped in -
They noticed the folded napkin - but still don’t seem to fully get it - Jesus told them what would happen - but as my kids are prone to say - the math wasn’t mathing.
it didn’t compute - it didn’t make sense
Some have said of the folded napkin - There is a tradition that says that there was servants and masters of course in those days and the servant would always watch the master to know whether he was done eating. Because if he wasn't finished, you didn't want to go and begin to clean up the table and if the master took his nap cloth and simply took it and threw it on the table and it was all bundled up, then you knew he was finished.
But if he left it folded, that was a hint that he was returning again. Maybe it was that.
Perhaps that is what Jesus was telling the disciples at least it was enough for John
You know John seemed to have a proclivity and sensitivity for knowing the work and presence of Jesus
In the next chapter you find that Peter goes fishing and the others join him. They fished all night but caught nothing - early in the morning someone from the shore calls out - “Children have you any meat?” Of course not they had fished all night and hadn’t caught a thing - what a boring and useless night. The stranger on the shore calls out “Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find” and when they did they found
It was at that moment that the light turned on in John’s mind and heart - “That’s Him - that’s Jesus” and he turns to Peter and says “It is the Lord”
Oh I want that type of sensitivity - to know this is the working of God - God is at work here -
Now can you believe this - the disciples that have seen all of this and John who believes that the Lord is alive - go home - I’m not sure I would just “go home” after something like that but that is what they do they leave
But not Mary - she is there at the tomb before anyone else gets there
Look at John 20:11
11 But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre,
And as she looks in the tomb she sees something through her tear blurred vision
12 And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.
As she is looking in there and attempting to get her vision to clear up a little the angels speak to her
13 And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.
Now she doesn’t seem to be startled by the angels - you have to wonder if she is so grief stricken - or if there had been other encounters with angels in the ministry of Jesus with Mary - or it could also be possible that the angels just looked like men - they are portrayed that way in other scriptures???
Whatever the reason she is more interested in weeping than in speaking or even to whom she is speaking.
I like how Erwin Lutzer put it:
Has any woman ever wept like this woman? Has any woman ever loved like this woman? Has anyone ever cared as deeply as this woman did?
This event teaches Mary a few things - it was a learning event
Just because you don’t recognize God at work - doesn’t mean he isn’t at work - one of the most powerful displays of God’s work was right in front of her eyes and she couldn’t see past her own disillusionment and tears.
That is the second thing this event taught me - That we can be so consumed with the wrong way of thinking - but that doesn’t cause God to stop loving you or quit helping you - or being present in your life
Oh her Lord was right there - no one had taken him, he was not lost, his body was not stolen - she was just consumed with her own way of thinking - her limited view of God, her narrow scope of reality - this is why faith is so important - One writer said, “FAITH LAUGHS AT IMPOSSIBILITIES”
Perhaps this morning you are so overwhelmed with problems difficulties
Health issues
family issues
financial issues
mental health issues
Whatever your moment at the tomb entails - I want you to know that Jesus is still standing somewhere in the shadows - he is still right there - he is waiting to call your name.
The resurrection was a learning event in that Mary learned that what we are looking for isn’t nearly as important as what we will find at the empty tomb.
Oh how tragic and different the outcome if Mary Magdalene had found that morning what she came looking for
This morning what you have found here may not be what you are looking for
You may have been looking for a certain style of worship or music
You may have been looking for an inspiring sermon that made you think and ponder the philosophical things in life
You may have been looking for something totaly different - but God has brought you to this church, to your seat - to give you something much greater, much better, far more satisfying that what you thought you could ever get - a connection with the resurrected Lord
She thinks she could have taken him away - I have seen some strong women in my life - some I was afraid to wrangle with and did my best to stay on their good side - but I seriously doubt that Mary had thought through this statement - we sometimes in our grief say things that don’t always make sense
Our emotions take over our mouth - Erwin Lutzer calls this “love being optimistic”
Oh she just thought it was the gardner till he called her name:
3. An Affirming Event
3. An Affirming Event
Talk about this part -
He Affirmed her name
He Affirmed her by sending her to tell
it was given to Mary, a woman, and not just any woman, a woman who had been very troubled. Very troubled woman at one point in her life.
Can you imagine the affirmation?
Oh but there is so much more
17 Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.
Oh listen to those words
I don’t know anything about Mary’s family
Was she married?
Did she have children?
Did she have siblings?
Where were her parents?
But in this moment all of that was not important - it didn’t matter - she had become a part of a much larger and more important family
I ascend unto my Father and he doesn’t say anything about the disciples Father, or the other women’s Father - no it was personal
My Father and Your Father - in that Moment Jesus declares to Mary Magdalene that she is His Sister
Oh I tell you you can have that kind of affirming relationship with Jesus
It is wonderful that he knows your name
It dawned on me the other day that I know all nearly 100 students in the school by name first and last and many by middle
I know many of the daycare kids by name
but that is all I know about most of them - many of them I have never met their parents, or know anything about where they live but I know their name
but this is more than an aquaintance - this is relationship
We are brother and sister - not just meet and greet friends
Oh yes I’m so thankful for the event of the ressurrection
Redeeming Event
Redeeming Event
A number of years ago when I was in Washington, D.C. with two of my daughters, Rebecca could not be with me at that time.
We were in a church, and I was speaking at a church, and a Secret Service agent was there and asked me later, would you like to go to see the President's Oval Office on Monday? That day we went there, and as you know, the little huts where the Secret Service agents are, they saw us, and then they saw that we were with this agent, and they in effect said, okay, well, if you're with him, you can go on in. When you get to the door of the White House, there are more agents, and there there were some agents who looked at us, and they saw that we were with this Secret Service agent, and they recognized him, and they said, okay, if you're with him, you can go in. Inside the White House, in the halls of the White House, there were more agents.
And they looked at us, and then they looked at him, and they said, okay, go in. When you get to the Oval Office, standing right at the door of the Oval Office, there was one more agent standing at attention. But he did glance at us, and he glanced at the agent whom he knew, and so he said, you can go in.
But we could not go to the President's desk. We could only put our foot into the Oval Office. What I'd like you to do is to use your imaginations for a few moments.
Let us suppose that all of us were to die together, and let us suppose that we were to find ourselves on the other side of the curtain, and there on the other side of the resurrected, triumphant Jesus meets us to take us all the way to the Father's house. After all, the Bible says he alone can do that. He's the way to the Father.
So there we are, and I want you to also visualize that along the way there are sentries, there are groups of angels positioned to guard the path to the heavenly city. And I can imagine that we are now with Jesus, and the angels look at us, and then they see Jesus, and they say, oh, you're with him. You know, go on in.
And then we get to another group of angels, and they say to us, oh, you're with him? Just go on in. And then in the distance, we begin to see God. Now, God exists everywhere, but there he is localized.
In the Bible says, unapproachable light. We see God as we have never seen him with such clarity and beauty and holiness. We can scarcely, we can scarcely imagine it.
And when we see how holy God is, we say to ourselves, we can't go in. And we begin to have flashbacks, because among us, there are some men who have committed crimes and sexual sins that are horrid. Among us, there are women who've aborted their pre-born infants.
And those of us who perhaps have been spared such sins, when we think of our thought life, we discover that we too, we too are unworthy to go in. And as we begin to think about our past prior to accepting Christ as Savior, as we begin to think about our past, we say to ourselves, we just can't, we can't go in. We just can't go in, because God is so holy, as we are reminded of our sins.
But there's an angel there who looks at us and says, well, you're with him, go on in. And there we find ourselves in the presence of the living and the holy God. And the son says to the father, thank you so much.
And these, oh father, are your sons and your daughters. And I am their brother. And I can imagine the father saying to the son, thank you so much for dying for them, for redeeming them.
And thank you for bringing them to me, because I love them. And I have thoroughly inspected them and I find no fault in them. I see no sin in them.
Joseph Renan, the French skeptic, said sarcastically but truthfully, “You Christians live on the fragrance of an empty tomb.”
Anonymous
Utilize Erwin Lutzer’s Learning, Affirming, Redeeming event