Well, please turn with me in your Bibles to John chapter 20. John chapter 20. While you're turning there, it might be a good time to remind us concerning various things that the people in the church and people outside of the church deem as holidays. There is a particular liturgical calendar that many churches, many denominations, and persons follow.
Of course, you know that today would be referred to as Easter Sunday, and I'm often asked why do we not look at this day and call it the same sort of thing, or why do we not have a Good Friday service? Well, instead of a man-made liturgical calendar, our conviction is that the Bible affords to us the warrant and the prescription as to when we are to worship. The Bible commands 52 days out of the year wherein we are to gather together to worship. And whether we say it verbally when we enter into this place on the Sabbath day or not, coming here is an admission that He is risen.
As well, the Bible commands us to remember the Lord's death, not on a particular Friday in a calendrical year, but every time we gather together and we eat this bread and we drink this cup, we proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. So our conviction as Reformed Baptists is that the regulative principle of worship does tell us when we are to approach our triune God, that we're not to add to nor take away from the scripture when it comes to such things. Now having said that, because things like the resurrection are more at the forefront in our minds, on days like these it is fitting and appropriate to survey the scriptural data concerning the resurrection of our Lord. So this morning we're going to establish the fact of the resurrection And then this evening, the significance, the theological significance of the resurrection.
So I'll just read beginning in John 20 at verse 1. We'll read to verse 23. Now the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early while it was still dark and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. Then 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.
Peter therefore went out and the other disciple and we're going to the tomb. So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first. And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there, yet he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb, and he saw the linen cloths lying there, and the handkerchief that had been around his head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself.
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. Then the disciples went away again to their own homes. But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept, she stooped down and looked into the tomb.
And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. 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. Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus.
Jesus said to her, Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking? She, supposing him to be the gardener, said to him, Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away. Jesus said to her, Mary, She turned and said to him, Rabboni, which is to say, teacher.
Jesus said to her, do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to my father. But go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my father and your father and to my God and your God. Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord and that he had spoken these things to her. Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut, where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst and said to them, Peace be with you.
When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. So Jesus said to them again, peace to you, as the Father has sent me, I also send you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, receive the Holy Spirit.
If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them. If you retain the sins of any, they are retained. Amen. Well, let us pray.
Our Father in heaven, we thank you for this day. We thank you for the Lord's day. that each and every Sunday we gather together here, we remember that Christ is risen, that the grave could not contain Him, that He did everything the Father gave Him in terms of His perfect life of obedience to the law, His death at Calvary as a substitute, and His resurrection on the third day. God, certainly these things tell and testify of Your glory and of Your majesty and of Your excellence. May these things as well encourage our hearts and may You help us as we come to the Scriptures now, to know the power and the presence of your Holy Spirit.
Guide us and lead us and call us to see the glory of this reality, that the tomb is empty. And as well, Father, we pray for those who are outside of Christ, that you give them eyes to see and a heart to reveal or receive the Word of Truth today. We pray that today would be the day of salvation all over the earth, that as your Gospel is preached, it would run swiftly and be glorified, that it would not return unto you void, but it would most certainly accomplish the purpose for which you sent it. And our Father, forgive us now for all of our sins and transgressions, for all of our iniquities and anything that would darken the understanding of our hearts.
And we pray through Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
Introduction and Outline
Well, we'll take up this particular section under three observations this morning. First, we'll notice the empty tomb in verses 1 to 10. Secondly, the appearance to Mary Magdalene in verses 11 to 18. And then the appearance to the disciples without Thomas in verses 19 to 23.
Now the section that I didn't read is the appearance to the disciples a week later when Thomas was present with them. But it's interesting to see the trajectory of John's gospel in these last several chapters. We see that Christ is crucified according to John 19 verses 16 to 27. We see that Jesus died according to John 19 verses 28 to 37.
We see that Jesus is buried, John 19, 38 to 42. And here we see that Jesus is risen. Jesus raises or is raised from the dead by the power of His Holy Father.
The Empty Tomb
So let's look first at the empty tomb.
Mary's Discovery and the Grave Clothes
Notice the discovery made by Mary. Now the synoptic writers tell us it wasn't just Mary, but there were other women that went with her. And we see that here as well in verse 2, when she goes to instruct Simon Peter, she says, we do not know. So it's not as if there's a contradiction, there's no inconsistency, but oftentimes gospel writers use information or they have a theological reason for the things that they do.
And so Mary comes along and she sees that the stone had been taken away. And she immediately concludes that grave robbers had come, that somebody had stolen his body. Now remember that Mary Magdalene is a woman that has a great devotion to our Lord Jesus Christ. And you see that fleshed out here in John's Gospel.
It was Mary Magdalene, according to Luke 8 too, that says that out of whom had come seven demons. And as well in Mark 16, 9, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven demons. So we can understand something of her disappointment. We can understand something of her grief and of her sorrow.
We can understand the sadness that she has in her heart. So she comes to the tomb, She goes there and she sees that the stone is rolled away and immediately she concludes that grave robbers had come. Now grave robbing was very popular in those days. Just a few years later under Claudius, he would make it a capital offense to rob graves, even to roll away the stones from the mouth of the grave.
So it was something that was common, it was something that was typical, it was something that did happen. So she goes and she instructs Peter. Now the other disciple that is with Peter is John, the beloved disciple, the one who's writing this gospel account. And as we read through the text, it reads as a first-hand account.
If you were called upon to go visit a particular scene, let's say somebody said, I just got into a car accident, can you come and give me a hand? You would roll up on the scene and you'd say, are you okay? Are you physically alright? Is there any damage to your car?
You would take the obvious. If you were a policeman, on the other hand, you'd probably note the weather conditions as you approach the particular scene. You would note any obstacles that might have been in the way. You'd note if there was an empty beer can sitting in the front seat.
You have an attention to detail because it is something that you are trained in. And that's how this narrative reads. There's an attention to detail that John gives us to indicate an evidence that he himself saw these things with his own eyes. Later on in 1 John, he says that in the very introduction, the things that we saw, the things that we heard, the things that we touched, the things that we handled, this John is to be trusted.
He was an eyewitness of the glory and the majesty of our Lord Jesus Christ. The fact that he tells us that after he went in and saw the tomb, then he believed. It's kind of an awkward admission to have to make, that as the beloved disciple, it wasn't until you went into that tomb, and you saw the face cloth lying folded, that you believed. What do you think these men thought according to verse 10, when the disciples went to their own houses?
They were probably blown away. This Jesus whom we love, this Jesus whom we adore, this Jesus whom we've spent three years with, this Jesus that was hung on a cross and crucified and spat upon and nailed to, we have seen the emptiness of His tomb. So as we work our way through the narrative, realize this.
The Empty Tomb as Eyewitness Evidence
This is a first-hand account. If you're not a believer in Christ today, this is oftentimes one of the pieces of evidence that people bring to reject the gospel. They say, well, how can man rise from the dead? How is it the case that a man who was dead, it was verified to be the case, how could he rise from the dead?
In fact, that was a concern within this context. What did the Jews say and what did the Romans do? They stationed a guard at the tomb itself, lest the disciples would come and steal his body and then tell everybody that he rose from the dead. It seems incredulous that men would rise from the dead.
If you are here this morning and you have used this particular argument to resist the truth of God's Holy Word, listen to the eyewitness. Listen to the Apostle John. Consider the rest of his life. What happens to this particular man?
He writes the book of Revelation, that book that oftentimes scares people. It shouldn't scare you. It's all about the glory and the majesty of Jesus Christ. But when John wrote that, he was on an island called Patmos.
Now, Patmos wasn't the Bahamas. Patmos wasn't Sandals. Patmos wasn't Hawaii. Patmos wasn't a retirement place.
Patmos didn't have a golf course. Patmos was a rock out in the Aegean Sea that they'd send criminals to. He was on the island of Patmos for the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus. You see, it wasn't just popular for him to maintain that Christ had risen from the dead.
This admission, this confession, this testimony ultimately cost him his life. Church history tells us that he met his end by being boiled to death in a vat of hot oil. That's what he got for preaching the resurrection from the dead. So you need to listen to the eyewitness.
You need to hear the testimony. Note that Peter and John run to the tomb. It tells us that John ran faster. Some commentators see in this some very spiritual elements.
That perhaps John's church was more prioritized than Peter's. There's a Jew-Gentile thing. Do you know what I think it means? I think it means John ran faster.
John's cardiovascular system functioned at a more optimum level. His legs perhaps had more muscularity. He could have had some years less in his life than Peter. They run to the tomb.
They want to search it out. They want to hear. They want to understand what's going on. Their friend Mary Magdalene has come and said, the stone has been rolled away from the master's tomb.
Perhaps grave robbers have come." Well, she's convinced that they have come and taken his body. So these men spring into action. They run to the tomb. And what happens when they get there?
John arrives first. And notice, verse 3, Peter therefore went out, the other disciple, and were going to the tomb. So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first. And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the winning claws lying there, yet he did not go in.
So John gets there. But he doesn't enter in right away. Peter gets there and he blows right in. That's Peter, isn't it?
Isn't that Peter? Could be a guy standing there with a sword. Could be robbers in there taking everything. Could be men armed.
Peter doesn't care. The stone is rolled away. What's happening? And he rushes right into the tomb.
You see something of our beloved brother, Peter. He's the man who takes out the sword and hacks off Malchus's ear. Not because he was a prejudiced against this man's ability to hear, but he was going for a headshot. Malchus turned and he clipped the ear.
This is Peter, the beloved disciple. This is the man that we find who runs right into the tomb. Verse 6, Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb, and he saw the linen cloths lying there, and the handkerchief that had been around his head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself. Again, would you describe details like this if you hadn't been there?
You'd say, no, the two men went into the grave, they saw that there was no body in there, and then they proceeded to go to their homes, right? Look at how he's describing the scene. First-hand eyewitness. And note the particulars of the details.
Is he writing for good housekeeping on how to maintain a tomb when he talks about this folded headcloth? What grave robber goes in, steals a body, and then folds the cloths and lays them down neatly on the bench? What grave robber leaves costly linen in a tomb? You know, clothes for us are here or there, it doesn't matter.
We can go to BFM and grab a shirt for two bucks. It's a great thing. But in the first century situation, clothing and linen and those sorts of things wasn't so discardable. A man that is robbing a tomb would go after linen cloths.
John is describing for us and evidencing to us and indicating to us that this wasn't the work of grave robbers. He left the tomb alright, but it wasn't because of men, it was because of God, his Father. Ritterbos describes it this way. He says, now they lay there, the clothing, left behind in good order, each in its own place, as discarded attributes that were no longer of any use, and also with the stone that had been rolled away as silent witnesses of Jesus' victory, not only over death, but also over the grave in which his body had been laid.
These clothes, the stone itself, preached victory, preached glory, preached majesty, preached power, preached resurrection. This is what the eyewitness is telling us. And then notice what we find. Verse 8, Then the other disciple who came to the tomb first went in also.
He sees this. He sees the clothes folded. He sees the head cloth folded. He sees the inside of this tomb and what does he confess?
And he believed. This is John's turning point. Now was he an unbeliever up to this particular point? How could he be the beloved disciple?
The idea is probably that he believed in the resurrection. When Mary saw the stone rolled away from the mouth of the tomb, she concluded, grave robbers. When these two men enter into the tomb, remember they have not seen Jesus, they've only seen an empty tomb up to this particular point. But what does John conclude?
He concludes resurrection. He concludes the fact that Jesus' death led to this victorious resurrection. And then John just tells us very candidly in verse 9, For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. You see, this was biblical.
This was announced in the prophets. Pastor Cam read Psalm 16. Where is it that Peter goes to when he's proving the resurrection? In Acts 2.
He goes to Psalm 16. We might also go to Psalm 2, that the Apostle Paul in Pisidian Antioch says is applied to the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. We might go to Psalm 22, which is the psalm of the cross, but the cross leads to the crown. We might go to Psalm 110, the Lord Jehovah said to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.
At this particular juncture, they had not understood the implications of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. They had not yet fully entered into the implications of what our Lord Himself spoke. Remember in Matthew chapter 16, Jesus says that He must go to Jerusalem. Why must He go to Jerusalem?
Is it to be hailed? Is it to be praised? Is it to be worshipped? Is it to be glorified?
No, it's to be rejected, mocked, spat upon, and crucified. This is what Christ announces in Matthew 16. And Peter says, Lord, may it never be! And Jesus says, Get behind me, Satan, the very Peter that just confessed, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Now here's Christ saying, Get behind me, Satan. You're setting your mind upon the things of men and not upon the things of God. But Jesus announces His purpose for going to Jerusalem, that He might suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed and be raised the third day. He repeats this in Matthew chapter 20, in Luke's gospel, in Luke 9.
It says that he set his face steadfast for Jerusalem. The old King James has it. He set his face like a flint to go to Jerusalem. Why?
Again, it wasn't to be hailed, it wasn't to be praised, it wasn't to be marveled at, it was to be rejected, it was to be delivered up to the hands of godless men, it was to be enthroned upon a cross and ultimately destroyed by godless men, according to the purpose and plan of our Holy Father, which, as I said, God willing, we'll seek to unravel tonight in terms of the theological significance. So, John tells us, we saw the tomb. Again, for those who might have used this as an argument, you know, the Bible just really isn't compelling, because it speaks of men raising from the dead. This is an eyewitness of His glory.
And notice the satisfaction of the biblical requirement. You know, we look at the Bible, or at least some today look at the Bible, and it's antiquated, and it's barbaric, and it's old-fashioned, and it's tribal. No, the law of the Lord is perfect. What does God inculcate in Deuteronomy?
By the mouth of two or three witnesses, every fact is established. He had two witnesses. Verify the empty tomb. When Jesus starts making his appearances to people on a wide scale of different types of people, these are witnesses.
These are persons that saw him. These are persons that cast their eyes upon him. These are persons that we ought to listen to. Paul says it this way in 1 Corinthians 15, 3 and 4.
For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. So John sees the silent testimony of these grave clothes. He sees the testimony of this stone having been rolled away. He says that when he went in, he saw, he believed.
And then these men go back to their homes. Again, I just was, you know, as we were singing their music on what they were thinking about. What were they thinking about? The tomb is empty.
He did say he was going to rise again. He did say that on the third day, he would rise from the dead. Perhaps Peter's wife says, what are you doing over there? Why are you looking so thrilled?
Because the tomb is empty. The Master was right. We've seen it with our own eyes. We've beheld His glory.
The glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. This is this John writing this account. If you've not come to the Christ, if you've not believed the gospel, this empty tomb not only validates and affirms and confirms the reality of who Jesus Christ is, but if you continue to reject it, if you continue to despise it, if you continue to resist the truth of God's holy gospel, The apostle at the Areopagus says that God has appointed a day upon which He will judge men. And He has given evidence.
He has proved this by raising Jesus Christ from the dead. You've probably heard me say this before, and I'll say it again. It never ceases to amaze me that oftentimes in holidays like these, people buy new bonnets, or they buy pretty dresses. or they buy new suits because they're going to visit church, they're going to do some religious things, they're going to benefit God Most High by their presence in the place of worship. Never does the reality of Easter Sunday ever filter down into the thought that that empty tomb does testify that I will stand before God Almighty in judgment.
He has given proof of this by raising Jesus Christ from the dead. That empty tomb means life for all those who believe. That empty tomb means death for all those who reject. Do not despise, do not reject, do not forsake.
The text we'll look at tonight in terms of the theological significance is Romans 4.25. It's a very simple text. Jesus Christ was delivered up because of our offenses. And He was raised up for our justification.
It is in that empty tomb, it is in the confirming work, it is in the reality of a living Christ that men have the pardon for sin, and they have the imputation of righteousness. Do not resist that. Do not despise that. If this Sunday becomes the day you sport a new bonnet, but fail to come to the Savior, what profit is there?
What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and he loses his never-dying soul? Parents, don't do that to your children. Oh, yes, Easter Sunday is a great day for a new dress. It's a great day to consider and to contemplate and to meditate upon the glories of Jesus Christ.
You can wear new dresses. You can wear new bonnets. You can do whatever it is that is not unlawful in the sight of a holy God. But don't miss the significance of the empty tomb.
I heard America's pastor say something to the effect that the whole scheme of Easter was to help you in your struggles and in your trials and to provide hope. Now I understand that that is a message that we ought not to underestimate, but that's not the focus in the Apostle John. It's not the focus in the passion narratives. The focus is in the reality that Christ died, Christ raised, Christ is exalted to the right hand of the Father, and you must believe if you would have everlasting life.
It's not therapy. It's not self-help. It's not be like Jesus. It's look to Jesus.
It's look and live. It's the prophet Isaiah, turn to me all ye ends of the earth, for I am God and there is no other. That's the focus on the empty tomb. Now
The Appearance to Mary Magdalene
note secondly, Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene. We don't have time to look at every particular and every part of these passages. But notice in verse 11, Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping. And as she wept, she stooped down and looked into the tomb.
Again, we can understand the hurt. We can understand the pain. This Jesus cast out seven demons from me. This Jesus was crucified.
This Jesus had a crown of thorns buried into his skull. This Jesus was whipped. This Jesus bore the wrath of man. At this point, she probably didn't understand the full implications of the cry of dereliction.
You see, there was something far exceeding the wrath of man that took place at Calvary. It wasn't the wrath of man that made the Son of God actually cry out, was it? Jesus never said, why are you people hurting me? Why are you people forsaking me?
That's not the cry of dereliction. The wrath of man was far exceeded by the justice of God. Isaiah 53.11, the Lord was pleased to bruise him, putting him to grief. It was that that called out from the Son of God, why hast thou forsaken me?
You see, she's probably not thinking all these things out. She goes back to the tomb, she's weeping, she's sorrowful, she's crying. And then notice, she saw two angels in white sitting, verse 12, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. Then they said to her, woman, why are you weeping?
What's the matter? Why are you crying? What do they say in the synoptic parallel in Matthew's gospel? You're seeking Jesus among the dead.
He's not here. He is risen just as He said. It's a beautiful testimony. Again, we have two angelic witnesses testifying at the head and at the feet that this Jesus, whom you seek, is not here.
Beasley Murray says, their position in the tomb, one at the head and the other at the feet where Jesus had lain, is a reminder of the silent testimony of the grave clothes, but of another order. It witnesses that God, not robbers, has taken Jesus for a purpose yet to be revealed. She says in verse 13b, because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him, Now, as she's speaking to these particular angels, the Lord Jesus walks up upon her. Some speculate that she heard a noise.
Maybe the Lord Jesus stepped on a twig and that alerted her to turn around and see. Probably the angels stood up. You see, the angels aren't like us. put their hands in their pockets in the presence of the Lord and sip lattes. When the angels see Christ, they arise.
These are the angels that Isaiah the prophet saw. With two wings, they cover their face. With two wings, they cover their feet. And with two wings, they fly.
And they do not cease saying, Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts. The whole earth is full of His glory. The angel stood up when Jesus Christ approaches. Mary turns around and initially she does not recognize him.
She supposes him to be the gardener.
Continuity and Discontinuity in the Resurrection Body
This is a bit of a puzzling thing for people. Is there continuity between the body that goes into the grave and the body that comes out? I do believe there is continuity, but there is also discontinuity. There are instances in times, remember on the road to Emmaus, Jesus is talking to two disciples and they don't recognize him.
And then Jesus opens their understanding and he vanishes away from them. And when they go and testify to the other disciples, they said, did not our hearts burn within us as we spoke? There are instances where Jesus appears to them in a locked room. Jesus cooks fish and honeycomb and He eats those things.
He ingests those things. So there is a degree of continuity. When He gets to the disciples, He shows them His hands. He shows them His feet.
He shows them His side as well. But there is something of discontinuity. Carson suggests this. The resurrection accounts provide a certain tension.
On the one hand, Jesus' resurrection body can be touched and handled. He bears the marks of the wound inflicted on the pre-death body, and not only cooks fish, but eats it. On the other hand, Jesus' resurrection body apparently rose through the grave clothes, appears in a locked room, and is sometimes not, at least initially, recognized. The closest we are likely to come to an explanation is at the end of 1 Corinthians 15.
Yes, there's continuity. If you're Jim Butler going into the tomb, you don't come out as Mark Hall. But there is discontinuity between this body of loneliness and the body that God raises from the dead. Didn't Paul speak of this in Philippians chapter 3?
He will transform This lowly body. That's what we have in our future. I always think of this for my dear beloved brethren who are afflicted physically. Do you realize it won't be the case that in heaven you will have that malady?
Do you realize that it won't be the case in heaven that your kidneys will give you trouble? That your leg will give you trouble? That your eyesight will give you trouble? Do you realize that not only the physical trials and the physical calamities and the physical distresses, but the Scripture says that it will wipe away every tear from our eyes.
There will be no more sorrow. There will be no more pain. There will be no more hunger. There will be no more thirst.
So yes, there's continuity. The Jesus Christ that went into the tomb is the Jesus Christ that comes from the tomb. But that Jesus Christ is glorified. He's powerful.
He is no longer going to return as a babe in the womb. He will come as the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. He will come in regal majesty. He will come wielding a scepter of power and glory.
That's what we ought to appreciate. So
Christ Sends Mary to the Brethren
notice what Jesus says to her. Verse 15. Woman, why are you weeping? It's a mild rebuke.
Why are you weeping? Get the stone rolled away, you've got the empty tomb. Notice then what he says, whom are you seeking? I don't think this is just a cognitive Q&A where she's supposed to say Jesus of Nazareth.
What type of Messiah are you seeking? What type of Lord are you looking for? What type of Redeemer do you have in your mind? Yes, Mary Magdalene has expressed a great deal of devotion to her Master.
She has expressed a great deal of gratitude to her Master. He cast out these seven demons. She's a devoted follower. She's sorrowful when He's dead.
But at this particular point, she's still thinking way too small. Who are you seeking? Do you think the grave contains Messiah? Do you think the grave contains the Lord of glory?
Do you think the grave is able to hold in its clutches the one who has power over the grave? Woman, whom are you seeking? And then don't you love this? He says, Barry, think John 10.3.
What does John 10.3 say? My sheep know my voice. He says, Mary. And in that instance, she sees her Lord.
She sees her Master. She calls Him Rabboni, which means, My Teacher. It's all made sense to her now. The light is flipped on.
Everything is put in place. Hermeneutics 101. She is thinking rationally and biblically and rightly. She's probably thinking Psalm 16.
She's probably thinking Psalm 2. She's probably thinking Psalm 110. She's probably remembering every message and every statement that He ever made concerning His death and His resurrection. It's all become crystal clear right before her eyes.
She turned and said to him, Rabbi Nye, which is to say, teacher. And then Jesus said to her, do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to my father. But go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my father and your father and to my God and your God." Now, the idea here is a bit difficult to grasp, especially in a short span of time. The idea, I think, is this.
It's not, don't touch me. Get away from me. You can't ever violate my personal space. Don't hold on to me because I've not yet ascended.
I have not yet fully executed everything the Father has given to me." There is this span between the grave and the ascension, where of a 40-day period He is going to furnish many proofs of His resurrection. He will manifest Himself to His disciples, He will show Himself, He will evidence it. The idea is, Mary, don't hold on to me right now, there's still stuff to do. And the specific task that He gives to her is to go and tell, listen to what He says.
Go and tell my brethren. Isn't that beautiful? I'm going to study in Matthew's gospel. What does he say in Matthew 12 when his physical family comes?
They say, Jesus, your brothers and your mother are there to see you. He says, my brother and mothers are those who do the will of my Father. Here he identifies us as my brethren. In Psalm 22, the same idea is there.
My brethren. In the book of Hebrews, it says he is not ashamed to call them brethren. Mary's task is not to cleave to the Lord Jesus all on her own, but rather, go tell my brethren, publish abroad, testify, let men know the grave could not contain me. Let the people know that the grave did not have victory over me.
Go, tell my brethren, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God." Mary obeys, Mary does what she's told, and I love the way verse 18 explains it. Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her. Now, do you think she's sad? Guess what, fellows, I've seen the Lord.
If she was perpetually sorrowful at the thought of his body having been robbed from the grave, when she saw those brethren, I'm sure it was a lot more boisterous than, I have seen the Lord. I have seen the Lord. Amen. Do you hear the testimony?
The one who sorrowed most at His death returns to the disciples now to say, I've seen Him! I've witnessed the first appearance that Jesus makes post-resurrection is to a woman! This is another thing you need to understand about the gospel writers and the way that they narrate the events. There is no way this is a concocted story.
The Mishnah said for the Jews that the testimony of a woman was inadmissible. If men had come to cook up this story, the last person that would have been the first witness would be a woman. I'm sorry, ladies, I don't mean to offend you, but pious Jews used to pray, thank you, Father, that I'm not a Gentile, and thank you, Father, that I'm not a woman. The Gospel writers didn't weave this together.
Why? In the synoptics, when Jesus comes to the disciples, some doubted. If men fabricate a story, they don't put in unsavory details. If men weave together a tale, they certainly don't put things in there that doesn't seem to advance their cause.
The first person that our Lord manifests His post-resurrection body to is a woman. And she goes back to these disciples and she says, I have seen the Lord. I have seen our Master. The grave didn't contain Him.
In this is an admission. I was wrong. Nobody came and stole His body from the grave. But the power of His Father raised Him from the dead.
Just like He said. Everything He told us has come to pass. He suffered. He died.
He was buried. And on the third day, He rose again. A week later. The next Lord's Day.
You see why I say there's 52 holidays in a calendar year? It's the Lord's Day. That's the day we're to keep holy. That's the day we're to make special.
That's the day we're to prize. That's the day we are to obey God.
The Appearance to the Disciples
Notice verse 19. If we were quick with Mary, we're going to be quicker here. Then, the same day at evening, being... I'm sorry, it's to Thomas that it's a week later, but here we are, same Lord's Day.
Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, notice the conspicuousness of that. Why do you think these Gospel writers tell us this? Why do you think in Troas in Acts 20, after Paul's been in the city for a week, they meet together on the first day? Why does Paul tell the believers in Corinth to put aside money on the first day?
Why does John on the island of Patmos describe to us that he was in the Spirit on the Lord's day? Because the New Testament authors are highlighting what we know to be the case. The fourth commandment is abiding. The fourth commandment is perpetual.
The fourth commandment continues. The positive aspect under old covenant religion was Saturday. The positive aspect under new covenant religion is Sunday. It is the Lord's day.
So he comes to them and notice what Jesus does. When the doors were shut, when the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst and said to them, Peace be with you." Do we expect anything other from our Savior? What would you have said? Just think about it for just a moment.
These men deserted you, didn't they? There was not a disciple at the cross. The shepherd is struck and the sheep scattered. I gotta tell you, if it were me, I'd probably say, where were you guys?
What happened? I needed you the most in that instance and in that place, and this is the thanks I get? I'm just being honest. Maybe you're as godly as Jesus and would say, peace be to you, to these dear men.
Not me. I'd say I was with you for three years, I fed you, I cared for you, I looked out for you, I'm saving you, all these things, and you desert me. You bail. You cut loose.
Not Jesus. Peace be with you. This is no cheap wish from Jesus either. He's saying in the upper room discourse, my peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you.
Not as the world gives do I give. He ends the discourse. These things I speak so that you might have peace. In this world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer.
I've overcome the world. The first statement to the gathered people of God, post-resurrection, is peace. Isn't that beautiful? Isn't that glorious?
Isn't that what ought to mark our hearts? Isn't that what ought to permeate our souls? Not like the world gives. It doesn't come through a syringe.
It doesn't come through a bottle. It doesn't come through a bedroom. It doesn't come through anything that the world envisions brings peace. It comes through a crucified and risen Savior.
Peace. Be with you." Notice, verse 20, when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Carson makes the observation, other men had been crucified. Right?
There were two on the other side of Jesus, on either side of Jesus, that had been crucified. Those men could feasibly come and show hands and feet. They couldn't show a side. Jesus' side was pierced.
He shows them these things. Calvin supposes that he had these wounds long enough to show them and then the wounds are no longer. I'm inclined to believe that Ryle is on better ground. He says, Calvin strongly holds that our Lord's use of the wound was only temporary until the apostles were fully convinced and that his glorified body is without them.
Ryle says, I cannot, however, agree with him. After a great victory, the scars of a conqueror are marks of honor. Five bleeding wounds he bears, received on Calvary. Jesus shows them these things.
Things going on in their minds. These things happening. You know, we just read this, or we hear this, and we say, wow, that's interesting, because we've been schooled in it, we've been reared in it, we've been raised in it, and well we should be. Parents, teach your children about the resurrection.
Teach them John 21 to the end. Teach them these realities, but don't teach them in such a way that it becomes old and dried and calloused. Jesus rose from the dead. He shows them his hands.
He shows them his feet. He shows them his side. And what is their response to this? They were glad.
They rejoiced. They were happy. Everything the Master said is true. Everything He's come to accomplish is effective.
Everything He's about has been successfully completed. This is what the passage tells us. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. We'll close with this before we make just a few final observations.
The Church's Commission
Notice that the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ means that the church has a particular responsibility. In other words, Jesus didn't die, rise again, and then go into heaven so that we could just sit around Much as sitting around may be desirable, that's not what the disciples were commissioned. And what we find in the remaining verses, 21 to 23, are the commissioned. Something like the Great Commission.
Again, there are some things that are a little bit difficult to understand, but the bottom line is very evident. Notice in verse 21, so Jesus said to them again, Peace to you, as the Father has sent me, I also send you. Right? Whatever it means that he breathed on them the Holy Spirit, this much we know to be the case, that he commissions his church, he commissions these apostles, he commissions these men to go and to do something.
Okay? Nod with me. Follow with me. Know what we're doing here.
Notice.
Commission, Equipment, and Mandate
He commissions, verse 21. Verse 22, He equips them. It's not a task that they will do devoid of the power of Christ Himself. They don't do this in their own strength.
They don't do this on their own ability. They don't do this with their own ingenuity. They don't go to leadership school, get big degrees, and learn how to manipulate crowds. That's not what's going on in terms of equipment.
Verse 22, and when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, receive the Holy Spirit. Now again, just the symbolism involved in the statement. Genesis 2, God breathed life into Adam. Ezekiel 37, the prophet is told to go and preach to dead bones.
The prophet says, God, they're dead. I know, but I will breathe on these dead bones and they'll rise again. I don't believe that this was a physical manifestation of the Spirit coming out of Jesus' mouth, resting upon His people. It is illustrative, it is symbolic of the reality that Christ will not leave them as orphans in this world.
He will provide for them the Spirit of God that they need. And this is anticipatory of what's going to happen on the day of Pentecost. It's sort of a pre-Pentecost Pentecost, where the disciples are given this particular commission, they're given this particular equipment, and then they're given the particular mandate. Verse 23.
What are they supposed to do? If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them. If you retain the sins of any, they are retained. This is not a transfer of authority in terms of Jesus giving to human men the ability to forgive that only God can do.
That's not what's in view here. In the prophets, for instance, when a prophet preached the truth, he was said to be a doer of that particular reality. Again, it's a bit of a difficult situation in terms of exegesis, but I think this is the track that we're supposed to understand. He commissions, He equips, and then He describes the particular mandate that is theirs.
It is to be the proclamation of the forgiveness of sins. That's what is uppermost, that is what's foremost, that is the point of the passage. When we look at the book of Acts, we know this is true because they didn't set up confessionals. They didn't set up boxes where people would come and tell the apostles their sins, and the apostles would absolve them and give them prayers to do for penance.
They preached forgiveness. They proclaimed the Gospel. They proclaimed the empty tomb. They proclaimed His death.
They proclaimed the glory of the Gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord. So this is the trajectory. He is risen. He appears to Mary Magdalene.
He then comes to His disciples and He gives them a mission. He equips them for it and then He defines the parameters. And this is fitting in light of what we heard from Spurgeon this morning. There's too much going on in terms of life, death, and forgiveness to spend time with a bunch of empty prattle.
There is just too much at stake with heaven and hell and eternity and your soul than to spend a lot of empty time on this, that, and the other. Love what Spurgeon says elsewhere. People want to know what the trumpets mean in the book of Revelation. Give me a trumpet, and I'll blow it in your ear and tell you to believe the gospel.
That's what the trumpet means. You spend a lot of time looking at details, and I'm not against Bible study. If you leave here saying, Butler doesn't like Bible study, you're not right. You know, there is a hierarchical structure in terms of what we ought to study.
John 8, Jesus says, if you don't believe that I am, you will die in your sins. You may never figure out those trumpets, you won't necessarily die in your sins. You don't figure out the Savior, you'll die in your sins. This is what Jesus emphasizes in verse 23.
If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them. If you retain the sins of any, they are retained. Again, this is not a sacerdotal text. This isn't what the church is to be built upon in terms of confessional boxes, and absolvement, and penance, and all that structure and hierarchy.
When we get to the book of Acts, we realize that the Apostles understood all too well what Jesus meant. Preach the Gospel. testify concerning his death and resurrection, tell sinners to believe, to come to the one alone in whom is forgiveness." So the fact of the resurrection is established in John's Gospel, and as well Matthew, Mark, Luke all record the resurrection of our Lord Jesus. Just a couple of other items.
Challenges to the Resurrection
I think this is a good time to remind us there's always challenges to the doctrine of the resurrection. Always challenges. Do the Muslims believe that Jesus died and rose again? No.
Does James Cameron believe that Jesus died and rose again? No. Do theological liberals believe that Jesus died and rose again? No.
Guess who we're rubbing shoulders with in this world? People that are Muslims. People that love James Cameron movies. People that are theologically liberals and say things like, well, it really doesn't matter.
It's all that it means in terms of my life. Neo-orthodox existentialism. Doesn't matter if it's true or not. It's just the effect that it produces.
Well, if the event isn't true, the effect can't be trusted. It's because the event is true that the effect is real. The apostles never treated these things as myth. Peter says, we didn't follow cunningly devised fables.
We beheld His glory. We were eyewitnesses of His glory. We saw, we heard, we were there. So you need to understand, first, the scriptural testimony in the words of Jesus Christ.
It's not just in one place. I cited Matthew 16 and Matthew 20, where he says that he must go to Jerusalem, he must suffer, he must die, and he must rise again. What does he say in John 2 after the wedding at Cana of Galilee? Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.
What do they say? Well, this temple took 46 years to build, and you're going to raise it up in three years? or three days, and then John tells us, he wasn't speaking about the physical temple, he wasn't talking about Herod's compound, he was talking about the temple of his body. Throughout the gospel records, Jesus testifies. It's another thing that just blows me away.
The Testimony of Jesus Himself
People say, oh, I love Jesus, he's such a great teacher, and everything he says is true. Well, he rose from the dead, well, you know, that doesn't really matter. I just like that ethic of the Sermon on the Mount. Just be kind, and everybody will be kind to you.
That's what I want. That's theological liberalism. We need the death of the Savior. We need His resurrection.
Second, I mentioned this. The first person Jesus appeared to was a woman. Again, men in collusion, men who are trying to pull the wool over people's eyes, do not include details that don't fit their narrative. This is one of the sort of indirect existential ways that you know the Bible is true.
God reports unsavory things. Who was the greatest king in Israel's history? David! You're right!
Would men who looked upon David as their hero tell us about his adultery and murder? No! We tend to sanitize stories. Biographers tend to leave out unsavory details.
And in that setting, the testimony of a woman would have been thrown right out of court. And yet, what do we find? First person, Jesus shows himself too, is Mary Magdalene. As I mentioned or alluded to earlier, the unbelief connected with the fact among the disciples.
Matthew 28. Some believed and some doubted. Would you really include that if you wanted to advance a particular narrative? Would you tell your audience whom you're trying to convince that some doubted?
You see, I think that all the more underscores the truthfulness, the veracity, and the reality of the account. What happens when we go further in John's gospel? We meet that fellow called Thomas, You talk about a skeptic, you talk about a man who's not going to believe unless he sees, unless he touches, what happens? Jesus shows himself to him and he says, my Lord and my God.
The chief skeptic becomes the chief confessor of the church of the Lord Jesus. George Eldon Ladd says, while it may not be flattering to the disciples to say that their faith could result only from some objectively revealed experience, this is actually what the Gospels record.
The Post-Resurrection Appearances
The nature of his appearances. He appeared to individuals. He appeared to a pair of disciples. He appeared to small groups.
He appeared to large assemblies. He appeared to women and to men. He appeared in public and in private. He appeared at different times of the day.
He appeared in both Jerusalem and Galilee. This is not the testimony of a mass hallucination. UFOs. People see UFOs, right?
You all know what a UFO is. It's an unidentified flying object. Well, I guess by definition, we don't know what it is, because it's unidentified. I used to work at Plant 42, north of Grumman, in Palmdale, California.
And it always just used to amaze me that most of these UFO sightings were early in the morning, near government bases. Now, I'm not going to say everybody's having a mass hallucination. There's weird things in this world, whatever. However, I'm far more inclined to say that it's a mass hallucination, because it seems to be.
And I realize there's exceptions. It's not always at the government installations, people by train tracks, or wherever. I know that. You see, that's how they try to write off the appearances of Christ.
I have a list of the post-resurrection appearances. I won't get into it. If you're interested, see me. Email me.
I will send you it. It gives you the chronology, thanks to Robert Raymond and his systematic theology. The chronology of the appearances, the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus Christ. It does not have the feel, does not have the testimony of a mass hallucination.
And as well, the threat to both the Roman Empire and Judaism in the claim of Jesus' resurrection. They were never able to produce a body. Where'd it go? Well, somebody hid it very well.
Stop! Lay down your resistance! Lay down your arms! Why is it that we'd rather believe all of these pseudo-gospels, we'd rather believe all these stories that have been fabricated, than what the Bible actually says?
Have you ever realized how unfair atheists and skeptics can be? If I'm convicted of a crime, or rather I'm accused of a crime, I have the right, a constitutional right, to be able to testify in my behalf one way or the other. I have a right to defend myself. How many times have you heard people say, well you can't use the Bible to defend the Bible?
Why not? Why do we not afford the Bible the same thing everybody else gets? And when we ask the Bible, what do you say concerning this, the testimony is clear. And then the apostolic testimony.
What do the apostles do after this? They actually listen to Jesus. They believe Jesus, and they did what Jesus said. They received the Spirit.
They go from place to place, from town to town, preaching the gospel, making disciples, planting churches, on the run, under threat, under duress, under derision, all these sorts of things. They became the off-scouring of the world. A strange thought. If this wasn't really that important, it was just some sort of a fable intended to inspire people to a better life.
Read the testimony of these men and what happened to them. Read Fox's Book of Martyrs. Read the first couple chapters there. Now, I realize that this, in and of itself, does not validate the Scripture.
These are indirect proves, or these are other lines of corroboration, that hopefully will be in our hearts and in our minds, so that we can attempt, by the grace of God, to shut the mouths of unbelievers, those who question such things. As Van Til says, we may not be able to change their hearts, but we ought to be able to shut their mouths. The Bible is the Word of God, and it testifies that these things took place. So as I said, tonight, Romans 4, the theological significance.
Just to give you a bit of a hint, we're going to look at the death and the resurrection of our Lord Jesus. That's the significance. If you're unable to be here this evening, here's what you need to take home concerning this situation of the empty tomb. Jesus lived in obedience to the law of his father.
He did what no man could ever do. Jesus died at Calvary, not for his own sins, not for his own crimes, not because he was public enemy number one, but because God made him who knew no sin to be sin for us." So Christ took in Himself the penalty that was due our sins, Christ satisfied divine justice by His sufferings and His death, Christ was then placed into the tomb, and three days later, as the Bible testifies, He was raised again And that affirms and confirms and demonstrates that all that he did was sufficient and efficient in the sight of God Almighty, so that whoever believes in Him, everyone who looks to Him, everyone who trusts in the Savior, will have everlasting life. That's the theological significance, to satisfy divine justice and to save His people from their sins.
Closing Prayer
Well, let us pray. Our Father, we thank you for your word and we thank you for its clarity concerning the resurrection of our Lord. God, truly it is a blessing to gather together with the people of God and to be able to sing and to praise and to consider that he is risen. how we thank you for the current session of Christ, how we thank you that He is our intercessor at the right hand of the Father, that He is our advocate with you, and we look forward to His coming again. We look forward to His return in glory with all of His holy angels when He will indeed take vengeance on those who know not God and on those who do not obey the Gospel, but He will take those who believe, those who marvel, and He will bring them into His heavenly kingdom. how we thank you for these promises, how we thank you for this hope, and how I pray that it would encourage our hearts.
And we pray now that you would go with us and watch over us, and we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.