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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. 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. So let's look first 
at the empty tomb. 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. 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 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. 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 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. 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. 
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. 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. 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. 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 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. 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.