Apr 16
24
Old Testament Reading: PSALM 16
Note: Psalm 16 should be compared with Peter’s preaching in Acts 2.
“A Miktam of David. Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge. I say to the Lord, ‘You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.’ As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight. The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips. The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption. You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Psalm 16, ESV)
New Testament Reading: John 20:1-10
“Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.’ So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples went back to their homes.” (John 20:1–10, ESV)
Introduction
The sermon last week concluded with the idea that if Christ did not really die, then our faith is empty, vain, and without substance. We should begin with the same thought today, but applied to the resurrection. If Jesus did not rise from the dead then our faith is empty. What we have, then, are twin truths – if Christ did not truly die and really rise from the dead, then, to quote Paul, “our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:14, ESV) Indeed, the events of Christ’s death and resurrection are so central to the Christian faith – so foundational – that to remove them is to leave Christianity hollow and untrue.
Just stop and think about Paul’s words for a moment: “If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:14, ESV)
That is a radical statement, wouldn’t you agree? But it is a true statement! And it is a helpful statement. It helps us to put our finger upon what is at the core of the Christian faith. At the core is Christ crucified, and Christ risen. At the core is the actual and historical death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.
Notice that the earliest creeds of the church emphasize the centrality of the historical life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Take the Apostles Creed for example. It says,
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit
and born of the virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to hell [that is to say, he experienced death in full] .
The third day he rose again from the dead.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty.
From there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic [universal] church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
Brothers and sisters, the belief that Jesus lived, died, was buried, and that he rose again is at the heart of our faith. He did this in obedience to the Father. He did this to defeat death, and the one who has the power of death. He did this to save those given to him by the Father – all who believe upon him – from the curse of the law. Belief in the historical Jesus – the actual life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, is so central – so core – that to remove it is to leave us with only the shell of religion, but no substance.
Some might respond to this claim saying, if the death and resurrection of Jesus are so central, then prove them. Prove to me that Jesus really lived, really died, and really rose from the dead.
Brothers and sisters, I do not claim that the death and resurrection of Christ can be proven, and neither should you.
Here is why. When we use the word “prove” do we not mean to demonstrate something beyond all doubt? I cannot prove to anyone that Jesus rose from the dead so as to remove all doubt; so as to guarantee that they believe it. I can present evidence, just as the Scriptures do. I can argue for belief in the resurrection. I can give reasons for the hope that is in me. But I cannot prove to anyone that Christ is risen. I can say what Mathew, Mark, Luke and John say. I can echo Paul’s words from 1 Corinthians 15:
“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.” (1 Corinthians 15:3–8, ESV)
I can faithfully set forth the testimony of scripture as evidence. But these are not proofs. You simply cannot argue someone into belief in Christ.
We should be aware of the fact that a good majority of those who hear these evidences for the death and resurrection of Christ will go on in unbelief. Such is the heart of man. The heart of man, by nature, is opposed to the word of God. Paul writes that, “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Corinthians 2:14, ESV) And so, where the Spirit is not active – where the Spirit is not gifting spiritual discernment – there will be no receiving of the things of God.
But I am also convinced that the Holy Spirit does use the word of God, and the evidences concerning the death and resurrection contained within, to convert sinners. More than that, the Holy Spirit uses these evidences to strengthen the faith of those who already believe. When the Spirit is at work in the mind and heart, these evidences have the force of proof. For the one called of God, these words stick; they have power; they convert. It is the Spirit of God who makes the word of God powerful unto salvation. “Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says ‘Jesus is accursed!’ and no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except in the Holy Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 12:3, ESV)
What we have here in John’s Gospel cannot properly be called proof; but it is evidence concerning the resurrection. And it is strong evidence! John presents us with evidence concerning the historicity of Christ’s resurrection. He has presented us with evidence concerning the death of Christ, and now he presents us with evidence concerning the resurrection of Christ from the dead. I trust that the Spirit of God will use the word of God to build faith in the people of God, to the glory of God Father.
Mary
Notice that Mary Magdalene is the first witness that John sets forth. She was the first to see the empty tomb. And she would also be the first to see the Lord in his resurrection (we will consider that next week).
The other gospels reveal that there were other women with Mary at the empty tomb. Mark mentions Mary Magdalene, Mary the Mother of James, and a woman named Salome (Mark 16:1). Luke also mentions a woman named Joanna (Luke 24:10). But John is content to highlight only Mary Magdalene. But it is clear in John that she was not alone, for after she saw the empty tomb she ran to Peter and John and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” (John 20:2, ESV) The use of the first person plural pronoun “we” indicates that Mary was not alone.
We will return to focus on Mary next Sunday when we consider verses 11-18. But what can we say concerning her initial testimony to the resurrection?
For now simply notice that she was not expecting it. She did not go to the tomb expecting to find it empty. So far was the possibility of resurrection from her mind that, when she found the tomb empty and the stone rolled away, her only thought was that someone had “taken the Lord out of the tomb”.
One of the arguments used by skeptics to discredit the resurrection of Christ is to say that the disciples of Christ made it up. The idea is that they knew Christ claimed that he would rise, and the disciples, eager to continue the cause of Christ after his death, fabricated the resurrection story in order to validate his claims.
But the evidence points in the other direction. The empty tomb was not found by one of the twelve – it was discovered by one of the women who followed Jesus. And she did not go to the tomb hopeful. She went with spices to finish the job that Joseph of Aramethia and Nicodemus has begun on Friday evening. She went to the tomb fully expecting to find the body of her crucified friend there.
Peter and John
Mary, we are told, ran to find Peter and John (John again refers to himself as, “the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved”). And now the two of them take center stage in this passage and serve as witnesses.
In verse 3 we read, “So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.” (John 20:3–4, ESV)
I do enjoy this little detail. I smile a little each time I read it. Students of the Bible have wondered about the significance of this. Why did John tell us that he outran Peter? Is he boasting, like a typical male, about his speed? Is he implying that he was more zealous for Jesus than Peter was? It is implied that the John was the better of the two disciples? I think not. It seems to me that this little detail is given to strengthen the idea that John was an eyewitness to these things. He was there. And he knew things that only an eyewitness could know.
Notice that John really does not present himself as superiors to Peter. He outran Peter (perhaps because he was younger and smaller). But notice that what he had on Peter in regard to speed, he lacked in courage. Verse 5: “Stooping to look in, [John] saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in.” (John 20:5, ESV) Another possibility is that John did not lack courage, but waited for Peter to show him honor as the older disciple, and leader of the band.
Whatever the reason, John waited outside until Peter arrived. Verse 6: “Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed…” (John 20:6–8, ESV)
You can picture the two of them inside the tomb, can’t you? You can picture them, gasping for air because of the run (Peter more than John). I imagine them looking around intently, searching the dimly lit tomb for evidence – anything that would help them figure out what had happened to the body of their Master. And they notice two things. One, the grave cloths were still there. And two, the face cloth was there, “not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself.”
Mary’s theory was that the body of Jesus had been taken by someone. But Peter and John, after seeing more than Mary was able to see (it was probably still dark when Mary was there), saw that the evidence pointed in another direction. For what grave robber would take the time to unwrap the body and to fold the face cloth nicely and to set it in another place? Undoubtably, if someone was interested in stealing away the body they would have simply taken it, grave cloths and all.
If this were the only evidence for the resurrection, I would be rather weak. But John will tell us much more. And the other Gospels, which were probably written before John, set even more evidence before us. When all is said and done, Jesus is seen, not by one or two, but hundreds. Not only is he seen, but he is touched, and heard. His disciples communion with him. And these appearances of Christ go on for forty days, until his ascension to the Father.
But here is where we begin. Mary found the stone rolled away and the tomb empty. Peter and John also find the tomb empty. And the scene looks, not like a crime scene, but as if Jesus had been freed from the grave cloths and walked out.
The Scriptures
Let us now turn our attention from the narrative of John 20 and consider for a moment the remark that John makes in verse 9 about his experience. It’s such a small remark. The significance of it is easy to miss. But I think it is an incredibly important part of this passage. For it is here that the Scriptures are set forth as a witness to the resurrection.
In verse 8 we’re told that John, when he saw the empty tomb and the grave cloths, “believed”. And then we have this remark: “for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead.” (John 20:9, ESV)
First of all, what does John mean when he tells us that he, in that moment, “believed”? Didn’t John already believe in Jesus Christ. Hadn’t he been following him for years now? Indeed he had. It must mean that he, in that moment, came to believe that Jesus had risen.
But why? Were the empty tomb, the empty grave cloths, and folded face cloth, enough to convince him? Was the resurrection now proven to him by these things beyond all doubt?
No, John explains. He says, “for” – in the Greek the word is γάρ, which is used to mark the cause or reason for something – he believed “for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead.” (John 20:9, ESV)
The thing that made John believe in the resurrection was not the experience of the empty tomb and the grave cloths alone, but those experiences understood in light of the Scriptures. It was not the experience, primarily, nor was it the experience in isolation, but the experience as confirmed by the Scriptures.
This is very significant. It indicates that, for the disciples of Christ, experience could only take them so far in their quest for truth. If they were to believe something as true they needed to be persuaded by the Scriptures. This was true of John. He believed in the resurrection when he came to “understand the Scripture, that [the Christ] must rise from the dead.” (John 20:9, ESV)
Notice the same emphasis in Paul’s resurrection passage. Hear it again:
“For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.” (1 Corinthians 15:3–8, ESV)
Do you hear it? Paul presents us with evidence for the death and resurrection of Christ, but the evidence is only considered strong because it was in accordance with the Scriptures. These things happened in accordance with the Scriptures, and for this reason they are to be believed.
If you were to ask me, Joe, why do you believe in the death and resurrection of Christ? I would first of all say, because God has given me the gift of faith. It is by his grace.
If you were to press me further and ask, but what evidence do you present? I would simply say what the gospel writers say, and what Paul says. I would present the evidence that they present. He was seen, not by one person, but by many people over a forty day period of time. These things did not happen in secret. Christ presented himself in his resurrection in plain view. “He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom [were] still alive [when Paul wrote to the Corinthians], though some [had] fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to [Paul].” In fact more evidence than this could be presented, for Paul says noting of Jesus’ appearance to Mary, nor of his encounter with the men on the road to Emmaus. I would present this evidence, and I would emphasize how unlikely it would be for these people to imagine it together, or to make it up. What gain would there be in making this story up. Many of these men died for their testimony. What did it benefit them in this world to live as if Christ was risen, if he was not indeed risen?
This is strong evidence indeed. And it is necessary evidence. It would be wrong to claim that Christ is risen if he was not in fact seen as risen! The empirical evidence is essential. But the empirical evidence – the experiential evidence – becomes exceedingly strong, in my opinion, when we demonstrate that all of this happened in accordance with the Scriptures.
What does we mean when we say that Christ lived and died and rose again in accordance with the Scriptures? We mean that the life, death, and resurrection of Christ were not random events – they were not spontaneous events – but they were foretold. They were the fulfillment of the “…definite plan and foreknowledge of God…” (Acts 2:23, ESV) The Old Testament Scriptures told of these things ahead of time.
Think about this.
We have eyewitness testimony concerning the resurrection of Christ preserved for us within the New Testament Scriptures. We know that the disciples of Christ were willing to die for the belief that Christ rose again. And these things were foretold. They were promised and pictured ahead of time. The life, death, and resurrection of Christ was not an isolated event, but the apex event in the history of redemption. He died and rose according to the scriptures.
The question is, what Scriptures? What Scriptures do John and Paul have in mind?
Notice that John, throughout his Gospel, has made a point of alluding to, or directly quoting, specific passages from the Old Testament, saying “For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled” (John 19:36, ESV), or something like that, after which he quotes a specific text. Here he only mentions the Scripture generally. He does not point us to one specific text. The same can be said concerning Paul’s “in accordance with the Scriptures” phrase. Paul does not specify which Scripture he has in mind there in 1 Corinthians 15.
It would seem, then, that Paul and John have the whole of Scripture in mind in John 20 and 1 Corinthians 15. The whole of the Scriptures point to the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, and the salvation provided therein. I am not saying that every verse in the Old Testament says something about the coming of Jesus Christ. But I am saying the Old Testament points to Jesus consistently and generally. It is the thrust the Old Testament. The Christ is the focal point of it. The Scriptures indeed point to Jesus beginning to end.
This is what Jesus taught as he walked with his disciples on the road to Emmaus after his resurrection.
“He said to them, ‘O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?’ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” (Luke 24:25–27, ESV)
And when he later met with more of his disciples in Jerusalem we are told that he said to them,
“‘These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.’ Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.’” (Luke 24:44–48, ESV)
What Scriptures did John and Paul have in mind? What Scriptures did Jesus point to as he taught his disciples after the resurrection? The passages do not explicitly say, but it is not hard to guess.
I would assume that Jesus reminded them of the promise of Genesis 3:15, that a Savior would come from the seed of the woman. I would assume that the promise made to Abraham and David was mentioned. I’m sure the typology of Abrahams mock offering of Isaac, and receiving him back from the dead was mentioned, and also the typology of the Passover, and the temple sacrifices. I would imagine that Psalm 16:10 was mentioned, which says, “For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption.” (Psalm 16:10, ESV) And Hosea 6:2, which says, “After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him.” (Hosea 6:2, ESV)
The exact scriptures texts are not mentioned. And the effect of this is that we are sent, not to one or two verses in the Old Testament, but the Scriptures in general. And we go there looking for all the ways in which they point forward to the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. And once there we find, not one or two obscure texts, but thousands of them which come together to form a vivid mosaic which effectively shows forth the Christ crucified and raised for the sins of all who believe.
Conclusion
So how does this apply? How should this truth change us?
First of all, I must compel you to believe upon Jesus! “Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9, ESV)
Secondly, I exhort those who have faith to continue to believe upon Jesus! May these evidences strengthen your faith.
Thirdly, may those who believe upon Christ also proclaim Christ, crucified and risen. Brothers and sisters, we must give a reason for a hope that is in. Give evidence for Christ, crucified and risen. But do not think that you can prove it. The Spirit must move. Pray that the Spirit would move upon hearts and minds. The Spirit must do today what Christ did when he was on earth in his resurrection. The Spirit must “[open] their minds to understand the Scriptures… that the Christ… [suffered] and on the third day [rose] from the dead… that…forgiveness of sins [is available in] his name to all nations…” (Luke 24:44–48, ESV, with modification for purposes of application)
