THE EMPTY TOMB (John 20:1-18)
INTRODUCTION:
On Good Friday I read a portion of a message given by Dr. S. M. Lockridge, I would like to begin my message this morning by reading the last three paragraphs of his message.
“Now it’s Sunday. And just about dawn on that first day of the week, there was a great earthquake. But that wasn’t the only thing that was shaking, because now it’s Sunday.
And the angel of the Lord is coming down out of heaven and rolling the stone away from the door of the tomb. Yes, it’s Sunday, and the angel of the Lord is sitting on that stone. And the guards posted at the tomb to keep the body from disappearing were shaking in their boots, because it’s Sunday. And the lamb that was silent before the slaughter is now the resurrected lion from the tribe of Judah, for He is not here, the angel says. He is risen indeed.
It’s Sunday, and the crucified and resurrected Christ has defeated death, hell, sin, and the grave. It’s Sunday. And now everything has changed. It’s the age of grace, God’s grace poured out on all who would look to that crucified lamb of Calvary. Grace freely given to all who would believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross of Calvary was buried and rose again. All because it’s Sunday.”[1] He is Risen! (He is Risen Indeed)! Let’s pray and then get into the Scriptures.
--PRAY--
SCRIPTURE:
Turn in your Bibles this morning to John 20:1-18, our passage for this Resurrection Sunday. Please, if you are able, stand in honor of the reading of God’s Word.
John 20:1-18,
“Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came early to the tomb, while it was still dark, and saw the stone already taken away from the tomb. So 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.’ So Peter and the other disciple went forth, and they were going to the tomb. The two were running together; and the other disciple ran ahead faster than Peter and came to the tomb first; and stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings lying there; but he did not go in. And so Simon Peter also came, following him, and entered the tomb; and he saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the face-cloth which had been on His head, not lying with the linen wrappings, but rolled up in a place by itself. So the other disciple who had first come to the tomb then also entered, and he saw and believed. For as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. So the disciples went away again to their own homes. But Mary was standing outside the tomb weeping; and so, as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been lying. 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.” 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?’ Supposing Him to be the gardener, she 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 in Hebrew, ‘Rabboni!’ (which means, Teacher). Jesus said to her, ‘Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, “I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.”’ Mary Magdalene came, announcing to the disciples, ‘I have seen the Lord,’ and that He had said these things to her.” (John 20:1–18, NASB95)[2]
MARY’S ACCOUNT (John 20:1-2)
The Lord Jesus had told His disciples many times that He would be crucified, but on the third day would rise from the dead. It was a fact that even though repeated more than once they never seemed to understand what He was saying. They were not looking for the Lord Jesus to rise from the dead, so when His head fell forward after He had prayed committing His spirit into the hands of the Father, their hopes were dashed, and they felt that all His Messianic claims were no more. There was no more that could be done once He was laid in the tomb and the large stone had been rolled across the opening. A Roman guard was set to watch the tomb, because Jesus’ enemies remembered what His disciples had forgotten. They came to Pilate and said, “Sir, we remember that when He was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I am to rise again.’ Therefore, give orders for the grave to be made secure until the third day, otherwise His disciples may come and steal Him away and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last deception will be worse than the first.” (Matthew 27:63–64, NASB95)[3] Matthew 27:65 records Pilate’s answer, “Pilate said to them, ‘You have a guard; go, make it as secure as you know how.’ ” (Matthew 27:65, NASB95)[4] They did make it as secure as they could, but no human effort could hinder the working of God’s omnipotent power when the hour came for God’s Son to rise triumphantly from the dead.
John records that on Sunday, on the first day of the week, the new day of the dispensation of the grace of God, on that day Mary Magdalene came early to the tomb, while it was still dark. Coming to it before the other women with her arrived she saw that the stone had been rolled away from the opening. It was love that drew her to the tomb. She and the other women hoped to go in and take care of the body in a way that had not been taken care of when it was quickly taken from the cross and placed in the tomb before sundown when the Sabbath began. They came with more spices they had prepared. They waited for the Sabbath to be over before they came to perform this last act for Him whom they had loved so dearly; whom they thought had been taken from them in death until the end time.
As Mary drew near ahead of the other women she was amazed to see that the great stone was rolled back, that no one was on guard, and the body of Jesus must have been removed. She did not go and see, she just assumed and turned and ran from the garden to the place where Peter and John were staying and through her tears and sobs, she told them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.” (John 20:2b, NASB95)[5]
PETER AND JOHN’S ACCOUNT (John 20:3-9)
Peter, upon hearing Mary’s words, immediately began to run to the tomb with John close on his heels. Peter must have been in agony since the death of the Lord Jesus. He could not forget that he had been a coward—even though he had promised not to forsake his Lord, even if all others did. Yet he had, he had denied with oaths and cursing that he never knew the Lord Jesus. But deep in his heart he loved his Lord. He had been overcome by fear and cowardice. But at Mary’s words he immediately left to see if her words were true.
They both ran together and then John pulled ahead and outran Peter and arrived at the tomb first. He stooped down and looked into the tomb, but did not go in. Why did he not go in, maybe because in the dim light of morning he saw something that may have caused him to think that what Mary had told them was wrong. He could dimly see the grave clothes on the shelf and it looked like a body was lying there. But when Peter arrived, he did not stoop and look in, he stooped and went in and he saw the linen that Christ had been wrapped in. He saw the face cloth that had been on his head not with the linen wrappings but rolled up and in a place by itself. As he stood staring down at the place where his Lord had laid, he saw that which told a wonderful story. He saw the linen cloths just as they had been wrapped around the body, like the shell of a chrysalis after the butterfly has emerged. The linen wrappings were there, but the body was gone! Between the face cloth and the linen cloths there was an empty space where the face should have been. Peter must have stared with wonder for he knew no power on earth could have taken that body out of those linen cloths and left them in the condition they were in, no one but almighty God. Then we read that John entered the tomb and they stood there together looking at the empty linen wrappings and the linen face cloth rolled up by itself. We are told that John believed, but I think Peter did as well. How could they not with the evidence before them? They had to know that Jesus had been raised from the dead by the omnipotent power of God. The evidence compelled them to believe, even though they did not understand. John writes in verse 9, “For as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead.” (John 20:9, NASB95)[6] Though they did not understand from the Word of God, they had positive proof that He had risen. They were no longer concerned that someone had stolen the body, they did not need to raise the alarm that Mary had brought to them. They knew that it was impossible for someone to steal the body, because Jesus was not there, He had risen from the dead. No one stealing the body could have removed it without disturbing the linen wrappings, no one stealing the body would have folded the face cloth and placed it by itself. If someone stole the body they would have taken the body still wrapped in the linen wrappings. There was only one way in which this body could be removed from the linen wrappings without disturbing them, the body of the Lord Jesus passed through the wrappings when God raised Him from the dead. The stone was not rolled away so Jesus could get out of the tomb, it was rolled away so the disciples could get in.
MARY’S SORROW TURNED TO JOY (John 20:11-18)
Mary must have returned to the tomb after Peter and John had returned home. She still thinks that someone has taken Jesus’ body and she is standing outside the open tomb weeping. Then for the first time she stoops and looks through the opening into the tomb. She did not see what Peter and John saw, she saw two angels in white clothing sitting one at the head and one at the feet of the shelf where the body of her Lord had been lying. Not only did she see the angels, they spoke to her and asked, “Woman, why are you weeping?” Mary replied, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.” Mary’s eyes, blinded by tears, had not been able to discern what had been so clear to those two disciples who had been inside the tomb before she arrived back in the garden.
Suddenly she turned away from the heavenly messengers, why did she turn away and not continue her conversation with the angels? Did she hear a sound behind her? Did the angels suddenly stand and recognize the presence of the Lord? Mary turned and saw a Jesus standing near her, but she did not recognize Him. Either she could not see Him clearly through her tears or her eyes were blinded like those who later Jesus walked with explaining the things concerning Himself in the Old Testament Scriptures. Jesus spoke to her, asking, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Mary thought that this was the gardener and replied to Him, “Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away.” Do you see the love and devotion of her heart? She did not even mention His name. She seemed to think all would know whom she meant when she said “Him.” Jesus spoke again to her, just one word, He said, “Mary.” I would have loved to hear Him say her name, it was the same name as His mother’s, a name He heard often growing up in Nazareth. It was also the name of this devoted woman, out of whom He had cast seven demons, setting her free. The love with which He spoke her name, the tenderness. Mary had heard him speak her name before and she knew this voice, she knew that it was Jesus standing near her and she turned to Him and exclaimed “Rabboni!” A Hebrew word that means “Teacher” or “Master.” Immediately her sorrow and her anxiety turned to joy, pure joy as she reached out and touched Him, clung to Him, her Savior and Lord. This was a natural gesture, now that she had found Him, she did not want to let go and lose Him again. Why did Jesus tell her to stop clinging to Him? One reason, I believe, was He knew she would see Him again. He had not yet ascended to the Father; He remained on the earth forty days after His resurrection and often appeared to His disciples and followers to teach them spiritual truth. Mary did not need to panic; this was not her last or final meeting with the Lord. A second reason is she had a job to do, as the first person to see the resurrected Lord Jesus she was to go and tell His brethren that He was risen and alive, and that He had not yet ascended to the Father. Jesus had called His disciples His servants, then He had called them His friends, and now He calls them His brethren or brothers. A new relationship with those who put their faith in Him, we become a part of God’s family. What was she to tell the brethren? She was to bring her testimony of the risen Lord Jesus and to report Jesus words spoken to her. He said, “…say to them, I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.” Notice that Jesus does not say “our Father” or “our God.” His relationship to the Father was different than that of His disciples, and He was careful to make that distinction. He and the Father are one, He is not just one of God’s children, He is God the Son. We as believers use the terms “our Father” and “our God” because all believers belong to God’s family and have an equal standing before God. Jesus was reminding Mary and His followers that God was their Father and that He would be with God in heaven after His ascension. He had told the disciples before He was arrested that He had to return to the Father so that the Holy Spirit could come to them.
Though it was the same Jesus, only in a glorified body, it was not quite the same relationship. We must be careful not to relate to Christ “after the flesh” that is, to relate to Him as though He was still in His state of humiliation. He is today the exalted Son of God in glory and we must honor Him as such. Paul spoke of this in 2 Corinthians 5:16 when he wrote, “Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer.” (2 Corinthians 5:16, NASB95)[7] For example, when John was with Jesus in the upper room during the Passover he leaned against Him, when He saw Jesus when He was on the island of Patmos he fell at His feet as dead.
Mary obeyed and John writes, “Mary Magdalene came, announcing to the disciples, ‘I have seen the Lord,’ and that He had said these things to her.” (John 20:18, NASB95)[8]
CONCLUSION:
Mary not only shared the fact of the Lord Jesus Christ’s resurrection and that she had personally seen Him, but she also reported the words that Jesus had spoken to her. Again, from this we see the importance of the Word of God. Mary could not transfer her experience over to them, but she could share the Word, and it is the Word that generates faith. The living Christ shared His living Word with Mary, and she shared it with His disciples. It is good to have faith that is based on solid evidence, but the evidence should lead us to the Word, and the Word will lead us to the Savior. Peter and John believed that Jesus had been raised from the dead. It was not until later that afternoon that Jesus appeared to Peter. Then to two disciples on the way to Emmaus and they recognized Him as He broke bread with them. Finally, Jesus appeared to His disciples and followers later that evening as they were gathered in the upper room.
We have looked at the eye witness account of Mary Magdalene this morning. The fact that Jesus first appeared to Mary rather than His disciples, or to someone who had position or authority is significant. That a woman would be the first to see Jesus is an evidence of Jesus’ electing love as well as attesting to the truthfulness of this historical record. No author in the ancient world would have invented a story with a woman as the first witness to this important event. It may have been due to Mary’s devotion to the Lord that He first appeared to her. She had been at the crucifixion standing with some of the other women who followed Him, and she had come early in the morning to the tomb out of her love for Him. What about you? This event in history as recorded for us by John is so clear. John clearly lays out the facts and it should be plain that what he recorded is true. There can be no question about it as Paul declared in Romans 4:25, “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.” (Romans 4:25, NIV84)[9] Do you know the Savior who died for you and was raised to life so that you might be made right before God and might be saved from God’s wrath against sin? You can know without a doubt that you will spend eternity in the glorious presence of God and the Lord Jesus Christ by agreeing with God this morning that you are a sinner and by believing that Jesus Christ died for you, that He suffered God’s wrath against sin on your behalf, that He was buried and on the third day, as we have looked at this morning, He rose triumphant from the grave. Please make sure that you know today where you will spend eternity. He is Risen! (He is Risen indeed!)
[1]https://www.epiphanydayton.org/its-friday-but-sundays-coming/
[2]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[3]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[4]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[5]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[6]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[7]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[8]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[9]The Holy Bible: New International Version. (1984). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.