Very close to Easter, a teacher gave her class an assignment.  She gave all of her students a plastic egg and asked that they put something inside their egg that related to Easter from the biblical perspective.  It could be something like a cross or praying hands.  The students would turn their eggs in and they would talk about them.  In this class was a little boy that sometimes had a hard time understanding certain concepts, but this little boy understood what his assignment was.  When it was time for the class to turn in their eggs, the teacher opened this little boy’s egg and it was empty.  The little boy looked at his teacher very proudly and says that there is nothing in my egg because Jesus Christ has been resurrected!

Mary Magdalene

In verses 1 and 2, John discusses the resurrection from Mary Magdalene’s perspective.

            Verse 1 says, “Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb.”  Biblically speaking, the first day of the week would have been on a Sunday.

            The Scripture states that “Mary Magdalene came to the tomb”.  There may be various reasons that Mary was at the tomb.  She may have simply been visiting the tomb or she may have come to help anoint Jesus’ body.  No matter the reason, Mary Magdalene was not expecting to see the stone rolled away.

            In verse 2 the Scripture states that she (Mary Magdalene) ran to Simon Peter and the other disciple (John) to tell them that “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have laid him”.  The resurrection was the last thing on Mary Magdalene’s mind.  She feared that one of Jesus’ enemies had stolen Jesus’ body.

Peter and John

In verses 3-8, John discusses the resurrection from Peter and John’s perspective.

            Verses 4 and 5 say, “The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.  He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but did not go in”.  There may be several reasons why John initially did not go into Jesus’ tomb.  The Expositor’s Bible commentary states that John may have stopped out of respect for the dead.  The Expositor’s Bible Commentary also states that John may have thought Jesus’ body was still in the tomb because he saw linen’s there, that he did not want to defile the corpse if he touched it.

            In verse 6 and 7 Peter makes it to the tomb and goes into the tomb.  The focus shifts to the linen’s and how they were placed.  The linens were left neatly in the tomb.  In the same position as if Jesus were still wrapped in them with the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself.  This focus on the linen’s proves that Jesus had been resurrected as opposed to his body being stolen.

            In verse 8, the Scripture states “Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed”.  When John (the other disciple) saw how the graveclothes were arranged he remembered Jesus’ words that he would rise again on the third day.  John “believed” and was convinced that Jesus had been resurrected when he saw it with his own eyes!

Understanding Scripture

            Verse 9 says, “for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead.”  It is important to realize that during this time the only Scripture that was available was the Old Testament.  Despite the numerous times that Jesus said he rise on the third day, his disciples did not realize that Jesus had to be rise from the dead in order to fulfill his purpose for coming to earth.

Going Home

            To conclude this passage, verse 10 states that the disciples went to their homes.  The Expositor’s Bible Commentary states that it is possible that this could have been the Upper Room in Jerusalem.

            Some of you may be thinking, “Every year I come to worship on Easter and hear a sermon on the Resurrection from one of the four gospels.  How does this story of the Resurrection apply to me, living in the year 2008, in Burnet, TX”?

            Ever since the Fall of Man in Genesis 3, humanity has been in a downward spiral.  Once sin was introduced into the human consciousness, it was impossible to have a relationship with God.  It also became impossible for humanity to live the way God intended.  The longer that time has gone on, the worse things have gotten.  God knew that if he was ever going to have a relationship with the people that he created something would have to change.  God knew that he would have to send his only Son, Jesus Christ, to die for humanity and bear all of their sins on his shoulders.  It is for that reason that the resurrection had to occur.

            1 Corinthians 15:17 says, “And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in yours sins.”  Without the resurrection, nothing would have changed.  The power of sin could not have been broken.  Death could not have been defeated.  We would continue to live aimless, helpless lives.

            The resurrection is central to Christianity.  It is what our faith stands on.  The resurrection proves that Jesus Christ is the Son of God (Acts 2:32-36; Romans 1:4) and that his atoning work on the cross has been completed and is effective (Romans 4:24-25).  The resurrection gives us the opportunity to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  The resurrection also gives us the opportunity to spend eternity in heaven.

            The term resurrection literally means a revival or restoration.  Many times when people think about the resurrection they think only of eternal life, as I mentioned a moment ago.  Unfortunately, we can overlook the fact that Jesus also was resurrected not only to give us a better tomorrow; but also to give us a better today as well.

            Jesus wants us to be able to take advantage of everything that God has given us.  Most importantly, Jesus wants us to live our lives freely and fully.  Not holding ourselves in a constant state of “bondage” for past mistakes and sins.

            There is great power in the resurrection.  Jesus wants everyone to be able to experience that power.  It does not matter what past mistakes or sins you have committed.  It does not matter if you have made decisions in the past that have not turned out to be the best.  The resurrection allows us to put the past in the past and look forward to the future.

Amen.