BEYOND
THE EMPTY TOMB John 20:19-23
Introduction: We want to begin
this morning, where we ended on Good Friday. After Jesus died on the cross, two
of his secret disciples, a rich man named Joseph of Arimathea and a Jewish
religious leader named Nicodemus, took him down from the cross and put him in
the tomb of Joseph. By doing so, they fulfilled a prophecy by Isaiah, which
reads, "He had done no wrong
and had never deceived anyone. But he was
buried like a criminal; he was put in a rich man's grave." Isaiah 53:9 It
will be interesting to note the turn of events that happened afterward.
Imagine
you were a follower of Jesus, and you had just seen him crucified. You saw
where they laid him. You saw the stone that had been rolled over the tomb. You
saw the seal that the soldiers placed over the stone forbidding anyone to open
the tomb. Imagine the confusion and the grief you experience, knowing that your
best friend was now dead.
Imagine
hiding away in a locked room for three days, thinking that the soldiers might
also be coming for you. Then, one morning, there is banging on the door. Who
could it be? Soldiers, maybe. You look hesitantly. Not soldiers but some women other followers of
Jesus had come to your door and inform you that something has happened.
They
were hysterical and talking way too fast. They pull you out of the house still
in your nightclothes. They lead you to Jesus' tomb, and you can barely believe
your eyes. The stone is rolled away, you look inside, and it is empty. Then you
remember. Jesus said this was going to happen. He said he would die, and then on
the third day, he would be resurrected. You remember. Jesus is indeed alive.
Jesus rose from the dead as He had promised.
We
have heard that story all our lives! We sing, "Up from the grave He arose.
We all shout, "He is Risen and Risen Indeed." However, our focus
today is not the tomb being empty, but what happened, "Beyond the
Empty Tomb." What was life like for the disciples after having
lived with Jesus for three and a half years? Let's pick our story from here.
John 20:1-23
I. HE HAS RISEN!
According to Dietrich Bonhoeffer, "The
Old Testament day begins at evening and ends with the going down of the sun. It
is the time of expectation. The day of the New Testament church begins with the
break of day and ends with the dawning fulfillment, the resurrection of the
Lord."[1]
Sunday, the day of resurrection, is truly the "eighth day of
creation."
Let
me summarize the events that took place on the First resurrection Day. Early in
the morning, Mary Magdalene comes to the tomb, and after seeing the stone was
rolled away, runs back to Simon and the other disciple whom Jesus loved. John
outruns Peter to the tomb and sees the linen was neatly folded and believes
that Jesus has risen.
Mary
stood outside the tomb, weeping. Her heartache was probably because of fear,
frustration, and sheer exhaustion. Jesus comes to her and asks her, "Dear
woman, why are you crying, and who are you looking for? She mistook Jesus for
the gardener and said, "Sir, if you have taken him away, tell me where you
have put him, and I will go and get him."
Can
you imagine the tenacity of this woman who so desperately wanted Jesus' dead
body? Instead, Jesus gave her his living appearance. He revealed himself by
addressing her name by his tender and loving voice, "Mary!" That was
it; for Mary, nothing needed to convince her that her beloved Lord was alive,
so she turned to him and cried out, Rabboni."
Jesus
said, "Don't cling to me," probably applying some social distancing!
Two people, two different approaches, but reached the same conclusion. Jesus
Has Risen!
For John, it was his mind, and for Mary, it
was the matter of her heart, for John seeing is believing, whereas, for Mary,
hearing is believing.[2] Some of us need to apply
their minds as John did, and others need to open their hearts as Mary did, then
only you will be able to know and see the Risen Lord.
II. JESUS APPEARS
TO HIS DISCIPLES
After a personal encounter with the
risen Lord, Mary was given a specific message that Jesus was raised from the
dead, and he was going ahead of them to Galilee, where they could meet Him. It
was Sunday evening. The disciples were in total lockdown, hiding behind locked
doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders.
This
reminds me of our current situation, where along with the rest of the world,
God's people, including the followers of Christ, are in lockdown conditions. It
pains my heart that we can't even gather in our churches to celebrate the
resurrection of Christ. Just like the disciples, we too are afraid not so much
of authorities but of an unseen enemy called COVID-19.
Into
their frightful situation, despite locked doors suddenly, Jesus made his
appearance. In the same manner, Jesus can walk right into your fearful
situation, and nothing can stop Him from doing so because He was and Is and
always will be all-powerful! Glory to God!
As
Jesus appeared among the disciples, the very first words he uttered were, Peace
Be with You.". Hear Jesus, say that
to you today! We need to hear them more
than ever in our times today. Leaders in their countries are trying hard to
bring back the peace that has been lost due to COVID-19, but can they honestly?
It is only possible through our risen Lord Jesus Christ.
Listen
to what he said before he went through the most horrible death on the cross.
"I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I
give is a gift the world cannot give. So, don't be troubled or afraid."
John 14:27. The gift of the risen Christ to the world is His peace of mind and
heart. His words to the fearful hearts are, “Fear Not For I am With You.”
As
he had promised now, Jesus gave them His peace that surpasses all human
understanding. As he spoke, he also revealed the wounds in his hands and side,
which filled the hearts of disciples with joy. He assured them again with these
words, "Peace be with you."
III BEYOND THE
EMPTY TOMB (Vs. 21-23)
We are now no longer at the Empty
Tomb; we are with Jesus standing among the disciples behind the locked doors.
Let's pay close attention to what Jesus was saying to His disciples, which
changed their direction forever that might change our path as well. Jesus
calmed the fears of the disciples, and once they were settled, before they
could get too comfortable, He said, "As the Father has sent me, so I am
sending you." What powerful words of Commission!
A
pastor friend of mine wrote an entire book based on this sentence titled,
"The Sent One." I would love for us to study that book at some point.
For now, let's think about what it means, "As the Father has sent me, so I
am sending you." Let me read from my friend's book. "Repeatedly, Jesus spoke of Himself
as the One sent by the Father, and repeatedly He observed that His disciples
believed that He had been sent. For Jesus, being sent was and is fundamental to
His identity: He was the "Sent-One." This was His mission, and I use
this word deliberately, "for mission" is derived from the Latin verb
"to send."[3]
On
this Easter Sunday morning our focus is not on the cross, not on the tomb and
not even on the empty tomb. Our focus is and always should be on what is beyond
the empty tomb. What is beyond the tomb is not yet completed Mission of Jesus
Christ Our Risen Lord which is to save the sinners. How could the disciples of
Jesus Christ carry out that great mission?
They
needed the power of the Holy Spirit so, Jesus breathed on the fearful disciples
and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” We too need the Holy Spirit. Today we are
celebrating the victory of Jesus in our locked down churches. But I believe sooner
than later we will reopen the doors of our Churches. Let no fear and no locked
doors keep us down. As the father has sent Him, Jesus is sending us into the
world to fulfill His mission to preach
the good news. Amen!
[1] Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together,
John W. Doberstein, tr. (New York; Har-per & Row, Publishers, 1954), p.40
[2] Stan
Johnson, “The Sent One.” Page 298
[3]
Stan John Son, The Sent One, Page 25
