“I Know that My Redeemer Lives!”
John 20:1-18 April 11, 2004
CCI: In the resurrection, the sacrifice of the cross finds it’s completion.
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. [2] And 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." [3] Peter therefore went forth, and the other disciple, and they were going to the tomb. [4] And the two were running together; and the other disciple ran ahead faster than Peter, and came to the tomb first; [5] and stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings lying there; but he did not go in. [6] Simon Peter therefore also came, following him, and entered the tomb; and he beheld the linen wrappings lying there, [7] and the face-cloth, which had been on His head, not lying with the linen wrappings, but rolled up in a place by itself. [8] So the other disciple who had first come to the tomb entered then also, and he saw and believed. [9] For as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. [10] So the disciples went away again to their own homes.
The resurrection of Jesus. For the last 2000 years, this event has been the cornerstone of the Christian Church. Paul said, “If Jesus was not raised, then we above all people are most to be pitied.” When Christians declare their faith, whether in the Apostle’s Creed, or any other statement of belief, the resurrection of Jesus is given center stage. We declare, “Jesus was raised again on the third day.” And yet despite this belief, there has perhaps been no single event debated more in the last 2000 years than the resurrection of Jesus the Christ. Did it really happen? Are there other explanations? What do others think?
Many suggestions have been made to explain the belief in the resurrection. The explanations began within hours of the event. In Matthew 28, when the guards report what they have seen to the authorities, they are told to report that they had fallen asleep and the disciples had taken the body.
Islam teaches that someone died in Jesus’ place and he was never crucified.
Some suggest that Jesus was on the cross, but he did not actually die, rather he lost consciousness and after lying in the tomb for a number of hours, he recovered, left the tomb, appeared to his followers and then lived out his life in secret. Another suggestion is the empty tomb, perhaps even a mistaken tomb, inspired visions on the part of the women who were in denial and wanted to believe he was not dead. Then the others believed they saw the same thing because they did not want to be left out. It was all a hallucination. And then there is the suggestion that Jesus was simply drugged in a way that appeared to cause death and after a time revived.
Finally, there is the suggestion that the resurrection is nothing more that a spiritual interpretation of the life and death of Jesus. There was no resurrection from death, but the disciples saw in Jesus’ death the continuation of his life, death could not contain his message of life, his life swallowed up death itself.
Each of these explanations try to remove the miraculous from Easter, they try to explain or dismiss the events that are recorded in the gospels. Yet the arguments sound hollow, because what happened on that morning, transformed everything in the disciples’ lives. Imagine what it would have been like for the disciples.
They had just been through the longest Sabbath of their lives. We today, know the rest of the story. Even in the midst of a Good Friday service, we think about Easter. But the disciples did not. They had heard Jesus say that he would rise, but they did not understand it at all, and they certainly did not expect it within days. When the women went to the tomb, they went to mourn Jesus death. Mark tells us they brought spices to the tomb to anoint his body, they were even concerned about how they could get to the body since the tomb was sealed. Luke tells us the response of the women was not belief, but terror. I think Don Francisco has captured the mood of the disciples in Peter’s story, listen to these lyics:
“The gates and doors were barred / And all the windows fastened down/ I spent the night in sleeplessness/ And rose at every sound/ Half in hopeless sorrow/ And half in fear the day/ Would find the soldiers breakin' through/ To drag us all away/ And just before the sunrise/ I heard something at the wall/ The gate began to rattle/ And a voice began to call/ I hurried to the window/ Looked down into the street/ Expecting swords and torches/ And the sound of soldier's feet/ But there was no one there but Mary/ So I went down to let her in/ John stood there beside me/ As she told me where she'd been/ She said they've moved Him in the night/ And none of us knows where/ The stone’s been rolled away/ And now his body isn't there/ So we both ran toward the garden /Then John ran on ahead/ We found the stone and empty tomb/ Just the way that Mary said/ But the winding sheet they wrapped him in/ Was just an empty shell/ And how or where they'd taken Him/ Was more than I could tell/ Oh something strange had happened there/ Just what I did not know/ John believed a miracle/ But I just turned to go/ Circumstance and speculation/ Couldn't lift me very high/ 'Cause I'd seen them crucify Him/ Then I saw Him die/ Back inside the house again/ The guilt and anguish came/ Everything I'd promised Him/ Just added to my shame/ When at last it came to choices/ I denied I knew His name/ And even if He was alive It wouldn't be the same”
Francisco has captured the spirit of the disciples in the hours after the resurrection. Even seeing the empty tomb left them with questions and with fear. After finding the tomb empty, they did not start preaching, instead, they went back to their homes, and John tells us they hid behind locked doors, afraid of the leaders. These were not people who were out to try to fool the crowd. These were people whose hearts were broken, whose spirits had been crushed and whose hopes had been dashed.
Let’s look at the passage again starting in verse 11. After the men left we read:
Mary was standing outside the tomb weeping; and so, as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb; [12] and she beheld two angels in white sitting, one at the head, and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been lying. [13] 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."
She was so distraught, she was not surprised by the presence of these angels!
[14] When she had said this, she turned around, and beheld Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. [15] 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."
Mary had followed Jesus since Jesus had healed her early in his ministry. She had been devoted to him and had helped support his work with her money. But she did not recognize him! I don’t think that was because he looked different, but because Jesus was the last person she expected to see! She had been at the cross as well. She had seen Jesus die, she had watched as they took down his body and prepared it for burial. She did not expect to see Jesus. But listen
Then Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, "Rabboni!" (which means, Teacher). [17] 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.' " [18] Mary Magdalene came, announcing to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord," and that He had said these things to her.
Imagine that! Mary, a woman, is the first to see the risen Lord. Those who would suggest that the resurrection stories are part of a conspiracy, have a real problem here. Women had no credibility in the 1st century. Jewish men thanked God each day that they were not gentiles, dogs or women. Women could not testify in court and women could not speak with men in public. Yet the first person to see Jesus alive after the resurrection was Mary of Magdala!
And it was in the speaking of her name that the recognition was found. Our names are very important. In a publication called “Lightsinger” the following definition of love was submitted by a 6 year old: "When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You know that your name is safe in their mouth." When Mary heard her name, she knew she was safe.
There are many who would deny the resurrection today, but, if you have heard Jesus call your name the questions fade. Just as Mary’s fear and doubt vanished when Jesus called her name, our fears can be resolved when we hear him call our name. We hear Jesus call us when the Holy Spirit moves in our lives. We can hear him call our names when another believer reaches out to us in love and speaks our name in a way that is safe. We can hear Jesus call us when we study the Bible and it’s words speak to our hearts.
Mary found that her name was safe in Jesus’ mouth and in that safety, she found rest and hope. After recognizing Jesus, she returned to the disciples with this message, "I have seen the Lord!" He doubts were gone.
In the book of Job is a beautiful testimony of faith that I believe filled Mary’s heart the evening of Resurrection Day as she reflected on her experiences. “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth: and though worms may destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.”
Listen now to this testimony as it is sung by Cynthia Clawson from the Young Messiah.
It is my prayer that this is your testimony today as well. If you have heard him speak your name, the objections people raise to the resurrection are empty, for if you have heard him call your name, you too can say, I know that my redeemer lives!
He is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!
