On the Third Day

Friends,

What is interesting about the gospels, and in this case -- the Gospel of John, particularly -- is that there would be no chapter 20 if Jesus’ story was a normal biography…the story would end with the death of the individual.  If the story ends in chapter 19, then it is truly the end of the story…for Jesus and for all of humanity.  But, the account of this miracle (John 20:1-18) is proof that Jesus is unlike any other human being ever to live.  The Resurrection is an essential part of the Gospel message (1 Corinthians 15:1-8) and a key doctrine in the Christian faith.  From the very beginning, the enemies of the Lord try to deny the historic fact of the Resurrection.  The Jewish leaders claim that the Lord’s body has been stolen from the tomb.  But, this is absurd…because if the body was stolen, then how on earth would they have done it? The tomb is guarded by Roman soldiers and the tomb sealed with an official Roman seal.  Also, the disciples have not believed that He is to be raised from the dead; it is His enemies who remember His words. (Matthew 27:62-66)  The opponents certainly would not have taken the body.  The last thing they want is anyone believing that Jesus actually has risen from the dead.  As the women approach the tomb, they are worried about who would roll back such a heavy stone (Mark 16:1-3).  And this brings us to Mary Magdalene, the first of the women to arrive at the tomb on the first day of the week. As we consider her experience that Lord’s Day morning, we can see her comprehension of the truth of the Resurrection.

Mary Magdalene and several other women agree to go to the tomb of Jesus following His death on the cross and His burial.  These women, desiring to show their love for Christ, want to complete the burial preparations.  Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus had been forced by the circumstances to prepare the body quickly, but now the ladies are going to finish the task.  What they are not aware of is that an earthquake has taken place and the stone guarding Jesus’ tomb has been rolled back by an angel.  It is apparent that Mary Magdalene goes on ahead of the other women and gets to the tomb first.  When she sees that the stone has been rolled away, she believes that someone has broken into the tomb and stolen the body of her Lord.  Given all that we know, and have already discussed concerning the circumstances surrounding what has happened to Jesus, it is not difficult to believe that Mary thinks this way.  Mary runs to break the news to Peter and John at an unknown location. The other women arrive at the tomb, then leave and carry the angels’ message to the other disciples.

Meanwhile, Peter and John start off for the tomb.  It is John who follows initially, but being fleeter of foot, he gets there first. When he arrives, he cautiously remains outside but looks in.  What does he see? Grave clothes lying on the stone shelf.  Peter also arrives and…true to form…impulsively heads on into the tomb.  There, he also sees the grave clothes.  John then enters the tomb, looks at the evidence and is awestruck!  It is as if the light goes on all of the sudden, because the text says, “He sees and believes” (v.8). Resurrection faith begins to take hold.  It is amazing that Jesus’ followers did not expect Him to come out of the tomb alive…after all, He had told them on numerous occasions that He would be raised from the dead (John 2:19, etc.).  Peter and John experience faith that is based on the evidence.  They see grave clothes…they know that Jesus’ body is not there.  After the resurrection, Jesus does not reveal Himself to everyone, but only to select witnesses who share the Good News with others (Acts 10:39-43).  Peter and John see and believe – soon the Holy Spirit will confirm their faith.

Peter and John have returned home by the time Mary Magdalene decides to come back to the tomb. She has stayed in the garden, such is her love and devotion to her Lord.  Mary has not reached the same conclusion as have Peter and John, for she believes that Jesus is still dead. Her weeping is the loud lament associated with how her people, the Jews, express sorrow.  When she comes to the tomb and looks inside, she sees two men dressed in white. Their positions at either end of the shelf where Jesus had been lying, makes us think of the cherubim on the mercy seat. (Exodus 25:17-19)  It is as though God is saying, “There is now a new mercy seat – my Son has paid the price for sin, and a new way is opened up to the presence of God.”  Mary does not seem to be disturbed at seeing these two men, and there is no evidence that she knows that they are angels. But, her conversation with them does nothing to calm her, or dry up her tears. 

Mary is determined to find Jesus, and at once, she turns around and sees Jesus, although she does not know that it is Him.  It is interesting that she does not recognize Him…perhaps it is too early to see well, or her tears are blinding her somewhat, or perhaps Jesus is concealing His true identity from her for the moment, as He did with the Emmaus disciples.  Jesus asks her why she is weeping…and who is it that she is seeking. Jesus recognizes her broken heart and tenderly reveals Himself to her, simply calling out her name – Mary.  When He does this, she immediately recognizes Him. All she can say is “Rabboni!” (Which means “my Teacher”). She not only speaks to Him, but grabs onto His feet, and holds onto Him…sort of like we did when we were little kids and we didn’t want a parent to leave the house.  Jesus tells her not to hold on to Him…which is curious.  One reason is that she will see Him again, as He will be on the earth another forty days before ascending to the Father. Mary does not need to panic…as if this is her last opportunity to be with Jesus.  A second reason is that she has a job to do – go tell people that Jesus is indeed alive.  She does, indeed, get up from there and share the Good News, “I have seen the Lord!”

Every year, thousands of people climb a mountain in the Italian Alps, passing the "stations of the cross" to stand at an outdoor crucifix. One tourist noticed a little trail that led beyond the cross. He fought through the rough thicket and, to his surprise, came upon another shrine, a shrine that symbolized the empty tomb. It was neglected. The brush had grown up around it. Almost everyone had gone as far as the cross, but there they stopped.  Far too many have gotten to the cross and have known the despair and the heart break. Far too few have moved beyond the cross to find the real message of Easter. That is the message of the empty tomb. (Lavonn Brown, "The Other Half of the Rainbow," submitted by Michael Adams, First Baptist Church, Union City, TN.)

This has long been one of my struggles with how people view the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.  Some have put so much emphasis on the cross that they nearly miss the most important event, and this is the Resurrection.  We must not only recognize the power of the cross, but we have to live in the power of the resurrection of Jesus!  The kicker with all of this, going back to the beginning of the message today -- as good as the evidence is to convince the mind, it cannot change the life.  What do I mean?  Those of us who live centuries later cannot examine that evidence, for it is no longer there for us to inspect.  But, we do have the record of the evidence in God’s Word as it has stood the tests of time.  It is faith in the message found in the Word that Jesus wants to cultivate in us through His Holy Spirit.  And that message…the undeniable message of the Resurrection…is that – Jesus is alive!  He is alive in order that you and I may be able to be alive forever…and this is Good News!

Blessings, Don

Out of the Foxhole

Friends,

Great crowds follow Jesus early in His ministry. Opposition has not begun in earnest, so there are many would-be disciples who want to follow Him. Yet, Jesus wants to escape from the growing crowds to spend some time alone and with His Father. This decision results in a separation of His true followers from less committed supporters (Matthew 8:18ff). The two individuals who come to Him here are not of importance to the story as much as they provide an opportunity for Jesus to make an important point. The first person…a scribe…addresses Jesus as “Teacher” -- a term used only by outsiders in Matthew. He seems to believe that discipleship, or following Jesus, is more like volunteering to follow the local Rabbi as a pupil. His statement that “he will follow Jesus wherever He goes,” is probably not much more than accompanying Him across the lake. It is certainly not that he has thoughtfully considered this “following” to be a lifetime commitment…and so we have Jesus’ response. Jesus’ reply reveals that He is not your typical rabbi, and that following Him is no simple matter. His chosen lifestyle is one of homelessness -- foxes have holes, birds have nests, but Jesus has no “home.” He is lacking the securities of this world, and His disciples are called to share in this same type of life.

The next individual is called “a disciple.” Note his use of the term “Lord,” which is ironic, given the situation. What comes into question is not his overall commitment, but to what degree is he committed. Jesus’ response is probably not what many would expect. He is not disrespecting the disciple’s father, as some might be inclined to think. With many of Jesus’ statements we need to dig deeper in order to get to the meaning that can elude us. His point is likely, “Let the spiritually dead take care of their own business…but not so with you!” If his father is indeed already gone, his request would be a natural one…even essential. The dead, according to Jewish customs, must be buried within 24 hours, and the duty fell to the Son. It is most probable that the father is still living, and the verse should be translated, “what if my father should die?” The disciple is truly putting “commitment” to the test. This disciple’s request meets with a firm refusal. Jesus sees through the disciple’s request to the heart of the matter. The point is -- following Jesus takes precedence over family or other obligations. And the bottom line is – disciples of Jesus must have the right priorities in life…it is better to preach the gospel and give life to the spiritually dead than to wait for death of a family member in order to bury them.

Ed Skidmore shares, When Joseph Ton was a pastor in Romania some years ago, he was arrested by the secret police for publishing a sermon calling for the churches to refuse to submit to the Communist government’s demand for control over their ministries. When an official told him he must renounce his sermon, he replied, "No, sir! I won’t do that!" The official, surprised that anyone would respond so forcefully to the secret police, said, "Aren’t you aware that I can use force against you?" "Sir, let me explain that to you," Ton said. "You see, your supreme weapon is killing. My supreme weapon is dying. You know that my sermons are spread all over the country. When you kill me, I only sprinkle them with my blood. They will speak 10 times louder after that, because everybody will say, ’That preacher meant it because he sealed it with his blood.’ So go on, sir, kill me. When you kill me, I win the supreme victory." The secret police released him, knowing his martyrdom would be far more of a problem than his sermon. Ton is living testimony to the truth of Paul’s words, written from prison. “Now I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel. As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly. It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel (Philippians 1:12-16, NIV).

This type of devotion…the type of devotion that marked Joseph Ton’s life and ministry…is mostly foreign to us, as we typically do not have to face this type of challenge when it comes to our faith. I recognize that this is a message difficult to discern and understand. I turn to some thoughts from a fellow preacher-man to offer some appropriate follow-up. Steve Pankey shares this – Concerning stories like this, and the one concerning the Rich, Young Ruler, he says (a bit tongue-in-cheek), “Oh, Jesus wasn’t talking universally, but rather giving very specific directions to just one would-be disciple who had a bit too much pride and a whole lot of money.” This is the easiest and best way to preach that story. It is a nice, safe interpretation because it doesn’t demand anything of us except to shake our heads and say, “Boy, I’m glad I’m not like that guy.” Preaching devotion to Jesus in this way has become something of the American Way as Christianity continues a three decades’ long shrinking process and the Church tries its best to “sell” discipleship as easy, fun, and a free eternal life insurance policy. The lie is…that faith in Jesus is easy. Worse yet, when we water “the faith” down enough, the Church has nothing to say when the going gets tough…You can’t be a disciple if you don’t give up everything you’ve got. Maybe he is talking about stuff. Maybe Jesus actually means we should live in communes and share everything. Or maybe, and quite frankly…hopefully…it means that we shouldn’t be tied to all of our stuff. Maybe as long as we are chasing bigger houses, better cars, or the latest Apple release, we can’t really be focused on Christ…maybe as long as are paying attention to what the Jones’ are up to, we can’t be paying attention to what God is wanting to do in and through and for us. Maybe discipleship really means hating everything of this world and living a single-minded life of devotion to the one who came to save us from our distractions, who set us free from sin and death, and who calls us to follow him…through the good and bad, and even through the valley of the shadow of death. If it sounds difficult, it is. If it sounds foolish, it is, but…each of us has a choice. We can take up our cross and follow Jesus toward life, or we can turn around and walk away unhappy.” I will say this -- if what outsiders see in us Christians today is primarily “affluence” from the world and little “influence” for the Lord, then why would they look any further? Yet, it is not supposed to be simple…it is not supposed to be easy. Jesus had no foxhole…He had no place of refuge. He relied on His faith and trust in His father. This is all that He needed. Truthfully, it is all that we need.

Blessings, Don