[The following is the manuscript of my sermon delivered on Easter Sunday, the 5th of April, 2015. Holy Communion was also observed during this service.]
1 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 Then 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 out, and the other disciple, and were going to the tomb. 4 So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first. 5 And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there; yet he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there, 7 and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed. 9 For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went away again to their own homes.
11 But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb. 12 And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. 13 Then 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.”
14 Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw 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?”
She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, “Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away.”
16 Jesus said to her, “Mary!”
She turned and said to Him, “Rabboni!” (which is to say, Teacher).
17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’”
18 Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her.
--John 20:1-18 (NKJV)
Let us pray… O God our Father, Your Son gave His all for us, and the world He came to save crucified Him and buried Him in a cold, dark tomb. And then, Father, You showed the world how much You love Him and us. You raised Jesus from the dead! And now He reigns at Your right hand. Father, speak through me the words You need Your children to hear. Let them hear only the thunder of Your voice. Let them see only the radiant face of Jesus. In that dearest name, Jesus, we pray. Amen.
The Sunday School teacher was excited and enthusiastic as she looked across her class of four-year-olds and asked, “Does anyone know what today is?” One little girl held up her hand and answered, “Yes, today is Palm Sunday.” The teacher exclaimed, “That’s fantastic! That’s wonderful! Yes, today is Palm Sunday. Now does anyone know what next Sunday is?” The same little girl again held up her hand and replied, “Yes, next Sunday is Easter Sunday.” And again the teacher said, “That’s fantastic! Now, does anyone know what makes next Sunday Easter?” The same little girl responded and said, “Yes, next Sunday is Easter because Jesus rose from the grave.” Before the teacher could congratulate her, she kept talking and said, “But if He sees His shadow, He has to go back in for seven weeks.”
[from 1001 Humorous Illustrations for Public Speaking, #304, “Get the Story Straight, p. 127]
There is so much contained in today’s scripture reading, and so little time to give it full consideration this morning. So I want to focus primarily on just a few points, the first of which is the tomb where Jesus was buried. Let’s try to put ourselves on the scene along with Mary Magdalene, Simon Peter, and the “other disciple, whom Jesus loved”, as our author the Apostle John often calls himself.
Mary came to the tomb first and found the stone, a huge boulder, rolled away from the entrance. She ran back to get Peter and John and us so we could see for ourselves. And there it is, the gaping mouth of the tomb, the stone somehow pushed out of the way.
Why? Why was the stone rolled out of the doorway? Did Jesus need the stone moved so He could walk out, so the angels that Mary noticed did the heavy lifting to clear the way for our Lord to escape the grave?
Hardly. Jesus didn’t need for the stone to be moved. Let’s look at just a little further into this 20th chapter of John’s Gospel, first at verse 19…
The Sunday School teacher was excited and enthusiastic as she looked across her class of four-year-olds and asked, “Does anyone know what today is?” One little girl held up her hand and answered, “Yes, today is Palm Sunday.” The teacher exclaimed, “That’s fantastic! That’s wonderful! Yes, today is Palm Sunday. Now does anyone know what next Sunday is?” The same little girl again held up her hand and replied, “Yes, next Sunday is Easter Sunday.” And again the teacher said, “That’s fantastic! Now, does anyone know what makes next Sunday Easter?” The same little girl responded and said, “Yes, next Sunday is Easter because Jesus rose from the grave.” Before the teacher could congratulate her, she kept talking and said, “But if He sees His shadow, He has to go back in for seven weeks.”
[from 1001 Humorous Illustrations for Public Speaking, #304, “Get the Story Straight, p. 127]
There is so much contained in today’s scripture reading, and so little time to give it full consideration this morning. So I want to focus primarily on just a few points, the first of which is the tomb where Jesus was buried. Let’s try to put ourselves on the scene along with Mary Magdalene, Simon Peter, and the “other disciple, whom Jesus loved”, as our author the Apostle John often calls himself.
Mary came to the tomb first and found the stone, a huge boulder, rolled away from the entrance. She ran back to get Peter and John and us so we could see for ourselves. And there it is, the gaping mouth of the tomb, the stone somehow pushed out of the way.
Why? Why was the stone rolled out of the doorway? Did Jesus need the stone moved so He could walk out, so the angels that Mary noticed did the heavy lifting to clear the way for our Lord to escape the grave?
Hardly. Jesus didn’t need for the stone to be moved. Let’s look at just a little further into this 20th chapter of John’s Gospel, first at verse 19…
19 Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
--John 20:19 (NKJV)
And then verse 26…
26 And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!”
--John 20:26 (NKJV)
Do you see the common thread, not counting the “Peace to you” greeting, that is? In both cases, Jesus simply appeared in the midst of the group of disciples, even though the doors were shut and presumably locked, since the disciples were scared for their lives of the religious leaders right then.
This is Jesus after His death and resurrection but before His ascension back into heaven. At this point He was more spiritual than flesh. He even confirmed it Himself, to Mary. Look at verse 17: “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father.”
So if Jesus could simply walk through that stone as easily as He did the doors, why was the stone rolled away? So we could look in and see that He was no longer there, His body was not in the tomb.
The tomb is empty. The only thing left there are the burial cloths, the linens that Jesus’ body had been wrapped in. In verse 7, John specifically mentions the cloth that covered Jesus’ face, being folded neatly and placed apart from the linens. Luke, in chapter 24 verse 12 of his Gospel, describes the linens as “lying by themselves”. Basically, they were neatly folded and lying off to the side. Grave robbers wouldn’t have taken this much time. They’d likely have taken the body, linens and all.
Why were the linens lying off to the side? So we could see them and know they were removed with care – Jesus had no need for them now.
We can see the tomb is empty. The evidence clearly indicates this was not the work of grave robbers. The only explanation, at least to our thinking, is that God the Father raised His Son from the dead, and Jesus simply left the grave behind Him.
I’d like to look at one more point that is not from today’s scripture but that concerns the soldiers charged with guarding the tomb. What happened to them?
They were supposed to keep anyone from entering the tomb and stealing the body, lest the followers of this Jesus claim He rose from the grave like He said He would. Boy, are they in trouble now!
Well, we can find out what happened to them by reading Matthew’s Gospel account, chapter 28, verses 11 through 15…
This is Jesus after His death and resurrection but before His ascension back into heaven. At this point He was more spiritual than flesh. He even confirmed it Himself, to Mary. Look at verse 17: “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father.”
So if Jesus could simply walk through that stone as easily as He did the doors, why was the stone rolled away? So we could look in and see that He was no longer there, His body was not in the tomb.
The tomb is empty. The only thing left there are the burial cloths, the linens that Jesus’ body had been wrapped in. In verse 7, John specifically mentions the cloth that covered Jesus’ face, being folded neatly and placed apart from the linens. Luke, in chapter 24 verse 12 of his Gospel, describes the linens as “lying by themselves”. Basically, they were neatly folded and lying off to the side. Grave robbers wouldn’t have taken this much time. They’d likely have taken the body, linens and all.
Why were the linens lying off to the side? So we could see them and know they were removed with care – Jesus had no need for them now.
We can see the tomb is empty. The evidence clearly indicates this was not the work of grave robbers. The only explanation, at least to our thinking, is that God the Father raised His Son from the dead, and Jesus simply left the grave behind Him.
I’d like to look at one more point that is not from today’s scripture but that concerns the soldiers charged with guarding the tomb. What happened to them?
They were supposed to keep anyone from entering the tomb and stealing the body, lest the followers of this Jesus claim He rose from the grave like He said He would. Boy, are they in trouble now!
Well, we can find out what happened to them by reading Matthew’s Gospel account, chapter 28, verses 11 through 15…
11 Now while they were going, behold, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all the things that had happened. 12 When they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, 13 saying, “Tell them, ‘His disciples came at night and stole Him away while we slept.’ 14 And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will appease him and make you secure.” 15 So they took the money and did as they were instructed; and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.
--Matthew 28:11-15 (NKJV)
Some things never change, do they. A government cover-up, hush money paid – this could have easily have occurred today right here in the good old US of A. But I don’t mention this to bring up the subject of state sponsored pay-offs.
Listen to the last phrase again: “this saying is commonly reported among the Jews today”. “This saying” is the lie the guards were paid to spread. Mary Magdalene and the disciples tried to share the truth, that Jesus had been resurrected from the dead by God. The chief priests and the guards spread a lie instead.
God has given the readers of Matthew a choice: to believe the false testimony of the guards, or the true testimony of the visitors to the tomb that first Easter morning. Sadly, most of the Jews, Matthew’s primary audience, chose to believe the guards. We also have to choose, and to fully believe in what we have chosen.
The tomb is empty. Jesus has left it behind. What about the cross, since that is part of my message title today? The cross hasn’t been mentioned in any of our scripture this morning, so why do I bring it up? Simply because Jesus left it behind, too.
I’ve always found it a little odd that we chose the tool of our Lord’s pain and suffering and death as the symbol of our faith and belief in Him. I really think the empty tomb would be far more appropriate, because it shows that He conquered death. Of course, an empty tomb would be a little problematic to display on our walls or around our necks. So we use the cross, Jesus’ cross. Not the simple upright and crossbar that most crucifixions were done on, but the cross of Jesus with the extension on top to hold the sign Pilate had made up declaring Him the “King of the Jews”.
Have you noticed the cross most Roman Catholics use? It’s called a crucifix because it bears the likeness of Jesus nailed to the cross. Our cross is empty. Jesus is no longer there. The tomb is empty. Jesus is no longer there.
Earlier I asked why was the stone rolled away from the entrance to the tomb, and then I answered so that we could see inside, to see it was empty. If we had not been able to see inside, to see that Jesus’ body was not there, would Christianity have even gotten started? If Jesus had died and been buried and that was the end of it, would we worship Him today? Very unlikely, because then He would have simply been just a man – a very remarkable man, maybe, but still just a man like any one of us.
We needed to see proof of His resurrection, proof of prophecy fulfilled. The empty tomb, the empty cross. Both point to our risen Lord, no longer bound by the flesh, no longer captive to pain or death, but freed by God and taken to heaven to sit at His right hand. And someday He’ll come back to earth to take His church home, and then we can add empty church pews to the tomb and cross. I fear many church buildings will not be completely empty, but those who truly follow Jesus will no longer be here.
The empty tomb and the empty cross bear witness that Jesus is no longer here in this earthly plane. The empty tomb and the empty cross prove that our Savior lives!
Christ our Lord has risen today! He lives forever! Alleluia!
Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, today is special in so many ways. We see the glory of Spring all around us with the blossoming trees, bushes and flowers and in the birdsong that greets us as we walk along in this Your beautiful garden. The earth is renewed, it comes to life once again after being dormant in the winter. And that is our sign of how You brought Your Son back to life, which we celebrate this Easter morning.
Father, we also take this time to honor and remember the sacrifice Your Son made for us, how His body was broken for us, how His blood was spilled for us. We know, Lord, that we must take of the elements of our Christ Jesus with a right heart. We must repent of our sin and recommit ourselves to truly following Jesus as our Lord and Master, and not only as our Savior. Lord we pause now for just a moment to come to You in the silence and confess from our hearts our sin, to repent of our sin, and to seek Your mercy and Your grace. Father, if there is one among us this morning whose heart is not right with You, please let them come to Your altar before approaching Your table, so that together we might ask Your forgiveness and seek Your favor…
Father God, You are gracious. You give us far more than we could ever earn, blessing us each day of our lives. Father God, You are merciful. You withhold the punishment we so rightly deserve, allowing Your Son to bear our stripes for us. Lord Jesus, we acknowledge the sacrifice You made for us and we thank You. Jesus, we know You are our Savior and we also accept You and submit to You as our Master. Take us, please Lord, and use us as You will.
In the blessed name of Jesus we pray.
Amen.
Listen to the last phrase again: “this saying is commonly reported among the Jews today”. “This saying” is the lie the guards were paid to spread. Mary Magdalene and the disciples tried to share the truth, that Jesus had been resurrected from the dead by God. The chief priests and the guards spread a lie instead.
God has given the readers of Matthew a choice: to believe the false testimony of the guards, or the true testimony of the visitors to the tomb that first Easter morning. Sadly, most of the Jews, Matthew’s primary audience, chose to believe the guards. We also have to choose, and to fully believe in what we have chosen.
The tomb is empty. Jesus has left it behind. What about the cross, since that is part of my message title today? The cross hasn’t been mentioned in any of our scripture this morning, so why do I bring it up? Simply because Jesus left it behind, too.
I’ve always found it a little odd that we chose the tool of our Lord’s pain and suffering and death as the symbol of our faith and belief in Him. I really think the empty tomb would be far more appropriate, because it shows that He conquered death. Of course, an empty tomb would be a little problematic to display on our walls or around our necks. So we use the cross, Jesus’ cross. Not the simple upright and crossbar that most crucifixions were done on, but the cross of Jesus with the extension on top to hold the sign Pilate had made up declaring Him the “King of the Jews”.
Have you noticed the cross most Roman Catholics use? It’s called a crucifix because it bears the likeness of Jesus nailed to the cross. Our cross is empty. Jesus is no longer there. The tomb is empty. Jesus is no longer there.
Earlier I asked why was the stone rolled away from the entrance to the tomb, and then I answered so that we could see inside, to see it was empty. If we had not been able to see inside, to see that Jesus’ body was not there, would Christianity have even gotten started? If Jesus had died and been buried and that was the end of it, would we worship Him today? Very unlikely, because then He would have simply been just a man – a very remarkable man, maybe, but still just a man like any one of us.
We needed to see proof of His resurrection, proof of prophecy fulfilled. The empty tomb, the empty cross. Both point to our risen Lord, no longer bound by the flesh, no longer captive to pain or death, but freed by God and taken to heaven to sit at His right hand. And someday He’ll come back to earth to take His church home, and then we can add empty church pews to the tomb and cross. I fear many church buildings will not be completely empty, but those who truly follow Jesus will no longer be here.
The empty tomb and the empty cross bear witness that Jesus is no longer here in this earthly plane. The empty tomb and the empty cross prove that our Savior lives!
Christ our Lord has risen today! He lives forever! Alleluia!
Amen.
Let us pray… Father God, today is special in so many ways. We see the glory of Spring all around us with the blossoming trees, bushes and flowers and in the birdsong that greets us as we walk along in this Your beautiful garden. The earth is renewed, it comes to life once again after being dormant in the winter. And that is our sign of how You brought Your Son back to life, which we celebrate this Easter morning.
Father, we also take this time to honor and remember the sacrifice Your Son made for us, how His body was broken for us, how His blood was spilled for us. We know, Lord, that we must take of the elements of our Christ Jesus with a right heart. We must repent of our sin and recommit ourselves to truly following Jesus as our Lord and Master, and not only as our Savior. Lord we pause now for just a moment to come to You in the silence and confess from our hearts our sin, to repent of our sin, and to seek Your mercy and Your grace. Father, if there is one among us this morning whose heart is not right with You, please let them come to Your altar before approaching Your table, so that together we might ask Your forgiveness and seek Your favor…
Father God, You are gracious. You give us far more than we could ever earn, blessing us each day of our lives. Father God, You are merciful. You withhold the punishment we so rightly deserve, allowing Your Son to bear our stripes for us. Lord Jesus, we acknowledge the sacrifice You made for us and we thank You. Jesus, we know You are our Savior and we also accept You and submit to You as our Master. Take us, please Lord, and use us as You will.
In the blessed name of Jesus we pray.
Amen.
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