okay good morning everyone lovely to be part of Easter Sunday with you all even
though remotely so we've seen again this week that death is very much a part of
life now that's a cliche I know but it's a true cliche I googled it this week and
apparently more than 157,000 people in our world die on average every day that's
about 57 million people a year and when you put that in the context of 5,000
years of history and that gets to be an absolutely staggering figure a staggering
death toll and of course the death toll is very personal thing isn't it because
that includes countless unique people amazing people and people in who in
their day were larger than life people whose influence in the world continues
long after they died but in the end death got them all but this morning I want to
talk to you about the person who defied the great equaliser that death the
person who reversed the finality of death by coming back from the grave the
person of whom we must say life was very much a part of his death so today we
celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ is the person who so
altered the course of history that we still talk about him 2,000 years later we
still mark the event on our calendars 2,000 years later and most importantly we
continue to be confronted by the consequences of his death and
resurrection more than 2,000 years later we pick up the story in John chapter 20
and the first point if you're following through in the notes King Jesus is dead and
you can't argue about the finality of death or can you well we all know that words
of impact words are very very powerful Jesus had a rousing message that attracted
so many over three years of his ministry but we all know that what people see
impacts us far more than what we hear and so the issue we're confronting is
dead means dead and here's the here's the problem for us Jesus said he was God
that Jesus said he was God's Messiah God's King coming to the world to
re-establish God's rule and establish a kingdom which would never ever end that
Jesus said he was God's long-awaited Savior come to rescue God's people by
dealing with a sin giving them new hope for the future rising word rising message but
if we pick up the story this morning the king is now dead beaten humiliated
ridiculed crucified as a common criminal bayoneted or speared and finally taken down
dragged away and buried David Butt took us through that awful story on Friday
now surely that has to be the final criteria for evaluating everything Jesus said and did
a rising message over three years but the king is dead and you can't argue with death can you
it's not as if it's just a mistake because these Roman soldiers they dealt with death
they had blood on their hands and these Roman soldiers knew Jesus was dead
at the Roman governor pilot he was used to executing people he was satisfied that Jesus was dead and
actually released his body for burial at two reputable Jews
Joseph and Nicodemus knew that Jesus was dead they actually embalmed his body and put it in a tomb and
sealed it with a large rock that that final symbol of separating those who are dead from those who are
living that large rock sealing off that tomb the tomb of the dead and even as most loyal disciples knew
that Jesus was dead they just went home to grieve now whatever way you read that story you have to say
what an anticlimax what an anticlimax a rising message over three years
but the king is dead and you can't argue about the finality of death or can you
well according to John the death and burial of Jesus was not the end of his story
we pick up in verse one Mary Magdalene is at Jesus tomb before dawn in the darkness on what we would
call Sunday morning three days after Jesus was crucified and she discovers the tomb open and Jesus body gone
now understandably she's upset and confused and immediately reports back to Peter and John who
in turn immediately went to the tomb to see for themselves and the question we have to ask and look at
carefully carefully then is what did they see well traditionally and historically we've said talked
about the empty tomb but of course that's not right because it wasn't quite empty so Peter and John see
the not quite empty tomb yes the body of Jesus was gone but his grave clothes immediately took their
attention and actually become the focus of the story because they saw the grave clothes lying undisturbed and
intact but in those days when a person died their body was wrapped from head to shoulders in from
feet to shoulders rather in linen strips and the linen strips were soaked in a solution of aloe which
was a powdered sweet smelling wood and another product called mirror and my double r h and that was a sort of
sweet smelling rosin or gum which actually solidified when went hard then back in chapter 19 we're told that
about 34 kilograms of this stuff was used to wrap the body of Jesus and essentially it made a cast
around the body a bit like a modern plaster cast around a broken limb
and then also the naked head was wrapped with a separate turban like a piece of cloth
so what Peter and John saw was the empty cast and the head cloth neatly folded and put to one side
just like you'd expect if someone took it off because they no longer needed it
something really unusual had happened both John and Peter recognized that
if thieves had stolen the body they would have taken the cast with them that would have been the
quickest and easiest way to make an exit or if they wanted the body without the cast they would have
had to cut all those wraps off and chances are left chunks of flesh or at least left the cast and the
strips and pieces or again if Jesus had simply been unconscious and somehow or other come around after
a period of time and got himself out even if that's possible then again the wrappings would have been broken
anyway the point of the story is that the tomb was undisturbed except that Jesus body was gone
and it's interesting the way John writes it because the significance of this
is highlighted by John in the words he uses the different words he uses for saying
so what did John and Peter say well verse 5 you look in there
um stooping to look in John saw the linen cloths lying there
the word there is to say or blepho that's the Greek verb and it means just to observe in other
words he just roamed his eyes around and took in what his eyes could see he observed the grave clothes
with no body and verse 6 Peter goes right into the tomb typical Peter he just rushes in John was a
little bit hesitant a bit nervous maybe I don't know but Peter just rushes in no surprise there
and he sees but the word there is the or oh oh in other words the same word as we use for theorizing
Peter's looking around observes the intact tomb except the body's missing and he's trying to theorize or work
out the significance of intact grave clothes but no body and then verse 8 finally John joins Peter in the tomb
and sees and the word there is orato in other words it's a saying that reaches a conclusion an understanding
so Peter and John see with understanding finally he concludes or they conclude that something really
supernatural has happened Jesus had left his burial cast somehow or other come through the burial cast
without damaging or disturbing it now verses 9 and 10 are also important um and it's it's a difficult
verse to understand verse 9 for as yet they did not understand the scripture that he must rise from the dead
then the disciples went back to their homes so the immediate impact of the facts on Peter and John
were that they believed they saw they theorized and they came to conclusion they believed the evidence
for Peter and John was mind-blowing but compelling and it pointed to one conclusion Jesus was no longer dead
Jesus somehow or other had come back to life and left his tomb in the most supernatural way not even disturbing
the grave clothes
now I think that the emphasis of verse 9 is that they didn't understand everything but they understood enough
to know that the grave of Jesus was no longer their focus
they didn't understand everything but they knew where he wasn't he was no longer in his grave
and so verse 10 they did what you'd expect they went home to think further about the matter
no longer was the grave the focus of their attention
and I think the point that John's making is this that John's emphasis is that the disciples
belief in the resurrection of Jesus came first based on the physical evidence before their eyes
they didn't manufacture a resurrection story to agree with expectations they already had from
Old Testament scriptures I think that's the point of verse 9 it wasn't as if they already knew and had
clear understanding from the Old Testament that Jesus would rise from the dead no they didn't understand
that that was that only came later with prompting for Jesus from Jesus only then did they understand
that various Old Testament scriptures which they had read previously without understanding
now became clear and added to what they'd seen physically with their own eyes the evidence that Jesus
had come back from the dead Jesus had risen from the grave
so that's the story at this point but the story continues and we switch focus to a very incredibly personal
experience for Mary and the experience builds around the point King Jesus is alive and she says I've seen
the Lord King Jesus is alive I've seen the Lord and this changes everything
now when you look at verse 11 it's just sad isn't it Mary stood weeping outside the tomb remember
it's it's pre-dawn it's in the darkness no lights you can just imagine the scene Mary was a deeply
troubled woman now we know from other parts of the record of John that she was known she was a woman
with history she was known for her sexual sin she was one of the ladies about time to use a sort of
modern term she was a woman who therefore was condemned by her her fellow Jewish citizens condemned
and rejected by the Jewish religious leaders condemned by God's law Mary had only a bleak future of
hopelessness to look forward to but Mary had found new hope of salvation and belonging in the teaching of
Jesus it's interesting that you might recall only a few days earlier the extent of the hope that Mary
had now placed in Jesus was expressed in her pouring a super expensive oil on him we're told in the text
that it cost about a year's worth of wages to buy the stuff and there was Mary just pouring all over Jesus
it was a demonstration of her total commitment to Jesus and her total trust in Jesus in Jesus she saw
something that gave her hope when the Jewish religious system when her own religion left her hopeless and
despairing but Mary before us again this morning in this story here she is standing in the darkness
weeping bitterly her hopes had died and were buried with Jesus
that's an incredible statement in her hopes had died and were buried with Jesus and she's left weeping
despairing engulfed by both physical and spiritual darkness as she recognizes that with Jesus body gone she can't even
grieve probably not only is is the hope that she had in Jesus cause gone but the body's gone she can't even
grieve she can't touch him she can't do that process that we all know to be such an important part of of relational
things even at the end of a relationship well at that very point
Mary's
Mary's darkness and despair is dispelled
first
two angels appear to her
and then Jesus himself appears and speaks directly
so that she knows he is alive
and it's just a very very moving
story that John records
here's this woman and you wonder why she's even there because
if any woman was going to be there and that's quite countercultural for a Jewish story to record a woman as a
as a focus
but if any woman was going to be there you might expect a Jesus mother to be there but no
this
woman with history with dubious character
this woman who had put so much hope in Jesus
is here in despair and weeping
and yet when Jesus speaks to her we can just sense the renewed hope and joy surging through our body
and becomes a confident statement to the disciples
I have seen the Lord
so what Peter and John had derived from physical evidence
Jesus
Mary learned directly both as revealed truth
and experiential truth
used both those terms last week when they speak
Jesus engages Mary relationally
Mary he speaks to her
he calls her by her name
and her troubled dark heart
is filled with truth
and light
and life
not only
is Jesus
not in the grave anymore
but he's alive
he's out there
he's on the loose
and he's engaging Mary
and replacing
dispelling darkness
and despair
with hope
and light
and life
look at verse 17
a wonderful verse in there
Jesus said to her
do not cling to me
I guess she must have thrown herself at his feet or something like that
do not cling to me for I have not yet ascended to the Father
but go to my brothers
and say to them
I am ascending to my Father
and your Father
to my God
and your God
now that's a
that's a chock-a-block full of wonderful things type verse
go to my brothers
says Jesus
tell them
go to my
I am ascending to my Father
and your Father
your Father Mary
your God Mary
the significance of this verse
well
so many things can be said about it
Jesus
is confirming
that he has done
what he said he would do
as God's King and Saviour
just a week earlier
remember back to chapter 14
and that was only a few days earlier
five or six days earlier
chapter 14
Jesus said to his people
do not be troubled in heart
I'm going away in death
to prepare a place in heaven for you
and then verse 6 of that same chapter
over that meal that night
only six days earlier
Jesus also said
I am the way
the truth
and the life
no person comes to the Father
but through me
now
in the words of a
Colby Cannon song
what Mary
the lost
and despairing
needs most
is to find the way
back to God
what Mary
the confused
and deceived
needs most
is the truth
that will set her free
from sin and death
what Mary
the dead
in her sins
needs most
is life
eternal
abundant life
and verse 17 here
tells us that
Mary had
all her needs
met
in Jesus'
death and resurrection
all her needs
were confirmed
as being met
in this one encounter
Jesus' resurrection
had changed
everything for Mary
and the first disciples
Jesus
in speaking to her
in being there
confirmed that he is God
who else
has power
and authority
to come and go
in his world
as he needs to
death could not
hold him
and now he says
he will go back
to his father
and to his throne
in heaven
having completed
his salvation task
powerful
irrefutable
compelling evidence
that Jesus
is God
and Jesus
confirms that
Mary was right
to put her
confidence
and hope
in him
both she
and the disciples
are now
in new
relationship
with the fathers
through Jesus
they have new
family
with Jesus
my brothers
says Jesus
they have new
family
with Jesus
your father
your God
he speaks to Mary
she who was distant
and cut off
from God
because of our sin
is now
in new
relationship
with the father
personal relationship
with the father
through Jesus
new family
new security
which guarantees
they will go to be
with the father
as Jesus will
as he ascends
so they will
ascend
and enjoy
a resurrection
with Jesus
now friends
there's the evidence
compelling evidence
and the evidence
that King Jesus
has risen
and is alive
and is on the loose
still demands
a verdict
from you
in 2020
that's John
purpose
in writing
the biography
we'll see that
next week
John's purpose
in writing
this biography
of the life
of Jesus
is to present
the evidence
that he believes
will cause people
to believe
that Jesus
is God
and Savior
and as a result
find eternal life
John's convinced
that if people
will only give
the evidence
a chance
then they will
be brought
they will theorize
like Peter
and they'll be brought
to a position
of understanding
that conclusion
that Jesus
is alive
Jesus is God
Jesus is God's Savior
and that
therefore
everything
is changed
now
here's a problem
the evidence
is compelling
yet so many
refuse to believe
why is that
do you think
well
it's very common
to blame
a lack of belief
on a lack
of evidence
but that's
just not right
the evidence
is compelling
more likely
in reality
they don't believe
because they don't
like the implications
of the evidence
they don't like
the implications
of belief
see here's how
it works
because if you
believe in Jesus
if you believe
that Jesus is God
that he really
did beat death
that he really
came back
that he's now
alive
and on the loose
and at large
in his own world
ruling as God's
King and Savior
then that
must force
an admission
from you
the admission
must be
that I am not
a good person
that I
of my own
character
my own nature
I'm entitled
to heaven
and that I can
sort of do
some sort of
bargain
with God
saying well
of course
I'm not as good
as I could be
but I'm not as bad
as I could be either
and so I'm entitled
to heaven
now belief
in the resurrection
of Jesus
forces us
to admit
that that's not
the case
Jesus died
to bring
people like you
and me
into heaven
and then
this belief
in Jesus
forces the
recognition
that if
Jesus
is King
and Savior
then I
must live
all of life
under his
authority
and that
means
and this is
the really
hard bit
for most
people
that means
giving up
my autonomy
there can't
be two kings
I can't be
king of my
life
and be
autonomous
and at
the same
time
claim
to live
under
the rule
of the
Lord
Jesus
Christ
and that
is so hard
for us
we don't
want to
give up
our autonomy
and the
irony
of the
Easter story
is in the
words of
Jesus
in verse
15
he says
who are
you seeking
whom
are you
seeking
and here's
the problem
for us
we long
to be
accepted
with God
we are
seeking
someone
who will
make us
acceptable
with God
who will
take us
home to
heaven
we long
to have
security
and hope
given that
we're so
fragile
and given
that death
is a
certain
part of
life
but we'd
rather miss
out on the
way
the truth
and the
life
rather than
give up
our autonomy
rather than
totally commit
to Jesus
as Mary
did
so often
people turn
and walk
away from
Jesus
even though
he's the
one that
they've been
seeking all
their lifetime
so friends
Jesus'
resurrection
changes
and it
demands
we change
how we
think about
him
how we
think about
ourselves
I started
by saying
that death
is very
much a
part of
our life
well
I end
by saying
that Jesus
backs the
trend
and offers
us
the life
that is
very much
a part
of his
death
this is
why
Easter
is so
offensive
because there's
not room
for King
me
and King
Jesus
but there's
also why
Easter is
so wonderful
at the
same time
Jesus
says to
Mary
why are
you
weeping
in despair
Mary
there is
no
nothing
so out
of place
as weeping
in despair
in the
presence
of the
resurrected
Jesus
who brings
life
and light
and hope
and security
so
Easter
is it
something that
will be
offensive to
you
or something
that will be
wonderful to
you
hopefully
it's something
that begins
as an offence
to you
and challenges
you
and then
reshapes you
so it becomes
wonderful to
you
but the question
remains a very
simple
bland but
profound question
what will
the Jesus
who came
back from
the dead
be to
you
thank you
very much
for listening
I'm going to
pray
and hopefully
you'll join me
in prayer
and then we'll
throw back
to Rob
Lord
we echo
your words
to Mary
why are
you weeping
we identify
with Mary
Lord
caught up
in
sometimes
the despair
of life
sometimes
Lord
we're just
reduced
by our
fragility
to
sadness
and weeping
we thank
you Lord
at that
very point
of need
you spoke
into Mary's
life
dispelled
her despair
and
made hope
new hope
and confidence
and security
and life
surge
through her
body
and I
pray
Lord
that you
might
do that
for each
one of us
listening in
today
that you
might
re-energize
us for those
of us who are
ready
committed to
serving you
fill us again
Lord with the
admiration
of your love
for us
and the desire
to serve you
better
and for those
Lord who might
be listening
this morning
who still
want to be
king
in their own
lives
Lord
confront
and break
down that
opposition
so they
might seek
you
the living
Lord
and know
life
life eternal
life abundant
pray this in
Jesus name
Amen
drum
up
есте
Holy
beams
through
march
health
amen
zh