Risen Indeed!
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Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”
3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) 10 Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.
Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene
11 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.
13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”
“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
15 He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”
16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.”
She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).
17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”
18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.
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Resurrection
Personal
Jesus of Nazareth who lived 2000 years ago, was crucified, died and was buried (humanly speaking) that was the end of the story I believe with all my heart that Jesus was dead and he was buried. But his prediction, spoken during the last supper in John 16v22 ‘So you have sorrow now, but I will see you again and no-one will take your joy from you.’
Came true that first Easter Sunday, their sorrow turned into joy and no one could take that joy from those first witnesses.
Billy Graham famously said
‘I know Jesus is alive – I talked to him this morning!’
Resurrection means we have our own personal Jesus, a Saviour and friend who you can talk to and meet with because though he died, death could not hold him forever and on Easter Sunday, he rose from the tomb – hallelujah. I have visited his empty tomb in Jerusalem.
I don’t want the Easter season to pass without us being totally confident, in this most important aspect of our faith.
I am going to suggest Three R’s to take hold of so that you can be convinced of the resurrection. He is risen indeed!
3 Rs: Rational Revelation Relational
Rational
John 20:1 ‘Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”
3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and [saw] the strips of linen lying there but did not go in.
6 Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen.
8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed.
The English translation of this passage, originally written in Greek, uses the word ‘saw’ for three different Greek words.
It is important to dig deeper. I believe it indicates that the resurrection narrative is rational.
Notice right from verse 1 Mary ‘saw’ blepei (stone rolled away) then v5 John ‘saw’ blepei (looked in) then v6 Peter ‘saw’- theōrei linen cloths lying and the face shroud folded separately. This is a rational account, these are eye- witnesses telling their story. The Greek for v6 Peter ‘saw’ is theōrei ( a scientific word) meaning to examine “carefully, observe intensely.”
v8 John saw (eiden) which means “to behold or perceive.” Seeing the collapsed linen wrappings John suddenly realized what had happened – the penny dropped. Jesus had risen from the dead! John ‘saw and believed.’ It’s like somebody turns the light on. You see and believe.
Christianity hinges on the resurrection and non-Christians find this the hardest thing to believe but it is rational, we can be confident in our reasoning – evidence is there to be examined (we cannot examine it in depth today).
Notice a couple of things:
[a] Mary Magdalene was the first to see Him (risen). In those days a made up account would not have had an ex-demoniac, social outcast as the first eye witness. (Later in 1 Corinthians 15:6 adds that there more than five hundred who saw him after he had risen. Many saw him - the first was Mary.
[b] People were transformed. Something happened after Jesus death. From the first Easter Sunday people began to worship him, they had a living relationship with him. There was no debate or discussion, no preaching or teaching about it – something changed their relationship and it was the resurrection. Those believers (especially Peter) spent the rest of their lives proclaiming it and even dying for it. It is Rational even though we cant explain it!! The Resurrection doesn’t need explanations it needs witnesses.
These first witness of the resurrection didn’t attempt to explain the resurrection. They were changed, the resurrection explained them.
‘You can’t explain the resurrection – it explains me’ Stanley Hauerwas
I say the same thing the resurrection has changed me. It explains who I am and what I am all about. Jesus is alive, I talked to him this morning!
It’s why I am free, free from sin (by his forgiveness), why I have peace, rest (for soul), it’s why I witness (tell others about my friend and Saviour). The resurrection is rational explains me and in a strange way, like Peter, I am a witness to the resurrection because it has changed me. Does the resurrection explain you?
Revelation
We read in John 20:11 Mary Magdalene stood weeping. Notice how that Jesus reveals himself to her asking questions that help her discover Him for herself. What a wonderful counsellor!
John 20 v 1 ‘Early on Sunday, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb… she ran to Peter and John and they ran to the tomb and looked in and Jesus burial cloths were lying…. [later] v15 He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said,
“Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”
16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.”~
She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (meaning “Teacher”)
Mary’s story encapsulates the Gospel message. Jesus reveals himself to her and then says ‘Go and Tell.’ Do you realise Jesus trusted one person with his gospel message – a social outcast – Mary Magdalene (see Luke 8v23) not a celebrity, not a politician nor royalty. He trusted Mary.
Today society wants us to get rid of the controversial stuff like the Resurrection. It is Miraculous. He is unique, the Messiah - it is controversial. Can we not just agree on love and peace for all so that all religions and even those of no faith can agree? That wasn’t the first Easter message.
The Message of Easter revealed and entrusted to Mary was one word: ‘Risen.’ ‘He is risen indeed.’ It was revealed first to Mary and then others and that message changed the world. If the message revealed to Mary was to ‘tell everyone to love everyone and live in peace’ – that message would have been about you and I. The message ‘Risen’ is all about Him, all about Jesus as revealed. It is rational, it is revelational and it is Relational.
Relational
Notice again from John 20:15 how Jesus reveals himself to Mary as she stood grieving. He uses her name to reveal himself. He doesn’t say ‘It’s me’ he speaks her name. This makes it relational – her own personal relationship with the risen Lord Jesus. Strange that Jesus uses her name to reveal his risen self. Jesus called my name to reveal himself to me and as I responded to him John 1v12 says he gave me the right to be a child of God. That makes it family. Relational. Jesus lived with his disciples for 3 years and his family before that. Jesus knows we are social beings and he calls you by name and says ‘I love you,’ I know you personally and I will know you eternally. Jesus says know me and you will get to know yourself like never before. You will become the person you were made to be.
Witnesses make the Christian message personal, relational. Look at the first people who witnessed it Mary, Peter, John and several hundred other eye-witnesses. The Resurrection doesn’t need explanations, it needs witnesses and in truth it explains who we are. There is power in your witness… I encourage you to witness to your friends, relatives, neighbours and colleagues. Do they know your testimony? A witness of your daily relationship with Jesus, witness of worship; witness of a joy filled life and fulfilled too. Do they see the witness of a self-sacrificial lifestyle, for example, your morality and Christian ethics and most of all that personal relationship with Jesus? The intimate, daily walk with our Saviour and friend that puts problems into perspective and makes living worthwhile.
Let us not underestimate the power of our witness.
In 1989 Depeche Mode wrote a song ‘Own Personal Jesus’
It was a sarcastic swipe at born-again Christians.
In 2002, Johnny Cash covered it. There was a difference. Cash knew the reality of the resurrection, for Johnny Cash Jesus was personal. Relational. On 12 September 2003, shortly after the release of the recording Johnny Cash died and went to meet his Saviour face to face, his own Jesus - personal.
Your own personal Jesus Someone to hear your prayers
Someone who cares Your own personal Jesus
Someone to hear your prayers Someone who's there
Feeling unknown And you're all alone
I will deliver You know I'm a forgiverReach out and touch faith
The resurrection is Rational. Revelational. Relational
