The Resurrection

Easter is the great impetus for the mission of the church because he is risen. We go. And we tell. And we preach. And we proclaim.

Buddha is dead. Muhammad is dead. Confucius is dead. But for Christians, we serve a resurrected Lord. Jesus Christ, he is risen.

Welcome to this Resurrection Sunday edition of Renewing Your Mind. I'm Nathan W. Bingham. Today, we'll spend one day in the Gospel of John, hearing John's account of the resurrection of Christ.

So, for one day only, you can request R.C. Sproul's expositional commentary on the entirety of John when you give a donation in support of proclaiming the risen Christ to the nations at renewingyourmind.org. But this offer ends at midnight and it won't be repeated next Sunday.

Well, the Apostle Paul said that if Christ had not been raised, then our faith is in vain. As R. C. Sproll said earlier, it's because he is risen that we go and we proclaim our risen Lord. Here's Dr.

Sprawl with a Resurrection Sunday Sermon.

Now, 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. And 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.

Peter, therefore, went out and the other disciple and were going to the tomb. And so they both ran together. And the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first. And he stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there. Yet he did not go in.

And then Simon Peter came following him. and went into the tomb. And he saw the linen cloth lying there, and the handkerchief that had been around his head. not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together, in a place by itself. Then the other disciple who came to the tomb first went in also.

And he saw and believed. For as yet they did not know the scripture. that he must rise again from the dead, And then the disciples went away again to their own homes. But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping. And as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb.

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. 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. And when she had said this.

She turned around and saw Jesus standing there. but did not know that it was Jesus. 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. And Jesus said to her, Mary. And she turned and said to him, Which is to say teacher. Jesus said to her, Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to my 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. Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord. And that he had spoken these things. To her.

Now, the first thing we want to see here is that John, as well as the other writers of the Gospels, tell us that this occurred. on the first day of the week. And we know from the book of Acts that because the resurrection of Christ took place on the first day of the week, that ever after the Christian community gathered together on the first day of the week in order to attend to the apostolic teaching to gather for prayer and for the breaking of bread. And it is because the resurrection took place on the first day of the week. That the Sabbath in the Christian era Has been celebrated by the vast majority of Christians on the first day of the week.

rather than the seventh day of the week. The seventh day was sanctified in God's work of creation and was to be observed. In a cycle of sevenths, which is what Sabbath means, after that. But then, in the economy of redemption, our redemption being accomplished on the first day of the week, the early church changed their time of observation of the Sabbath to Sunday rather than Saturday. I know that that remains a point of dispute among some Christians even to this day, but simply in passing, I want to mention why it is that we celebrate the Sabbath on Sunday, the Lord's Day, because it is the day.

of resurrection. But we notice also that when John gives his account, He only mentions Mary Magdalene, which makes John's version different. From the synoptic versions. The other versions tell us that there were other women who were present with Mary on that morning, and that these women had designed together to come to the tomb to give more. Attention to the body of Jesus with fragrant spices and so on.

But it is customary in Scripture when a group of people is together that that group can be mentioned. Just by reference to one member of the group, particularly the one who is in a position of leadership. And since this chapter here in John's Gospel focuses attention on this intimate encounter that takes place between Mary Magdalene and Jesus, which we'll look at in a moment, it's not strange that he should mention Mary and only Mary Magdalene in his account. There is another possibility. And that is this.

If we look at all of the records of the Synoptic Gospels together with John, we will see these little variations. Which may bother some of you unless you're turkey hunters. And that is, some of the synoptic gospels say that the women came. early in the morning. Another account says that they came at dawn.

Another account says they came at sunup.

Now, those are all consistent, aren't they? Dawn, sun up, and early in the morning. But John tells us that Mary came early in the morning. while it was still dark.

Now, maybe she got there ahead of the other ladies, and that's the only reason for this variation of the report. Or as I said, if you're a turkey hunter, And you go into the woods. Very early in the morning before dawn, you could get an argument that would last forever as to exactly what point the dawn breaks, because the darkness of those moments attending the dawn tends to linger. Particularly if you're in the woods and you're trying to see the outline of a turkey or a deer. But in any case We are told here that Mary Magdalene comes.

She's the only one mentioned, but later on in the text, she uses the plural form we, so that would strengthen the idea that she's at the head of this group of women who are coming to the tomb. And Mary comes early in the morning to the tomb while it was still dark. and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.

Now, initially, one would think that would be good news because, in the other accounts, this was the great concern that the women had. They're coming in grief. To express their devotion towards Jesus with more spices and fragrances, but they don't know whether they're even going to be able to anoint the body. Because they know that Jesus has been buried in a tomb whose entrance is guarded by this mass of stone. And so they had a conversation among themselves on the way to the tomb, saying, Who Can we get To move the stone.

When Mary comes. The stones already Ben. Moved. And as I said, that should evoke happiness in them, but instead it provokes a certain measure. of fear.

She saw that the stone had been taken away, so she ran and came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved. Presumably, that's John, the author of this narrative, and said to them, They've taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have laid him. Mary's response to the empty tomb is not exaltation in faith and hope in resurrection, but rather her heart is plunged. into grief. The faith of the Christian church in the resurrection of Christ does not rest on an inference drawn from an empty tomb.

Because an empty tomb could indicate many things. The last of which one would expect it to be a resurrection. Because in Jesus' day, there were no resurrections except by his own hand. When people died then, just as today, they tended to stay dead. But there were multiple instances of grave robbings.

that plagued the landscape. And particularly, robbers would like to break into tombs of the wealthy. with the hope that there would be artifacts present there. And more ghoulish enterprises could be involved for those who would steal not only the artifacts, but the bodies themselves. And so when Mary Magdalene comes and she sees that Jesus is not there, the tomb is empty, she's filled with grief because the assumption is.

Somebody has committed. the ultimate form of vandalism. They've desecrated the grave. of her Savior. And they've stolen the body.

Away. And so she runs to Peter and to John, and she says, They've taken him. They've stolen the body, and we don't know now where they've put him, where they have laid him. Come quickly. Peter, therefore, went out and the other disciple, and they were going to the tomb.

And they ran together and the other disciple outran Peter. I guess John felt that as long as he didn't name himself, he was being appropriately humble in this foot race. to mention that he won the race. And he came to the tomb first. And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there, But he didn't go in.

And then Peter came. And he did go in the tomb. And he also saw the cloths. And the handkerchief or the headpiece that was folded up neatly in the corner. But the idea that comes through in the Gospels is that the grave cloth of Jesus.

were not disturbed. But the body was gone.

Now, there are two or three incidences that are reported in the New Testament. that create questions about the nature of Jesus' resurrected body. One of which, of course, is mentioned in Luke's Gospel when he tells of the experience of the men who are walking on the way to Emmaus when Jesus falls in step with them and their eyes are kept from recognizing him. And then when he stopped to have an evening meal with them, When he broke bread, The scales were removed from their eyes.

so that suddenly they recognized him. But as soon as they recognize Jesus, He vanished from their midst. Then we read of one of the other resurrection appearances where the disciples were huddled in the upper room and were told the door was shut or locked, depending on how you render the Greek. For fear of the Jews. And Jesus appeared.

in their midst.

So you have the event of the vanishing in Emmaus. The sudden appearance in the upper room Where the implication of the text is that Jesus somehow just went right through the door without opening it. And now, this reference to the grave clause that had not been unraveled. raises all kinds of questions about the constituent nature of the glorified body of Christ. We could read these texts another way when it says that when they saw him, he vanished or he disappeared.

That means as soon as they were startled and dumbfounded by seeing Jesus, Jesus quietly excused himself and. They saw him no more. That maybe is what the text simply indicates. I can explain those two, but I can't explain this business of the uh The grave closed. Not being disturbed.

That does give more credence to the idea. Than this amazing resurrected body of Christ, which still was a flesh, that still could eat, that still could be touched. nevertheless went into a whole new dimension. of physical reality.

So that's just a note in passing on the grave clause, but in any case. What I Find most moving about this account is the exchange that takes place. Between Jesus And Mary Magdalene. After John and Peter go to their own homes. Mary is standing outside of the tomb weeping.

And now as she wept, she stooped down and looked into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head, the other at the feet. where the body of Jesus had lain. And they said to her, Woman. Why are you weeping?

This is not an occasion for grief. You're sobbing. You're beside yourself. These angels from heaven see her peering in her grief into the tomb, and they say, Why are you weeping? She said, Because they've taken away my Lord.

I don't know where they've laid him. And when she said that, she turned around and she saw Jesus standing there. But she didn't know that it was Jesus.

Now we were told that when Jesus appeared to the couple walking on the road to Emmaus. that his visage was hidden from them.

So that God had prevented them from recognizing him. But that explanation isn't given here for why Mary didn't recognize Jesus, although it could be the same reason. Or it could be that her eyes were so clogged from the tears that she didn't recognize here. The one who was standing. outside the tomb.

Jesus said to her, Woman. Why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking? And she thought he was the gardener.

So, I mean, she's just been asked that question by the angels.

Now she's asked it again, supposedly from the gardener. She said to him, Sir, if you've carried him away, Tell me where you've laid him. And I will take him away. At this point, she's desperate. She's not thinking straight.

She's not seeing straight. Her grief has just gone to a whole new dimension. And she supposes that the one standing there is the gardener, Who is responsible? for this desecration. Her entire grief.

Her entire confusion. Her entire devastation. is ended With one Word. He speaks. Her name.

Mary. See, here's the thing. Her name. Uttered. By her Saviour.

Recognition is instant. And she says. Rabboni.

Now we can only guess, but presumably she falls on her face and grabs him about the ankles and holds on tenaciously. And we'll look at that in just a moment, but I can't resist mentioning in passing that just. Hours before this, when Jesus was on trial before Pontius Pilate and had that discussion about truth. And when Pilate asked if Jesus was a king, you know, he said. For this cause was I sent into the world.

to bear witness to the truth. And those who are of the truth hear my voice. This is the testimony of Jesus throughout his earthly ministry. He said, I know my sheep, and my sheep know me, and my sheep hear my voice. Yesterday afternoon.

They're sitting in the chair. Watching The Lone Ranger. I have watched more Cowboy movies in the last six months than I ever want to see for the rest of my life. That's about all I can do with this Vertigo. And so I'm watching Jay Silverheels there with Ponto.

And the Lone Ranger, and there he is. With his mask on. His face is hidden from me. And I'm watching this episode of The Lone Ranger, and Vesta's in the other room. I said, Vesta, come here, please.

And she said, What's the matter? I said, Am I going crazy? And she said, Well, Yeah. I should Look at this episode. She said, You watching Lone Ranger again?

I said, Yes. I said, Honey, what's wrong with this picture? And she looked at it. And then she shut her eyes. And she said, that's not his voice.

I said, right. I said, that's not Clayton Moore. That's not the Lone Ranger, that's an imposter. And so when the screen credits came up at the end, sure enough. It was Jay Silverhill says taunto, but it was some other guy never heard of.

as the Lone Ranger. But I want to tell you something, folks. Lone Ranger fans know his voice. And all the masks in the world couldn't fool me. I knew that wasn't Clayton.

What a wonderful incident. All he did was say her name. Mary. And the grief vanished. And she clung to him.

And now, what follows is one of the most difficult texts in all the scripture to unpack, and I'm not sure I can do it, but. I'll mention it, and that is Jesus says to her, Don't fling 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 to your Father, to my God, and to your God. I can't believe the speculation that's come out of this text.

From the sublime to the ridiculous, so not only the ridiculous. But to the blasphemous. Even in a recent novel that reached the top of the bestseller list, it was suggested that Mary Magdalene was the wife or lover. of Jesus and They base it on this verse here when he says, Don't touch me now. You know, we can't have a physical relation, it's a ghastly thing.

I had a seminary professor that taught that nonsense when I was in school. But we do have to answer the question, why did he say Don't touch me, don't hold on to me. When just a few hours later, he asks Thomas to touch him, put your finger into my hands and into my side, and so on. And some have argued that Jesus' body was still in transition. And he was still going through this metamorphosis to the glorified state.

And so he tells her, Don't touch me because it's not finished yet. I haven't ascended into heaven. But he hadn't ascended into heaven when he invites Thomas to touch him.

So that doesn't hold any water with me. And again, I could spend the rest of the morning talking about some of the speculative views that try to unpack this, but I think the answer is very simple. She's hanging on for dear life. And he's saying it's okay, I'm not leaving yet. We still have some more time.

Going to come and be with the disciples. I'm going to be with you for 40 days or so.

So you don't have to hold me. captive here. I think that's all he meant by saying. Let me loose, as it were. Do not cling to me.

For I haven't gone yet. But tell my brethren You have a mission. On the other side of your grief, Once your grief has been ministered to And now you know the truth of resurrection out of grief, out of discovery. comes mission. That's why Easter is the great impetus for the mission of the church because he is risen.

We go. And we tell. And we preach. and we proclaim. Because He is risen.

He is risen, indeed. This is Renewing Your Mind on this Resurrection Sunday. I'm Nathan W. Bingham. R.

C. Sproul preached through John's Gospel almost sixty sermons covering John's twenty one chapters, and those messages formed the basis of what would become his pastoral and expositional commentary on John. We'll send you the hardcover volume today only as our way of saying thank you when you give a donation in support of Renewing Your Mind at renewingyourmind.org before midnight tonight. You can use this single volume to help deepen your Bible study, but you can also work through it slowly for devotional reading. Respond now as this offer won't be repeated next Sunday.

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Well, Jesus said in Matthew chapter 5, Blessed are the poor in spirit.

Next time, we'll start a series on the Beatitudes.

So be sure to join us next Sunday here on Renewing Your Mind.