Now we cannot say too much about the death of the Lord Jesus...it is absolutely the most critical event in all the great plan of God! But we CAN say too little about His resurrection. This is absolutely the most critical point in all the great plan of God (I thought I just said that), because I truly believe that Jesus' death would have served no purpose, if He had not risen again. And of course, without His death, there would have been no resurrection...the one, for salvation from the personal penalty of our personal sin; the other for personal glorification in the personal presence of Father God!
Then, if you would, turn to Paul's first letter to the church at Corinth...chapt. 15, and read again what Holy Spirit has given to Paul on the subject (noting that he states in vss. 5-6, that Jesus had been seen first by the twelve, then by 500 at one time). Next, turn to his letter to the church in Rome, chapt. 4.20-25, where Paul, in speaking of Abraham, records that Jesus, "...being delivered for our offences, was raised up because of our justification." And of course, the resurrection is a central theme in many of the great sermons found throughout the New Testament, as well as in the personal testimonies of the apostles in their witnessing (note Acts 2.22-36, 3.13-15, 10.37-41, 13.29-37).
So this second last chapter of John concentrates on the various appearances of Jesus to His disciples and others, before His ascension back to the Father. It's always been a mystery, to anyone who cares, that Jesus rose from His grave entirely unobserved by anyone...other than the Heavenly Father and His heavenly host. The focus of the hour was still upon the cross of His execution, as the emphasis should be, and the roles each participant played...from the highest official to the lowest bystander; and from the dearest of His family and friends to the worst of His enemies.
Upon Him were laid the iniquities of us all! But He had laid down His life, that He might "take it up again". As He had prophesied back in Matthew 12, He would spend three days and three nights in the belly of the earth, and when He was given back His life, it was in His resurrection body, as described by Paul in 1 Corinthans 15, and Philippeans 3.20-21.
"Now on the first day of the week..." (John 20.1). This is important detail...it must be, or Holy Spirit would not have included it! This matter of days is an important one...from the Jewish perspective, the celebration of Passover; for the Christian, the deed itself is what takes priority! The fact of the matter is, Jesus arose, and the first day was a part of God's great plan, although I have no idea why. What I do know, is that our Lord's resurrection ushered in a new age, in terms of the future judgment of mankind. The last sin sacrifice had been made, and the first glorified body had been raised, and the world had been offered a final opportunity to make things right, once and for eternity, with Father God!
The Gospel according to Mark tells us that Mary Magdelene was accompanied by Mary, the mother of James, and Salome, as they approached the tomb that morning; and that it was early, after sunrise. And there were none of the disciples, no soldiers, the stone was rolled away, and no body of Jesus! Matthew tells us about the great earthquake, and the angel seated on the stone that had once sealed the tomb. But John, in vs. 2, merely reports Mary Magdelene running off to find Peter, with the "stolen body theory". She quite naturally supposed Jesus to still be dead...never once considering a resurrection, even though He had told His friends and His followers that death would not hold Him...His assurance that He would "rise again the third day" had fallen on deaf ears!
So we read in vs. 3 that unbelieveing Peter (and John?) jumped out of bed to see what all the fuss was about...the other gospeleers imply that their hearts weren't in it, but at least two disciples went off to confirm, or refute, Mary's wild story. And we're told in vs. 4 that the closer they got, the more excited they became.
The "other disciple", probably John, arrived first, having outrun Peter, and looking into the tomb, saw the linen cloth which had been used to wrap Jesus' body; when Peter arrived, he entered the tomb. Their hearts must have been pounding, both from anxiety and exertion, and the expectation that they must have felt! But when they found the tomb empty, and the graveclothes lying nearby, they believed (vs. 8)!
John confirms that "seeing is believing", which is the way the natural man responds to objective evidence...as in this case...the empty tomb. But later in his life, John was to experience the real truth, that "believing is seeing"...in his case, seeing, in his own personal Revelation, the effectiveness of faith, as well as the reward of faith...the eternal presence of his Lord! But as he has recorded here in vs. 9, "...as yet they knew not...". The Believer can not, should not, and must not allow his faith to waver, even for an instant. To do so is to invite all kinds of worry and doubt and fear into our hearts and minds. Remember... "He that is in you is greater than he that is in the world"...a reflection of the spiritual maturity of the apostle John, as he recorded letters to the early church.
There the body of Jesus was not, although "the linen clothes were..."; the women had reported all they had seen, with the previous teaching of Jesus concerning His personal resurrection, now very much in their minds...the evidence was overwhelming..."He is not here...He is risen!" (Luke 24.6). So John saw, and believed.
Verse 9 really is a very humbling testimony of the frailty of human understanding, and of faith. For three years these men had walked with Jesus while He taught of these things, and yet they had no understanding of spiritual truth. Many today hear truth week after week, and choose to arrogantly dismiss it. We're told by Matthew in chapt. 27.63, that even Jesus' enemies remembered, but at this point, the disciples "knew not" the meaning of the very words of God!
Back in Luke 24.5-7, we read that, "...as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men (angels) said to them, 'Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how He told you, while He was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and on the third day rise.'”
Do you know what affects our own understanding today? Exactly the same as then...selective hearing, lack of attention and lack of Spirit-inspired understanding! Carnal man makes altogether too much of "proofs", and "facts", while as Hebrews 11.1 so clearly states, faith involves belief in that which is not seen...rather, "hoped for", and grass roots trust in what the Word of God tells us, which is what those disciples lacked. We, like them, tend to pick and to choose what is of interest to us; more often than not, leaning upon our own personl experience, based upon our involvement with the world, the flesh, and sadly, the devil.
So what do you do with Jesus, and why? And if your faith goes high and wide enough to believe and receive Him, why isn't it so with all of scripture truth? You should not, can not, must not pick and choose truth according to your own personal taste. If you can only see and believe, you have fallen far short of what God wishes you to have. If faith relies solely upon sight, then it is a pitiful faith indeed.
And thus the disciples returned home, full of fear and anxiety about things not seen. But we'll see shortly, that Jesus, Himself, will have the last word on the matter...for them, for us, and for all, right into eternity future. Give Him, right now, the praise He deserves!
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