April 11, 2004  •  Pastor Randy Smith

Based on the church calendar I believe we would all agree that today is our most significant day of the year. The reason being because today we celebrate in a very special way the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. And the Resurrection of Jesus Christ is the most important truth to the Christian faith.

According to Hank Hanegraff, "The resurrection is not merely important to the historic Christian faith; without it, there would be no Christianity. It is the singular doctrine that elevates Christianity above all other world religions. Through the resurrection, Christ demonstrated that He does not stand in a line of peers with Abraham, Buddha, or Confucius. He is utterly unique. He has the power not only to lay down His life, but to take it up again" (Resurrection, p. 15). Mathew Henry said, "All who believe in Christ have hope in Him; all who believe in Him as Redeemer hope for redemption and salvation by Him; but if there be no resurrection, their hope in Him must be limited to this life." (Source Unknown). James Boice commented, "If it can be shown that Jesus of Nazareth actually rose from the dead, as the early Christians believed and as the Scriptures claim, then the Christian faith rests upon an impregnable foundation. If it stands, the other doctrines stand. On the other hand, if the resurrection falls, the other truths fall also" (Foundations of the Christian Faith, p. 341).

All these men are simply affirming the biblical truth spoken by the Apostle Paul regarding the Resurrection. "And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins…If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied" (1 Cor. 15:17, 19).

The priority of the Resurrection is an accepted fact among believers, but also among critics of the Christian faith. Throughout the centuries, no other doctrine has been more attacked than the Resurrection. Even the critics know, if you disprove the Resurrection, you discount Christianity.

Amongst all their ridiculous theories, the one that surfaces the most is that somebody, whether it was the Romans, the Jews or the Disciples, stole the body of Jesus. In other words, somebody, at the risk of death was able to overcome the Roman guards at the tomb, roll away the stone estimated by some to weigh 1,000 pounds and secretly remove the corpse of Jesus. Such a theory must also discount at least 11 resurrection appearances of the risen Christ. In one appearance it is recorded that He was seen by an excess of 500 people (1 Cor. 15:6). Such a theory must discount how 11 immature and cowardly disciples were transformed to be bold pillars of the church. And such a theory must discount why all the Apostles (except John) were martyred for their faith. Why would each of these men willingly die separately for a lie they created?

The theory that the body of Jesus was stolen and not raised miraculously as predicted and recorded in the Scriptures actually originates in the Biblical account. "Now while they were on their way, some of the guard came into the city and reported to the chief priests all that had happened. And when they had assembled with the elders and consulted together, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, and said, ‘You are to say, ‘His disciples came by night and stole Him away while we were asleep.’ And if this should come to the governor's ears, we will win him over and keep you out of trouble.’ And they took the money and did as they had been instructed; and this story was widely spread among the Jews, and is to this day" (Mt. 28:11-15)

What’s ironic about this theory is that not only the critics, but also the early followers of Jesus also believed His body was stolen! None of them were expecting a Resurrection. They thought the death of Jesus by crucifixion signaled the tragic end of an apparently wonderful plan. All hope was lost. The situation was helpless. Their Messiah was dead. This was a time for mourning. And their grief was intensified when they arrived at the tomb, discovered the body missing and assumed the corpse was stolen. An empty tomb! Could things be any worse? What good could ever be expected to come out of such a disaster?

This morning, I’d like to take you through the spiritual journey, starting with despair and ending with unspeakable joy, of one woman on Easter morning named Mary Magdalene.

1. MARY’S MISUNDERSTANDING (verses 1-10)

Let’s being in the first point with "Mary’s Misunderstanding." According to verse one, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early on the first day of the week, namely Sunday morning. We learn from the other accounts (Mk. 16:1) that she brought spices to complete the burial process. To her surprise upon arrival, she discovered the large stone had been rolled away (Mk. 16:3-4). The tomb had been penetrated. The body was missing.

Verse 2 says she came running to the two most prominent Apostles, Peter and John, to report the tragic news. The logical conclusion comes forth in her comments. "They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him." Mary had great love for her Lord, but apparently weak faith. There appears to be no thought of a Resurrection. Grave robbers must have snatched away the body of Jesus.

Well, the two Apostles wasted no time. Verses 3 and 4 describe them literally racing to the tomb. John arrived first, stooped and looked and noticed the body missing. Though he was cautious to enter, verse 6 says Peter, arrived "huffing and puffing" and in his typical character brushed John aside and boldly entered the depths of the tomb. He too noticed the linen wrappings and the absence of the body.

Did someone steal the body as Mary supposed? I’m sure these men began to immediately doubt Mary’s conclusion. If it were a grave robber, how would he get past the guards and move the stone? Why would he wish to steal the body when the offense grave robbery was (probably) punishable by death? Why wouldn’t he take the linen wrappings along with the body? Why would he neatly roll up the face cloth? Why weren’t the other linen wrappings randomly scattered?

There was no evidence of a robber! Empty tomb, absent Christ, undisturbed grave cloths, facecloth rolled up lying apart, stone rolled away - could this be the evidence of something more? Did these men at this point recall the often-repeated prediction of Christ? "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem; and the Son of Man will be delivered to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn Him to death, and will hand Him over to the Gentiles to mock and scourge and crucify Him, and on the third day He will be raised up" (Mt. 20:18-19). "‘Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up’…But He was speaking of the temple of His body" (Jn. 2:19, 21). "For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth" (Mt. 12:40).

We can say the answer to that question from John’s perspective is "yes." Verse 8, "So the other disciple (John) who had first come to the tomb then also entered, and he saw and believed." Based on the evidence before his eyes, John’s only conclusion was Jesus Christ had risen from the dead. Luke says Peter "marvel(ed) at what had happened" (Lk. 24:12). These men knew something great had happened, even though their faith was based on sight and they failed to see the significance from the Old Testament Scriptures (Psm. 16:10; Hos. 6:2) as verse 9 indicates.

One of the joys of being a parent is witnessing the development of your children. Guiding them through the process of self-discovery. Watching the wheels turning in their mind as they wrestle with an idea. Seeing their face light up when a profound concept is finally grasped. Experiencing their joy when they embrace something life changing that they never knew existed in the past.

I would have loved to witness the Apostles when they in a matter of moments came to the unbelievable conclusion that Jesus Christ had risen from the dead. I can imagine John filled with so much joy, barely able to speak, yet saying, "Peter, do you get it? It happened just as He predicted! It’s not over as we thought, it’s only the beginning! Your three denials will not be your final episode with Jesus! He’s back! He’s overcome death! He’s alive!"

Even in the Christian church, though we fully accept the Resurrection, we become anesthetized to this awesome truth. "Hey, Jesus Christ rose from the dead!" "That’s great, can you pass the potatoes?" Pastors are far from being immune. R.W. Dale, a British Congregational minister, once came to the profound realization of the Resurrection when composing an Easter sermon. His biographer said, "The thought of the risen Lord broke in upon Him as it had never done before.

"Christ is alive," said Dale, "I said to myself; ‘alive!" and then paused — ‘alive!’ and then paused again; "alive!" Can that really be true? Living as really as I myself am? I got up and walked about repeating ‘Christ is living!’ ‘Christ is living!’…It was to me a new discovery. I thought that all along I had believed it; but not until that moment did I fell sure about it. I then said, ‘My people shall know it; I shall preach about it again and again until they believe it as I do now’" (Gossip, A.J. The Interpreter’s Bible, v. 8, p. 792).

A living Christ brings forth great implications. I remember reading about the hype made over a supposed discovery of Buddha’s bone. Discovering a bone for our spiritual Leader would spell disaster for the Christian faith. Every other spiritual leader has died and they remain in the grave. Their followers speak to their lifeless corpses at the cemetery. Our Leader is alive! When we speak to Christ, we speak to One who lives having conquered death and promising the same for His followers.

2. MARY’S MESSIAH (verses 11-18)

For now this closes the book on the Apostles. Verse 10 says they "went away to their own homes." "But" as verse 11 declares, "Mary was standing outside the tomb weeping." Mary Magdalene had yet to arrive at the same joyous conclusion reached by the Apostles. She is about to achieve that, and much more! From "Mary’s Misunderstanding," we move to the second point, "Mary’s Messiah."

Mary was still convinced that her Lord was dead and the body was stolen. She loitered outside the tomb weeping. "Weeping" (klaio) denotes a constant, unrestrained sobbing. Even though He was dead, she could not take the separation from her Jesus. Her heart was broken, but driven by love and curiosity, verse 11 adds, "And so, as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb."

Her observation was more than she expected. Yes Jesus was gone, but somebody else occupied the space where He laid. While looking in the tomb (verse 12), "She saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been lying." The other gospel writers all mention this scene and describe the angelic beings with similar vividness. Matthew says "his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow" (Mt. 28:3). Mark says "a young man sitting at the right, wearing a white robe" (Mk. 16:5). Luke says "two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling clothing" (Lk. 24:4). No doubt the gears in Mary’s mind were turning as well. Is there more to the story than grave robbers?

Before she could collect her thoughts the angels spoke. Verse 13, "Woman, why are you weeping?"

We must understand the angels in heaven know God’s will. They do His will. They rejoice to see His will accomplished. For example, Luke 15:10 says, "There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." We know the angels attended the birth of Christ (Lk. 2:13), the temptation of Christ (Mt. 4:11), the resurrection of Christ (Jn. 20:12) and will also partake in the return of Christ (Lk. 9:26). Unlike us, the holy angels are always Christ-centered, God-centered, seeking to witness the unfolding drama of God (1 Pet. 1:12) and smother Him in unceasing praise (Psm. 148:2).

With this a backdrop, we can understand the angels’ presence and subsequent question to Mary. "Woman, why are you weeping?" In other words, "God has just accomplished His most significant miracle of all, an event that will guarantee eternal life for every human of your kind who comes to Him through Jesus Christ. Why are you weeping? This is not a time for sorrow. This is a time for joy!"

Despite the gentle rebuke from the angels, Mary answered the question sincerely and to her ability, but with severe inaccuracy. "She said to them (in verse 13), ‘Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him’" (Jn. 20:13b).

God does not allow her to remain in error very long. Was it movement she detected behind her? Was it the look on the angels’ faces? Did the angels motion for Mary to turn around? We can’t be sure, but verse 14 says, "When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus." Quite often we see this in the Resurrection appearances, Jesus unrecognizable to His disciples (Jn. 21:4; Lk. 24:16; Mt. 28:17). Mark 16:12 indicates that "He appeared in a different form." He had a supernatural, glorified body.

Jesus, as did the angels, initially repeats the same question to Mary in verse 15. "Woman, why are you weeping? This was a time for loud rejoicing, praise and thanksgiving! He then adds, "Whom are you seeking?" This was (as D.A. Carson said) an "invitation to reflect on the kind of Messiah she was expecting, and thus to widen her horizons and to recognize that, grand as her devotion to Him was, her estimate of Him was still far too small" (Carson, John, p. 641).

Mary, still mistaken (verse 15) "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."

Jesus let this go far enough. In verse 16 He said to her, "‘Mary!’ She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, ‘Rabboni!’ (which means, Teacher)."

What a wonderful illustration that depicts Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, we learned about in chapter 10. The Good Shepherd who personally "calls His own sheep by name" (Jn. 10:3). The Savior only needed to speak one word, her name, for Mary to recognize His voice. Jesus said, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me" (Jn. 10:27). What a beautiful illustration depicting the intimate relationship between the Good Shepherd "and the sheep of His pasture" (Psm. 100:3). Instantly after being reunited with Her Shepherd (Psm. 23:1), Mary’s sorrow and anguish were swallowed up in astonishment and delight. She was consumed with the truth that Jesus is alive!

Just to be sure He would never leave again and overwhelmed with love, Mary wrapped her arms around the Savior. But in the beginning of verse 17, "Jesus said to her, ‘Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father." Mary wanted to restore the old way of living. She wanted to cling to the physical presence of Jesus. However, a new order had been accomplished (2 Cor. 5:16). Christ’s remaining days on earth (40) would be brief. He would be returning to the Father. And in His presence He would send the Holy Spirit as He promised (Jn. 14:16, 26; 16:7). Mary needed to realize that Jesus had a better plan for her. Shortly after the Ascension at Pentecost, Jesus Christ would return in the Presence of the Holy Spirit (Ac. 2:1-4). He would no longer be among His disciples, but now would live directly in their hearts. The communion and intimacy and guidance and comfort would be even greater and closer than Mary had ever experienced or expected. He would fulfill His final promise when He declared, "I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Mt. 28:20b). Never again would He die. Never again would the Good Shepherd be taken from Mary’s presence.

Somebody once said, "The best news the world has ever (received) came from a graveyard near Jerusalem." Jesus gave Mary a commission. Beginning with the disciples, the world must hear this good news! He said, "Go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God’" (Jn. 20:17b). This is not only a reminder about our Commission to tell others about Jesus, this is also a reminder that God uses "the foolish things of the world to shame the wise" (1 Cor. 1:27; Lk. 10:21). The first person that Christ appeared to was not an Apostle, but a woman: A woman who was oppressed in society at that time, a woman who was without an impeccable reputation but had seven demons cast out of her (Lk. 8:2; Mk. 16:9), a woman who would never be the disciple of any other Jewish leader of the time, a woman whose testimony held no authority in court. But just as God used lowly shepherds to announce His birth (Lk. 2:15), He used a lowly woman to announce His resurrection (Jn. 20:17). I’m reminded, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (Mt. 5:3).

Verse 18 acknowledges Mary’s obedience. "Mary Magdalene came, announcing to the disciples, ‘I have seen the Lord,’ and that He had said these things to her" (the Apostle’s response is recorded in Luke 24:11).

Within the span of seconds, Mary’s greatest despair became her greatest delight. Our God of hope, power and love has that tremendous ability to bring unspeakable joy out of our deepest sorrow, possibility out of the impossible. Mary encountered the risen Christ, overflowed with delight and went in obedience to tell others the Good News. And Good News it is! Jesus Christ is alive! He has conquered sin and death and Satan! And He lives to save those who come to Him in belief, by repenting from their sin and submitting to His Lordship.

For many centuries the men and women in Europe looked out upon the western sea, what we call the Atlantic Ocean, and they saw the sun (setting) upon the glittering surface of the waters and they wondered. They wondered if there were anything beyond. Scholars said that you could sail off the edge of the world--there was nothing out there at all. In fact, inscribed on the escutcheons of the coat of arms of the nation of Spain was its national motto, Ne Plus Ultra, meaning, "There is nothing beyond."

One day Columbus went westering on the shiny waters. He sailed off into the sunset as people waited expectantly, and finally after a long time the sails reappeared and the crowds were exultant. They shouted with joy, and Columbus announced that there was a land beyond the sea that was rich beyond their dreams. It was a glorious paradise. The king of Spain changed the motto of that land to read as it does today, Plus Ultra, meaning, "There is more beyond."

For many centuries innumerable people stood beside the dark hole that we call a grave and watched the remains of their loved ones lowered into the earth, and they wondered: Beyond the dark waters of death, is there anything beyond?

Then one day, a young explorer went westering into the setting sun and descended into the blackness of the pit. He sailed off the edge of the world and crashed into hell. People waited expectantly. Finally on this Resurrection morning, as the sun arose in the east, the Son of God stepped forth from a grave and declared, "There is something beyond. There is a paradise beyond your greatest expectations. And there awaits a heavenly Father, waiting with outstretched arms to wipe away every tear from your (eye)" (D. James Kennedy, "Message from an Empty Tomb," Preaching Today, Tape No. 66).

Who removed the body of Jesus (as the title of this sermon asks)? God did! The Father vindicated and accepted the death of the Son. The forgiveness of sin awaits all who come to Christ in faith. Romans 10:9-10 declares, "If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; 10 for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation." Will you trust in your own righteousness, which leads to everlasting judgment? Or will you trust in the Risen Christ and His righteousness, which leads to eternal life? It all hinges upon what you do with Jesus who stands alive to condemn or to save.