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Easter, Part Two

Published April 3, 2010 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: doubt, Easter, John, Resurrection

The kind of person Jesus loves, John 20:24—29

Easter is all about the Resurrection of Lord from the dead. Easter is all about Christ’s triumph over death, Hell, and the grave. Most Christians love the Easter story. I love the stories of the people Jesus appeared to after His Resurrection; for me, those are far more interesting than the fact of the Resurrection. Don’t get me wrong, the Resurrection is basis of my faith. However, given that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that His Resurrection had been foretold in prophecy throughout the Old Testament, the Resurrection is not a surprise. And if the Jews had read their Scriptures with eyes of faith instead of religious eyes, the Resurrection of Christ would not have been a surprise to them, either.

I would like to take a look at Christ’s second appearance to His disciples because, at its heart, the lesson of this encounter is the triumph of belief.

1. The first appearance, 20:19—24

In order to understand the second visit of Christ to His disciples, we need to glance back to His first visit.

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” (verse 19)

Jesus’ friends were scared. Consider: these men had narrowly escaped arrest and probable death along with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane; they knew the odds were good that trouble was just around the corner for them because of their association with a known agitator. Their doors were locked as they gathered this evening for fear that the Jews would send the authorities to get them as they had Jesus.

They were all there with the exception of the traitor, Judas, who was dead, and Thomas was nowhere to be found.

Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. (verse 24)

The sudden appearance of Jesus in the locked room must have both startled and excited His disciples. Obviously a locked door couldn’t stop a Man who just defeated death! The “resurrection body,” while not like our bodies of flesh and blood, is clearly not ethereal, like the misty ghosts we see on TV. Christ’s body bore the marks of His crucifixion, which suggests that there is a continuity between the physical body of flesh and blood and the resurrection body.

Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” (verse 21)

The fact that Jesus had to repeat His message of “peace” shows that these had none of it. They should have, because Jesus had warned them what was to come, but they were still fearful. All it took was His appearance, however, to renew their devotion and their hopes. But it took a lot more than that, however, to keep these men focused on their commission. They rejoiced to see Jesus again, but Jesus did something beyond merely appearing to them:

And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” (verse 22)

For their coming work, Jesus gave the disciples the Holy Spirit. This was sort of like a mini-Pentecost. The phrase “breathed on them” is found only one other time in Scripture. In Genesis, we are told this:

The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. (Genesis 2:7)

This evening, Jesus Christ breathed “spiritual life” into His disciples; this spiritual life was desperately needed to give them strength and courage to carry on. The days between the Resurrection and Pentecost were strange days for the followers of Christ and His disciples, the new leaders of this new movement needed special power from on high to remain faithful until the Holy Spirit was given in full measure to the whole Body of Christ.

But one man was missing this evening, Thomas.

2. Putting conditions on Christ, 20:24—25

So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.” (verse 25)

For some reason, Thomas was not with the disciples the evening Jesus came to them to encourage them and to give them the Holy Spirit. He should have been there, but he was not. We can only guess why Thomas was missing, and it has to do with his character.

What do we know about this man? Thomas was a devoted follower of Jesus, but he tended to be negative. Though not mentioned often, when he is he is always seen as both devoted and despondent; he was always afraid that he would lose Jesus Christ or that their future would be bleak. Thomas was the kind of man who always saw the bad, never the good. He always seemed to expect evil and could never bring himself to believe the good when it occurred.

That he was devoted to Jesus is clear from John 11:16—

Then Thomas (called Didymus) said to the rest of the disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

Thomas was afraid that Jesus was in danger and he loved his Lord so much he didn’t want Jesus to die alone. So this doubter was undeniably loyal, outspoken, and a little pessimistic. He was so devoted to Christ, that when He was crucified Thomas’ whole universe collapsed.

Despite the fact that his friends had repeated their eye witness account of their encounter with the risen Christ, Thomas was stubborn in his refusal to believe. He was absolutely certain that Jesus was dead and, let’s face it, most dead people don’t up and leave their graves.

So for Thomas, simply hearing the truth was not enough. This man needed more. Whoever this was that supposedly appeared to the disciples would have to measure up to certain standards which Thomas himself would insist upon. Notice that Thomas needed see something and he needed to feel something before he would believe.

There are a lot of people today who are just like Thomas. For them, “seeing is believing” and they place a premium on what they feel. If they don’t “feel it,” then it’s not real.

3. The condescending of Jesus, verses 26—27

A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”

Literally it was eight days later and we find the disciples still in Jerusalem, still meeting in the same room, and still locking their doors. This time, though, Thomas is with them. We don’t know why Thomas decided to show up this time. Perhaps his grief and sadness and lessened or, more likely, it was better to be among friends than to remain alone. If a Christian is to “grow in grace,” he has to fellowship with other believers. Hebrews 10:24—25 makes it clear as day—

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

We grow together when we come together. Thomas’ doubts did not keep him from fellowshipping with his friends.

The rest of verse 26 is almost an exact replay of verse 19. When Jesus reappeared this second time, once again He wishes them “Shalom,” “peace.” Obviously peace was in short supply in those days. Another reason Jesus’ second visit was a virtual carbon copy of His first visit was, perhaps, for the sake of the doubter; how could Thomas accuse the other disciples of making up a story when Jesus came and greeted them in the exact same manner as before.

What Jesus said to Thomas reveals that He knew what Thomas had said the previous week; Jesus knew all about Thomas’ conditions. How startled Thomas must have been! How did Jesus know what he said?

What is really interesting about how Jesus spoke to Thomas is that the Lord did not upbraid him for his doubts, but He challenged him to make the test he suggested. In fact, for each demand of Thomas, there is a command of Christ. Jesus told Thomas to “Stop doubting and believe” which can be literally,“ Stop becoming an unbeliever and become a believer” (Tenney)

Despite Thomas’ doubts, Jesus did not love him any less and He willingly submitted Himself to Thomas’ conditions.

4. The doubter’s response, verse 28

Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”

We don’t know if Thomas actually reached out his hand to touch Christ’s wounds. I don’t think he did. He didn’t have to. There are many people today who are much like Thomas: “If I could just see Christ, I would believe.” The problem with unbelief is not a lack of credible evidence of the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. The problem is with the human heart.

God will meet the honest doubt of a person; but He won’t waste His time on dishonest doubts. Thomas, doubter though he was, already loved Jesus. He was already devoted Him. He had faith, but it was fragile. This is the kind of person Jesus works with. The man who, just few days earlier, wanted to place conditions on Christ, now called Him, “My Lord and my God.” Those are powerful words and not insignificant words for a Jew to say. The Law strictly forbade the deification of any man; what Thomas said of Jesus would be considered as blasphemy! But Thomas, in light of the Resurrection, called the risen Jesus Lord (kyrios) and God (theos), both titles reserved for Jehovah.

When he realized who Jesus Christ was, Thomas’ wishes—his demands of Christ—disappeared, for he finally recognized his sovereign Lord. When any of us recognizes who Jesus Christ is, we all have the same attitude as that of Paul: May He increase and I decrease.

5. Christ’s response, verse 29

Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

Thomas’ wonderful confession of Christ as Lord was perfect. There was nothing wrong with what he said. There was, however, something wrong with how he said it. Thomas should have believed without seeing. Christians are supposed to “walk by faith, not by sight.” Jesus’ very mild rebuke of Thomas was not for his benefit; it was for the benefit of all those who, in the centuries that followed, would come to faith in Christ. Jesus’ words are for people like us: Blessed are they who have never seen Me, yet still believe in me.

In the experience of Thomas, we see how simple belief comes to maturity and how it changes the entire direction of one man’s life.

(c) 2010, WitzEnd

Easter, Part One

Published April 3, 2010 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: Easter, John, Resurrection

When the tomb was empty, John 20:1—18

Had the Gospel of John ended with chapter 19, it would not have been exceptional. Up to the end of chapter 19, we have an accurate record of one Man’s life and death, which is what all biographies are. Without the Resurrection chapter, we have the story of a good man, philosopher, and teacher. However, what sets the story of this good Man apart from all others is His Resurrection. All historians readily admit the life and death of Jesus Christ; the evidence that He walked the earth is overwhelming. But the Resurrection is different; Jesus did not appear to just anybody, but He did appear to many—

After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. (Acts 1:3)

Jesus appeared only to men and women who had faith in Him. The only time our Lord will ever reveal Himself to sinners will be when He comes in judgment.

It is the Resurrection of Jesus that gives faith its power. It is so important that, while the life and death of Jesus are important events, no event is more important the Resurrection of Christ. That is what we are celebrating today, Easter Sunday. It’s really too bad that the Resurrection of our Lord is so often observed only on Easter. As some scholars point out, all the sermons in the New Testament, beginning with Peter’s Pentecostal sermon, have the Resurrection as their theme.

1. An empty tomb, John 20:1—9

John’s Resurrection account begins on Sunday morning, the first day of the week. While John only mentions Mary Magdalene, the Synoptic Gospels mention that others accompanied her to the tomb of Jesus: Mary, the mother of James, Salome, Joanne, and it is likely that others were there (see Luke 23, 24).

It’s sort of ironic that the first person to notice that Jesus was not in his tomb was the very woman in who dwelt seven demons before Jesus rescued her and cast them out. As she and the others approached the tomb, they were greeting by a strange thing: the stone had been removed from the entrance.

I’d like to know why? Why did that stone have to be rolled back? We know that Jesus in His “resurrection body” could walk through locked doors; a stone placed at the doorway to His tomb certainly wouldn’t have kept Him inside! Most scholars see two reasons for the stone removal:

In order to make it plain and obvious that the grave had been conquered; that Jesus Christ had achieved victory over death. The tomb with an open doorway was symbolic; an image they would never forget.
In order that Peter and John might be able to enter the tomb and so that everybody else could see into the tomb and see that is was, in fact, empty.

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!” (verse 2)

The “other disciple” was John; he always referred to himself like that in his Gospel. Clearly, Mary Magdalene was not expecting the Resurrection; she thought that somebody, for some reason, had stolen His body. She probably thought that the enemies of Jesus had taken His body. It’s funny that the enemies of Jesus would later accuse His disciples of that very same thing.

Quickly, Peter and John ran back to the tomb to investigate the goings on there. As we read verse 3, it seems they started out walking (“started out” implies walking), then in verse 4 they break into a run, then John outruns Peter to reach the tomb first.

What made these men change from walking to running? The answer could lie in what else Mary Magdalene told them. From Matthew’s Resurrection chapter we have added details—

Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.” (Matthew 28:1—10, verses 9, 10 cited)

John reached the tomb first, and seeing the graveclothes, would not enter. He was not thinking about a resurrection, on the contrary John was filled with fear. Peter, however, was not at all reticent about going into the tomb, so he barged right past John and entered in.

Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. (20:6—8)

In an instant, Peter knew that the body of Jesus could not have been stolen. The tomb was NOT disturbed in any way. A grave robber might have thrown the gravecothes all over the place, yet here they neatly piled; graveclothes without a body. Verse 8 ends with the statement that John saw the evidence and “believed.”

In this paragraph, there are three different Greek words translated as “see” or “saw,” but in the original they all have slightly different shades of meaning. In verse 5, we are told that when John stooped down, he looked in the tomb and “saw,” which means “to perceive and understand.” In the second instance, verse 6, Peter went in and “saw” the gravecothes. This time the word translated “saw” is theaomai (“theatre”), meaning Peter “viewed” the scene in front of him. Finally, in verse 8, John went into the tomb and “saw,” which means “to know.” John knew and believed what had happened before he ever laid his eyes on the risen Christ. What amazing faith he must have had!

While John “believed,” none of the disciples had a complete understanding of Scripture, but they could not doubt the evidence of the empty tomb. Their faith in the risen Lord was real, but they still had much to learn, and that would happen on Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the infant Church. Filled with the Holy Spirit, they would at last be able to grasp the grandeur of Scripture.

But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. (John 16:13)

2. Jesus’ appears to Mary Magdalene, John 20:10—18

There were a total of 11 personal appearances of Jesus before His ascension and three after His ascension. Here we have His first personal appearance. Some may wonder why Jesus would appear first to Mary Magdalene. We can’t know for sure, but a Proverb comes to mind—

I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me. (Proverbs 8:17)

This was one Mary who loved Jesus and sought Him.

Everyone went home, probably a little puzzled about what they had seen, or what they hadn’t seen in the tomb. We wonder if they rejoiced. Perhaps, although their faith was not quite formed yet, it soon would be. One of their number, however, couldn’t leave the tomb of her Lord. Mary Magdalene remained behind, brokenhearted. When she looked into the tomb, what she saw must have shocked her.

[She] saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. (verse 12)

Apparently these angels appeared in the form of men, dressed in white, symbolizing holiness, joy, and victory. We are told that heaven has an extreme interest in Christ’s Resurrection and it would seem strange to not see angels! But why did they appear only to this woman? Why did they not appear to the disciples? Some have suggested it was because the faith of the men was much stronger than that of Mary and the other women. This is unlikely, in my view, given the fact Mary and other women had a singular devotion to Christ during His ministry and now in His death. Maybe this angelic communication was a sort of reward for the faith they did have.

Implied in their question in verse 13, “Woman, why are you crying?”, is the sense that crying was the last thing Mary should be doing! A Resurrection was grounds for rejoicing, not crying. But she did not understand yet; she saw with her eyes the evidence of a Resurrection, but her mind, full of sadness and grief, was unable to process what should have been obvious. Sometimes life is like that for us. Instead of exercising simple, child-like faith, we have a difficult time changing our habitual ways of thinking. It’s difficult, though by no means impossible, for the Lord to work around our rebellious minds.

What follows must surely be one of the most touching vignettes in all of Scripture—

At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. “Woman,” he said, “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.” (verses 14—15)

Why would Mary turn away from the angels? Perhaps she heard a rustling of leaves behind her. But turn she did, and she came face to face with her Lord, although she did not recognize Him right away. It is always puzzling when we read that when Jesus appeared to some of His followers they did not recognize Him, and we wonder why. Obviously her love for Christ was great, but she did not believe in His Resurrection yet. Unbelief will blind a person to the truth. Love is fine, but love alone is not enough; it must be joined with faith. When that happens, the scales fall from our eyes.

Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). (verse 16)

One word changed Mary’s sadness to joy. No gardener would have known her name. In fact, Jesus used her original, Aramaic name of Miriam, not the Greek Mary. Throughout His life, Jesus referred to her as Miriam. Her parents and family would have called her Miriam. She knew this Man was no gardener! She exclaimed, also in Aramaic, “Rabboni!”

3. The need to let go, John 20:17, 18

Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ”

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.

Even though it is not stated, upon realizing it was her Lord she was talking to, Mary must have embraced Him. In response to her action, Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me.” It wasn’t that He didn’t want to be touched; He later encouraged Thomas to do just that! Jesus still had to complete the work He began; He had to return to the Father. No amount of love can change the will of God. Many of us try to hold onto Jesus with our tears or promises when we want Him to act on our behalf. Even with the best of motives, we must always respect God’s will. Mary did not want to lose her Lord, but He would have leave here to complete His mission. Of course, the wonderful truth is that upon returning to His Father, Jesus would send the Comforter to dwell with Mary and all believers forever, and the Holy Spirit is simply Christ in another form—distinct from Him and separate, yet the same.

The way Jesus spoke of God the Father is very interesting and noteworthy. Notice His exact words: ‘I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ Jesus never addressed God as “our Father” or “our God.” The Lord’s Prayer, which Jesus gave the disciples, was not prayed by Jesus, it was meant to be prayed by the disciples. Jesus was not telling Mary that there were two gods, His and hers, but that her relationship to God was different than His. Mary, and all believers, become the children of God upon having faith in Jesus Christ. But Christ, as the Second Person of the Trinity, is the eternal Son of God.

Mary probably wanted to stay in the presence of her Lord, but not only did He have a job to do, so did Mary: she had to go and tell others that Jesus had rose from the dead. Some of us may prefer to remain in the Lord’s presence, too, but our job is exactly that of Mary’s: tell others the glorious news that we serve a risen Savior!