John 20

And turn your Bibles to John chapter 20.

John 20 · chapter mention

John finishes this chapter by saying,

! Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples,

! which are not written in this book,

but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,

and that believing you may have life in His name.

Think of John writing this book.

This is toward the end of his life that he's writing this.

John has a purpose in writing.

He says, there are so many things I could have included,

but I was selective in what I put in.

Selective for the purpose of your knowing that Jesus Christ,

Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.

So John is thinking about what else has been written.

In the years since Jesus died and was raised again,

up to this time when John is writing,

Mark and Matthew and Luke had written Gospels,

each of them from a little bit different perspective,

covering a lot of the same accounts and things that Jesus said.

John is thinking what needs to be said still so that people can believe that Jesus is the Christ,

the Son of God,

and that people can have life in His name.

In my experience in preaching in different places,

John is thinking,

what is it that has been lacking perhaps?

What is it that people have been struggling with in the years since Jesus' resurrection?

And how can I answer those things in writing this Gospel?

How can I help them to understand better?

So John thinks about the things that have been written already.

He thinks about the things that are established,

the things that people can believe already.

But when he comes to the resurrection,

he thinks,

how can I answer the questions that are still there for certain people?

And so that's why he thinks,

well, let me portray two different people

who have certain issues with the resurrection

and show how Jesus answers those issues

and how Jesus satisfies the concerns that they have.

In doing that,

Jesus is not just thinking about people in his own day,

but he's writing this down

so that after he's gone,

people like us can read it.

And he can answer those questions as well.

And in the goodness of God

and the work of the Holy Spirit

who helps John in writing this Gospel,

he doesn't just answer questions of his own day,

but he answers questions from our own day.

For example,

there are people,

particularly in Islam,

who would say,

well, Jesus didn't really die on the cross

because he was a good man

and Allah would not let a good man die on the cross.

But John has already told us

of a conversation between himself,

the beloved disciple,

and Jesus' own mother

talking about how John is to become like her son

and take care of her after Jesus is gone.

So Jesus has put two very trusted people

who intimately know Jesus,

who could not be deceived,

having a conversation with Jesus at the cross.

How can we possibly say

it wasn't really Jesus who died?

So John,

there in the goodness of the Holy Spirit,

is answering a question

that he didn't even know was going to come up

and showing that it really was Jesus who died.

Some people,

like liberals in the past,

have said,

well,

Jesus didn't really die

because we don't believe

that a resurrection is possible.

We have to have an explanation

that is scientifically possible.

So we will just believe

that Jesus

seemed to die on the cross,

and then they took him

and they buried him in a tomb

and laying there

in the cool darkness,

he just kind of revived

and came back.

Well,

I find that harder to believe

than the resurrection,

but if you want to,

if you,

if you want to consider that,

John is already,

along with the other

writers of the gospel,

he's already answered

all those questions.

He had the most professional

execution team

of that day,

the Roman soldiers,

who have certified

that Jesus has died.

They didn't do a sloppy job of it.

They were certain

that he was dead.

And not only that,

but Joseph of Arimathea

went to Pontius Pilate

and asked for the body of Jesus

so that he could bury him.

And Pontius Pilate

certifies with the,

with the,

the man in charge,

the centurion in charge,

that Jesus was indeed dead.

Now,

what about witnesses?

Who would be the best witnesses

that he had died?

Well,

if you want to get

reliable witnesses,

how about two members

of the council

of the Sanhedrin

that was responsible

for Israel?

Here are two men,

Joseph of Arimathea

and Nicodemus,

who didn't just send

some,

some low level servant

and say,

go get the body

and put it in a tomb someplace.

But John makes it very clear

that they went personally,

they got the body,

and even if others

were helping them,

they were involved

in not just carrying the body

and quickly dumping it

into a tomb,

but wrapping it in spices

and linen,

linen,

strips of linen.

So they knew

for certain.

Here are two members

of the Sanhedrin

who were witnesses.

So it is clear

that Jesus has died.

There's no question

about that at all.

John is also thinking

about his own day

when he hears people

outside the window

of his home

marching down the street

and chanting,

Caesar is Lord,

Caesar is God.

That's the thing

that people want

to believe.

And John wants

to answer that

with Jesus is Lord

and Jesus is God.

And so he picks

these two people

to help him answer

those questions.

The two people

he chooses

are Mary Magdalene

and Thomas Didymus.

There's also a belief

that a lot of people

in our own day

would set forward,

and that is

that the disciples

really needed

to have erased Jesus

or to resurrect Jesus.

And so they made

this plot,

this scam

to put over

other people

that they stole

away his body,

that they hid it

in some other place

and then they all

agreed,

made a compact

together,

that they would

proclaim that Jesus

was raised

from the dead

even though he was

not raised

from the dead.

But the problem

is,

and John

answers this,

the problem

is that the

disciples didn't

believe that Jesus

would be raised

from the dead.

And we see that

very clearly

in these two people,

Mary and Thomas.

We see it in others

as well,

but we see it

very clearly in them.

It wasn't a plot

they came up with.

It was something

that they did not

even believe

at the time

until they were

compelled to believe

despite what their

heart and mind

told them.

The first of these

is Mary Magdalene.

Mary Magdalene,

Luke tells us,

was one of the

women who followed

Jesus.

She came down

from Galilee

with them.

They cared for

Jesus and the

disciples.

They provided for

them out of their

own resources.

Mary Magdalene

was a woman who

was devoted to

caring for Jesus.

And a reason that

she was devoted

to that is because

Luke tells us

that Jesus cast

seven demons

out of her.

So her life was

transformed by

what Jesus had

done.

Jesus had made

her into a new

person and set

her free.

And therefore,

she was devoted

to caring for him.

Now when Mary

Magdalene comes

to the tomb,

she comes early

upon this morning.

You would read

that in the first

few verses of

the chapter.

Also, we're told

else in Luke

believe that she

came with other

women and they

brought the spices.

They brought these

things to care for

Jesus.

Were they expecting

a resurrected Jesus?

They were expecting

a corpse.

And that's why

they came prepared

to care for a

corpse.

So Mary Magdalene

comes.

She's the first one

that John talks

about at the

beginning of

John chapter 20.

John 20 · chapter mention

But when she

gets there,

she finds the

body's gone.

She comes back

and she reports

to the disciples,

they have taken

the Lord out

of the tomb.

We do not know

where they have

laid him.

The idea that

Jesus is raised

from the dead

doesn't enter

her mind.

Instead, she's

thinking, we came

to wrap this corpse

and to take care

of it, but it's

gone.

They have taken

it.

I don't know

who's taken

it.

Is it Joseph

and Nicodemus,

have they taken

it to another

tomb?

Have the officials

come and taken

it?

Has someone

stolen it

away?

All she thinks

is the corpse

is gone.

So she's

weighted down

with the

impact of

her faith

has lost

its object.

Even the corpse

that she longs

to express her

grief by caring

for has

disappeared.

What's going

to happen to

her now?

So she goes

back to the

tomb and she's

weeping there.

Weeping and

wondering, where

will my life

go from here?

Will I go

back to Galilee?

What purpose

will I have?

Will my demons

come back

without Jesus

there to

protect me?

So she is

clearly grieving

the death of

Jesus and the

loss to her.

She has no

hope that he

is raised.

She only is

full of grief.

She doesn't

know who

might have

taken him

away.

In verse

2 she

talks about

they have

taken him

away.

And in

verse 13

and 15

as well

she says

to the

angels,

they said

to her,

woman,

why are you

weeping?

She said

to them,

they have

taken away

my Lord

and I do

not know

where they

have laid

him.

That's the

reason she's

weeping.

But also

when Jesus

appears,

she thinks

he's the

gardener and

thinks,

have you

taken him

away?

And asks

him that

question.

She's wondering

what has

happened to

Jesus.

In contrast

to her

sense of

hopelessness

and just

being loaded

down with

grief,

the angels

respond to

her,

they say,

woman,

why are

you weeping?

From the

heavenly

perspective,

it doesn't

make sense

to weep

because Jesus

is raised.

And when

Jesus responds

to her in

verse 15,

he says,

woman,

why are you

weeping?

Whom are you

seeking?

Then she

turns when

she hears

this man

speaking to

her,

she says,

supposing him

to be the

gardener,

she said to

him,

sir,

have you

have carried

him away?

Tell me

where have

you laid

him,

and I

will take

him away.

She turned

around,

in verse

14,

she turned

around and

saw Jesus

standing there,

but she

did not

know that

it was

Jesus.

Even when

Jesus spoke

to her,

woman,

why are you

weeping?

Whom are you

seeking?

It's a bit

of a mystery

why she

didn't

recognize

Jesus.

Maybe it

was the

early morning

light.

maybe it

was her

face being

covered over

in the

early morning

chills,

she was

covered over

and even

Jesus may

have had

something over

his head.

Maybe she's

just being

culturally

reserved and

not looking in

the face of

a man that

she doesn't

recognize.

But what is

it that turns

her heart so

that she

recognizes

Jesus?

Obviously,

the most

serious problem

with her

recognizing him

is she had

no anticipation

whatsoever that

it would be

Jesus speaking

to her.

She only

thought it

might be

the gardener.

What is it

that turns

her heart

and changes

her perspective?

Jesus said

to her,

Mary.

That one

word brings

her response.

She turned

and said to

him in

Aramaic,

Rabboni,

which means

teacher.

It was a

personal

recognition.

It was

Jesus speaking

her name.

Not just

her name

in a generic

sense,

but her

name,

Miriam.

The name

that she

knew from

her own

heart language.

When she

heard him

speak her

name,

she knew

who he

was.

And her

response to

him is to

call him

Rabboni.

Not just

rabbi as a

general class

of people,

but specifically

this word is

my teacher,

my beloved

teacher.

She is

relating to

him personally.

It's a

personal

recognition,

a personal

connection with

Jesus which

is reestablished.

He's

transformed in

her own

perception from

being some

gardener unknown

to her to

being the one

who has

delivered her.

What does

Jesus say to

her?

Jesus says,

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

to your

father,

to my

God and

to your

God.

Mary in

her heart

reaching out

to Jesus,

her devotion

to him,

one of the

other gospels

says,

she took

a hold of

him by

the feet.

Jesus says,

don't cling

to me

before I

have not

ascended to

my father.

In a way

he's saying

to her,

Mary,

what you

need is

not me

here,

that you

can touch

me.

What you

need is

me

resurrected,

me at

my father's

side,

that I

can be

your Lord

and Savior

from there,

that I

can save

not just

you,

but many

others as

well.

Don't cling

to my

body,

but hold

on to

who I

am.

He says,

go and

tell my

brothers,

I am

saying to

them,

I'm ascending

to my

father and

to your

father,

to my

God and

to your

God.

Again,

the focus

is on the

relationship

and a

change in

relationship.

Instead of

I'm ascending

to my

father and

to my

God,

because I

have raised

from the

dead,

I'm also

ascending

to your

father,

your

plural

father and

to your

plural

God.

All of

you belong

to him

because of

my going

to him,

because of

that

relationship.

Notice

what she

says when

she goes

back,

verse

18,

Mary Magdalene

went and

announced to

the disciples,

I have

seen the

Lord.

And that

he had

said these

things to

her.

The first

thing she

says is

not the

quote.

The first

thing she

says,

I have

seen the

Lord.

Her eyes

have been

opened.

She knows

he's

raised

again.

She knows

that the

one that

she is

certain was

dead is

just as

certainly

alive.

The

needs of

Mary's

heart are

satisfied by

Jesus'

resurrection.

Her

heart is

at peace

and at

rest because

she's

compelled to

believe what

she thought

was impossible

to believe.

The second

person that

John writes

about is

specifically

is Thomas

Didymus.

The name

Thomas means

twin.

The name

Didymus means

twin in

Greek.

So Aramaic

and Greek

he's twin

twin.

We often

think of

him as

doubting

Thomas.

But I'd

like us to

think of

him differently.

Thomas is

the one who

sees the

side of

things that

we don't

necessarily

want to

see.

Sometimes

we're trying

very hard

to be an

optimist

and Thomas

is the one

who brings

us back

to reality

and points

out the way

things really

are.

in John

John 11:16

chapter 11

verse 16

Jesus is

getting this

report that

his friend

Lazarus has

died.

They have

been near

Jerusalem and

there were

threats on

Jesus' life

and Thomas

like the others

knew that

threats on

Jesus' life

were also a

threat to

them.

Jesus says

he died

and now

we're going

to go to

him.

And Thomas

is the one

who says

well then

let us go

back to

Judea and

die with

him.

Thomas is

not saying

well if you

want to go

to Judea

that's your

own business

take your

own risks

we're going

back to

Galilee

where it's

safe.

Thomas says

if you're

going to

Judea

we're all

going to

go with

you

even if

it means

to death.

Thomas is

committed

and he sees

the reality

of things

as they

are.

In John

John 14 · chapter mention

chapter 14

we hear

from Thomas

again.

Jesus is

in the upper

room and he's

talking to his

disciples about

how he is

the way and

he's going to

prepare a place

for them.

And Thomas is

they're all

asking these

various questions

but Thomas is

the one who

just brings it

right down to

the focal

question and

he says

Lord we

don't know

where you're

going so

how can we

know the

way?

Thomas is

the one who's

going to ask

the question

that the rest

of us haven't

thought of or the

question that we

don't dare to

ask.

The question

we think is

just a little

bit too

bold faced.

Thomas is the

one who's going

to ask that

question.

So Thomas

serves us well

because he's

the one who

asks questions

that we need

to ask.

The questions

that are going

to be on our

hearts later

on.

If you think

about the

Lord of the

Rings you

remember the

character of

Gimli.

Gimli is that

dwarf with a

heavy beard

and his big

axe and he's

the one where

they come to

the point and

they realize

that if

I was thinking

Frodo but it's

not Frodo is

it?

Who's going to

go and get

rid of the

ring?

Frodo.

Okay.

Why does that

slip away from

me?

So they think

well how is

Frodo going to

go and get

rid of the

ring when he's

got to go

right to the

enemy territory?

And so they

say well we

need to fight

as a distraction.

We need to

go and take

on this

enemy army.

And Gimli is

the one who

states the

obvious.

The thing that

nobody else

wants to say.

He says

overwhelming odds?

Certain chance

of death?

What are we

waiting for?

He's Thomas.

Thomas Didymus.

He's the one

who's stating

the obvious.

There's not a

question about

Thomas'

commitment.

His faith.

His willingness

to die.

He's committed

to the cause.

He's ready.

But he's the

one who's going

to state the

things that we

don't see.

Thomas wasn't

at the cross.

The only

disciple there

was John.

Thomas was not

there on that

first Sunday.

And so on that

first Sunday,

the day that's

being recorded

here, the day

of the resurrection,

Mary comes back

and says,

I've seen the

Lord.

Thomas misses

that.

Peter and

John come

back and

say, the

tomb is

empty.

And John

says, I

believe, I

believe he's

resurrected.

Thomas is

not there.

Later that

evening,

Cleopas and

another man

who met

Jesus on the

road to

Emmaus, they

come back and

they say, we've

seen the

Lord.

Thomas is

not there.

And then

they're all

gathered together

when those

men come in.

And Jesus

himself appears.

And Thomas

is not there.

So Thomas,

one of the

twelve, was

not with

them when

Jesus came.

And the

other disciples

told him, we

have seen the

Lord.

The same thing

that Mary

Magdalene said,

we have seen

the Lord.

And it

doesn't just

say that they

told him, it

says they

kept telling

him.

That's the

word there.

He's hearing

this over and

over.

Everybody he

talks to says,

we have seen

the Lord.

And Thomas'

response is,

I'm just

not ready

to believe.

I'm just

not ready

to believe.

John, in a

way, is

asking the

question that

needs to be

asked for

our own

day, so

that Jesus

can satisfy

that.

Thomas has

been the

scientist.

I need to

be able to

see it and

to touch it.

I need to

have verifiable

evidence that

Jesus is

raised.

I can't

just believe

what the

rest of

you are

saying.

So he's

asking that

question, a

question that

we need to

have asked.

So Thomas

was not with

him.

The other

disciples keep

telling him,

we've seen

the Lord.

But he

said to

them, unless

I see in

his hands

the mark of

the nails and

place my

finger into

the mark of

the nails and

place my

hand into

his side, I

will never

believe.

Eight days

later his

disciples were

inside again

and Thomas

was with

them, although

the doors were

locked just as

they were last

week.

Jesus came and

stood among

them and said,

peace be with

you.

The same thing

he said last

week.

But then the

next, very

next thing he

says is to

Thomas, put

your finger here

and see my

hands.

Put out your

hand, place it

in my side.

Stop, do not

disbelieve, but

believe.

Jesus doesn't

say, Thomas,

what's wrong

with you?

Why can't you

believe?

But instead

Jesus says,

Thomas, here's

what you need

to touch, to

see.

Do that,

Thomas, and

then stop your

unbelieving and

believe.

Did Thomas

touch Jesus?

It doesn't

say, does it?

But Thomas'

response,

Thomas' answer

was my

Lord and

my God.

And John

hears people

chanting outside

his place as

the procession

passes, Caesar

is Lord,

Caesar is

God.

And what

those words

really mean is

Caesar is a

certain kind

of Lord.

He's in

charge of the

Roman Empire

and we hold

him in great

honor because

of that.

He is one

kind of Lord,

he is a

political Lord.

Lord.

And when

they say

Caesar is

God, they

mean Caesar

is, he's

part of all

this great

collection of

gods.

He fits in

there someplace.

He fits in

the category

of being a

God.

But John

answers that

slogan of

his day by

putting these

words in

Thomas'

mouth.

Thomas answered

him, my

Lord and

my God.

He's not

just a

Lord, he

is Yahweh,

the covenant

keeping God

who takes us

as his own.

He is not

just a God,

but he is

El Shaddai.

He is

Elohim.

He is the

living and

the true God.

In Thomas'

eyes,

Jesus is

nothing but

the most

supreme God

because he

has seen,

because he

has understood.

and that's

what Thomas

wants us to

understand as

well, and

what John

wants us to

understand.

Jesus said

to him,

have you

believed because

you have

seen me?

Blessed are

those who

have not

seen and

yet have

believed.

The questions

of Thomas'

mind were

satisfied by

Jesus'

resurrection.

What about

us as

those who

read John's

letter,

John's

gospel?

What about

us who

have not

seen and

yet have

believed?

Some of

you may

share Mary's

concerns.

You may

feel like

there's

brokenness in

my life,

and the

Lord put

those things

together.

Is he

really raised

from the

dead?

Is he

really the

Lord who

is able

from heaven

to help

me,

to continue

to care

for me?

Or did

he die

and just

leave behind

ideas?

behind.

We need

to be

satisfied like

Mary that

he is the

one who,

even from

heaven,

is bringing

personal

healing to

us.

Some of

us may

be more

like

Thomas.

We may

have

questions.

We want

answers to

those questions.

We don't

want to

believe easily.

We don't

want to

believe just

because we

try hard to

believe.

We want

to be

convinced

of what

Jesus has

taught us,

the reality

of his

resurrection,

and know

that it's

true.

And Thomas

helps us

to have

that kind

of affirmation

that Jesus

is who he

claims,

that he

is alive,

that he

is Lord,

that he

is God.

For Thomas,

like the

other disciples,

it wasn't a

scam that they

somehow managed

to pull off.

It was

something they

all stuck to

to their

deaths.

Tradition

tells us

that Thomas

took this

message all

the way to

southern India.

That's how

committed he

was to what

he saw,

and what he

touched,

and what he

believed.

We need to

be like

Mary and

to listen to

the voice of

Jesus.

Jesus said,

My sheep

hear my

voice,

they know

me and

they follow

me.

We need

to be like

Thomas,

and our

response needs

to be

worshiped.

Not,

yes,

I believe,

I can

certify

that these

things are

true,

but to

say,

my Lord

and my

God.

John

helps us

to understand

that it's

not just a

matter of

his writing

a credible

account,

it's a

matter of

the Spirit

working in

us as

well.

That we

might believe

that Jesus

is the

Christ,

the Son

of God,

and that by

believing you

may have

life in

his name.

It's not

just mental

things,

it's not

just believing

things are

true,

it's a

transformed

life,

a new

life.

And we

need to

do like

these

disciples

are doing,

like we're

doing tonight,

we need to

gather in

his name,

we need to

affirm to

each other

the truth,

we have

seen the

Lord,

this is

what he

has done,

this is

who he

is.

And we

need to

be like

Mary,

just saying

to other

people outside

of this

room,

we have

seen the

Lord,

and he

offers you

life in

his name.

Let's

pray.

Let's

pray.