Run to Jesus - John 20:1-10

Well, good morning guys. My name is Mike.

I'm one of the the pastors here at Redemption as well.

And welcome to Redemption Church North Ogden.

We really are glad that you guys joined us for this Resurrection

Day service. It's one of I think mine and

probably many of you is probably your favorite services of the of

the year because of of just you know what that entails.

But if this is something new to you, this whole last week has

commemorated the last week of Jesus life and ministry.

So on the Sunday previous to the first resurrection day, Jesus

entered Jerusalem to A to to huge crowds that were they were

throwing their cloaks and their garments and palm branches down

on on the road as he as he rode in.

And they were calling out Hosanna, recognizing him as

their saviour and calling him king of Israel.

And then only days later, those same people stirred up by the

Pharisees would demand that Jesus be crucified on the cross,

though he'd never broken a single law or committed a single

sin. And finally, three days later,

Jesus would rise from the dead, defeating sin and death once and

for all. Now a point that is very

important, but we're not going to focus on here today, is that

This is why we meet together on on Sunday, the 1st day of the

week. It is a recognition of

Resurrection Day rather than continuing to observe the end of

week day of rest as given in the Old Testament.

The Sabbath day was was instituted by God for the nation

of Israel to commemorate his deliverance of them from Egypt.

But the the New Testament church observed the the Lord's Day as

an opportunity to come together to celebrate his victory over

sin and death. So today let's look a bit closer

at the events that started off that first Resurrection Day 2000

years ago. And that's our first point here.

Today is a dark beginning that we, we read through this

passage, just we read through the whole thing.

But those first 2 verses, verses one and two and John 20, it says

now on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the

tomb early while it was still dark and saw that the stone had

been taken away from the tomb. So she ran and went to get Simon

Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved and

said to them, they have taken the Lord out of the tomb and we

do not know where they have laid him.

So that the text says that Mary left very early on Sunday

morning to complete the the the burial preparations.

The other gospels explained that there was at least five women

going together to the tomb. But in our text this morning

there is a a beautiful devotion demonstrated here right away.

Each of the gospels makes it clear that these women were up

and and and about this task very early, not at like a a normal

time to rise on you know, on Sunday or whatever.

This was an obvious priority to them.

These ladies were devoted to the physical preservation of Jesus

body in the tomb, and so we can't escape an obvious

connection here as well. Throughout the entire New

Testament we see a metaphor often in it describing the

believers, the disciples of Jesus as the body of Christ.

So we should also have a devotion to the preservation of

the body of Christ that we are here Gathering together should

be our priority. But beside that devotion that we

see in this passage, we have to understand that that these these

women must have been still just reeling from the events of of

Friday. So besides occurring just before

dawn, there really was a, a, a darkness, a heaviness about this

day along with the unfathomable violence that they witnessed.

There was a large earthquake that happened on Friday that

scripture says split rocks. Imagine how how big an

earthquake that must be that splits rocks.

And then another great quake scripture says on Sunday morning

that was so scary that people fainted in fear.

And these ladies are are headed to deal with a guard of Roman

soldiers, most likely at least a four man unit.

But these are the same kind of soldiers that were responsible

for beating and torturing Jesus. And we're now tasked with

keeping people from messing with his body or the tomb that

they're headed to. So I can only imagine how

overwhelming this would have been.

But besides all of those things, Jesus, whom they they followed

and believed was their savior and Messiah was killed.

He was gone. They had been expecting him to

reign on a throne, but he'd been killed.

And, and scripture tells us that that Mary, when she runs back,

she says they have taken him. We don't know where they laid

him. See her initial belief is that

Jesus is still dead and has simply been moved or his body

stolen. Someone else in her opinion is

responsible for Jesus body missing.

She certainly had to have waken up scared and and and

disappointed. But now she's on she's unsure.

Luke 24 says that they were perplexed.

It just doesn't make sense. The huge stone is is rolled away

that the guards are knocked unconscious and Jesus body is

nowhere to be found. As I've I've felt some of this

in my own life where where life seemed the dark, the world was

chaotic and uncertain and I felt like I was continuously running

up against enemies or or or people who stood in the way of

getting anywhere. Even where I was wondering,

where the heck is Jesus? As scary as the world was when

she left to go to the tomb for a few moments, it's it's now even

scarier. It's, it's still not fully

understood what's going on. So she contemplates the world

that she finds herself in. Mark 16 says that she was

trembling with fear. So just like you and me, she has

real questions and real concerns.

We can, we can relate to that. We live in a world that has been

plagued with unrest, right? If you were to scroll through

your your news feed on your on your phone to like a news

website to bring up headlines like, you know, potential

nuclear attacks or or violent protests or rampant fraud

perpetuated by our own government or local officials

that have been arrested and charged with felonies and

continue perpetual hatred of one group by another group.

So maybe today, maybe you got up early, gathered your things and

made your way here to the body of Christ, not knowing what

you'd find here. Maybe you were a bit nervous.

Maybe you were a bit apprehensive.

After finding the stone rolled way and the and the tomb empty.

Mary turned to other believers to help her gain some

understanding and, and, and as believers, many of us can relate

to having someone come to us with their fears, their

misunderstandings about Jesus. So the second point that I want

to make today is to look at how they handled that by starting

with examining the evidence. And then our next couple of

verses here it says it says. So Peter went out with the other

disciple and they were going toward the tomb.

Both of them were running together, but the other disciple

outran Peter and reached the tomb 1st and stooping to look

in, he saw the linen clothes lying there, but he did not go

in. Then Simon Peter came following

him and went into the tomb. He saw the linen clothes lying

there and the face cloth which had been on Jesus head, not

lying with the linen cloth, but folded up in a place by itself.

Now several commentaries explain that the Jewish burial rituals

would have the body and and limbs wrapped with strips of

linen linen up to around the the the top of the shoulders here.

And then the head and face would have a a different cloth wrapped

around it. So you can, you can, you could

picture two different separate items of, of cloth or items of

clothing. And the two disciples mentioned

here are Peter and John. OK, John is, is very humble, so

he takes effort not to name himself in his gospel.

But we know that he is the one Jesus loved as he's referenced

in our passage. And yet, Despite that humility,

he takes the time to point out three times in these next few

verses that he was faster than Peter.

Now, often, you know, we read this and, and, and maybe we see

a sense of, of humanity in these disciples, right?

Just a couple of ordinary guys competing with each other, you

know, every chance they get. And, and also taking the

opportunity to to brag and make sure everyone knows who the

winner is, right. Well, I've read this passage

countless times and I've always thought that it was funny that

John would include this, this unimportant detail in the middle

of a very sad part of Scripture. And as, as I was studying this,

I was, I was reminded of a, of a time years ago, as I was, you

know, coming along in my faith. And, and, and as many of you

could probably relate, I was I was seeking counsel about my

family and I wanted to go to 3 or 4 Bible studies every week.

And cuz I was just voraciously trying to eat it up and I was

sprinting at more knowledge, but my family was chewing it up at a

rate that was easier for them to digest.

And so I, I remember Eric sharing with me one time this,

this, this mental image of being on the freeway and you have a

fast lane and you have a slow lane, but they're, they're

headed in the right direction. There's something beautiful

about doing that about. And maybe you can relate to

that. Maybe you are the, the one who

you know is, is maybe farther along in your, in your spiritual

walk and you have family that's on the same route with you, same

path, but maybe not quite at the same speed.

And that is a beautiful and wonderful thing.

And we see that kind of dynamic here with with John and Peter.

Now, Peter's quite a bit older. John's probably a teenager at

this point. So physically it was a little

unfair. But but they were both headed to

to the tomb with exuberance, right.

But as the writer of this portion of Scripture, it's it's,

it's not just who was faster that John wants to share, but

it's it seems that he's gone out of his way to make us understand

the urgency with which he and Peter ran to the tomb.

Psalm 63, Oops, there we go. Psalm 63 verses one and two

says, Oh God, you are my God. Earnestly I seek you, my soul

thirsts for you my my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and

weary land where there is no water.

Now when I read that, I can vividly imagine John sprinting

to the tomb, earnestly seeking right thirsting for the the

living water and hungry for the bread of life that he had come

to know. And then that that Psalm

continues and it says, so I have looked upon you in the

sanctuary, beholding your power and glory.

And as I read that, it all ties together, John stopping on the

outside to look inside this resting place, this sort of

sanctuary, if you will. He sees the empty tomb and the

empty clothes and suddenly beholds the power of God that

Jesus had defeated death once and for all.

Now, as I mentioned a minute ago, Mary had brought her

concerns and fears to, to, to sort of dump on the, on the

disciples. And I wouldn't be surprised if,

you know, for a few moments at least if, if Peter and John

weren't like, oh, I just don't have the, the mental or, or

emotional capacity get involved in Mary's messy life.

Not today, not with, not with everything that's been happening

lately, right. That's something I know I have

done in my own life. But the disciples reaction,

their response is to go straight to Jesus for the answer.

They, they don't go ask the Roman prefect or they, they

don't get on the the Jerusalem community Facebook page.

They, they don't just sit around wondering and gossiping.

They Sprint straight to the tomb to find out more about Jesus.

They go straight to Jesus now, just like me.

Despite having read this passage before and and understanding one

perspective of it, this time when I studied it, something

else finally clicked. When John gets there, the text

says that he didn't. He didn't go inside immediately.

For some reason, he stopped outside and and cautiously

peered inside. Now let me just say, many of us

have may have heard an Internet story about the a Jewish custom

of a folded dinner napkin meaning someone coming back to

the table while a napkin tossed haphazardly means that they

aren't coming back. And the inference in that in

that made-up story is that we can trust that Jesus is

returning because the face cloth, sometimes called a napkin

is is folded neatly. Unfortunately we can't trust

that story because it seems to have no drowning in truth.

And still we are given that bit of information about the face

cloth. For some reason in the ESV it it

says folded, but the Greek word is actually closer to wrap or

entwine. What it tells us is that the

face or the head cloth is applied to a body in a specific,

specific and intentional way. And when John sees these items,

he observes that the head and face cloth is still folded or or

rolled like it's supposed to be and it is separate from the

linens for the body. Now again, many commentaries and

and theologians have explained some varying but often similar

explanations. The Jesus body seems to have

simply stopped being in those linens.

But the the linens remained exactly where they had been

placed and in the same manner. So you can imagine that if you

if you were quickly getting out of your clothes, you might just

kind of drop them in a heat. But these seem to still be where

they've been placed but without the body.

In John 19 it told us that that Joseph of Arimathea and

Nicodemus wrapped Jesus body with 75 lbs of spices when he

was put in the tomb. But there's no mention here in

in this gospel or in any of the gospels of the spilled out

spices that I would imagine would have gone all over the

place as the body was was unwrapped.

But truthfully, though, I honestly don't know what that

means. What I believe we can know from

this situation with the burial clothes is that no one trying to

hide the body from another group of people would take the time to

carefully remove those clothes. They, they certainly wouldn't

have gone to the effort of, of putting them back in order,

folding them and, and, and sort of laying them out flat.

They would be very quick about it, right?

As they were all very well aware of the brutality they could rain

down on them by Pilot and the Roman soldiers he'd stationed

just outside this tomb for that exact purpose.

And John, well, when when we compare it to a story of another

man being resurrected, we see something interesting in my

opinion. And in John 11, it's the story

of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead.

And it says when he had said these things, he cried out with

a loud voice, Lazarus come out, the man who had died came out,

his hands and feet bound with linen strips and his face

wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, unbind him

and let him go. Lazarus did not raise himself

from the dead. He needed someone else to do

that for him. And we see here that he even

needed someone else to remove the burial cloth and the face

cloth. Now, there's about 10 specific

instances in the Bible where a dead person is resurrected and

only Jesus does it of his own power.

And John himself is the one who tells us about this event with

Lazarus, so this detail would not have slipped past him.

John sprinted to the tomb to see what was up with Jesus going

missing. And when he gets there, he pulls

up and he stops outside, looking in at these barrier clothes

placed the way that they were, and knowing that no one else but

Jesus is responsible for this Jesus.

Had raised himself from the dead now in John's mind, this was

absolute proof of Jesus deity that that he is God in the flesh

as Eric mentioned in in his prayer earlier.

And I think it's, I think it's fair to say though, that that

that he didn't fully know what to do with this information yet

John didn't. It wasn't as though he had full

enlightenment. The disciples wouldn't know

fully what Jesus wanted them to do for for several more weeks.

But it was at this precise moment, though, that something

clicked for John. And as we continue on in our in

our passage today, we come to our Third Point, which is an

emerging understanding. And it says then the other

disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in, and he

saw and believed, for as yet they did not understand the

scripture that he must rise from the dead.

Then the disciples went back to their homes.

So upon seeing the burial cloth lying in such a manner, John

knew that Jesus body had not been stolen or moved.

He knew that Jesus had resurrected.

And it says it until this point they hadn't understood that

Jesus must rise from the dead. See, ever since Adam and Eve

first sinned in the garden, Satan had maintained power over

the the world. Satan claimed and and believed

that he was able to defeat God. We see in Scripture that that

Adam sinned and passed a a sin nature through the bloodstream

to every single one of us here today in Psalm 51, David wrote,

I was brought forth in iniquity and in sin did my mother

conceive. The consequence of that sin

nature is that death came to all of us from one man.

So why is it important that Jesus must rise from the dead as

that as that passage said? Well, the reason is that if

Jesus could not conquer death, then sin and death would have

been victorious and Satan would have been king.

In First Corinthians 15 verse 20 and 21 it says But in fact

1 Corinthians 15:20

Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those

who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came, death by a

man has also has come also the resurrection of the dead from

Adam the man sin affected the whole world and through Jesus

the God man that same world has an opportunity for redemption.

Romans one verse 4 tells us the resurrection means that that

Jesus was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the

spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead.

This is this is profound news because up to this point Satan

had held the power of death and and wielded it against us.

But as Christians we don't have to fear death anymore.

Revelation one verse 17 and 18 it says fear not, I am the 1st

and the last and the living one. I died and behold, I am alive

forever more and I have the keys of death in Hades.

To hold the keys to something means that you are in in control

of it. To do this of his own power

means that that Jesus conquered death.

During his sermon in Acts 2 verse 24, Peter proclaims God

Acts 2:24

raised him up losing the pangs of death because it was not

possible for him to be held by it.

This enlightenment, this epiphany, is what it's all

about. Satan hadn't conquered Jesus,

Pilate never had the authority to make Jesus die, and the Roman

soldiers with their whips and scourges weren't the ones

wielding power that day. Jesus power and authority was

plainly visible in the scene that John stood taking in.

This is where our hope lies in. In John 10 verse 18, Jesus makes

John 10:18

it clear that He gave his life. He said no one takes it from me,

but I lay it down of my own accord.

I have authority to lay it down and I have authority to take it

up again. This charge I have received from

my Father looking into that empty tomb.

John knew that Jesus has resurrected himself.

Now knowing the fact of the resurrection is an important

start but not enough. In James two it says that even

the the demons believe. We need to let the Bible tell us

the meaning and the importance of Jesus direction and then what

that entails for us. John 316, probably one of the

probably the most famous verse you know, out of out of all of

Scripture says for God so loved the world that he gave his only

son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have

eternal life. But what does that mean to have

eternal life? Death is the is is the bill

stamped payment due at our birth.

That's what having a sin nature means, right The moment that

that you're born, even you before you get any of the

paperwork about your baby, that baby has a a bill that is due

with with his his own death one day.

See, it was God's will that we would have another chance though

at reconciliation. It's great that Jesus has

defeated sin and death, but what does that mean for us exactly?

Well, Hebrews 10/10 says, and by that will we have been

sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once

and for all. Now sanctified means to be set

apart from the things of the world, set apart from the, from

the, the, the, the dirtiness of the world, the the, the

wickedness, the tainted things of the world.

Jesus gave up his life at the cross, paying our bill.

But when he walked out of that tomb, he wasn't just freeing us

from hell, He was offering resurrection to us as well,

eternal life with him in paradise.

Enduring Word commentary said this really well.

I it said the death of Jesus on the cross was the payment, but

the resurrection was the receipt showing that the payment was

perfect in the sight of God the Father.

So since death was was due when we were born.

Jesus worked on the cross and his resurrection then stamped

our sentence as paid in full for those of us who believed the

last thing that Jesus said on the cross was it is finished the

Greek word to tell us. I think I saw people, a couple

people with that written on their shirts today, which is a a

good thing to to wear this this weekend, but that that phrase it

is finished. It's a it's a legal term that

that means that it has been paid in full.

The deal is done. It is complete.

First Corinthians 15 verse 14 says, and if Christ has not been

1 Corinthians 15:14

raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.

See, that's that's who we are. We are the people who have

recognized and believed only Jesus Christ as the way, the

truth and the life. That's what it all hinges on.

Previous to that faith, death was our master and we were its

slaves. In Hebrews 2 verses 14 and 15 it

Hebrews 2:14

says since therefore the children share in flesh and

blood, He himself likewise partook of the same things, that

through death He might destroy the one who has the power of

death, that is the devil, and deliver all those who through

fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.

If you are someone that has not put your your full faith in

Jesus Christ alone for the forgiveness of your sins through

His torturous death and then His miraculous resurrection, then I

pray that you will recognize your sinful nature and

understand that that nature deserves punishment.

A good judge will give an appropriate sentence for

wrongdoing. The Bible calls us to repent and

believe and promises us as we read up here just a bit ago.

It promises us that Jesus will forgive you if you do that.

This passage says that, that Jesus delivers us from death and

slavery. Many years ago when I was in the

police Academy, I, they, they took us on a tour of the state

prison. And one of the things they did

is they, they, they took us through what's known as as death

row. And Oh my gosh, what a scary and

dark place that is such a, a, a, a feeling of, of a just

oppression and, and, and darkness.

So as we read this, this is a, this is amazing news for us.

My death sentence has been commuted and expunged from my

record. And if you have put your faith

in Jesus alone, then you've also been released off death row with

me. Amen and Amen.

So we see that that that John now has this partial

enlightenment, this this emerging understanding as as the

the Third Point was, but then it says that the disciples left and

went home. Well, that's kind of an anti

climactic end of the of the story, right?

Well, for the the disciples, they didn't fully understand

what they were to do yet. Jesus, Jesus was still with

them, continuing to teach them now for 40 more days until he

ascended to to heaven. But you know, after hearing

about this today, you were you're also going to go home,

right? Well, we have the benefit of

being able to read ahead and see what else is coming in

Scripture. And so if this was your first

time hearing this story or you know your 40th, we want you to

go from here today with a glad heart, knowing what is next.

At at some point in in those those next 40 days, Jesus met up

with his remaining 11 disciples and gave to them what we know as

the Great Commission that we find in Matthew 28 verses 18

Matthew 28:18–20

through 20. And it says, and Jesus came and

said to them, all authority in heaven and on earth has been

given to me. Go therefore and make disciples

of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of

the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all

that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always

to the end of the age. Now as you and I leave here

today and and go about our our lives, you know, at at work, at

at home or wherever. This is our goal to to make

disciples of Jesus everywhere we go, teaching our our our our

friends and our our family and our our neighbors and our Co

workers to observe the things that Jesus commanded us to do.

And this passage ends with this phrase.

Behold, I am with you always to the end of the age.

Now, we we often look at that and we understand it as a as a

phrase that would strengthen us in the the intimidating task of

of evangelizing and and sharing our faith.

But I see it as a further reminder of the promise of

finding ourselves in the presence of God Almighty for the

rest of eternity. The last summer, my, my family

and I, we, we travelled to Alaska on vacation.

And at one point we were on a, on a train.

And every few seconds or couple of minutes at the, at the most,

we were like continuously, you know, Hey, hey, come look at

this, come look at this around every corner.

There was something to take pictures of or whatever.

And, and we wanted to do that because the thing that's even

better than seeing those beautiful sights is to share

them with, with somebody else. And so we were excitedly like,

Hey, come and look and see what I, what I've got here.

Well, that's what we get to do with today's message about

Jesus, death and resurrection. We get to go from here and we

get to tell our friends and family, Hey, come and look and

see what I have found. Invite them to come back here

again next week as as we like Mary devote ourselves to the

body of Christ and and run to Jesus for the answers that we

seek and the hope of eternity in his presence that that he

offered us. Will you guys pray with me?

Oh, Lord, I, I just, I stand in awe, Lord of, of the beauty of

this message and how every single time I, I read it, every

time I go through it, there's something amazing more to take

from it. And, and Lord, like those

disciples all those years ago, there's times in each of our

lives where where we're just afraid and, and no matter how

good things had been going up to this point, something trips us

up and, and we find ourselves in a in a dark way and, and we seek

answers and, and, and we want to know what's ahead.

We want to know where we stand. And Lord, sometimes we don't

even necessarily know to look for you.

But Lord, I, I just ask that that we as a body would, would

run to each other to, to, to, to help us get back to looking at

you, or that we, that we would, if somebody comes to us, that we

would, that we would work to, to go back to your word to, to find

the answers to the questions that we have.

And, and that through that, like, like John standing outside

of that tomb and, and looking in for your, for your body and not

seeing it, but seeing evidence of really of who you are helping

help having that enlightenment or help us to also have that

enlightenment. Help it to, to come clear to us

and, and help us to be able to find those answers and, and

continue on and knowing you and having that relationship with

you, knowing more about you that as we leave here today, we just

ask that this wouldn't be something that we would easily

forget that this isn't a story that we would keep to ourselves,

Lord, but we would really, truly be anxious to go and share it

with the nations that we would share with our neighbors and our

friends. Or that they would know that you

lived a perfect life as God and man and that you were murdered

on that cross from my sins. And, and that only through

through your power, you raised yourself from the dead,

defeating sin and death and, and blessing us with an opportunity

to put our, our faith in you and to be able to enjoy your

presence for eternity. Lord, what an amazing thing that

is. Hope that you are honored in

this service today. And in our last song, we say

this in Jesus name, Amen, resurrection of Jesus and what

that means to you and in your life.

Please come and talk to one of us, talk with Eric or John after

the service. And we want to answer those

questions for you. We want to answer them today,

but we look forward to seeing you come back next week to, to,

to, to be passionate and, and diligent about being with and

taking care of the body of Christ with us being that.

And so we look forward to to seeing you next week.

I hope you have a a blessed, wonderful resurrection day.

We'll see you. God bless.