He must rise again John 19:38-42 20:1-18

Have you ever gone back to a place expecting things to be exactly how you left them… only to realize everything had changed?

Maybe it was your childhood home.

Maybe it was a school.

Maybe it was a relationship.

It had been a while since I’d been back to my home church. The last time I was there, I was in middle school… now I was in college.

The halls felt smaller. There were fewer familiar faces. I walked in expecting the familiar… but everything felt different. And honestly—I was different. That’s what happened on that first Easter morning.

Mary went to the tomb expecting death.

She brought spices… because dead bodies don’t come back.

She expected silence.

She expected grief.

She expected the end.

But when she got there… Everything had changed.

And that’s what Easter is all about. Because when Jesus walked out of that grave… He didn’t just change His situation— He changed everything.

The resurrection doesn’t just prove something—it changes everything.

If you have your bibles turn to…

John 19:38-42

John 19:38–42

Joseph and Nicodemus took Jesus’ body and prepared it. They wrapped Him like every other dead body… because as far as they knew, this was the end. Jesus was truly dead.

Because it was Friday—the day before the Passover Sabbath—they had to finish before nightfall.

John 20:1-10

John 20:1–10

On Sunday, Mary comes to the tomb and sees that it is empty. Her first response was that His body had been taken not that He had resurrected.

She runs and gets Peter and the other disciple (John) they don’t believe her so they go to see for themselves. John makes sure to tell us he got there first…

which I think is hilarious. You can almost picture Peter reading this later like— ‘Really, John? You had to include that?’”

And Peter comes up and as Peter always does jumps in with both feet, and goes right in. And it wasn’t until they saw the linens and the face cloth they believed that Jesus wasn’t there. They saw the empty tomb… but they still didn’t understand.

Even after everything Jesus had said—they hadn’t put it together yet. So they go back home. Jesus had left all that was associated with death there, the tomb, the linen wrappings, the face cloth. But Mary Sticks around.

John 20:11-18

John 20:11–18

Mary was still outside the tomb worried about what had happened to the body of Jesus. She looks inside and sees two angels sitting there, and they ask her why she’s crying.

She turned around and saw Jesus… but didn’t recognize Him. She thought that He was the gardener. Maybe Jesus’ identity was hidden from her. Maybe she just wasn’t expecting resurrection… so her mind couldn’t process it.

Have you ever been so caught up in something, that someone walks into the room and you don’t even notice them? Maybe Jesus’ being beaten changed his appearance. I don’t know, but something changed. Something was different with Jesus. Because an encounter with the risen Jesus will change you.

It’s not until Jesus calls her name, Mary, that she recognized that it is Jesus.

Jesus says, ‘Look, I know you want to hold on to me… but go and tell the other that I have risen.’

Mary came looking for a body… but she found a Savior. Mary runs to the disciples “I have seen The Lord”

The resurrection doesn’t just prove something—it changes everything.

What Mary didn’t fully understand yet… was that this wasn’t just a resurrection— this was the fulfillment of everything God had been preparing for.

High Priest, Bull, and Scapegoat

As we look at John’s account of the resurrection of Jesus, I think it’s no mistake that we’re brought back to the imagery of the Day of Atonement.

Lev 16

God gives Aaron instructions on how to prepare for the atonement sacrifice. This was an annual sacrifice to cover the sins of the people.

The High priest would go into the Tent of Meeting and later the temple and first have to wash and make sacrifice for his own sins. This was to bring Shalom between the High Priest and God.

Then he would sacrifice for the sins of the people of Israel.

Two goats before the Lord. One for the Lord for the sin offering and one for the scapegoat.

The goat that was for the sin offering was offered. For the uncleanness and sin of the people. This was to Atone, or to bring Shalom back between the people and God.

Then the High Priest was to place both hands on the live goat and confess all the sins of the people on it’s head. The scapegoat would bear all the sins of the people and carry them far away from Israel.

Then the High Priest would go back into the tent of meeting, take off the linen garments, leave them there, and bathe himself again.

The High Priest is to make atonement once a year for all the Israelites. Everything they did year after year… Jesus finished in one moment.

As the writer of Hebrews tells us:

Jesus is our High Priest.

He didn’t offer a sacrifice—He became the sacrifice.

Jesus is our sin offering.

His blood doesn’t just cover sin—it removes it.

Jesus is our scapegoat.

He carries our sin… and takes it away forever.

Take off the grave clothes

The resurrection doesn’t just prove something—it changes everything. So what does the resurrection actually change for us?

Look at how Paul describes it…

Colossians 3:1-4

Colossians 3:1–4

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 3 For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Paul says since you have been raised with Christ. Paul tells us in Romans six that we are united with Christ when we are baptized into Him. We are united in His death, burial and in His resurrection. So if you have given your life to Jesus, repented of your sins, confessed him as Lord, and meet Him in the waters of Baptism, we have been raised with Him.

So Paul say set your heart and mind on things above, not on the things below, the things that you did before you came to Jesus, Sin. When you come to Jesus you put to death that former life.

In the old life you carried around those grave clothes. Paul lists them in vs. 5-11.

Sexual immorality

Impurity

Lust

Evil desires

Greed

All of those things are your disruption of Shalom, your reordering God’s perfect order.

This is how you once walked around with

Anger

Rage

Malice

Slander

Filthy language

Lying to one another

With that old way

There were labels that you put on

Gentile

Jew

White

Black

Poor

Rich

This is the old self. This is the way of sin the way of death. And we walk around trying to live… while carrying all that death with us, entangling you and weighing you down. Jesus left His grave clothes in the tomb… So why are you still wearing yours?

Why… are you still wearing yours?

Paul says allow Jesus to put those things to death. That old Self. Allow Jesus to be your High Priest and atone for your sins, allow Christ to be your sin offering with His sacrifice on the cross, allow Him to be your scapegoat taking all the weight of your sin on His shoulders.

Paul says take off the grave clothes and leave them in Jesus’ tomb. Put those things to death.

And put on some fresh new clothes. Put on the New Self.

Colossians 3:12-17

Colossians 3:12–17

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Remember you are made in the image of God

You are a chosen people

You are Holy because of Jesus Christ

You are dearly loved.

Put on

Compassion

Kindness

Humility

Gentleness

Patience

Forgive one another as you have been forgiven

Bind all these things together with Love. This new self is not one of death and destruction but one of life and peace.

Here’s the truth of Easter: Jesus didn’t just come to get out of the grave… He came to get you out of yours.

Some of you are still carrying grave clothes.

Old sin.

Old guilt.

Old labels.

Old habits.

And you’ve been trying to live a new life… while still wearing what belongs to the old one.

But Jesus left those grave clothes behind. And today… He’s inviting you to do the same.

To lay down your sin.

To stop carrying what He already paid for.

To step into new life.

The resurrection means this:

You don’t have to stay who you were.

You can be forgiven.

You can be made new.

You can walk out of the grave.

So today, if you’ve never given your life to Jesus… this is your moment.

Turn from your sin.

Trust in Him.

Be united with Him in His death, burial, and resurrection in baptism.

And if you already know Him… Take off the grave clothes.

Stop living like the old you… when Jesus has already made you new.

Because He is not here… He is risen.

And because He lives— you can too.

So don’t leave here still wearing what Jesus already buried.