Easter 2019 - He Has Risen!

So here we are, gathered together on the most significant day of the year - Easter Sunday!

Although, I prefer the term resurrection Sunday

Why? Because the term Easter has a lot of imagery associated with it that has nothing to do with why we gathered here today

Don’t get me wrong, I have absolutely no problem with candy, colored eggs, family dinners, or even the Easter Bunny

They are all fun things that many families, my own included, do around this season

But today we are not gathered because of candy, colored eggs, family dinners, or the Easter bunny

We are gathered today to celebrate the most important even in human history - the resurrection of Jesus!

I’ve entitled my message today He is risen because I think it is appropriate that we take a look at this most amazing event!

I’m going to be looking at it from 3 different perspectives

• What happened?

• What does it mean for me?

• What does it mean for the world?

So, let’s jump right in with our first perspective - What happened?

We all know the story, but I think it’s always a good idea to review major events like this.

Last week was Holy Week

It started with what we call Palm Sunday when Jesus rode into Jerusalem in a manner that could only be seen as the coming of the promised Messiah

Throughout the week many interesting things happened, winding down with well known events like the Last Supper and Jesus’ arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane

Of course that was followed by Jesus’ trial, flogging, and finally, His crucifixion and death

At this point the disciples were crushed

They really believed that Jesus was the Messiah, but their version of the Messiah was someone who would come and start a rebellion against Rome, kicking them out of the Promised Land and re-establishing the sovereign nation of Israel

When Jesus died, all their hopes and dreams were crushed - I’m sure many of them were even having a crisis of faith

The interesting thing is that Jesus told them a few different times that He was going to die, but would rise again on the third day

Since this didn’t go along with their view of what the Messiah was going to do they didn’t pay any attention to what Jesus said

It’s now Sunday morning, and we’re picking up the story in John 20

John 20:1-18 1  Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.2  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!"

Why was Mary going to the tomb?

If we cross reference this passage with what we read in the other gospels we discover that Mary Magdalene, along with Mary the mother of James and Salome, went to the tomb to anoint Jesus’ body with spices

Why would they be doing that?

This was part of the ancient embalming methods - which tells me that they were obviously not expecting Jesus to rise from the dead

When they arrive at the tomb they see that the stone had been removed and Jesus’ body is gone

Once again, they were not thinking that Jesus was going to rise from the dead so they naturally assumed someone had taken the body

Mary Magdalene ran back to Peter, and another disciple referred to as the “disciple that Jesus loved” - [explain]

I think it’s interesting that Peter and John were the ones to receive the news

Peter was the one that denied Jesus - John was the only disciple that stuck by Jesus through His trial and crucifixion

I can just imagine the reaction of John and Peter when they heard Mary’s news!

“Oh no! What else could go wrong!”

3  So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4  Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5  He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6  Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7  as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen. 8  Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9  (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)

So, something quite interesting happens here

Peter and John race to the tomb and John arrives first

John looked in and saw the strips of linen that had been wrapped around the body of Jesus, but there was no body

Peter didn’t just look in, he went right in

Peter saw the linen strips as well, but he also noticed the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head laying there as well

At this point John entered the tomb and saw the cloth that Peter was looking at

Scripture says “He saw and believed”

What did he believe? He believed that Jesus had rose from the dead!

I’m sure the words of Jesus came back to John at that moment

As I mentioned before Jesus had predicted His death and resurrection a few different times

John remembered those words, saw the folded cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head, and believed that He had risen from the dead

Why did this folded cloth convince John?

[explain]

10  Then the disciples went back to their homes, 11  but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12  and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. 13  They asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?" "They have taken my Lord away," she said, "and I don't know where they have put him." 14  At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. 15  "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." 16  Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher).

Mary didn’t see the prayer shawl like Peter and John - if she had I am sure she would have immediately believed as well

However, Mary saw something that Peter and John didn’t see - 2 angels!

She then turns and sees Jesus, but for whatever reason she didn’t recognize Him

I’m not sure why - many theories have been offered

For whatever reason Mary doesn’t recognize that it’s Jesus, at least until He speaks her name!

As soon as she hears her name Mary realizes that it’s Jesus and that He’s alive!

Can you imagine her excitement?

17  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.'" 18  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.  

Jesus instructs Mary to go and tell the disciples what she has seen

Between the testimony of Peter and John seeing the prayer shawl and Mary, the other Mary, and Salome seeing the resurrected Jesus, I’m sure that the rest of the disciples were getting excited as well!

Here’s an interesting side note - the first people that the resurrected Jesus appeared to were three women [explain significance]

What does it mean for me?

The Bible tells us that it was through Jesus’ broken and beaten body that we receive our healing

It also tells us that it is through His shed blood that we receive forgiveness and enter into the new covenant that God establish of love, grace, and mercy

Those are all fantastic things!

But it’s Jesus’ resurrection that is the key

Without the resurrection Jesus was just another failed messiah

Many had come before Jesus and several came after Jesus claiming to be the messiah

They all died as well - most of them executed by the Roman government like Jesus was

If Jesus did not rise from the dead He would have been no different that the rest of them

Sure, He was a great teacher, and maybe some of His teachings would have survived to today

But Jesus would have just been another dead teacher like all the other great teachers of the past

The resurrection is the difference maker!

In the resurrection Jesus proved who He was - Emmanuel, God with us!

God come in the flesh!

Jesus defeated death, and because of that we also can defeat death and be resurrected into eternal life!

What does it mean for the world?

As followers of Jesus we are called to love and care for others

We are called to be an accurate representation of Christ on earth

Can you imagine how different the world would look if everyone who called themselves a Christian actually did this?

He is risen!

He has defeated sin and death

He has conquered the grave

And He has given us all authority and power to walk as He walked

Let’s make that a priority in our lives!