New Life Bible Fellowship Church
8/10/25

      • Psalm 103:20–22ESV

  • All That Thrills My Soul
  • Glory to His Name

      • Psalm 141ESV

  • Introduction:

    Last week, in part two of Jesus’ Crucifixion, we saw how the payment that Jesus made was not just as an installment, but was the complete eradication of His people’s sin debt, past, present, and future, thus securing for them peace with God the Father.
    This morning, we come to the apex of all miracles, the miracle that sets Christianity apart from all other religions, the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead! We will begin this week with the arrival of the women to the grave sight after the Sabbath and now the first day of the week, very early in the morning. We will see how that all things have been made new, even former relationships have changed forever, and the natural outcome is to declare that Jesus Christ is risen from the dead!

    Text: John 20:1-18

    John 20:1–18 ESV
    1 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. 2 So she ran and went to 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.” 3 So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. 4 Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, 7 and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went back to their homes. 11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. 12 And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. 13 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.” 14 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ” 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.

    Main Idea: Encountering the risen Christ transforms our sorrow into joy and empowers us to live in the hope of eternal life.

    I. Witnessing the Empty Tomb (1-10)

    1 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.
    first day of the week. Jesus’ resurrection implies a shift of the day set apart for rest and worship from the seventh day (Gen. 2:2; Ex. 20:8–11) to the first (vv. 19, 26; Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2), the Lord’s Day (Rev. 1:10).
    Mary Magdalene left before dawn to go to Jesus’ tomb to complete the burial preparations (Luke 24:1), which had to be left undone due to the beginning of the Sabbath. The Synoptic parallels indicate that other women were with her, as is also implied by the “we” in 20:2. 
    while it was still dark. Cf. the slightly different points in time of the process depicted in Matt. 28:1; Mark 16:2; and Luke 24:1. Matthew’s Gospel explains that the stone had been “rolled back” by “an angel of the Lord” (Matt. 28:2).
    2 So she ran and went to 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.”
    Peter ... the other disciple. Peter and John.
    we do not know. “We” implies that several women were there, as recorded by the other gospels. They were the same women who stood at the foot of the cross, perhaps with the exception of Mary, Jesus’ mother, who is not mentioned (Mark 16:1; Luke 24:10).
    They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him. Neither Mary nor the disciples were expecting the resurrection, in spite of what Jesus had told them (cf. v. 9).
    3 So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. 4 Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.
    Peter and John, perplexed by Mary’s report, start out at once toward the tomb. John is outdistancing Peter and therefore arrives at the tomb first.
    John gives us much credible detail to the fact of Jesus resurrection, as we see in vs. 5-7…
    5 And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in.
    stooping to look in. Apparently by now there is enough daylight to see inside the burial chamber through the small, low opening in the cave tomb.
    he saw the linen cloths. Having outrun Peter, John takes the first cursory look and sees that only the burial clothes are there,
    but he did not go in. but caution or reverence holds him back from entering the tomb.
    6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there,
    The linen cloths lying there are clear evidence that Jesus’ body had not been taken by grave robbers (cf. Matt. 28:11–15) or by his disciples attempting to steal the body (cf. Matt. 27:62–66) or by his enemies, who would not have taken the time to remove these cloths (see John 19:40). Most likely Jesus unwrapped these cloths from his body when he awakened from death and left them behind.
    7 and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself.
    the linen clothes ... and the face cloth. A closer inspection shows Peter and John that the grave clothes are in good order. If someone has violated the tomb and removed the corpse, the linen cloths, if left behind at all, would not be so well arranged, and the face cloth would not be folded.
    8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed;
    he saw and believed. Earlier when they saw Jesus’ signs, His disciples responded by believing in Him (2:11), and His resurrection would cause them to believe both the Scripture and Jesus’ word (2:22). But the comment we shall see in v. 9, showed that they did not understand Scripture’s prediction of Christ’s resurrection, but suggests in the context that at this point John simply believed Mary’s report that Jesus’ body had been removed from the tomb.
    Remember, according to Luke 24:11, 12, the women’s report of seeing angels seemed to the (male) apostles “an idle tale,” and Peter’s trip to the empty tomb left him marveling.
    9 for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went back to their homes.
    they did not understand the Scripture. Later, as a result of Jesus’ instruction, they understood His resurrection as a necessary fulfillment of prophecy (Luke 24:26, 27, 44–47; Acts 2:25–32; 13:35–37). Clearly, the disciples did not expect a resurrection, nor did they try to invent one in order to fit their own religious views. Even when Jesus appeared to them in person, He had to overcome their doubts (Matt. 28:17; Luke 24:38–43) through “many proofs” (Acts 1:3), including an invitation to touch His wounds (20:25–28).
    So not only were Mary, Peter, and John involved in Witnessing the Empty Tomb (1-10), but Mary has the first privilege of…

    II. Meeting the Living Lord (11-16)

    11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. 12 And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet.
    Mary (Magdalene, cf. 1, 18) saw two angels in white. Angels often appeared in pairs (e.g., Acts 1:10) and are often depicted as clad in white (cf. Ezek. 9:2; Dan. 10:5–6; Rev. 15:6).
    two angels in white. Matt. 28:2 records “an angel”; Mark 16:5 “a young man”; and Luke 24:4 “two men” (called “a vision of angels” in Luke 24:23). There is no necessary contradiction since the angels must have appeared in human form and only one of them may be singled out in Matthew and Mark, perhaps because he was the speaker. Moreover, it seems that this appearance to Mary first of angels and then of Jesus Himself came later in the morning than the angel’s announcement to Mary and the other women recorded in the Synoptic Gospels, since she remained alone at the tomb after Peter and John had left it. Her sorrow and confusion persisted, despite angelic words of assurance and comfort, demonstrating once again, how utterly unexpected Jesus’ resurrection was to those who loved Him.
    one at the head and one at the feet. This placement of the angels on either end of the stone platform on which Jesus’ body had lain visually suggests the two cherubim on the ark of the covenant, their wings overshadowing the mercy seat (Ex. 25:17–22). This is another expression that Jesus is God and has come out of the Holy of Holies to reveal Himself to the world.
    13 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.”
    “Woman, why are you weeping?” - Implied in the question which the angels ask is a message: “This is the time for joy, not for weeping.”
    “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” - One might also render this, “My Lord has been taken away,” etc. Note: Mary still speaks of Jesus as her Lord (see on 20:2). Oh, if she only knew where the body was, she could carry out the purpose for which she had come to the tomb. Besides, just to be near him — even if it means no more than being near his dead body — will give a measure of satisfaction.
    Note: In all of Jesus teaching and miraculous ministry, as he displayed before His followers the transcendence of God, this is, things said and done that were outside the normals of life, the disciples and the women still could not get beyond the physical, tangible, normals of life.
    14 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus.
    she ... saw Jesus standing. Matthew reveals that Jesus has already appeared once to the group of women on their way to Jerusalem to tell the news about the empty tomb (Matt. 28:8–10).
    but she did not know that it was Jesus. Often, Jesus was not immediately recognized after His resurrection (v. 20; 21:4). On some occasions, this may have been due to skepticism or grief. In Luke it is sometimes due to supernatural hindrance (Luke 24:16, 31). In addition, the resurrection has involved some sort of change in appearance (1 Cor. 15:35–49), although He still bore the wounds inflicted on the cross.
    15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.”
    Woman, why are you weeping? - Again Mary hears the same question as was asked her by the angels. The question was most timely and appropriate, for surely this was not the proper time for weeping!
    The Stranger adds, Whom are you seeking? Notice He says whom, not what. Although in her reply to the angels Mary had spoken about her Lord, she had not been looking for him but for his corpse. She had been looking for something, not for someone. When the One who addresses Mary now asks, “For whom are you looking,” he is beginning to turn her thoughts in another and better direction. She must begin to look for a person, not a thing.
    Supposing him to be the gardener - Why did Mary think that this person who addressed her was the man who took care of Joseph’s garden? We answer:
    Because, due to her unbelief, she was not looking for the resurrected Savior.
    Perhaps, because Jesus looked different than before (see Mark 16:12; cf. 9:3). Yet, the fact that she took him to be the gardener proves that he had the common human form.
    Because in the garden she expected to see a gardener or care-taker.
    16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher).
    Jesus said to her, “Mary.” Hearing only her name, Mary recognizes the voice of Jesus. As Jesus had taught prior to his crucifixion, “He calls his own sheep by name… and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice” (10:3–4).
    Rabboni. The voice of Jesus calling “Mary” has revealed clearly who He is. “Rabboni” is a lengthened form of “Rabbi,” occurring one other time in the NT (Mark 10:51). Its etymology yields the sense, “my great one,” but John rightly interprets its functional meaning as “Teacher.”
    So as a result of this revelation, she will take this new reality and begin…

    III. Proclaiming the Risen Redeemer (17-18)

    17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ”
    Do not cling to me. There is no impropriety in touching Jesus’ resurrection body, and the continuous aspect of the Gk. imperative here implies that Mary is touching Jesus, perhaps clinging to His feet in reverence. In v. 27 Jesus invites, even commands, Thomas to touch Him (cf. Matt. 28:9). Jesus reminds Mary that He is not merely recovered but resurrected. She need not “cling to” Jesus as an earthly being who has been resuscitated; rather, she should recognize Him as One whose resurrection marks Him as Lord and Christ, who is soon to ascend to His Father’s right hand in heaven (Ps. 110:1; Acts 2:32–35).
    The kind of relationship with Him that has been enjoyed by His friends up to now cannot continue unchanged. There is a continuing intimacy, to be sure, but not of the former kind (John 14:16–20).
    John 14:16–20 ESV
    16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. 18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.
    my brothers. Jesus’ disciples; the same language is used in Matt. 28:10. See Matt. 25:40.
    my Father and your Father, to my God and your God. Jesus distinguishes pointedly His unique, divine sonship from the sonship of the disciples. Jesus’ relation to God the Father is different from that of redeemed humans; He is the Lord from heaven (1:18; 3:13, 31). Yet through His redemptive mission, believers enter into a son-Father relationship with God that is dependent on and in some sense analogous to His (1:12; Matt. 6:9; Gal. 3:26; 4:4–6).
    18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.
    Mary Magdalene ... announced to the disciples. As in Matt. 28:9, a woman (whose testimony was considered unreliable in Jewish culture) is the first eyewitness to see the risen Lord. The Christ who humbled Himself reaches out and welcomes those whom others marginalize. This detail also demonstrates that the Gospels’ reports of Jesus’ resurrection appearances are sober history, not products of human imagination. No inventor of a fictional account would damage its credibility by basing its claims on the experiences and words of women if said women had not been witnesses to the event.

    So What?

    Do we understand that the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the stamp of God the Father’s approval of the atoning work of His Son?
    Romans 4:25 ESV
    25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.
    Do we further understand that because of Christ’s resurrection, the stamp of God the Father’s approval is also for us, His people that will be resurrected in like manner?
    2 Corinthians 4:14 ESV
    14 knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence.
    Do we understand that it is the resurrection of Christ’s that gives us a perspective beyond our physical circumstances?
    Mary and the disciples saw only the empty tomb and assumed that the physical circumstances of that empty tomb meant that someone stole the body of Jesus.
    We must look beyond our pain and trying circumstances to the risen Christ which is the game changer in all the realities of life, and points to the hope of eternity.
    Do we understand that it is a responsibility and privilege to testify of our risen Lord to a lost and dying world?

      • John 20:1–18ESV

      • John 20:1–10ESV

      • John 20:11–16ESV

      • John 20:17ESV

      • John 14:16–20ESV

      • John 20:18ESV

      • Romans 4:25ESV

      • 2 Corinthians 4:14ESV

  • There Is A Redeemer
New Life Bible Fellowship Church
dick.bickings@gmail.com
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https://newlifebfcde.org
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