“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 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 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 first. And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. 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. But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. 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.’ Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 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.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Mary.’ She turned and said to him in Aramaic, ‘Rabboni!’ (which means Teacher). 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.”’ Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, ‘I have seen the Lord’—and that he had said these things to her.”

There’s a lyric from the worship song “Living Hope” that really struck me the first time I heard it, and does again each time I listen to that song.

“Then came the morning that sealed the promise – Your buried body began to breathe –
Out of the silence, the Roaring Lion – Declared the grave has no claim on me”

The truth of Jesus’ death on the cross was always firm in my mind – He wasn’t laid in the tomb sleeping, or sedated, or comatose, He yielded His Spirit on the cross and shouldered the weight of death in its entirety. The truth of Jesus’ resurrection was firm in my mind as well, I understood that He took up His life again, that He overcame death and sealed our salvation. But the reason the song lyrics punched like they did is that they made me contemplate this moment that Jesus returned to life in a very real and practical way. We see the event of Jesus’ death on the cross – Matthew 27:50, Mark 15:37, Luke 23:46, and John 19:30 all show us the moment that Jesus passed from life into death. But I had never really wrapped my mind around that within the tomb this moment occurred in reverse. Jesus lay there, dressed for burial, cold in the earth, and the darkness of the world rejoiced. And then Jesus drew breath. Genesis 2:7 says,

“then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.”

Ezekiel 37 tells of Ezekiel’s vision in the Spirit, of God’s command to give life to a valley filled with dry and lifeless bones. As he prophesies under the Lord’s command, the bones rattle and connect into skeletons, and are covered with muscle, and sinew, and flesh. Ezekiel 37:9–14 says,

“Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord GOD: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live.’ So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army. Then he said to me, ‘Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, “Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.” Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the LORD.”

Jesus laid down His life, and He takes it up again, because He as the Son of Man has been given all authority from the Father. What we can see in Jesus’ victory, in this moment when He passes from death into life, is that death has been broken. This curse we brought upon ourselves as the wages of our sin has been undone, and we have been delivered. Delivered from slavery, from punishment, from the second death, and the fire of hell and separation. Delivered to our Father, to the kingdom of God – into eternity.

The Resurrection of the Eternal King

“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 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 Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb.”

1.  Eternal Triumph of the Eternal King

It was Friday when Jesus was crucified, when He died on the cross and was laid in His tomb before the day had finished. The sun set on the day of Preparation, and Saturday, the Sabbath passed, with the followers of Jesus observing the day of rest in quiet mourning. It is now Sunday, and as the sun rises on the first day of the week, while the hilly landscape is still mostly dark, Mary Magdalene, in the company of the other women, makes her way to the tomb of Jesus. There are things around the event of the resurrection that are recorded in Matthew, Mark, and Luke that John doesn’t address, or else we see them unfold in a somewhat different order across the gospels. It’s important to remember that the gospels tell the same story, but not from the same perspective. Each writer was blessed with a unique vantage point, sometimes overlapping with the writings of their brothers, other times telling occurrences or angles entirely unique to their account. While John has overlapped in some instances, he largely addresses events or certain details of events that weren’t present in the earlier gospels. Matthew tells us that with an earthquake, an angel of the Lord descended and rolled the stone away from the entrance of the tomb, and that this angel told the women of the good news that Jesus was raised from the dead. Taking the information that John has provided, it seems that before seeing or hearing from the angel, as soon as she beheld the open mouth of the tomb, Mary Magdalene ran to tell Peter and John. While there are some slight variations in the delivery and response, Luke’s gospel parallels with this, showing Peter responding to the news of the women and running to the tomb. Mary has no knowledge of the resurrection, and is distraught to report the news that Jesus’ grave has been opened. She says “they” have taken Him, which is appropriately non-specific. Is this the work of the Romans? Of the Sanhedrin? Or is it graverobbers who have opened the tomb? Each of these possibilities are disturbing in their own unique ways, but regardless, the idea that the grave of Jesus has been opened and His body moved is greatly troubling, and Peter and John rush to the tomb.

“Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb.”

There are a fair number of internet memes that humorize the race to the tomb, essentially making the joke that John took this opportunity in writing his gospel to slip in that he outran Peter. At a glance it may not seem obvious as to why John included this information, but this actually accomplishes several things. First, we can establish that, given that John writes with such humility that he doesn’t explicitly give his own name in his gospel account, he’s not using this as an opportunity to brag about outrunning Peter. By telling us that he arrived first, John is giving an eyewitness account, reporting things as he found them, independent of anyone else. Though he didn’t enter the tomb, he saw the burial dressings of Jesus lying there, and that the tomb was empty. John waiting and allowing Peter to enter first shows a sense of respect to Peter’s position among the disciples, and two men examining the tomb together leans on the Old Testament precedent of establishing credibility on the basis of two witnesses.

“He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. 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.”

Jesus was crucified as the sacrificial Lamb of God, but in His resurrection, we see Him as the Triumphant Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the One who holds the scepter, who has been given all authority. We can see affirmation in the completion of His victory in the linen cloths left lying in His tomb.

Romans 6:9–10 says,

“We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God.”

Jesus performed three recorded resurrections over the course of His ministry. The son of a widow in Luke 7; The daughter of Jairus, the synagogue leader, in Matthew 9, Mark 5, and Luke 8; and, most notably, His friend Lazarus after he had been dead for four days, in John 11. All of these were miracles, but they were earthly bodies raised back to earthly life. Jesus’ resurrection is something greater than this, and we can see this by comparing His resurrection to Lazarus’. John 11:41–44 says,

“So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, ‘Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.’ 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 is called back to life, but we see him emerge from the tomb still dressed for burial. He was called out of death, but he had to be freed from the linens that bound his hands and feet, and the cover that obscured his vision and blocked his speech. Jesus was not limited in this way. He said in John 10:17–18,

“For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 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.”

Jesus was not raised to life by an outside force, but raised Himself. He removed His own coverings, and showing the perfect control that we’ve seen Him display again and again, He set aside the shroud of death, folding, or some translations say rolling up His face covering, and setting it notably to the side. Peter and John see this, and believe that Jesus has been raised, though we also see that there’s still a disconnect. While the men understand that this is not the work of graverobbers, that it was Jesus who removed the wrappings and set the face covering aside, they have not received the divine revelation of the Holy Spirit to understand the Scriptural fulfillment, to grasp the true resurrection that Jesus has taken up. We see Jesus explain His victory, His eternal triumph, as He speaks to a terrified John in Revelation 1:17–18,

“When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.”

True victory, perfect and everlasting, Jesus laid down His life, and has now taken it up, the King of kings and Lord of lords, triumphant forever.

2. Eternal Comfort of the Eternal King

“But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. 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.’

While Peter and John have returned to their homes, Mary has followed after them and is still in the throes of her sorrow and distress. In Matthew, Mark, and Luke we see that the response to the angels at the tomb is consistently fear and alarm, but Mary doesn’t show this. While it’s possible that their angelic radiance was hidden, as with the angels who came to Lot in Sodom, this doesn’t quite fit, as they are described as dressed in white, the same as the angels in the three synoptic gospels who earned such intense responses. Looking at the context, it would seem that her anguish is so great, she doesn’t quite take in what she’s seeing, that her weeping has blinded her. She answers the questions of the angels, but she doesn’t receive the message of the resurrection from them as others have, turning to leave.

“Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?’”

It’s interesting to see that the angels, who are the messengers of God, and Jesus, who is the manifested Word of God, both ask the same question of Mary – a question they already know the answer to, in regard to her weeping. Jesus draws her out with a second question, which is reminiscent of what He asked His first disciples.

“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.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Mary.’ She turned and said to him in Aramaic, ‘Rabboni!’ (which means Teacher).”

John 5:2–9 tells the story of a crippled man healed on the Sabbath,

“Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. In these lay a multitude of invalids—blind, lame, and paralyzed. One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, ‘Do you want to be healed?’ The sick man answered him, ‘Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Get up, take up your bed, and walk.’ And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked. Now that day was the Sabbath.”

When Jesus asked this man if he wanted to be healed, what He received were excuses. Now, this man was obviously suffering and had been for a long time, and Jesus took compassion on him, but the story doesn’t paint him in a particularly positive light, and we see no gratitude from him or loyalty toward Jesus. When Jesus asks Mary who she is seeking, her desperation to care for the body of Jesus is so great, her commitment is so intense that she offers up more than she’s able to give. While I don’t want to underestimate her, the idea that this woman could singlehandedly transport the body of a grown man seems excessive. But if it will return Jesus into safe custody, it’s a responsibility she’s willing to shoulder alone, whether she’s up to the task or not. Psalm 34:18 says,

“The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.”

And Psalm 147:3 tells us,

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”

With one word, Jesus reaches out to comfort her. With one word, He offers her the peace and assurance that only the Lord can provide. Isaiah 43:1 says,

“But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.’”

And Jesus says in John 10:3,

“To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.”

Just in speaking her name, Jesus tells Mary who He is, and as He told His disciples in the upper room before going to Gethsemane, her sorrow is turned to joy. In His voice is the love and assurance of the God of all comfort – a comfort that endures to eternity.

3. Eternal Promise of the Eternal King

“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.”’ Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, ‘I have seen the Lord’—and that he had said these things to her.”

This points back to what Jesus said in John 9:4–5,

“We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

While Mary doesn’t know the exact timeline, Jesus’ ascension has not yet arrived, though it is close at hand. As she clings to Him, overjoyed at His resurrection, He reminds her He has not yet departed, and gives her a message to relay – a wonderful message, for the disciples, and for all who know Christ as their Lord and Savior. “Go to my brothers,” Jesus says. In the upper room He called them friends, but now He calls them brothers. Go and relay the message, “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” This shows a fulfilment of what Jesus said in John 16:14–15,
“He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”

As well as foreshadowing Paul’s words in Romans 8:16–17,

“The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”

When Jesus lay without life in the grave, and He drew breath, and took His life up again, He took up life for all who come to Him. He gave the breath of life to we who were dead and buried in our sin, and the promise in Him we might be the children of God, and spend eternity in His presence. His glory is eternal, He is risen indeed.

Pastor Chris’ sermon: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUJKS03_F-4