“Dateline Jerusalem – On the evening of the annual
celebration of the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, the nearly one million
inhabitants of this city were shocked by the announcement that a body,
identified as that of Jesus, was discovered in a long-neglected tomb just
outside the city limits. Rumors had been circulating that a very important
discovery was about to be announced. The news, however, far outstrips all of
our wildest guesses. The initial reaction of Christians here and around the
world has been one of astonishment, bewilderment, and defensive disbelief. We
will just have to wait to see what effect this discovery will have on the 2000-year-old
religion. To the mind of this writer it appears that Christianity will have to
take its place on the same level with the other religions of the world. No
longer can its followers claim that unlike other religions, the tomb of its
founder is empty. Evidently a 2000-year-old hoax has come to an end.”
In writing to the Corinthians Christians, Paul states that
if the above news report is true, your faith in Jesus Christ is worthless and you
are still under the curse of your sin. What’s more, he says, that you are among
all people most to be pitied, because you’ve staked your life on a lie.
However, the above report is a fantasy. It’s never been true and the question
for every one of us is: have you yet grasped the everlasting consequence of the
resurrection of Jesus for your life?
Now none of us can answer that question with a definitive
yes, because the consequences of the resurrection far exceed anything that you
and I can ever fathom in this life. That’s why every Easter season I can admit
to seeing more in the resurrection than I’ve ever seen before. How about you?
This Sunday in a five point sermon entitled “Of Stones and Men" we will seek to see more than we have ever seen before. And if we do, you
can file that under “spiritual growth”.
Fortunately we have John, the Gospel writer, to help us. More
than any of the other three John elucidates the power and consequences of
Easter. In preparation for this Sunday you may wish to consider the following:
- In terms of ink, how much more does John tell us than Matthew, Mark, and Luke?
- Why is he so effusive?
- Why does Jesus’ body need to come down from the cross before sundown? (See John 19:42)
- Who is this Mary in verse 1, and what is her significance in the story?
- In verses 5-8 we see three uses of the word saw. Do they mean the same thing?
- What does Peter’s seeing in verses 6-7 tell us about the resurrection?
- If Peter and John went back to their homes in verse 10, why did Mary stay?
- How important are the angels to John?
- What does Jesus mean by his three statements to Mary?
- What is the good news for us in verse 17?
