John 20:1-18 The Power of Easter: Power Over the Grave
Courtroom Follies
Here are some actual questions asked by lawyers in real-life courtroom proceedings:
- Now doctor, isn’t true that when a person dies in his sleep, he doesn’t know about it until the next morning?
- The youngest son, the twenty-year-old, how old is he?
- Were you present when your picture was taken?
Here are some real exchanges between lawyer and witness:
Is your appearance here this morning pursuant to a deposition notice which I sent to your attorney?
No, this is how I dress when I go to work.
All your responses must be oral, okay? What school did you go to?
Oral.
And then, there’s this classic exchange:
Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?
No.
Did you check for blood pressure?
No.
Did you check for breathing?
No.
So then, is it possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy?
No.
How can you be so sure, doctor?
Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.
But could the patient have still been alive nevertheless?
It is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law somewhere.
(found in Mark Buchanan, The Holy Wild, 189-190)
Is it possible…
Today is Easter. Today we read the story of a man who was crucified and then came back to life. The story in the Bible tells us that Jesus was beaten, tortured, hung up to die, run through with a spear, and laid dead in the grave; but three days later Mary Magdalene found the grave empty, Peter and John saw the abandoned grave-clothes, and Jesus actually appeared to and spoke with Mary outside the empty tomb. The Bible tells us that Jesus was resurrected. He is alive.
And we have to ask: Is it possible? Is it possible that Jesus really defeated death? Can the story of Easter really be true?
The Lynchpin of Christianity
The resurrection of Jesus from the dead is the single biggest, most essential, and most outrageous belief in Christianity.
We know—know in a deep-down-in-our-bones sort of conviction, know from the depths of our experience and observation, know through the cold-hard facts of science—that dead people stay dead. None of you has ever met somebody who was good and truly dead—buried in the ground dead—who came back to life. There’s nobody like that walking around on earth today. It’s outrageous. It doesn’t happen. To claim that Jesus is alive is to strain all credibility.
And yet, everything about Christianity hangs on the claim that “on the third day, He rose again from the dead.” Theologian Gerald O’Collins put it this way: “In a profound sense, Christianity without the resurrection is not simply Christianity without its final chapter. It is not Christianity at all.”
Lee Strobel was a journalist and lawyer who was skeptical of Christianity. His wife began attending church and he was so annoyed that he decided to use his skills as an investigative journalist to prove to her that Christianity was based on made up facts. He interviewed experts in history, forensics, law and religion in an effort to show the story of Jesus was all a myth. But in the end, he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t overcome the overwhelming evidence that Jesus really did rise from the dead. He ended up becoming a Christian himself and writing a book called The Case for Christ. He says: “The Resurrection is the supreme vindication of Jesus’ divine identity and his inspired teaching. It’s the proof of his triumph over sin and death. It’s the foreshadowing of the resurrection of his followers. It’s the basis of Christian hope. It’s the miracle of all miracles.” (The Case for Christ, p. 276)
The Resurrection is the lynchpin of the Christian faith. Take away Jesus’ victory over death, and there is literally nothing left to believe in. There’s no sense in being a Christian if Jesus is still dead. As the Apostle Paul puts it in 1 Corinthians 15:17: “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.”
Everything rides on the resurrection. If Jesus did not physically get up and walk out of his grave, then everything we do as Christians is just a big joke. Jesus might have taught us some nice things about loving our neighbors… and it might be heartwarming for us to gather here once a week to sing some songs and encourage one another…but it’s really a waste of time. Because if Jesus isn’t alive then His death on the cross was meaningless; we’ve got nobody to pray to; and there is no hope for any of us once our own deaths come.
It all rides on the resurrection.
And so, we have to ask: is it possible? Is it possible that the story Merrie just read is true? Is it possible that Jesus rose from the dead?
And I’d like to suggest this morning that not only is it possible, it’s the only way to explain the evidence.
So this morning, I’d like us to consider the evidence. We’ll have our own court case, if you will, and we’ll decide if we can believe in Jesus’ resurrection. There are three lines of investigation for us to explore: the medical evidence, the empty-tomb, and the eyewitnesses.
The Medical Evidence
First, let’s consider the medical evidence. One possible explanation of the story in John 20 is to say that Jesus never really died. That when He was placed in His tomb, He was really still alive, and thus what occurred was not a resurrection but a resuscitation.
That’s the position taken by the Islamic holy book the Koran. Many Muslims believe that Jesus survived the cross and fled to India. More recent books—such as a 1929 short story by D.H. Lawrence and a 1982 called Holy Blood, Holy Grail—have revived this so-called “swoon theory”. Lawrence suggests that Jesus fled to Egypt and married the priestess Isis. The other book suggests that Pontius Pilate was bribed to allow Jesus to be taken down from the cross before he was dead.
There are a multitude of problems with the idea that Jesus never really died on the cross, though, not the least of which is that Jesus was crucified by professional Roman Soldiers who were very good at what they did. I described a couple of weeks ago what someone hung on a cross went through, and I’m not going to repeat all that today, but suffice it to say it was an agony that was very hard on the human body.
John 19:33-34 tells us that when the soldiers went to check on Jesus on the cross they found him already dead—admittedly earlier than they expected—but just to make sure they ran a spear up into his side all the way to the heart. Even if he hadn’t been flogged, tortured and hung up to die, this spear thrust alone would have been enough to kill Him.
Moreover, Roman Soldiers who failed to carry out their duty were subject to their own execution. So these soldiers had every motivation to make sure Jesus was good and truly dead.
Honestly, knowing what we know about crucifixion, the idea that Jesus did not die on the cross would be an even greater miracle than His coming back from the dead.
I heard a story about a Sunday School teacher who had just finished telling her third graders about how Jesus was crucified and placed in the tomb. She asked: "What do you think were Jesus’ first words when He came bursting out of that tomb alive?" A hand shot up into the air from the rear of the classroom and a little girl shouted out excitedly "I know, I know!" "Good" said the teacher, "Tell us, what were Jesus’ first words?" And extending her arms high into the air she said: "TA-DA!"
Truly, for Jesus not to die, it would have been some sort of magic trick. An illusion. And any theory that presents Jesus as a hoaxster does not fit very well with what we know of his character.
But there is still one more, even greater problem with this theory. Even if we concede the idea that Jesus may have been alive when He was placed in the grave, it still doesn’t explain how he was able to move the stone, overpower the guards stationed there, and then appear to so many; all in a terribly weakened state and with no medical attention.
Doctor Alexander Metherell says:
How could he walk around after nails had been driven through his feet? How could he have appeared on the road to Emmaus just a short time later, strolling for long distances? How could he have used his arms after they were stretched and pulled from their joints? Remember, he also had massive wounds on his back and a spear wound to his chest…
A person in that kind of pathetic condition would never have inspired his disciples to go out and proclaim that he’s the Lord of life who had triumphed over the grave…After suffering that horrible abuse, with all the catastrophic blood loss and trauma, he would have looked so pitiful that the disciples would never have hailed him as a victorious conqueror of death; they would have felt sorry for him and tried to nurse him back to health.
So it’s preposterous to think that if he had appeared to them in that awful state, his followers would have been prompted to start a worldwide movement based on the hope that someday they too would have a resurrection body like his. There is just no way. (Strobel, pg. 270-271)
All the evidence points to Jesus being good and truly dead. So if He was up and walking around after the crucifixion, it must have been a resurrection.
The Empty Tomb
Second, let’s consider the empty tomb. Crucial to the story in John 20 is that Mary finds the stone rolled away and Simon Peter and John find the tomb empty. If we believe Jesus was dead, the question becomes, where did He go?
Today, the precise location of Jesus' tomb is a matter of some debate. In the days of the Roman Emperor Constantine a shrine was built around what is the traditional site inside the walls of Jerusalem. Today, it is the ground floor of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
But in 1885 a Christian man named General Gordon uncovered a tomb in a Garden north of Jerusalem. I showed you a picture of this a few weeks ago, if you squint, the openings in the hill look like a skull. For centuries, this tomb had been hidden beneath piles of rubbish twenty feet high. Its physical appearance matches well the description given of Jesus' tomb in the Gospels: a cave covered by a disc shaped stone set into a groove before the entrance, a small opening into the tomb itself which forced people to enter one at a time, and stone benches carved into the sides of the walls for interment.
Now, of course, it may be that neither of these sites is the actual tomb into which Christ was laid. The passage of time and competing claims make certainty difficult to achieve. But this much is certain: when the dust and the debris found within Gordon's Calvary were collected and shipped to the Scientific Association of Great Britain, the results were the same as the tests conducted on the tomb at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher--no trace of human remains.
If either of these is the place where Christ was laid, then His tomb remains empty.
I realize that this doesn’t really prove anything. Just as, if we found a tomb that we could definitively identify as belonging to Jesus and then found human remains in it that wouldn’t necessarily disprove the resurrection either. It’s always possible that Jesus’ tomb could have been used for later burials.
But consider this historic fact: in the weeks and months after Jesus was crucified, people in and around Jerusalem began to proclaim that He was alive. There were many in Jerusalem—the Romans and the Jewish Religious Authorities—who had no interest in seeing a growing movement of Jesus followers. The location of Jesus’ tomb was no secret at that time. It would have been a small matter to go to the tomb, present the body, and end the movement right there.
But it never happened. Jesus’ body was never produced, and that speaks volumes for the resurrection.
The obvious explanation is that the disciples took Jesus’ body and hid it in order to make up the story of the resurrection. These men loved Jesus and had given the last three years of their lives to the conviction that He was Israel's greatest hope. Maybe after His tragic death they would have been tempted to create the story of Jesus being alive in order to continue His teaching.
But in the long run, this theory simply does not play out either. None of the disciples became wealthy from their proclamation of the resurrection. In fact, it brought them a great deal of worldly trouble and persecution. Of the eleven original apostles after Judas, as near as we can determine, all but John were executed because they refused to deny the resurrection. And even John suffered torture and exile. It is incomprehensible that these men would have been willing to die for something they knew to be a lie.
The theory that the disciples stole Jesus' body simply does not hold water.
And so the empty tomb needs to be explained. As hard as it is to believe, only a resurrection makes sense.
Eyewitnesses
Then, third, consider the eyewitnesses. After Peter and John examine the empty tomb, Mary Magdalene hangs around and has an encounter with Jesus. Later that same day Jesus appears to the disciples walking to Emmaus and to the disciples gathered in the upper room. Still later, according to 1 Corinthians 15, He appears to a gathering of over 500 people.
It’s one thing for a tomb to be empty, but another for the recently deceased to walk around and talk to people. Dead people don’t normally do that.
All of these people were available to give testimony to what they saw, and as I just noted, many died for that testimony.
Perhaps the most notable part of the story, though, is that a woman plays such a central part in it. If the disciples were intentionally creating a hoax, it is highly improbable that they would have told a story in which a woman was the first to meet Jesus. This isn't meant to be a chauvinistic comment; it’s just an acknowledgement of the culture in Jesus' day.
At that time women were considered incurable tale-bearers. They were not allowed to testify in a court of law because it was widely believed that they were not trustworthy. Add to that the fact that Mary Magdalene was a former demoniac (Luke 8:2), and it simply doesn't make sense that the disciples would have her play such a central role in their lie. If you’re going to make up a story, then you can have anybody you want be the first person to see Jesus. Why would you choose someone most of that culture would not be likely to believe?
The only reasonable explanation for why Mary Magdalene is reported as the first witness of the Risen Lord is because that is how it happened.
More than that, some sort of explanation is needed for the remarkable transformation of the disciples from the cowering group that abandoned Jesus at his arrest into the leaders of what would be the world’s biggest religion. J. Gresham Machen, a Bible scholar of some note about 100 years ago, wrote:
In the early part of the first century, in one of the petty principalities subject to Rome, there lived an interesting man. Until the age of thirty years He led an obscure life in a Galilean family, then began a course of religious and ethical teaching accompanied by a remarkable ministry of healing. At first His preaching was crowned with a measure of success, but soon the crowds deserted Him, and after three or four years, he fell victim in Jerusalem to the jealousy of His countrymen and the cowardice of the Roman governor. His few faithful disciples were utterly disheartened; His shameful death was the end of all their high ambitions. After a few days, however, an astonishing thing happened. It is the most astonishing thing in history. Those same disheartened men suddenly displayed a remarkable activity. They began preaching, with remarkable success, in Jerusalem, the very scene of their disgrace. In a few years, the religion that they preached burst the bands of Judaism, and planted itself in the great centers of the Graeco-Roman world. At first despised, then persecuted, it overcame all obstacles; in less than three hundred years it became the dominant religion of the Empire; and it has exerted an incalculable influence upon the modern world.
What, besides the resurrection of Jesus which they proclaimed, can explain such a dramatic turnaround in these men?
You Have to Decide
So there’s the evidence. Jesus was undoubtedly dead. His tomb was empty. And if the disciples were making up a story, they chose an odd way to go about.
None of the alternative explanations make sense. Only one verdict fits. As hard as it is to believe, Jesus Christ rose from the dead. He died. He was buried. And then He defeated the grave.
For my part, I grew up in a Christian home. I’ve known the Bible stories from birth. I’ve been attending worship services for nearly every Sunday I’ve been alive.
But I’m also intellectually curious. I read a lot. I’ve got a college and post-college degree.
And I can honestly say that I am a Christian today not because I was raised in it, not because that’s what my parents believe, but because I’ve investigated the facts surrounding Jesus’ death and his empty tomb and I can find no other reasonable explanation for what happened then that Jesus was resurrected from the dead. It’s the only way to make sense of the evidence.
If I didn’t believe He rose again, I wouldn’t be a Christian. But because it appears that He did rise again, I don’t see any other alternative but to follow Him. (Let me put it this way: if any of you dies, and I do your funeral, and I see them put you in the ground and pour the dirt on top, and then three days later you show up in my study—I’m going to do what you say. That’s just how I am.)
And so, you have to decide. How else can you explain the evidence? Why was the tomb empty? Why such a dramatic change in the disciples? What happened on that first Easter morning? You have to look into it. And you have to ask: is it possible?
This Easter morning we’re doing something a little different. We’re not the kind of church that has altar calls. I’m not the kind of preacher who’ll ask you to come forward and accept Jesus, like Billy Graham or something.
But that doesn’t mean we don’t think it is important to make a decision for Jesus. It doesn’t mean that you never have to decide. Because the evidence is all right there. The story says that Jesus rose again from the dead. And He wants you to believe in and follow Him. If He is alive, then He’s got a pretty big claim on your life.
And so, this Easter I want to give you all an opportunity to decide where you are at. It seems like today is the right day to ask you to decide.
When you came into worship this morning, you all should have received a Blue card. I want you to take those out now. It asks for your name and a phone number. I want to ask all of you to fill that out. And then you’ll see four choices—A, B, C, and D. And I want you to look at those choices and decide where you are with Jesus. And I want you to be honest as you fill it out.
Maybe you already know Jesus and believe that He is resurrected. If so, praise God for that.
Maybe today, for the first time, you have considered the evidence and you’re convinced that Jesus really did rise from the dead. If so, then maybe you’re ready to begin a relationship with Jesus today. I pray that some of you will be ready to cross that line of faith today, and there are a lot of us ready to celebrate with you.
Or maybe you’re here today because you’re considering the claims of Jesus, but you’re not completely convinced yet. It takes courage to be honest about that. But I believe if you will honestly keep looking Jesus will reveal Himself to you.
And the last option, the D option, is one that I hope is not true of anybody; but if it is honestly where you are at, then I think that’s what you should mark. If you don’t think you’ll ever be convinced that Jesus rose from the dead, then be honest about it.
I think Easter Sunday is a good day for us all to take stock of where we are with Jesus. The claim is there in the Bible. Jesus is risen from the dead. A careful look at the evidence shows that other explanations don’t make sense. And so, we have to decide where we are at.
