Now on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came early to the tomb, while it was still dark, and saw the stone already taken away from the tomb. So she ran and came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.” So Peter and the other disciple went forth, and they were going to the tomb. And the two were running together; and the other disciple ran ahead faster than Peter and came to the tomb first; and stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings lying there; but he did not go in. And so Simon Peter also came, following him, and entered the tomb; and he saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the face-cloth which had been on His head, not lying with the linen wrappings, but folded up in a place by itself. So the other disciple who had first come to the tomb then also entered, and he saw and believed. For as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. So the disciples went away again to where they were staying. But Mary was standing outside the tomb crying; and so, as she was crying, she stooped to look into the tomb;
John 20:1-11
Introduction
The culmination of the gospel record and the central issue of the Christian faith lies in the resurrection. Few if any secular historians will dispute the existence of Jesus, His ministry, or His death under Pontius Pilate. Where the facts compel a paradigm shift, however, is in the resurrection.
That is because someone can believe a religious leader lived in first century Judea without impacting his worldview. Someone can believe that person taught good things, lived a good life, and died a horrific death without impacting his worldview. But the moment that religious leader claims to be the Son of God and raises from the dead, everything changes.
1 Corinthians 15 is known as the “resurrection chapter” among Paul’s letters. In it, Paul says, “if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain” (verse 14) The Christian faith hinges on the veracity of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Without it, He was just another religious leader who made bold but unsubstantiated claims about Himself. With it, though, faith is a requirement along with all that goes with that faith, namely: obedience.
Expectation and belief
It is an interesting thing to see the contrast between Mary Magdalene’s reaction and Peter and John’s response upon seeing the empty tomb. When Mary comes to visit after the Sabbath, she notices the stone has been rolled away. Seeing this, she immediately concludes, someone has “taken away the Lord out of the tomb.” She believes there has been a conspiracy to steal His body, and that He must still be dead.
Peter and John, rather, hear her report and race to the tomb to see from themselves. Peter enters the tomb and witnesses empty linens folded neatly and void of a body. John quickly follows, and they conclude something radically different. John himself, identified as “the other disciple” says he, “saw and believed.” Peter and John learned at the feet of Jesus throughout His ministry. They knew the prophets, and they knew Jesus to be the Christ.
Even though they did not fully understand the scriptures which foretold of His resurrection, they still believed Him. And this is the heart of the difference between their response and Mary’s. Mary was in despair at what she saw, staying by the tomb and crying. Peter and John left to go by the other disciples. They had not lost heart.
What do you do with your faith?
The response to their conclusions is also something worth noticing. Mary Magdalene, in her grief, wept outside the tomb and mourned the loss of her teacher and savior (Luke 8:2). Peter and John returned to where they had been staying, a place with the other disciples. As we will see, when Jesus appeared before the disciples in that house, none were shocked, scared, or surprised. That is likely because of the testimony of their fellow disciples who had witnessed the empty tomb.
When you receive the good news of Jesus’ resurrection, the natural response is to tell others. This is a phenomenon you see frequently in new believers: an urgency to tell the gospel to everyone they know. But beaten down by the world with rejection after rejection of this good news from those the believer loves most has a tendency to introduce timidity to the believer’s heart.
If that has happened in your life, recognize it and do not allow another’s rejection of the gospel to tarnish your witness. Christ has done a marvelous thing in your life, and it is a story worth telling to all who will hear.
May the Lord bless you and conform you into the image of His Son.
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