The Apostle Peter’s Puzzle

Prayer

Unbelievable Truth

The “Unbelievable Truth” is a radio quiz show where each contestant must talk for a few minutes on a subject, but only speak 5 truths. It’s a fascinating for me to see if I can identify the truths before the contestants. I’m not very good at it. Here’s an example: During a talk on the Middle Ages, Marcus Brigstock said that squirrels feasted on Pineapples. Would you have spotted that truth?

I didn’t, but it’s quite often the most outlandish things that are true on this quiz show.

The reason it is true, is that in Middle Ages Britain the fruit was unknown, a pineapple was what we now call a pine cone.

I don’t suppose that that revelation is going to change your life!

Truth

In today’s world, we might think that finding the truth is more difficult than it has ever been. Now we have lots more information and miss-information to sort through than we used to. Sometimes the truth needs to be worked out from the little information that we do have.

Sermon aims

As we look at these passages, I’m going to look at Peter, as he is portrayed in Luke’s gospel and Acts, to see the puzzle that he had to solve and the conclusions that he came to. On the way, I’ll look a bit at Luke’s writing too.

Luke

Luke’s history of the establishment of the Christian Church – which is in two volumes, the gospel and the Acts of the Apostles, is masterfully written. It takes us from Jesus’s birth to the establishment of the early church.

Luke knows that the core of his message is going to be unbelievable to many people, so he has presented the evidence he has very carefully, so that his document will be able to withstand the scrutiny it will undoubtedly get.

Burial

The last two verses of chapter 23 tell us:

⁵⁵ The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it. ⁵⁶ Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.

The story tells us clearly that the women knew where the tomb was, and exactly how Jesus’s body was laid in it. So, some that would later try to say that the women went to the wrong tomb would struggle to make their argument convincing.

Daybreak

The women have waited a full day, as is required by the Sabbath laws. Now, as soon as there is enough light to see, they collect the spices they had prepared and make their way to the tomb. They know exactly where they’re going and what they have to do when they get there. The first challenge will be moving the stone.

Angels

When they arrive, the stone, placed in front of the tomb, has already been moved. Worse, the body is gone. What are they to do? While they’re thinking about that, two men appear. The description of them is enough for us to judge them to be Angels. As with every appearance of Angels, the women are frightened. The Angels ask them why they are looking for the living among the dead. That must have been puzzling, what do they mean?

Then they are told that He has risen. The two men remind them of what Jesus said:

⁷ ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified, and on the third day be raised again.’ ⁸ Then they remembered his words.

Unbelievable women

Back with the eleven, they tell what they have seen and heard. I’d love to know whether they were excited, or fearful, or anything about their demeanour, but nothing is reported. In first century Palestine, women are not considered to be valid witnesses and could not give evidence in a trial. So, it’s easy to see why these young men don’t believe a word they said. Their truth is unbelievable, it seems like nonsense. For those who believed in the resurrection, it would be something that happened in the far future, at the end of time. Dead men tell no tales was as true in their minds as it is in ours.

Peter’s Response

Peter is normally impulsive, here, his attitude maybe that he will sort it out, he will go and find the tomb and the body and explain what has happened. How the others responded, beyond thinking that the women were talking nonsense, is not recorded, perhaps they just left it at that. That’s at least one of the reasons that Peter was chosen as the leader.

So, he runs off to the tomb. When he gets there, the stone is indeed rolled aside. He takes a look inside, he sees the grave cloths, the strips of linen that the body had been wrapped in. So, body snatchers are not responsible, no one has stolen the body. A wrapped body is easier to manoeuvre.

What has happened

But. What has happened? There are no easy answers, no jumping to obvious conclusions. This has made Peter think.

Peter in a quandary is further evidence that this is a real eyewitness account. It is clear that Peter and the others are not expecting a resurrection, despite what they have been told by Jesus many times. That was just another unbelievable truth that passed them by.

If the story was made up, you might expect a sudden realisation at this point, or at least very soon. In reality, there is much more evidence required before Peter will accept the resurrection.

Evidence

We (us human beings) are not easily swayed by evidence for things that we don’t believe. For me, Global warming being caused by human activity seemed ridiculous when I first hear of it in the 1980s. After all, the sun has cycles, the earth’s rotation around it has other cycles, and I was taught at school that we were due an ice age. How could we have stopped all that? Little by little I began to understand that the rate of change is unprecedented, and the scale of human activity is so much greater than I could have imagined. That even the Romans, who lived without mechanisation, affected the climate. Now, I understand and accept that humans are the primary cause. Then I gradually started to live slightly differently.

Acceptance

Peter’s change of belief was quicker, but still required that additional evidence and some time to put the puzzle together.

Our chapter ends with Jesus making an appearance, and holding a conversation with the apostles. Jesus also eats with them – proving he is not a ghost, or a vision. Now, they believe. They have found the truth. But that doesn’t change them very much, all they manage to do is hide in their rooms, pray and select a replacement for Judas.

Worked it out

By the time we get to the Acts reading, a lot more has happened to Peter, but he has one last thing to learn, one last piece of the puzzle before the picture is complete. It is there at the start of his sermon in Cornelius's house. He says:

³⁴ … I now realize how true it is that God does not show favouritism ³⁵ but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.

And, at the end

⁴³ All the prophets testify about him, that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.

Peter Stopped

Peter has given a beautifully concise summary of the Christian faith, getting to forgiveness. We see how much of the puzzle Peter has solved, and he has just put the final piece in place, when the Holy Spirit interrupts him and proves what he has said is from God.

Changed

Peter was not greatly changed by his belief in the resurrection of Jesus. He, like the other disciples, was changed when the Holy Spirit arrived at Pentecost. Without the understanding that Jesus had died on the cross for their sins, and been raised from the dead as proof of His willing sacrifice, Peter would have nothing to preach about.

That truth, and the truth that Jesus’ death was for everyone, not just the Jews, is crucial to our faith. Without it, as Paul reminds us, we are still in our sins, still irrevocably separated from God and life, as Paul tells us.

1 Corinthians 15¹³ If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. ¹⁴ And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. ¹⁵ More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him, if in fact the dead are not raised.

Knowing and accepting that apparently unbelievable truth means that we are put right with God, our sins are forgiven, and we have eternal life with him.

It also means that we are open to the Holy Spirit, who can change our lives as dramatically as He changed the lives of the apostles and the lives of Cornelius and his household.

Conclusion

Sometimes, the world can seem like an episode of the unbelievable truth, everything we are told seems to be lies and none of it is funny. It can take a long time to see the hidden truths.

Jesus’ death and especially His resurrection, are truths that the world would like to hide, but we have found them. So we can say:

Alleluia, Christ is risen!

He is risen indeed, Alleluia!

Celebrating the second part of our lives

Preached for Easter Day 2020 (12 Apr) for Christ Church, Billericay video service

Service: https://youtu.be/BkH9RkGHyME
Sermon: https://youtu.be/Rla946RTm-g

Most important

Today we celebrate the most important event in the whole of human history – the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. We’ve heard a short extract from the story of what happened that day, which we will look at in more detail in a minute.

BCE / CE

This event splits history in two. It is common for preachers to say that history is splits by BC and AD, but even if we ignore the religious labelling of the epochs and use the current scientific labelling – B.C.E and C.E. - Before Common Era and Common Era, there is still a split.

The Common Era largely exists because Christians are called to spread their faith across the world, with it they took their scientific understandings, their ways of measuring things, including time, and established some commonality between cultures across the globe. OK, I know there are lots of other elements in that, but it started with the one event – the resurrection.

2000 years on – Story still going

How many other events in history can you think of that are still being celebrated, still being remembered and whose story is still being told 2000 years later?

The Bible is still the best selling book of all time, it is still the book that has been translated into more different languages than any other. More people have the chance to hear about Jesus than about anyone else.

Jesus – John Lennon

Jesus is the single most important person in human history, not just because he’s best known, although that’s probably true. John Lennon was wrong, he was never more famous than Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the single most important person in history because of who He was – and also because of what he did.

Predictions

This event, which is always linked to this person, is also the most predicted event of all time, there are over 300 clues in the Old Testament that look forward to Jesus, his death and resurrection.

In terms of accuracy, these predictions are better quality than anything else – think of the ‘predictions’ of Nostradamus, for example.

[pause]

Personal level

On a personal level, the same things are broadly true – Jesus and His death and resurrection split my life in two – there is a time before I believed, when I was living in my sin and destined to death and judgement (even if I didn’t know or care about that at the time!).

Now, I’m in the second part of my life. I am alive in Christ, and loved by God. My sins are forgiven and I can look froward to avoiding judgement as my sins are already taken care of.

Answer to Prayer

I’m an answer to prayer, I hope you are too.

Perhaps I should explain that. I now know that friends had been praying for me for years before I made my commitment. I assume that is true for most people too, so that makes us an answer to prayer.

What happened

Now that we are part of the story, it’s important for us to know what happened. We heard a little of that this morning – in the Acts reading we heard Peter explaining what happened to Cornelius a Roman Centurion. He gave quite a brief overview. In the New Testament we heard a little of the Apostle John’s account of that first morning. The confusion about where Jesus’ body had gone and the realisation about what had happened.

Facts

All the little facts he tells of in the story help us to understand. Finding the grave cloths in separate places (in verses 6 and 7) seem to be what triggered John’s understanding that Jesus had risen.

3 Years with Jesus

At that stage though, even having spent 3 years with Jesus they did not understand that all this was predicted in scripture. Jesus had been telling them repeatedly what was going to happen, and now it had, but it would be a while before they really understood the enormity of it.

If we know this story well we will be able to help others understand, but that alone may not bring them to faith.

Me

For me it wasn’t the resurrection that brought me to Jesus, it was the people who were telling me the story. It is a long time ago now, but I still remember that these young people, the youth group at Christ Church, were different. I didn’t understand the hows or whys, but I wanted to know more, to become like them.

So, it wasn’t the resurrection that brought me to Jesus, it was the effect that the resurrection had already had on others. I imagine that that is true for lots of us.

There is a time and place for the story, it must be told. Here’s my overview:

Jesus was deserted by his friends.
He was put to death on a cross.
There’s no doubt that he really died.
His body was put in someone else’s tomb.
When the women came to prepare his body for burial it had gone.
He appeared to the disciples, he ate with some of them, so he was not a ghost.
He appeared to many others.

We don’t have to tell the whole story in all its detail, just enough to respond to peoples queries.

Most importantly though is for us to show the new life we have in Jesus openly to other people – as hard as that can be now.

I now know that the difference I saw in those young people was the love of God shining through them. It affected me, and it has been affecting people for at least 2000 years.

So, this morning as we celebrate the resurrection, we are also celebrating the start of the Common Era, when our God is reaching out to every one in the entire world.

Amen

Sermon - Who is converted?

Preached at St Mary the Virgin, Little Burstead 12 January 2020

Reading Acts 10v34-43; Matthew 3v13-17

Intro – Acts 10

The Christian faith is beginning to spread. The book of Acts documents the growth of the early church, from a few disciples, to a few thousand disciples on the day of Pentecost, and now in chapter 10 another vital change takes place. Without this none of us would be sitting here today, and this building would most probably not exist.

10 verse sermon

All we have heard read is a short 10 verse sermon, that comes near the end of the story. The story starts at the beginning of chapter 10, and I will give you a short summary of it and some of the things you need to know to make sense of what Peter says.

Background – Cornelius – who is he?

Cornelius is a Roman Centurion, in charge of up to about 100 men. The actual numbers varied over time and with circumstances. He is called devout and God-fearing. That means he is not a Jew, but someone who has recognised the Jewish God, and prays to Him regularly. He couldn’t become a Jew if he wanted to, you can only be a Jew by birth. He could become a proselyte – someone who has converted to Judaism, and has been circumcised. He is neither of those, he is a god-fearing Gentile.

Cornelius and the Angel

Cornelius is praying at the regular time and has a vision of an angel who gives him a very specific message. Send for Simon, also known as Peter, who is staying with Simon the tanner in Joppa. Which, of course, he does. I can’t imagine how anyone could ignore such a specific message from God.

Peter’s vision

Meanwhile, God is also talking to Peter, but what he is saying is very different. Peter is hungry and while he is waiting for the food to be prepared he falls into a trance. He sees something like a sheet lowered from heaven, on the sheet are all sorts of animals, reptiles and birds. He is told to get up and eat.

Unclean Animals

The animals he sees are unclean, and are repulsive to him. The Jewish food laws are in Leviticus 11 and Deuteronomy 14. A short summary of unclean animals is:

• those that died of old age, disease or injury
• mammals that did not chew the cud and have split hooves (pig, rabbit, camels)
• fish that did not have fins and scales (all shellfish)
• birds that were scavengers or carnivores
• insects except those that hop, grasshoppers were okay
• animals that crawl on their bellies (snakes, lizards, mice and weasels)

I’m sure there are things that you wouldn’t consider eating, I would have problems with some of those creatures that Peter was quite happy with (mainly grasshoppers). So we can imagine what it was like for him, but then we have to add the impact that his faith had on his revulsion.

Off to Cornelius’s

The vision is repeated twice more and as the sequence ends Cornelius’ men arrive, and the Holy Spirit tells Peter to go with them.

The next day they travel to Cornelius’ house, and Cornelius tries to worship Peter. Peter will have none of that, but goes into Cornelius’ house. That is another thing the Law forbade and Peter explains this to Cornelius.

If you don’t associate with gentiles there is no chance that you may be put in a situation where you are expected to eat their food and therefore might risk consuming something unclean.

The sermon – 1^st sentence

Cornelius wants to hear what Peter has to say. So Peter starts to explain the gospel. But he starts with “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favouritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right”.

And there it is – a Jew denying his own heritage. The Jews enjoyed most favoured nation status with God. They were proud of it, even if they didn’t fulfil their side of the bargain. They were supposed to be a light to the world, instead they were all to often indistinguishable from the peoples around them. Nevertheless, God kept his side of the bargain (His covenant) and the Messiah was brought into the world through the Jewish nation.

The sermon – remainder

The remainder of Peter’s sermon is a very short version of the story of Jesus’ life and ministry. He emphasises his personal part in it. “The risen Jesus was seen by those who God chose as witnesses, and we ate and drank with Him. He commanded us to testify that Jesus is the one that God appointed to judge the living and the dead.” he says.

The Holy Spirit acts again.

Before Peter realises that he has said enough, the Holy Spirit acts again. All the visitors hear Cornelius and his family speak in tongues. Peter, still unsure of what’s happening asks those with him if there is a reason not to baptize the new believers. No objections are raised. I bet if that had been a PCC, there would have been at least one dissenting voice, but it wasn’t. So Cornelius and his family are baptised.

In Jerusalem

Back in Jerusalem, Peter had to face up to the inevitable criticisms that he has broken the Jewish law. However, when they heard the story of Peters trip, no objections are raise. Even better they all accepted that “God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life.”

Who is the convert?

Now you’ve heard the whole story, and listened to Peters mini-sermon, who do you think is the convert here? Cornelius or Peter.

While Cornelius has clearly received the Holy Spirit, for me it is Peter who’s faith has taken a great leap forward. It is Peter who as seen what the Holy Spirit is doing and followed along. So from that perspective, nothing much has changed, but it is the opening line of his 10 verse sermon which really gives it away “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favouritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right.” Had he not taken that view the story would have ended differently and would have gone down as another of Peter’s many failures.

Global Christianity

Because of that simple realization, Christianity spread from Jerusalem, through Judea and across the whole world. The amazing truth that God loves every single human being just the same, that He sent his son to die for every one of us, all we have to do is to have a proper respect for God.

Fear

Fear of God, is not like fear of crime, or fear of war. It is not the sort of fear that sends you into a blind panic. Fear of God is a type of extreme caution that helps us to understand and see God as holy and all-powerful.

Imperfect Church

The church has come a long way, but it is not perfect, even now we prefer to keep these amazing truths to our selves and to people like us.

Those who would spread the word to the few remaining tribes in the world who have not yet heard still risk their. You may remember in November 2018 John Allen Chau, travelled, illegally to a remote island off India and was killed by the local tribespeople. He was attempting to do what we are all called to do – to spread the gospel.

Our Mission field

Our Mission field is closer to home, there are people all around us, in the clubs we attend, in our places of work, in the high street and in the supermarket. Think for a minute of all the people you connect with from week to week. Now think of those people around them – who perhaps are different, who we don’t easily mix with. They too are loved by God, they too are the people we are called to tell of God’s love. It doesn’t always have to be a simple telling, indeed to have a real effect on someone is much harder than just talking to them.

I’m going to finish with quite a long story that illustrates the point.

Ted Stallard

Ted Stallard undoubtedly qualifies as the one of "the least." Turned off by school. Very sloppy in appearance. Expressionless. Unattractive. Even his teacher, Miss Thompson, enjoyed bearing down her red pen – as she placed Xs beside his many wrong answers.

If only she had studied his records more carefully. They read:

1st grade: Ted shows promise with his work and attitude, but (has) poor home situation.

2nd grade: Ted could do better. Mother seriously ill. Receives little help from home.

3rd grade: Ted is good boy but too serious. He is a slow learner. His mother died this year.

4th grade: Ted is very slow, but well-behaved. His father shows no interest whatsoever.

Christmas arrived. The children placed elaborately wrapped gifts on their teacher's desk. Ted brought one too. It was wrapped in brown paper and held together with selotape. Miss Thompson opened each gift, as the children crowded around to watch. Out of Ted's package fell a gaudy rhinestone bracelet, with half of the stones missing, and a bottle of cheap perfume. The children began to snigger. But she silenced them by splashing some of the perfume on her wrist, and letting them smell it. She put the bracelet on too.

At day's end, after the other children had left, Ted came by the teacher's desk and said, "Miss Thompson, you smell just like my mother. And the bracelet looks really pretty on you. I'm glad you like my presents." He left. Miss Thompson got down on her knees and asked God to forgive her and to change her attitude.

The next day, the children were greeted by a reformed teacher – one committed to loving each of them. Especially the slow ones. Especially Ted. Surprisingly – or maybe, not surprisingly, Ted began to show great improvement. He actually caught up with most of the students and even passed a few.

Time came and went. Miss Thompson heard nothing from Ted for a long time. Then, one day, she received this note:

Dear Miss Thompson:

I wanted you to be the first to know. I will be graduating second in my class.

Love, Ted

Four years later, another note arrived:

Dear Miss Thompson:

They just told me I will be graduating first in my class. I wanted you to be first to know. The university has not been easy, but I liked it.

Love, Ted

And four years later:

Dear Miss Thompson:

As of today, I am Theodore Stallard, M.D. How about that? I wanted you to be the first to know. I am getting married next month, the 27th to be exact. I want you to come and sit where my mother would sit if she were alive. You are the only family I have now; Dad died last year.

Miss Thompson attended that wedding, and sat where Ted's mother would have sat. The compassion she had shown that young man entitled her to that privilege.

Jon Johnston, Courage - You Can Stand Strong in the Face of Fear, 1990, SP Publications, pp. 111-113.

Who do we know who would benefit if we were to change our attitude as Miss Thompson did, if we were to be converted, just as Peter was? When you identify them, that will be the Holy Spirit leading you in a new direction. Please don’t ignore His voice.

References

https://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=1261
http://www.standrews-clevedon.org.uk/sermons.html - listened to Easter day Acts 10v34-43
https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/smith_chuck/SermonNotes_Act/Act_82.cfm
https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/smith_chuck/SermonNotes_Act/Act_83.cfm
https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/freedom-to-eat-freedom-to-meet-freedom-to-speak-david-elvery-sermon-on-evangelism-how-to-73633?ref=SermonSerps
http://calvaryot.com/index.php/pastor-s-desk/an-agent-of-christ
https://edition.cnn.com/2018/11/21/asia/andaman-nicobar-us-missionary-killed-intl/index.html
http://www.sermonillustrations.com/a-z/l/love.htm
Ted Stallard

Reviewed
https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/a-love-that-changes-everything-keith-manry-sermon-on-love-for-god-55695

Belief changes Lives (mainly ours)

Preached 21 April 2019

1. Preparation – Quote

There’s a quote I saw recently that said something like “There is plenty of evidence for the resurrection, the reason there is so much debate is because it is unusual, and if you believe it you have to change the way you live”. It’s not the exact text, because I didn’t make a note of it, but it’s close enough for our purposes this morning. As we go through the story I will be looking at some of the evidence and dealing with some of the objections that you find addressed in books like “Who moved the Stone?, by Frank Morrison”.

2. Unusual

Unusual is a bit of an understatement! Nowhere else in modern religion do we find claims of a resurrection. Mohammed is buried in Medina, where he died. Buddha died in old age. His body was cremated and the remains, such as his right tooth became relics.

Unusual, then, really doesn’t cut it – this event is unique in human history.

3. John’s Account

So, lets follow John’s account of that first morning of the new era. Its Sunday morning, the Sabbath having ended at sundown the previous evening, the sun is not even up but Mary Magdalene is. She, along with some others that are not mentioned in John’s account, are on their way to the tomb to complete the preparation of Jesus’s body for final burial.

4. Heavy Stone

The three women, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome, according to Mark would have had a real struggle to move the stone, so that they could start work on the body. But they find the tomb already open, the stone has been moved.

5. Roman’s have the body

Jesus’s crucifixion had been anything but straight forward – most crucifixions do not involve high priests and interviews with Roman governors, so her suspicions were raised that the authorities had for some unknown reason removed the body. Now, not only were the women unable to complete their sacred duty, but they were frightened that the authorities may be after them too.

6. Mary tells Peter and John

Mary Magdalene runs to where the disciples are staying to tell Peter and John, the leaders of the twelve (now eleven). Their reaction (v3,4) shows that they too are concerned – they run to the tomb.

7. Disciples stole the body

One of the classics objections to the resurrection is that the disciples stole the body. Normally this is refuted by reference to guards at the tomb in Matthew, and the resultant bribery by the authorities to keep them quite, but here too, we see that the disciples reaction show quite clearly their serious concern that Jesus’s body is missing. If you already know where the body is, you don’t need to jump up and run to the tomb.

8. John doesn’t go in

John, it seems is younger and fitter than Peter and gets to the tomb first. He stops outside and looks in. He sees the grave cloths, and perhaps assumes that Jesus’s body is really there after all – remember they are all in a state of panic by now so may not be making the best decisions. He stays where he is at the entrance, out of respect, or possibly out of fear of becoming unclean.

9. Peter Puzzled

Peter, always the impulsive one, catches up, and passes John, and goes straight in. What he sees puzzles him. The tomb is tidy, the linen and grave cloth are not just scattered, or left in a heap. No grave robber, whether working for the Jewish authorities or not, would unwrap a body and leave the wrappings in a tidy pile. Either taking them with the body, of just discarding them in a heap would make sense. The scene must have frozen Peter to the spot.

10. John believes

With nothing apparently happening inside the tomb, John finally goes in – probably to see what on earth Peter is doing. Then it says at the end of verse 8 “He saw and believed”. But, what did John believe? Because verse 9 says “They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.”

11. What John believes

Are we to think that he believed now that the body was gone, or that he had a real light bulb moment and a lot of what Jesus had been teaching finally made sense of the scene in front of him?

Here are a few verses that show what John might finally have understood in those few moments after he entered the empty tomb:

12. John 2:19-22

Jesus answered the Jews, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”

They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” But the temple he had spoken of was his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.

13. John 11:25

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die;

14. John 16:22

So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.

15. Verse 9

What John and Peter didn’t understand then was that their own scriptures – our Old Testament – also predicts Jesus's death and resurrection.

16. Legal basis for accepting the resurrection

The writer of John’s gospel (John, much later on), has established the legal basis for the truth of the resurrection, or at least the lack of a body, by providing the two male witnesses required – Pete and John.

17. Focus on Mary

The story now moves on to focus on Mary Magdalene. Peter and John have left the tomb to return to their homes and no doubt to inform the other nine what they have seen, and the conclusions that they have come to.

Mary has returned to the tomb, she is still grieving. Crying in verse 11 can equally easily be translated wailing, which is a common expression of grief.

18. Wrong Tomb

At this point it is worth refuting another objection to the resurrection – that the women went to the wrong tomb. We have now seen three women and two men get to the tomb, and one woman return to it. Even though it is a loaned tomb, it is clear that they all know where it is and how to get to and from it.

19. Mary at the tomb

Mary looks in the tomb and sees two white angels, they ask her “Why are you crying?” She has not had a conversation with Peter or John, so is still looking for Jesus’s body. “They have taken my Lord away, and I don’t know where they have put him.”

20. The gardener

She turns around and sees someone standing there. She doesn’t recognise Him, but the writer gives away the surprise and tells us in advance that it is Jesus. “Woman,” he said, “why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” She thinks he’s the gardener – a reasonable assumption, so she asks the same question. “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” Quite how she would achieve ‘getting’ him, I’m not sure. I can’t imagine she could lift a dead body single handed. Most likely she hasn’t thought it through, she just wants to find the body and her frustration, and now probably anger at its disappearance is not helping her to think.

21. What’s in a name?

Then she hears her name. And that on its own would be enough to get through to her. There’s something very special going on inside our brains when we hear our name. I was waiting in the doctors the other day, various people were called, I didn’t understand a single name that was called until it was mine. My name I heard perfectly clearly. It goes even deeper than that though. If someone close to you calls your name you will probably not only focus instantly on the person, but also know the mood they’re in, all from just the single word. And I’m not talking about the difference between ‘Pete’ and ‘PETER’.

So when Jesus says ‘Mary’, her mood changes and she reacts instantly. She turns and shouts “Teacher!” which was presumably the way she normally addressed Him. By now she is probably worshipping at his feet.

22. Do not hold on to me

Jesus’s response “Do not hold on to me” does not necessarily mean don’t touch me. He could simply be telling her that He’s not going to vanish in front of her eyes if she lets go, like some sort of ghost. It is clear from the last part, though, that He is going away at some point -”I am returning to my father and your father, to my God and your God”. Jesus is now expressing the difference in His relationship with His father and our relationship with our father. This has changed for all of us with the resurrection.

23. “I have seen the Lord”

She returns and tells the disciples “I have seen the Lord”. I would love to have been a fly on the wall at that announcement. With all that has been going on, would they believer her? How far had Peter and John’s belief developed at that point?

24. Only one sighting

That’s where we leave the story, but one sighting of Jesus is not enough, and later that day Jesus would appear to all the disciples together. Real belief in the resurrection was spreading and would go on spreading.

There are 12 incidents in the new testament where sightings are recorded, sometimes to individuals, sometimes to groups, and Paul records an incident where 500 people saw Jesus at one time.

25. Belief

The church was established and grew because people believed that the resurrection happened. If we believe that the resurrection happened, it implies that the rest of Jesus teaching is also true, and this is what the early believers found. Many changed the way they lived their lives as a result. That was a witness to many more, and so on down the ages. Many believed so completely that they became martyrs rather than deny what they knew to be the truth, because they knew they were safe in God’s hands. That was and is a much more powerful witness to the truth of the resurrection than anything else.

You and I are just a single link in a very long chain. The direction of my life was changed when I finally accepted the truth of the resurrection, I joined a church, I read the Bible, I decided that Jesus’s words were to be followed and started to try to follow them – it’s not easy. For the first time I understood that I had sinned, before I believed I could rarely bring any to mind, after there was a LONG list. Before, I was terminally shy, now I stand here and try to pass on the little I have learnt. Some of it has been hard going, some of it has been joyful. Today, it is my privilege to tell you all a little about my understanding of what Easter means, and to pass on a little of how that has affected me.

How has it affected you?

Are you ready to stand with the martyrs, if it comes to that?

Is your life a powerful witness to the power of the resurrection?

Happy Easter!

References

https://www.sermonsuite.com/emphasis-preaching-journal/sermon-illustrations-easter-day-2019
https://www.crosswalk.com/church/pastors-or-leadership/eighteen-easter-sermons-11570920.html
https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/news-analysis/peter-lynas-todays-secularism-leaves-no-space-for-billy-vunipola-or-ashers-38023235.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Testimony_in_Jewish_law
https://www.quora.com/What-happened-to-the-prophet-Mohammads-body
https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080718101142AAgh1ya&guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9kdWNrZHVja2dvLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAMhlBwYyTLbr9fM4YdQCYTr7M3wTB9STBwnWc8KLh0pGhYek-Z10o7jEOlRrAOxtNSOX7k0jginUyDMwsAqerIDsjKfOOwhCWgsucoCHkTzOx4HlJFTx9O_nHIgGnOr7TAgpNssqHTUdjwc2FLgMtngHo8MsKeel4S_STzDKSb0N
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gautama_Buddha#Mahaparinirvana_(Death)
https://bibleview.org/en/Bible/Easter/500People/