February 3, 2003
LifeWay Explore the Bible Series for Feb. 16
Jesus came to the disciples in their time of need
___John 20:1-31
___By Robert Creech
___University Baptist Church-Clearlake, Houston
___John's readers are the only followers of Jesus in this story not surprised to find the tomb empty on Easter morning. From the beginning, we have known that Jesus, the Word, is the source of life (1:4; 5:21; 6:40; 10:11, 15, 17; 11:25). He is the Light that has come into the world. The darkness is unable to overcome it (1:5, 9; 3:19-21).
___When Mary Magdalene arrives at the tomb, she notices the stone has been moved. Finding Peter and "the other disciple, the one Jesus loved," John, she reports her anxious assessment of the event: Jesus' body has been stolen (20:1-2).
___Both Peter and John run for the tomb, although Peter loses the race. John peers inside and sees the grave clothes there, but does not enter. Peter, however, bursts in and ponders with amazement the strips of linen that had once covered Jesus' corpse. He sees the burial cloth that had wrapped Jesus' head, neatly folded and laid aside (20:3-7). John finally enters the tomb as well. The narrator says simply, "He saw and believed" (20:8).
___A variety of responses to the empty tomb appear. Mary Magdalene offers a logical explanation--someone has removed the body. Her grief prohibits her from seeing beyond the facts. Peter's slack-jawed amazement leaves him uncharacteristically speechless. Jesus' body indeed is missing, but the placement of the burial cloths does not look like the work of grave robbers. The beloved disciple provides a paradigm for the reader--seeing and believing. To this point, an empty tomb is all the evidence Jesus' disciples have to consider.
___In 20:10-29, however, the evidence begins to mount. Disciples encounter Jesus himself. In each case, Jesus meets them in the context of personal need. In none of the instances is the disciple looking for Jesus.
___The risen Jesus comes to Mary Magdalene in her grief (20:10-18). The apparent theft of his body has only compounded the loss brought on by Jesus' horrible death (20:13). Her grief is so great she does not recognize him standing there, speaking to her (20:15). When Jesus says, "Mary," however, everything changes (20:16).
___As she hears her name, grief melts and joy overcomes her. Jesus warns her that she cannot "hold on to" him (20:17). Their relationship is changed. He is the risen Lord, soon to be ascended and enthroned. Mary Magdalene, the first witness to the empty tomb, becomes the first witness to the risen Lord (20:18).
___That evening 10 disciples gather behind locked doors, paralyzed by fear (20:19). Judas is no longer among them, and Thomas is absent. Human fear and anxiety may not seem like the prelude of a powerful worship experience. Nevertheless, the risen Lord comes to the 10 in their fear. He greets them with "peace" and identifies himself by means of his wounded hands and side. Their fear, like Mary's grief, dissolves into a pool of joy (20:20).
___Jesus then authorizes his disciples to carry on his mission fearlessly (20:21). The one the Father had sent now becomes the sender. Before sending them, he shows them his wounds. He is sending them just as his Father had sent him.
___The mission is a costly one. The world that hated him will hate them as well (15:18; 17:14). Like their Master, they will bear the wounds of the mission (15:20). Having showed them his wounds, he blesses them with peace (20:21). The world that hates them will not have the last word (16:33).
___Jesus does not send them on this mission in their own strength. He breathes on them and invites them to receive the Holy Spirit, the promised Paraclete (20:22). He who at creation breathed into man the breath of life now breathes life into a new creation (1:3, 4, 9). He sends them out to bear the message of God's grace and forgiveness with authority (20:22).
___Finally, Jesus appears to Thomas, who missed the meeting the week before. Thomas' only other appearance in the Gospel portrays him as somewhat cynical (11:16). Here he appears as someone who depends on hard evidence and not hearsay (20:25). He says he must touch the very wounds of Jesus before he can believe that the Lord lives. Although Thomas has borne the adjective "doubting" before his name for 20 centuries as a result of his request, he is only asking for what the others had already experienced (20:20).
___If human grief, fear and anxiety make for an unlikely worship experience, so does doubt. The risen Jesus, as if attracted to deep human needs, comes to Thomas' questioning mind (20:26). He does not rebuke Thomas for his questions, but offers him the very thing his friend had requested--a close look at his wounds (20:27). Thomas finds it unnecessary to touch those wounds. Instead, they touch him. He declares, "My Lord and my God!" (20:28).
___Jesus then offers his blessings upon those believers who, unlike Thomas and the 10, will not have the opportunity to see him with their physical eyes. Their faith will be based on the story recorded in this Gospel (20:30-31). And believing, they will find life in Jesus' name.
___Questions for discussion
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