Welcome to the Ministry of First Reformed Church of Aberdeen, South Dakota. Our worship services begin at nine o'clock every Sunday morning. Now we join Pastor Hank Bowen as he brings God's Word. Turn with me and your Bibles to the Gospel of John, Chapter 20. The Gospel of John declares, reveals, sets that theme of the divinity of God, a display of His majesty. And unlike the other synoptic Gospels, The earlier life of Jesus, the early ministry of Jesus, is covered fairly quickly. But the vast majority is bound up in those final weeks of Jesus' life, culminating here in His death upon the cross in chapter 19 and His resurrection in chapter 20. So we turn to chapter 20 and we want to read the first 18 verses. Our focus will be primarily on the verses 11 through 18. But we're going to begin with verse 1. Now the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark. and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. Then 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. Peter therefore went out and the other disciple and were going to the tomb. So they both ran together and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first and he stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there. Yet he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb, and he saw the linen cloths lying there, and the handkerchief that had been around his head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also, and he saw and believed. For as yet they did not know this scripture, that he must rise again from the dead. Then the disciples went away again to their own homes. But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping. And as she wept, she stooped down and looked into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. Then they said to her, Woman, why are you weeping? She said to them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him. Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking? She, supposing him to be the gardener, said to him, Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away. Jesus said to her, Mary. She turned and said to him, Rabboni, which is to say, teacher. Jesus said to her, do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to my father. But I go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my father and your father and to my God and your God. Mary Magdalene. came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord and that He had spoken these things to her." Beloved of the Lord Jesus Christ, as we approach this passage, Jesus has risen from the dead. Peter and John here have seen the empty tomb. Jesus has done what He said He would do. He has conquered death. That is established. Before the morning sun ever rose on the third day, the son of righteousness had already risen with healing in his wings. The bridegroom has already gone forth out of his chamber. The one whose heel has bruised the serpent has through death become the destroyer of death and him who had the power of death. The evidence for the resurrection of Jesus Christ is overwhelming. The stone rolled away, which had been sealed and guarded by the Roman soldiers. The tomb empty, the grave clothes lying as they had been wound around his body, undisturbed, and the linen cloth in a place by itself. The testimony of angels corroborating the fact that Jesus has risen And all of this would have been enough evidence to prove that Jesus was really alive again. But he adds the coup de grace. He adds the evidence that is beyond doubt, irrefutable, and that is the evidence of a personal, bodily, literal, face-to-face confrontation with human beings. So God's Word this morning comes ministering to us under the theme, The Empty Tomb Reveals the Mercy Seat of God. We note three points, the nature of his resurrection, the nature of his appearing, and the nurture of Mary Magdalene. First, the nature of his resurrection. As we come to these verses, we find the greatest proof of the resurrection of Christ is that he appears in person bodily to his own. Now there are a lot of variant views trying to explain the resurrection of Jesus. The critics try to explain away this particular problem of the resurrection, of where do you get Jesus if he was dead? How is he ever alive again? By saying, first of all, it is possible he only reappeared spiritually. In their minds, the disciples conjured it up. They so desperately wanted Jesus alive from the dead that they manufactured a resurrection story. But we will see how that theory doesn't even warrant discussion. Another theory is that he was not dead. It's called the swoon theory. It contends that Jesus was on the cross, and he went into a kind of semi-coma, and when they put him in the grave, the cool air and the smell of the spices renewed his senses, revived him. He woke up, he stood up, he pushed away the stone, and he walked out. The problem with this is that there is monumental proof that he was really dead. The Roman soldiers who crucified people frequently, as many as 30,000 were crucified around the time of Jesus, knew when somebody was dead and when somebody wasn't. And they did not break the legs of Jesus because he was already dead. The spear thrust into his side manifests his death because the blood mingled with water indicated his heart had ruptured. Joseph and Nicodemus, who took the body off the cross and cared for it, knew he was dead. The women who anointed and wrapped his body knew he was dead. There was no question about the fact that Jesus was dead. But there is also no question about the fact that by the time we come to John 20, Jesus is now alive from the dead. Thus, he has, in fact, physically and literally and bodily been resurrected from the grave just as he said he would. We read in Mark 14, 28, Jesus' words, but after I have been raised, I will go before you into Galilee. Jesus on numerous occasions was clearly predicting His resurrection for everyone to be prepared for the miraculous event of His own rising from the dead. In John 2.19, Christ astounded those who were about Him by saying, destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up. But of course they thought He was speaking of the temple built in Jerusalem. because we have recorded, then the Jews said, it has taken 46 years to build this temple and will you raise it up in three days? This is another classic illustration of the Jews' inability to understand or even to distinguish what was spiritual truth. Then note the next words in verse 21 especially. But he was speaking of the temple of his body. Therefore, when he had risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this to him, and they believed the scripture and the word which Jesus had said." The resurrection of Christ from the dead is an indisputable fact. Not only must we maintain that he was truly dead, but also that he was truly and physically raised alive. But we also want to focus on who Christ revealed himself to in order to leave that eyewitness proof of his resurrection. So we note, secondly, the nature of his appearing. That it was physically verifiable. Not only had he promised he would rise from the dead, but in fact he did it. And now to announce and authenticate his resurrection, putting the four gospel accounts together with the book of Acts, we find that Jesus appeared no less than 11 times to no less than 500 different people. Now I dare say to you, you need a lot fewer witnesses than that to corroborate any evidence in a courtroom. requires the witness of only two or three witnesses, and yet there were 500 testimonies to the risen Christ. Now it is interesting also that when Jesus appears in all of the 11 times recorded in the Bible, he appears only to his own. He never appears to unbelievers. Jesus never confronts the scribes and Pharisees and says, ha, see, I told you, here I am. You didn't believe me. He never does that. He appears only to those who were his own. And therefore, many critics of scripture say, if he had really arisen, then he would have definitely appeared to the skeptics and not just the believers. But let's face it. The disciples were just as much skeptics as anyone else. And the idea that they manufactured a resurrection is ridiculous because in all of the appearances of Jesus, it becomes apparent that his disciples had never expected him to rise. Even Peter and John acknowledged in John chapter 20, verse nine, that they knew not the scripture that he must rise again from the dead. And you might better understand that. It wasn't that they just weren't aware of it. It's that they didn't believe it. He had told them over and over and over again. They just didn't believe it. Not knowing and not believing that he would rise, they would therefore not manufacture a resurrection. Well, the disciples were shocked whenever Jesus appeared, and that simply showed that they doubted. Thomas wasn't an isolated case. But there Jesus stands before them. Jesus' resurrection was for real. But you ask, why didn't he appear to the scribes? Why didn't he land in downtown Jerusalem and say, here I am everybody, now try this on for size. I have fulfilled every prophecy. And the answer may be simple. Here are several suggestions. First, Jesus was simply through with Israel. You know that, don't you? By this time, he has long since stopped dealing with Israel. He was ended in the purest sense, dealing with them as their Messiah. He had come to them and they had rejected him. Secondly, Jesus never took the route of miracles as the only way to communicate who he was. Jesus' salvation plan for all the ages of the church was that you and I, that men and women like us, would be his witnesses. Not the making of personal supernatural appearances to every unbeliever to prove himself. Rather, he would confirm the faith of those who already believed in him, and they, in turn, would go out, empowered by the Spirit of God, to bring others to repentance and faith, announcing the gospel of the resurrection. So it was never God's plan that Jesus should go to unbelievers and personally convince them through a miraculous appearing. This should speak to us in our churches. It is not God's plan that only his ministers or ordained officers should go out with the message of peace. We are all called to carry this message, not preach, but be a living example and ready to speak of the benefit of the blessed resurrection. The nature of Jesus appearing was so the church could be the witness as the gospel to the world. If Jesus appeared to one unbeliever as the means to convince them, then he would have had to go around to all convincing, but that was not his intention. So instead, he appears to his own, he energizes them with his spirit, and he sends them out to convert the world. We have an example of God's method in Luke chapter 16, where the rich man who went to hell while he was being tormented in the flame, asked that Lazarus, who had begged at his table for simply eating the crumbs, and Lazarus, who now was in Abraham's bosom, be sent back to convince his family to repent. But he was told that if they would not believe Moses and the prophets, they would not believe the personal testimony of one who was raised from what? From the dead. At the same time, if Jesus appeared to the unbelievers to provide historical proof for his resurrection, the evidence of his resurrection would have been lost for no other reason than they would not have believed it. Their minds were blinded. by the God of this world. They would have simply dismissed it. And so Jesus appears to his own. He stays with them because they are the key to everything that is going to happen in the years to come. They are the very stage on which the gospel is going to be presented in history and they must be confirmed in their faith. They must have confidence in a resurrected, living Christ. If they are convinced beyond doubt and if they are energized by the Holy Spirit, then they will become the instruments by which the gospel will be taken to all the ends of the earth. And so He appears only to them. This is the resurrection in general, proven beyond a reasonable doubt, but to and for the sake of the Church, not unbelievers. We know, thirdly, the nurture of Mary Magdalene. Out of all Jesus' appearances, John only selects three, three carefully chosen for the purpose of proclaiming who Jesus is, that he is God. And he chooses these examples specifically to tell us a little about what God is like. Thus, he paints these three scenes, three stories of Christ's appearance, to give us special insights into the person of Christ. They are powerful and lovely all at the same time. The three are, first, Mary Magdalene, second, the ten disciples, and third, Thomas. And in each case, they are to verify his bodily resurrection and at the same time accomplish a very direct purpose. Not only to verify his bodily resurrection, but to show three unique and direct purposes. We only look at the one in this passage concerning Mary Magdalene. And the specific purpose here is to show God's faithfulness. Here's a woman, and she's nothing spectacular. who was saved out of a life of horrible sin, the one whom Christ had cast out seven demons. She was a sordid woman, and she was not an apostle or anyone of any particular significance to the ongoing history of the ministry of the church. But Jesus appears to her to show his personal, loving faithfulness that he has to just one disciple, no matter how insignificant that one disciple may appear And that's a powerful lesson. Perhaps we would have thought that his first appearance would not have been to someone like Mary Magdalene, but rather to Peter or John or to any of the apostles. We would think it was somehow unnecessary to appear to the insignificant followers, but not so. Jesus is, first of all, a loving God, is he not? And so he picks out the one who may have loved him more deeply and more dearly than any of the others. John 20 10 tells us Peter and John are long gone, but Mary remains at the tomb in grief, weeping. The Greek is literally a constant unrestrained sobbing. She was really torn up. Why? Because Jesus wasn't there. And she couldn't figure out where he was. She wanted him there even if he was dead. She wanted him there just to know he was there in the grave. And no, she still calls him her Lord even though she believes he's dead. Not that that gave her merit, for though her love was great, her faith was of the weakest sort. Here, Christ is risen. And the best she can do is think someone has stolen his body. Mary is consumed by despair and gives occasion for the Lord to manifest his compassion by appearing to her. And he appears to her to show the personal character of his loving kindness. It's interesting to look at John chapter 16. I want to turn to John chapter 16 beginning verse 20 where we read, Most assuredly I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice, and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned to joy. A woman, when she is labor, has sorrow because her hour has come, but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish for joy that a human being has been born into the world. Therefore, you now have sorrow, but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you." This is the kind of God that we have. The kind of Christ, one who is touched by the feelings of our infirmities because he was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. One who gets down and feels like we feel. who loves us on a personal and individual basis. That's a thrilling thing to know about knowing Christ. Christianity is not just a religious system. It is a living, loving relationship with a personal God, and we see it graphically here in this encounter. This text shows our Lord's faithfulness to those who love Him, who are loved by Him. This is His character. He is compelled to show compassion to all those who love Him because they are loved by Him. And that is Jesus' purpose, to show His compassion. But we must move on to the encounter with the angels. In John chapter 20, verse 12, it says, And she stooped down and looked into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. And they said to her, woman, why are you weeping? And she said to them, because they have taken away my Lord and I do not know where they have laid him. At first, we might read over and say, what is the big deal? Two angels who asked the question, why are you weeping? For they knew Christ was risen, and by their question, they imply that. Well, you see, her tears betrayed her, for they showed her lack of faith. But Mary did not know they were angels, because Luke 24, 4 tells us they looked like men to her. And further tells us, they said, why do you seek the living among the dead? He's not here, but he is risen. But I do not believe this admonishment is the main thrust of John's intention. Rather, John wants to emphasize a particular point concerning the deity of Christ. It is always common that angels were around when Christ was doing his work, and it would seem unusual if they were not here at the crowning moment of his greatest work. But look again at the picture. Two angels, one at the foot, one at the head, so that where Christ had been placed was in the middle. And you say, yeah, so what? Well, turn with me to Exodus chapter 25. In Exodus 25, God instructs Israel in the building of the tabernacle to make the Ark of the Covenant. Now, the Ark of the Covenant had a place on top of it called the mercy seat. Once a year, the high priest would take the blood of the sacrifice and he would go into the Holy of Holies and he would sprinkle the blood on the mercy seat. And that was to account for the sins of the nation. And if he came out, it meant his sacrifice was received and that the people's sins were forgiven. And that is where the people understood that God would meet with the congregation in the midst of the people. In other words, by the shedding of blood, the act of faith, God meets with the sinner at the mercy seat. Now let's look at the ark and the mercy seat and what they were like in Exodus 25, 17. you shall make a mercy seat of pure gold. Two and a half cubits shall be its length and a cubit and a half its width. And you shall make two cherubim of gold. Hammered work, you shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat. the cherubim shall stretch out their wings above covering the mercy seat with their wings and they shall face one another the faces of the cherubim shall be toward the mercy seat and they shall put the mercy seat on the top of the ark and in the ark you shall put the testimony that I will give you and there I will meet with you and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat between the two cherubim." This last statement is a powerful statement. Where has God met man throughout all of the history of the Old Testament. He met with his people between two angels on the mercy seat where the blood was sprinkled. Dearly beloved, since Jesus Christ left the tomb, where does God meet with men? Where does he meet with people? He meets them between two angels, but the mercy seat is no longer the Ark of the Covenant, It is the resurrected Christ's empty tomb. God meets men on the basis of a resurrected, living Christ. Does he not? There's a new mercy seat that no one needs to go in and sprinkle blood on anymore because he has once for all paid the price for sin. So Mary looks in there and she sees the new mercy seat, literally the fulfillment of God's mercy seat. But Mary, not realizing these were angels, consumed by her tears for the missing body of her Lord and the lack of a response to her question, turns, moving to the final stage of this episode. The first thing that stands out is that she turns and seeing Jesus does not recognize him. Now we ask, if she knew who Jesus is, how is it that she does not recognize him at first? And some commentators say, well, she had her hair in her eyes from crying. One said that Jesus was naked when he came out of the tomb, so finding the gardener's clothes, he put them on, and that is why she was confused. Others say that it was a lack of faith, and she couldn't believe it was him, or that she just didn't look closely. I have a different idea. I think there was something different about Jesus that made it impossible for her to recognize him apart from his disclosure of who he was. And why do I say that? Well, I say that because in Mark 16, verse 22, it says he appeared in another form to the two of them. Thus, the reason he was so hard to recognize is that he had a glorified form. It was a body that was supernatural. He could eat fish, but he could also walk through walls. And the evidence for this seems to be overwhelming. For example, on the road to Emmaus, he walked along with two disciples and they didn't know who he was. The Bible says he opened their eyes and then they knew. Only by direct revelation did they recognize their master. And it's the same for us today. We will not believe until our Lord reveals himself to us through the power of the Holy Spirit. The natural man cannot bring himself to believe the greatest miracle of all, the glorification of the resurrected body. And it is even so here with Mary. She looks to him and she doesn't recognize him until he reveals himself to her. Note, Jesus asked the same question in John 20, 15 that the angels did. Woman, why are you weeping? You see, it was not the time for weeping, but rejoicing in Christ, for he is risen. But she again responds right to the face of her very Lord that the body is missing. But Jesus' words are so beautiful here. What does he say? He sees her grief and he calls her by name and immediately she knows him and she cries, Rabboni, which is a word that is often used for God as teacher. Listen to Jesus' words in John chapter 10, verse three. John 10 is a very powerful chapter. To him, the doorkeeper opens and the sheep hear his voice. And he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. Now Mary, overwhelmed, grasps him, hanging on like she's never gonna let him go. It is a picture of sweet love. But Jesus speaks to her and says, don't cling to me, for I must ascend to the Father. Go tell the others. You see, Jesus is saying it cannot be like it was. I must ascend that I may send the Spirit. I will no longer be with you in a physical sense, but how? I will be in you, intimate with you. The Holy Spirit will come into you. Jesus had made this need to go to the Father clear before he had been crucified. And now he would only be with them for 40 days and would give them some final instructions. See, Jesus was in a gap, a gap between the death and his place of heavenly glorification. This world is not yet prepared for the habitation of the glorified and thus Christ is out of place. The empty tomb of the resurrection was behind him and his heavenly ascension was soon ahead. And so we have before us this beautiful lesson. that there is so much here one could go on a lifetime. But what a glorious privilege we have to be able to study God's word and to see how wonderfully and almost magically he has revealed our salvation throughout time. But most of all, how overwhelming it is to know that we have a personal savior who truly died, but also truly overcame death as is evidenced thoroughly. not only by the historical evidence, but by the testimony of the Spirit that now dwells in us, by the power of His salvation. Amen?