Death and Life

John 19:28–30; 20:1-18

²⁸ After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” ²⁹ A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. ³⁰ When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. ^20:1Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. ² So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” ³ So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. ⁴ Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. ⁵ And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. ⁶ Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, ⁷ and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. ⁸ Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; ⁹ for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. ¹⁰ Then the disciples went back to their homes. ¹¹ But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. ¹² And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. ¹³ They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” ¹⁴ Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. ¹⁵ Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” ¹⁶ Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). ¹⁷ Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” ¹⁸ Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.

This text is so simple and straightforward. John tells it almost like a news report. The most important event in the history of the world takes place and there are no words to adequately describe the scope of what has happened. Our Creator God intervenes into our broken world with the one action that will bring us life and most of the population simply moves through their day like it was a regular Friday. It was anything but.

God didn’t need our reaction or intervention into His work. Jesus’ death on the cross fulfilled a promise that had been made 5,000 years earlier to Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:15). We are not players in our own salvation. It is the work of Jesus alone that brings about our rescue. We don’t choose it, we don’t ask for it, and we don’t help with it. Just as Adam and Eve were not present for the creation of the world, so we are not necessary for Jesus to finish His work of salvation. He doesn’t need any helpers. And yet the price for our sins is paid in full and Jesus is able to say, “It is finished.” These are big words and actually have legal and fiduciary implications. There was a debt owed by one party and now that debt has been paid completely. Sin no longer owns us and there is no interest to be paid on the loan. For centuries we have been trying to add our actions and good works to help God out with our salvation. This is a waste of time. You don’t owe any interest on the debt. It’s all been paid. There aren’t enough good works you can do that will help God save you. They aren’t necessary because Jesus’ death was enough.

I think we need to read these words often and with great intention. They are of vital importance to each one of us for in the death of Christ we find everything that we need – everything. We’ve read them so often that they can begin to lose their luster for us. That is tragic. When Jesus said, “It is finished”, our lives had just begun.

Resurrection Day is reported in a first-person account of finding the tomb of Jesus empty. “The other disciple” referred to in this passage is John himself. We know from the other three Gospel accounts that Mary Magdalene went to the tomb at sunrise with Mary, Jesus’ mother, as well as at least one other woman (also named Mary). They were going there to finish the job of preparing the body for final burial as there wasn’t time on Friday before the beginning of the Sabbath. When the women found the tomb empty of course their first instinct was to go and find the Disciples. They would need to take action immediately to find the body. These few verses tell us so much about the people involved in this amazing miracle. A Man has walked out of the grave. Death has been conquered and it takes His followers by surprise. It wouldn’t have if they had listened to Him. But how could they possibly be expected to even imagine these events?

We learn that Peter remains true to himself. While John arrives at the tomb first (probably because he was younger and could run faster) he is reticent to go in and look around. Peter on the other hand charges right in, remaining true to the impetuous nature we have come to expect from him.

Slowly, the news of Jesus’ resurrection seeps into the minds and reality of His followers. Mary is the first to come to grips with the truth that Jesus’ body hasn’t been stolen but resurrected. Her understanding begins at the point where Jesus speaks her name. While speaking the name of Jesus with our own lips is indeed sweet I can only just imagine hearing Him say mine. That thought alone is worthy of meditation. Imagine your eardrums vibrating with the sound of your name being spoken by the Savior. If you hear harshness or anger, that’s not Jesus. If you hear a gentle and loving voice that is thrilled to be in your presence, you are blessed by God.

One gets the impression that the disciples didn’t actually believe that Mary had spoken with Jesus (as is often the case when women speak – especially at that time), as they are hiding out behind locked doors. I might have been inclined to go and look around the garden to find Him for myself, but I have never been in fear for my life either. We have made much of “Doubting Thomas” but I would suggest that all of the Disciples fell into that category. They doubted the veracity of Mary’s words and so were hiding in fear. Jesus graciously relieves them of any doubt when He shows up miraculously with them in that locked room. Now their doubts are cast aside. Thomas misses this meeting and needs to have one of his own which Jesus grants Him. Finally, John ends the chapter with the “theme verse” of the whole book.

“. . . but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.”

John always had only one purpose – the faith of his readers. Remember, he is writing these words toward the end of a very long life. He wants everyone to believe that Jesus is Lord. He wants everyone to have eternal life and the only path for eternal life is Jesus. We stand on the exact same foundation as those men and women who got to actually lay their eyes and hands on the risen Savior. They had the tremendous blessing of seeing and touching Jesus, but we are commended by Jesus Himself for having faith without those benefits. We are the ones He speaks of in saying that. We are blessed by God Himself to know the Lord and believe in Him.