Supporting Texts: Psalm 16:10, 110:1; Isaiah 53:10-12; Luke 9:22-25, 43-45, 18:31-34, Acts 2:22-35; 1 Corinthians 2:14.
We have gathered today because He is risen (He is risen indeed!) We celebrate Resurrection Day, the day when the Lord Jesus Christ rose from the dead; leaving behind an empty tomb. Actually, for those who are born-again believers in the Lord Jesus, every Sunday is a celebration of our Lord’s resurrection since it is the first day of the week, the day Jesus rose from the grave. We choose to meet on Sunday to remind ourselves that Jesus has risen and that we serve a risen Savior.
For many in our world today, this day is just another day on the annual calendar of holidays and special occasions. Some have family traditions and there are those who see nothing more in this day than those traditions and gatherings. But there is much more to this day. In fact, in my opinion, the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the single greatest event that has ever taken place on planet Earth. That is because in His resurrection, Jesus forever conquered death.
On that first Resurrection Day, Jesus’ tomb was empty. The large stone had been moved and the tomb no longer held the Lord. Several women and two of His disciples visited the tomb that morning and they all agreed that it was empty and they came up with alarming reasons for why Jesus was not there. They all knew He had died on the cross and were completely baffled by what they discovered. There was a profound mystery in the empty tomb. What had happened to Jesus?
PROPHECIES OF JESUS’ RESURRECTION.
Old Testament Prophecies of Jesus’ Resurrection. It was not that they had not been informed. Since childhood they had been taught about the resurrection in lessons in the synagogue on the Sabbath. They knew, for instance, that the ancient patriarch, Job, had said, “As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last He will take His stand on the earth. Even after my skin is destroyed, yet from my flesh I shall see God; whom I myself shall behold, and whom my eyes will see and not another” (Job 19:25-27) Although the information lacked great detail, it taught a future resurrection.
From the book of Psalms they had read, “For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol; nor will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay” (Psalm 16:10). They knew the “Holy One” was God’s promised Messiah and that He would die and be raised from being dead. They had learned this so well that Peter in the church’s first sermon used this verse as proof of Jesus’ resurrection. He also quoted Psalm 110:1: “The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.” to prove that not only had Jesus been raised from the dead, that He had also ascended to the place of authority at the Father’s right hand.
They undoubtedly had been thoroughly taught about Daniels prophecy of the future resurrection found in Daniel 12:1-2: “Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued. Many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.” Certainly, they had some understanding of the idea of resurrection: the idea that those who had died would rise again to life. They had unquestionably discussed the resurrection with family and friends.
Jesus’ Prophecies of His Resurrection. Not only did they have a general awareness of resurrection, but Jesus had at least three times in the Gospel record prophesied that He would die and be raised on the third day. In Luke’s gospel, just after Peter confessed that Jesus was “The Christ of God,” Luke 9:21-22 tells us, “But He warned them and instructed them not to tell this to anyone, saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and be raised up on the third day.” Matthew’s gospel tells us that “Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This shall never happen to You.” But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s” (Matthew 16:22-23). Clearly, Peter did not understand what Jesus meant when He said He would be raised up on the third day.
Jesus’ second prophecy of His death also came in Luke nine. “He said to His disciples, “Let these words sink into your ears (His way of saying, “Pay attention”) for the Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men.” Luke added this shocking comment, “But they did not understand this statement, and it was concealed from them so that they would not perceive it, and they were afraid to ask Him about this statement” (Luke 9:44-45). What was so difficult for them to understand? How could they not perceive this direct statement from the Lord? I’m sure it seems clear to us!
Amazingly, Luke records a third prophecy from Jesus about His resurrection. This time the clarity is stunning. “Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things which are written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished. For He will be handed over to the Gentiles, and will be mocked and mistreated and spit upon, and after they have scourged Him, they will kill Him; and the third day He will rise again” (Luke 18:31-33). What was prophecy at that moment is history to us today and it seems incredible to us how powerfully accurate Jesus’ words were. Everything He prophesied came to pass. Surely by this point, the disciples have caught on and they understood Jesus’ prophecy. Sadly, they did not. The next verse reads, “But the disciples understood none of these things, and the meaning of this statement was hidden from them, and they did not comprehend the things that were said” (Luke 18:34). Why could they not understand what is so clearly obvious. I understand it, don’t you? At Jerusalem, Jesus would be handed over to the Gentiles and would be mocked, mistreated, spit upon, scourged and killed. But on the third day He will rise again. What is there to misunderstand? But they completely missed the message. Maybe, just maybe, a clue can be found in Jesus’ rebuke of Peter in Matthew 16:23, where Jesus scolded Peter by saying, “You are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.” The mystery of the empty tomb deepens.
TRUTH HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT.
At Jesus’ Crucifixion. Let’s look a little deeper. As Jesus prophesied, when He was crucified, the disciples scattered. They obviously thought that if their Master had been arrested and now executed, they would be next. All fled but one, and the Bible tells us that John stood at the foot of the cross with Mary, the mother of Jesus. He watched Jesus’ suffering and death. We are also told that Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea procured Jesus’ body from Pontius Pilate and proceeded to remove Jesus’ body from the cross, place it in Joseph’s newly hewn out tomb and cover the entrance with a large stone. We are also told that the women followed Nicodemus and Joseph and knew exactly where Jesus was buried. In fact, Luke records that, “Now the women who had come with Him out of Galilee followed, and saw the tomb and how His body was laid. Then they returned and prepared spices and perfumes. And on the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment” (Luke 23:55-56). But the Bible says nothing about Jesus’ disciples being there.
The Women at the Empty Tomb. Luke’s gospel tells us that early on the first day of the week (our Sunday), the women took their prepared spices and went to Jesus’ tomb, fully expecting to find His body there. The stone had been rolled away and they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus and they were perplexed. What had happened to His body? They were so disturbed that they seem not to have noticed it was angels who said to them, “Why do you seek the living One among the dead? He is not here, but He has risen. Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.” And they remembered His words, and returned from the tomb and reported all these things to the eleven and to all the rest” (Luke 24:5-10.) While they remember His words, we have no indication they understood. The empty tomb was still a mystery.
John’s gospel focuses on one of the women, Mary Magdalene. When she found the tomb empty, she ran to find Peter and John and told them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him” (John 20:2b). Mary fully expected to find the body of Jesus at the tomb and when she didn’t her only explanation was that somebody had taken away the Lord out of the tomb and He was now missing. Clearly, she did not understand He was risen.
Men at the Tomb. Mary’s announcement to Peter and John sent them running to the tomb. Clearly, the news of Jesus’ missing body shows they did not believe in the resurrection Jesus had prophesied to them. They were concerned where His body may have gone. Curiously, John, who was a faster runner, reached the tomb first but did not go in. When Peter arrived, he went in. Then John followed him. They saw the unexpected. John 20:6-8 reveals an amazing truth: “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 rolled 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.” They saw the empty linen wrappings lying on the stone bench just as Nicodemus and Joseph had left them. They were still wrapped as though the body was still inside, but it wasn’t. Then they saw the face cloth lying by itself, rolled up exactly as it would have been if Jesus rose then rolled the cloth and set it aside. Peter still did not understand but the evidence was enough to convince John that Jesus had risen through the grave clothes and was risen. “Up until that moment they did not understand the Scripture that He must rise again from the dead.”
Mary Returned. After the two disciples went home, Mary Magdalene returned to the tomb. She still believed that Jesus’ body was somewhere where it could be retrieved. Two angels appeared and asked her why she was weeping. She said, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him” (John 20:13). In the natural world in which she lived, dead bodies just did not get up and walk away. But something special is going to convince Mary that there is something more than just the natural world. The risen Jesus suddenly appeared to her. Still searching for a physical body, Mary asked Him where His body had been taken, not realizing she was talking to the Lord she was seeking. When He said her name, she knew it was Jesus. Now she believed in the resurrection. Jesus had been raised and was alive!
It is interesting that when Mary returned to the disciples to tell them she had seen the risen Lord, Luke tells us that their response was, “But these words appeared to them as nonsense, and they would not believe them” (Luke 24:11). What made the empty tomb such a mystery? What kept them from seeing the truth?
WHY TRUTH REMAINS HIDDEN. 2 Corinthians 2:14
Life Under the Sun. (Ecclesiastes 1:2-10, NIV) Perhaps the answer can be found in the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes, written by King Solomon. He wrote, “Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” What does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun? Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever. The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises. The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course. All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again. All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing. What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which one can say, “Look! This is something new”? It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time.”
What gave Solomon such a depressing view of life? I think the answer is seen in his phrase, “under the sun.” For Solomon, this outlook on life includes the dome of the sky above and the other things under that dome he can see, hear, touch, taste, and smell. We call that the natural world. If something fails to be included in the rubric of what we consider to be the natural world, we doubt that it could exist. Yet according to Solomon, that world view is limited and leaves God completely out of the picture.
The worldview that comes from this is called naturalism. The dictionary defines naturalism as the belief that the natural world as explained by scientific laws is all that exists and that there is no supernatural or spiritual creation, control, or significance. It is easy to see how someone who has adopted this worldview would be skeptical and doubt something supernatural when it occurs. Someone rising from the dead is not natural and would engender doubts if someone said that it happened. Perhaps the disciples, living in a natural world, and never experiencing someone rising from the dead entertained doubts for that reason.
The Natural Mind. The Apostle Paul addresses this in First Corinthians 2:14, and in so doing, explains the mystery of the empty tomb. He wrote, “But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.” The “natural man” is a man or woman whose thought process and decision making is located only in the natural world. There is no recognition of the spiritual world at all.
One writer put it this way: “It is possible to read the Bible and yet not understand it. It is possible to study the Bible for many years, memorizing much of it and still not understand it. Many Jewish people in Jesus’ time completely failed to recognize the Promised Messiah when He came and lived among them. They did not accept the things of the Spirit of God. They lived and thought only in the realm of the natural man. They had no means and had no desire to understand the spiritual nature of God’s Word. The testimony of Scripture is superior to reason. God must open the eyes of our understanding before we can truly know and rightly interpret His truth. His truth is available only to those with a regenerate spirit in whom His Holy Spirit dwells, for only the Spirit can illuminate Scripture.”
Another writer wrote, “The person without the spirit, who survives, thinks, and understands only in a naturalistic world is volitionally prejudiced against spiritual truth and rejects it in favor of a naturalistic paradigm in unbelief. The person left to their own natural devices is not able to know them, that is, to respond positively to the things of the Spirit.” While the natural man is an unsaved man, one who has never repented and received Christ as Savior, and who, therefore, does not have the Holy Spirit, cannot understand spiritual or supernatural things because, for them, they do not exist. Paul, here, is warning the Christians at Corinth that although they are saved, they can close their minds to the Spirit and live without the Holy Spirit’s illumination on the Bible or their own lives.
The Solution to the Mystery of the Empty Tomb. So, what is the solution to the mystery of the empty tomb? The explanation for why Jesus’ closest disciples, men and women, who had been clearly told about Jesus’ crucifixion, burial, and resurrection, is that they interpreted it through naturalistic eyes and thinking. Without a worldview that included God supernaturally intervening in His creation, they had no foundation to understanding the supernatural work of God when they saw it. But, they all believed when the Lord illuminated their thinking and they saw Him, the Risen Lord. They realized that the eternal God had invaded their world supernaturally, and had shown them the miracle that He alone had the power to raise the dead. They fully believed that Jesus Christ was and is Lord and God.
With this truth about Resurrection Sunday, there is a call from the living God for people who have never received Christ as Lord and Savior to do so. The Holy Spirit is moving in the hearts and lives of people in our world today to recognize that Jesus is Lord and that they must believe that God raised Him from the dead. All around us are those who are spiritually lost and who desperately need salvation in Christ. If you have never received Christ, take a few moments and read those verses in your Bible again. “That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” (Romans 10:9-11)
In the quietness of this moment, on this Resurrection Day, will you confess with your mouth in prayer that Jesus is your Lord and will you believe in your heart that God really did raise Him from the dead? We have no guarantees about tomorrow, in fact, the Bible says that our lives are like a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Please, trust in Jesus right now!
