Date:   04/08/2007

Text:   John 20:1-18

Title:   Bones in the Tomb?

Theme: Since the tomb is empty, we have the assurance that Jesus is able to deliver all that he has promised.

Introduction:

  About three weeks ago the media was buzzed with the news that bones were found in an ancient tomb that purportedly was the place where Jesus was buried. Along with the Da Vinci Code, and the Gospel of Judas, it again raised the question: who is this Jesus? Jesus, and Christianity is again put on trial. What if these bones were the remains of Jesus? Bones in the Tomb are really an issue of the resurrection. And interestingly, the issue came out just in time for the church's Easter celebration. So, if these are truly Jesus'' bones, how will that affect Christianity, or how will it affect your Christian faith?

There are a wide range of reactions. Some will say, no, they can't be Jesus'' bones. Others will say, if it is, then I am going to have second thoughts about my Christianity. Still, others say, it doesn't matter, for it will not affect their Christian faith either way. To them, Christianity is not built upon historical events, but rather a collection of ideas of a group of people in the 1 st century. In other words, whether or not Jesus had resurrected will have no impact on their understanding of Christianity. So, does it matter to you if those bones really belong to Jesus? Does it matter to you whether or not Jesus had resurrected?

  In the passage we read earlier, John, the author of the Gospel of John, appeared to take Jesus' resurrection very seriously. Among the 4 gospels, he had the most detailed record of events that occurred on the 3 rd morning after Jesus death on the cross. There was great detailed description of the tomb. There were several characters found in John 20, but we'll focus on Peter, John and Mary. We want to see what their experience was and what it means to us today.

I.   The empty tomb points to the reality of Jesus' resurrection.

  On that morning, John told us that Mary came to Jesus'' burial place. The tomb is actually a cave and its entrance was blocked by a huge stone. From the other gospels, we know that several other women had come with her. But here, the focus is on Mary. She saw that the huge stone in front of the tomb was removed. Her immediate reaction was: somebody had stolen Jesus'' body. How could this have happened? No, it is impossible. So she quickly went to Peter, and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. This other disciple, was John's way of describing himself. Peter and John apparently were recognized as the leaders among the disciples. Mary told Peter and John that the body of Jesus was removed or stolen.

  Hearing this, Peter and John went and later started running to the tomb. John arrived there first. After getting there, John stooped to look into the tomb and saw linen cloths, used for wrapping Jesus'' body for burial, lying there. But he didn't go inside the tomb. Then Peter came, went into the tomb and saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth, used to hold the jaws together, was folded or rolled up in a place by itself. And then John also went in to the tomb and saw it. What did it mean to them? It was unlikely that Jesus'' body was stolen. If so, the linen would be taken away as well. If the robbers just took the body, the linen would be all over the ground, plus the spices used for burial would also be spilled all over the place. The inside of the tomb was not chaotic but orderly. John must have remembered what he saw when Jesus raised Lazarus. Lazarus came out of the tomb with the linen cloths still wrapped around him, plus the face cloth still on him. But here, the body was gone, yet the linen and face cloth were neatly lying there. John's conclusion was Jesus is Alive. He saw the missing body, the linen cloths, and he believed that Jesus had resurrected. The empty tomb points to the reality of Jesus' resurrection.

  We want to explore further what this meant to John, or what must have gone through his mind. He remembered Jesus' teachings. At the very beginning, he saw the coming of the Holy Spirit upon Jesus. Jesus claimed that he would tear the temple and rebuild it in 3 days, his promise that through rebirth, men would see and enter God's kingdom, he was the living water, bread of life. He was the good shepherd, he lay down his life for his sheep. He is the way, the truth and life, no one can come to the Father except through him. He is the resurrection. And then all the promises he gave his disciples in chapters 14-16. He would not leave them alone, but would send them a comforter. This comforter, the Holy Spirit, will dwell with the disciples, helping them to remember and understand all that Jesus had taught them. They were not to fear troubles in the world for he had already overcome the world. He would give them peace in the midst of troubles. Even as John, disciples and the people around them were hearing these statement and promises, they were wondering, were they possible, were they probable? As they listened to Jesus'' teaching, they were really putting him on trial: can he deliver what he promised?

  In the movie The Pursuit of Happiness, Chris the father mentioned to his son that he might take him to a football game after making a sales call. On the way, the son asked, “are we going to the game?” Chris answered, “Possibly.” As the conversation continues, the father said, “most probably we'll go to the game”. He then explained to him the difference between possible and probable. Hearing that, and knowing the father's financial situation, the son concluded that it meant they would not be going. And then Chris found out that the person he wanted to sell his product to was going to the ball game. They invited Chris and his son to go along. A highly improbable event turned into reality.

  Are all those statements and promises made by Jesus' probable? Many thought it was improbable and impossible. If the tomb was not empty, Jesus died, and lay in that tomb, the body decayed, and many years later his remains were to be found, then everything he said would become impossible. But not now. To John, having seen the empty tomb with the linen and face cloths lying there neatly, his conclusion was that Jesus had resurrected. He is Alive. Even though he did not fully understand the OT teaching on Jesus' resurrection, yet he believed that Jesus was alive. This means, that everything Jesus had said about himself and his promises are now not only possible but is becoming reality. He is indeed the great shepherd, will give us true life, comfort, peace and never leave us alone. No wonder C.S. Lewis said, “Jesus either is the greatest liar ever lived, or he is truly the son of God, he is God.” It does matter if the tomb is empty or not. It does matter if the bones in that ancient tomb belong to Jesus. You see, if the tomb was not empty, then Jesus would indeed be the greatest liar that ever lived. However, because the tomb was empty as John and Peter saw, then Jesus did resurrect from the death and he is now alive. He indeed is what he claimed to be, the son of God, God himself.

  But the story did not stop here. John went on to focus on what happened to Mary.

II.   The empty tomb brings about a new relationship between Jesus and his followers.

  We read earlier that Mary was the first to come to the tomb. Seeing the stone being rolled away, her first reaction was: Someone had stolen Jesus'' body. After Peter and John left, she remained there. In 11-15, the word “weep” appeared 4 times. She was weeping outside the tomb. When she went in, 2 angels asked her why she was weeping. In a little while Jesus also asked her, why are you crying? These questions can serve as words of comfort, but also a mild rebuke, why are you crying? Don't you know this is not the time to cry? It is supposed to be a joyous moment. But Mary was so set on her conclusion that Jesus' body had been stolen or removed, that she just couldn't get over her sorrow over the stolen body. Even with Jesus standing before her, talking to her, she just had no clue who he was. It was like there was a bulb in Mary's head but it was not lit.

  Then Jesus called her in Aramaic, “Miriam [Mary]”. This is a very intimate call. Mary immediately recognized Jesus and said, “Teacher.” Only after Jesus called her and touched her heart with that intimate name, that the light bulb in Mary's head lit up.

  Don't we sometimes feel that way? You try very hard to understand a certain concept in Chemistry or Physics. No matter how many times you read it, it just doesn't make sense. Then someone make a simple statement or suggestion, then the light bulb is on. It all makes sense now.

I read of individuals who long ago concluded that Jesus was a great Jewish teacher. They would say that because of their background, being educated in a communist country and being members of the communist party, there is no way we can believe that Jesus is more than a great teacher. It is impossible that he would be God, for there is no God to start out with. No matter how many people may have talked to them about God and Jesus, they would not budge an inch. Then out of boredom, they started reading the scriptures and may even have attended some church functions. One day, while reading the Bible, the words just jumped out at them. That inner light bulb suddenly got turned on. For the first time in their lives, they saw Jesus as the son of God, he is God. This is what happened to Mary. Now she recognized that Jesus is indeed Alive. Then what?

  John did not write it down, but it appears that Mary was trying to touch or hold onto Jesus. “ 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.'”" Mary tried to hold on to Jesus, wanting to restore her relationship with Jesus as in the good old days. But Jesus was telling her, no, Mary, don't. Yes, I am alive, but my relationship with you and the disciples will be different from now on. How so?

  Later in chapter 20 we read that Jesus breathed into his disciples, he gave them his Holy Spirit. This reminded us how God breathed into Adam and gave him life. This is what Jesus did to the disciples. And later, at Pentecost, he'd send his spirit to this disciples in a much visible and powerful way. But here in John, Jesus was telling Mary that from now on, his presence with them will be in a different form. You see, just a few days ago, if the disciples wanted to be with Jesus, they would have to go wherever he went . Now, it was different. Through his Holy Spirit, he will be living, dwelling inside their lives. he would never depart from them again. Wherever the disciples, including us, go, He is always there, comforting, guiding and providing us with the strength they need.

  Moreover, Jesus now called his disciples his brothers (sisters). Previously, he called them his friends. Now he brought the relationship one step closer, they are now his brothers and sisters. He was said that he was ascending to ‘my father and your father'. There is some difference here. Jesus is God's son and we are like the adopted children.

  My former pastor in Indiana had a son and a daughter. Later the son, besides their own biological children, adopted two children. Even though they were from a different country with different skin color, yet they were treated with the same kind of love and care as their other two children. The same with us. You see, we are really outside of God's family because of our sins. However, when we put our faith in Jesus, God took us into his family, he adopted us. We can call this creator God our father in heaven.

  Several weeks ago, at the baptism of one sister, she was so elated that she kept saying, “you are my brothers and sisters now. I have finally come back to God's family.”  

III.   The empty tomb is the basis of our faith.

  When Mary went to the disciples, the first thing she said was, “I have seen the Lord.” You see, John saw the empty tomb and believed that Jesus had resurrected from the dead. Mary saw Jesus' resurrection body and believed. Later Thomas also saw the resurrected Jesus in person and he too believed. And this what John meant in vs.31, “ 30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 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.”

  In this gospel, John used the verb ‘believe' 100 times. You see, to John, since day1 of Jesus' ministry, Jesus was really on trial. His trial was not in the Roman court during the Passion week, but in the hearts of everyone who has seen or heard him. Having heard of his statements and promises, we ask, can he deliver? If he can, then he is truly what he said he is, the son of God. If not, the greatest liar ever lived. Once we have heard Jesus, we cannot remain neutral; we have to make a verdict on him. Is he God or a liar.

So, how do we come to a verdict? To John it is very simple and straight forward. The final verdict is based on Jesus'' teachings and his miracles. His miracles of overcoming the natural world, overcoming human sicknesses and overcoming the evil spirit. And the final act, Jesus'' resurrection from the dead. In other words, to John, the Christian faith is not based on people's perception of who Jesus is. Instead, it is based on historical events.

The same with us. how do we come to a verdict on Jesus? Historical events. The event, is really the empty tomb. So, having seen the empty tomb, our verdict is that Jesus is indeed the son of God, he is God. Facing this God, our only proper response is to believe in him. And by believing in him, we will also have eternal life. The empty tomb is the basis of our faith in Jesus Christ.

Conclusion:

  Does it matter if the bones truly belong to Jesus? Does it matter if the tomb was empty or not? Or for that matter, does it matter if Jesus ever lived? Of course it matters. If those bones were Jesus' bones, meaning 2000 years ago, Jesus tomb was not empty, then this Jesus would be the greatest liar ever lived. He would not be able to deliver all that he has promised.

On the other hand, if the tomb was empty, then these bones would not have belonged to Jesus. If the tomb was empty, then he is indeed Alive. Because he is alive, then we can and are to believe that he is indeed the son of God, he is God. Being God, he will be with us through his Holy Spirit. He would give us strength when we are facing difficulties. He will comfort us and when we are confused and scared.

Again in one scene in Pursuit of Happiness. Chris Gardener and his son were evicted from their apartment and later from a motel because he ran out of money. They ended up in a shelter at the SF Glide Memorial. In a church service, with tears streaming down their cheeks, the congregation of homeless people sang: Do not remove the obstacle before me, but give me strength and pull me over it. Do not remove the mountain before me, but give me strength to climb over it.

If the tomb was empty, these songs would be cruel, and function nothing more than self hypnosis, numbing our emotions in times of trouble. But because Jesus is truly risen, He can be our strength and hope in life.