Word of Salvation – Vol. 25 No. 21 – February 1979

 

Of Course He Arose

 

Easter Sermon by Rev. J. Goris, Th.Grad. on John 20:9b

Scripture reading: John 20:1-10

Psalter Hymnal: 356; 95; 357; 42; 361

 

Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ!

In a Religious Instruction class at a State school, one of the children was trying to explain what Easter eggs had to do with Jesus’ rising from the dead. “You see,” he said, “the egg looks dead, but when it is hatched a live chicken comes out.” I guess, we could say something similar about some trees and shrubs in winter – they look dead, but wait till spring comes around, then they are all alive and bearing flowers and fruit.

BUT, was Jesus’ resurrection like that?

No! The fact is that the egg and the trees only look dead! In reality they are not, for IF they are dead, NOTHING will happen. In the Australian outback and also closer to home, there are many dead trees. And you can be sure that there won’t be a leaf on them in spring. Besides, in comparing Jesus’ resurrection with the new life that we see in spring, there is another thing we must note. The new life in spring is part of nature; however, a person rising from the dead is NOT part of that cycle of nature.

And yet… even if we must say, by nature it is impossible for man to rise from the dead, for Jesus it was both possible and natural that HE would rise. The Bible says so, we read in our text, “that He MUST rise again from the dead” (vs. 9b). And so we can say with certainty, OF COURSE HE AROSE! There was no sleeping in for Jesus’ friends that first day of the week when He arose. The Sabbath was over, and now they could attend to more elaborate burial arrangements than at first. Some of Jesus’ woman-followers were the last to leave the grave-site before the Sabbath began, and again, they were the first to come back after the Sabbath.

John in his gospel speaks only of Mary Magdalene, but this may be so as to lead up to her personal encounter with the risen Lord later on. From the other gospels we gather that there were one or two more women. At any rate, they met with a great surprise when they arrived at the tomb, for the stone grave-door had been rolled away. Who could have done that?

However, their surprise became even greater when they discovered that the body of the crucified Lord was no longer there! Mary Magdalene hurries back to Jerusalem to tell the disciples.

In no time Peter and John were on their way to the tomb, running all the way. The apostle John arrives first. He stops at the entrance, then stoops to look inside. Peter, on coming to the place, goes right in, looks around, puzzled: no Jesus! So it’s true: they have taken Him away.

But wait…. there are the linen wrappings, and a little further, neatly by itself, there was the napkin that was used to cover the Lord’s head. John, who had also come in, is convinced by the evidence of the grave-clothes. He believes that somehow the Lord MUST be alive. No thieves would have left things behind the way the disciples found them. So John seems to be the first one to believe that Jesus is alive before actually meeting the Lord. He went by the evidence he saw in the tomb, for we are told, “as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead”.

But that belief goes right against nature. Does a dead man live again? No! Dead is dead! By nature, and we are part of it; we live only once; death is the end. That is exactly what many believe, and live. The way they handle life shows that this is all: there is nothing beyond the grave. And so they ‘stuff’ themselves with all life’s goodies: “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.”

But also the way they handle death shows that this is all. Look at them at the grave-site: forlorn, empty, broken.

You and I would do the same thing if it were not for the Bible… and the living Lord Who proved the truth of the Bible. The Bible says that He must rise. And rise He DID!

You see, if the Bible says that He must rise… then NATURALLY (even if it is against nature!) He will rise. God’s Word does not fail. Remember how Peter explained that mighty happening of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost? He said that it was all because of Jesus, Jesus of Nazareth, the Jesus Whom you crucified. You thought that was the end. You got rid of Him: dead is dead! But you were mistaken; you had not reckoned with God, with His Word and His power! The fact was that God raised Him up, because, said Peter, “It was impossible for death to hold HIM”. (Acts 2:24, where he quotes Psalm 16).

And there is more: The Lord’s life showed the truth of the Bible. His life was different: it was perfect and blameless. Death could have no claim on Him. He laid down His life voluntarily. Jesus said, “I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again” (John 10:18). He did not die for His own sin – He had none! He died for ours. In that same tenth chapter of John the Lord says, “I lay down My life for the sheep” (vs.15). What great assurance the Lord gives us in the resurrection, for His work was bound to be successful.. The Scriptures say, He must rise, and so He did.

And so being raised for our justification… we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Rom.4:25-5:1).

Yes indeed, the very character of God’s salvation for us demanded that He should rise. He said that He came to save us, but what salvation it would be if death would not have been conquered? Why, death is the very thing that bothers us. It stares us in the face every day in all forms of decay, ageing, sickness. What is salvation if death is not given the death-blow? He must rise, and He did!

And where does that leave you and me? In the grave… unless, of course, we have a personal share in what Jesus did for us. To believe that Jesus lived the right sort of life before God, is not enough to be sure of that personal share in His victory. To follow His example, is not enough. To believe that Jesus is alive now, is not enough.

The question is: Have you come face to face with the Living Lord Jesus Christ? Have you discovered the ceaseless marvel of His giving of Himself for you? (Whoever you are?) Have you believed that ONLY through HIM God has accepted you, and that God’s acceptance of His death by raising Him from the dead is the guarantee of your acceptance?

If you have truly believe that, you must have wondered why He did all that for you, for you have not in any way deserved it. Then it must make you want to love Him and follow Him, and it will make you hate the sinful life for which He died. Through Jesus’ resurrection you have come to share in His new life.

And have you realised that it is that quality of life which cannot be wiped out by death, EVER? That quality of life is His free gift for ALL who come to Him in true repentance and faith. Isn’t that wonderful? Isn’t God wonderful for giving us His Son Jesus Christ and for showing us that in Jesus He has accepted us? How do I know that? Well, OF COURSE HE AROSE ! Can you say “AMEN” to that? SAY IT!

(AMEN)