THE COMING OF A NEW DAY

THE COMING OF A NEW DAY

If the Gospel of John were a normal biography, there would be no chapter 20. Most biographies end with the death and burial of the subject. I have not yet read one that describes the resurrection of the subject from the dead! The fact that John continued his account and shared the excitement of the resurrection miracle is proof that Jesus Christ is not like any other man. Truly He is the Son of God.

The resurrection is a crucial component of the gospel message (1 Cor. 15:1-8) and a core belief of the Christian faith. This proves that Jesus Christ is the Son of God (Acts 2:32–36; Rom. 1:4) and that His atoning work on the cross has been completed and is effective (Rom. 4:24–25). The empty cross and the empty tomb are God’s “receipts” that the debt has been paid. Jesus Christ is not only the Savior; He is the Sanctifier (Rom. 6:4–10) and the Intercessor (Rom. 8:34). One day He will return as Judge (Acts 17:30-31).

From the beginning the Lord’s enemies have sought to deny the historic fact of the resurrection. The Jewish leaders said that the body of the Lord had been stolen from the tomb. This is a ridiculous statement, for if the body was stolen by his followers, how did they do it? Roman soldiers were stationed at the tomb, and the stone was sealed with an official Roman seal. His disciples did not believe He should be raised from the dead; it was His enemies who remembered His words (Matt. 27:62–66). Of course, they would not have taken the body! The last thing they wanted was anyone thinking that Jesus really had risen from the dead. His friends could not steal the body. His enemies would not steal the body. Who took the body?

Perhaps the disciples had “visions” of the risen Lord and mistook them for evidence of the resurrection. But they did not expect to see Him. That is not the land of psychological preparation out of which hallucinations are made. Then, think about how over five hundred people all hallucinate at the same time (1 Cor. 15:6).

Did the followers of our Lord maybe go to the wrong tomb? Not likely. They carefully observed where He was buried (Matt. 27:61; Mark 15:47; Luke 23:55-57). They loved the Master and were not apt to get confused about where he lay. Indeed, as they approached the tomb, the women knew what to expect, worrying about who would push back the heavy stone (Mark 16:1–3).

But little need be said of the foolish argument that Jesus did not die, but only swooned and was revived later. Many witnesses testified that Jesus was dead when His body was taken down from the cross. Later, He was seen alive by reliable witnesses. The only rational conclusion is that he kept his promise and rose from the dead.

Even His closest followers did not immediately comprehend the glorious truth of the resurrection. These mourning people began to find out that their Master was not dead but alive! What a difference it made when the full realization of His resurrection came upon them! For Mary Magdalene it meant moving from tears to joy (John 20:1–18); for the ten disciples it meant going from fear to courage (John 20:19–23); and for Thomas it meant moving from doubt to assurance (John 20:24–31). Love is emphasized with Mary, hope with the ten, and faith with Thomas.
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As we reflect on the experience of Mary Magdalene that morning of the Lord’s Day, we may identify three stages in her coming to terms with the truth of the resurrection. Peter and John share this experience as well.