The Empty Tomb. John 20:1-18

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3 The Empty Tomb John 20:1-18

4 Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important. C.S. Lewis

5 1 Corinthians 15:17-18 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. Those, then, who have fallen asleep in Christ have also perished.

6 1 Peter 3:15 But in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.

7 Fact 1: After His crucifixion, Jesus was buried in a tomb by Joseph of Arimathea.

8 Fact 2: On the Sunday after the crucifixion, Jesus tomb was found empty by a group of his women followers.

9 Three Lines of Evidence for the Empty Tomb: 1. The first eyewitnesses were women.

10 John 20:1-2 On the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark. She saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb.

11 John 20:1-2 So she went running to Simon Peter and to the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said to them, "They've taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they've put him!"

12 Mark 16:1-3 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they could go and anoint him. Very early in the morning, on the first day of the week,

13 Mark 16:1-3 they went to the tomb at sunrise. They were saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone from the entrance to the tomb for us?"

14 John 20:11-18 But Mary stood outside the tomb, crying. As she was crying, she stooped to look into the tomb. She saw two angels in white sitting where Jesus s body had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet.

15 John 20:11-18 They said to her, Woman, why are you crying? Because they ve taken away my Lord, she told them, and I don t know where they ve put him.

16 John 20:11-18 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know it was Jesus. Woman, Jesus said to her, why are you crying? Who is it that you re seeking?

17 John 20:11-18 Supposing he was the gardener, she replied, Sir, if you ve carried him away, tell me where you ve put him, and I will take him away. Jesus said to her, Mary.

18 John 20:11-18 Turning around, she said to him in Aramaic, Rabboni! which means Teacher. Don t cling to me, Jesus told her, since I have not yet ascended to the Father.

19 John 20:11-18 But go to my brothers and tell them that I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God. Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, I have seen the Lord! And she told them what he had said to her.

20 Why are women eyewitnesses significant?

21 But let not the testimony of women be admitted, because of the levity and impetuosity of their sex. Josephus, 1st Century Jewish Historian (Ant )

22 In dealing with a crowd of women a philosopher cannot influence them by reason or exhort them to reverence, piety and faith; nay, there is need of religious fear also, and this cannot be aroused without myths and marvels. Strabo 1st Century Greek Philosopher (Geog )

23 After death he rose again and showed the marks of his punishment and how his hands had been pierced. But who saw this? A hysterical female, as you say, and perhaps some other one of those who were deluded by the same sorcery. Celsus 2nd Century Greek Philosopher (Origen, C. Cels. 2.55)

24 If the account of the empty tomb was a fabrication, why credit the discovery of the event to women?

25 Luke 8:1-2 Afterward he was traveling from one town and village to another, preaching and telling the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses: Mary, called Magdalene (seven demons had come out of her).

26 John 20:3-10 At that, Peter and the other disciple went out, heading for the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and got to the tomb first. Stooping down, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in.

27 John 20:3-10 Then, following him, Simon Peter also came. He entered the tomb and saw the linen cloths lying there. The wrapping that had been on his head was not lying with the linen cloths but was folded up in a separate place by itself.

28 John 20:3-10 The other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, then also went in, saw, and believed. For they did not yet understand the Scripture that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned to the place where they were staying.

29 Three Lines of Evidence for the Empty Tomb: 2. The resurrection account is simple and unembellished.

30 Fake Gospel of Peter: Heads so big that reach to and even above the clouds. A flying, talking cross.

31 Three Lines of Evidence for the Empty Tomb: 3. The earliest antagonistic source mentions an empty tomb.

32 Matthew 28:11-15 As they were on their way, some of the guards came into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. After the priests had assembled with the elders and agreed on a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money

33 Matthew 28:11-15 and told them, Say this, His disciples came during the night and stole him while we were sleeping. If this reaches the governor s ears, we will deal with him and keep you out of trouble.

34 Matthew 28:11-15 They took the money and did as they were instructed, and this story has been spread among Jewish people to this day.

35 By far most exegetes hold firmly to the reliability of the biblical statements concerning the empty tomb." Jacob Kremer, an Austrian specialist in the resurrection

36 One Implication of the Empty Tomb The resurrection makes your ordinary, everyday life decisions incredibly significant.

37 Romans 8:28-29 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.

38 Drudgery is one of the finest tests to determine the genuineness of our character. Drudgery is work that is far removed from anything we think of as ideal work. It is the utterly hard, menial, tiresome, and dirty work. And when we experience it, our spirituality is instantly tested

39 We all have those times when there are no flashes of light and no apparent thrill to life, where we experience nothing but the daily routine with its common everyday tasks. The routine of life is actually God s way of saving us between our times of great inspiration which come from Him.

40 Don t always expect God to give you His thrilling moments, but learn to live in those common times of the drudgery of life by the power of God I must realize that my obedience even in the smallest detail of life has all of the omnipotent power of the grace of God behind it.

41 If I will do my duty, not for duty s sake but because I believe God is engineering my circumstances, then at the very point of my obedience all of the magnificent grace of God is mine through the glorious atonement by the Cross of Christ. Oswald Chambers

42 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

43 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

44 John 14:21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.

45 Luke 16:10 Whoever is faithful in very little is also faithful in much, and whoever is unrighteous in very little is also unrighteous in much.

46 Galatians 6:9-10 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

47 Practical Application: Embrace the glory of the ordinary.

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