GOD S LOVE AS VICTORY OVER DEATH

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1 April 16, 2017 ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON GOD S LOVE AS VICTORY OVER DEATH MINISTRY INVOCATION O God: We give thanks to You for the manifold blessings to us. You did not have to bless us but You did. We shall remain eternally grateful. Amen. WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW AND UNDERSTAND Remember in the events of the Resurrection the power of God s love to overcome death; Celebrate the saving power of new life offered in the resurrection; and Share with others the power of God s love found in the Good News of the resurrection. THE APPLIED FULL GOSPEL DISTINCTIVE We believe in the indwelling of the Holy Ghost for all believers and that the Holy Ghost verifies and validates the Believer as part of the Body of Christ. Background Scripture John 19: Key Verse Lesson Scripture John 20: 1-10 (NKJV) The Resurrection of Christ Matt. 28:1 8; Mark 16:1 8; Luke 24: Now the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him. 3 Peter therefore went out, and the other disciple, and were going to the tomb. 4 So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first. 5 And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there; yet he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there, 7 and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed. 9 For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went away again to their own homes. 1

2 COMMENTARY 20:1 The Synoptic accounts of the resurrection story include several women coming to the tomb: three in Mark 16:1 ( Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome ); two in Matt 28:1 ( Mary Magdalene and the other Mary ); and according to Luke 24:10 there were more than three ( Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others). The purpose for their coming was apparently the bringing of spices to anoint the body. The Johannine story focuses on Mary Magdalene, who is mentioned only in this chapter of John and at the cross in 19:25. In Johannine fashion, these people are not to be viewed merely as exclusive units/persons but as identifiable representatives of their kind of people. We may not be happy unless we can detail the exact number of women who came to the tomb. The we in 20:2 at least forewarns the reader against a misreading of the evangelist s intention. We may also inquire concerning the time when Mary came to the tomb. All the Gospels indicate it was about dawn, but Mark 16:2 notes that the sun had risen. Yet John states that it was still dark. Both Gospels, however, use the term, early, and dark is a relative term. Also, Mark s very early suggests that sunrise had barely occurred. More importantly, the reader should remember that time and temperature readings in John are also theologically oriented statements. It was indeed early morning when Mary Magdalene saw a sign of the resurrection the removed stone but she was still in the dark concerning its significance. Although Matthew had been interested in justifying the physical security of the tomb and in stressing that the resurrection was a powerful act of God accompanied by an earthquake and an angelic removal of the stone, John assumed that the resurrection was a miracle and that the removed stone was an evidence of that miracle. It is significant that John, along with the rest of the Gospel writers, designated the day of the resurrection as the first day of the week rather than the third day after the crucifixion. Although the death of Jesus was absolutely crucial for salvation and the forgiveness of sins, the hinge point of Christianity is the resurrection. On the basis of the resurrection, Christians have established their day of worship and praise to God. 20:2 Obviously, the evangelist regarded Mary Magdalene as completely bewildered by the sight of the empty tomb. Accordingly, she ran to tell Peter and the beloved disciple about her concern for the removal of the body of the Lord. When she said, They have taken, she could only have referred to the crucifiers of Jesus (the Jews and/or Romans). Her second statement indicates 2

3 that the early Christians had no sense that the tomb would have been empty. The contemporary thought that they could create a resurrection hoax or experience a joint encounter with some mystical Christ as some have suggested is absurd, given the defeatism that enveloped Jesus followers after they realized Jesus was truly dead. The only possibility that crossed Mary s mind was that the body must have been stolen in clear violation of Jewish burial integrity and of Roman practice. 20:3 5 John has inserted into the story of Mary Magdalene the story of Peter and the beloved disciple. This shift of focus was facilitated by Mary s bewildered cry in verse 2. The cry for help met with a prompt response on the part of the two disciples. In the second half of this Gospel, Peter and the beloved disciple are frequently set in sharp contrast to each other. They both ran to the tomb, but the beloved disciple was the first to reach the tomb. Earlier, the beloved disciple had been identified as lying in the breast of Jesus while at the meal and serving as the conveyer of Peter s question to the Lord (13:23 24). Likewise, the beloved disciple had first gained access to the court of the high priest and had served as a mediator to assist in Peter s gaining access as well (18:15 16). Later at the sea, he would recognize the Lord first and report that fact to Peter (21:7). Finally, when Peter was informed that he too would be stretched out, Jesus needed to tell Peter that it was none of his business to ask about the beloved disciple s mission (21:20 23). But in this present context the beloved disciple was not merely swifter in running; he was also more sensitive to believing the reality of the resurrection (20:8). This contrast is intended to show the significance of the beloved disciple. Peter s role in early Christian tradition was firmly established as a primary witness to the resurrection (cf. Mark 16:7; Luke 24:34; 1 Cor 15:5), but that did not mean that the priority of his role was unchallenged by the Johannine community or by Paul when in writing to the Galatians the Apostle to the Gentiles regarded Peter as following an erroneous path (cf. Gal 2:11 16). In this story, when the beloved disciple arrived at the tomb, he bent down to look into the tomb at the linen bandages. The sight of those linen strips must have left an indelible impression upon his sensitive mind because they are mentioned both here and at verse 6. That sight was apparently enough to stop his progress. Body robbers leaving body wrappings? Do those ideas 3

4 connect? They must have started his mind into a computing mode that ended in believing. 20:6 7 Before long, however, the slower running Peter arrived at the tomb following him. Carson perhaps states what others have thought when he says that true to his nature, Peter impetuously rushed right into the tomb. The reader will remember with a smile that when Peter finally recognized he needed to have his feet washed, he asked for a shower (13:8 9); but much more seriously the reader will recall that after Peter professed a willingness to lay down his life for Jesus (13:37), he denied Jesus three times (19:17 27); that in the face of the arresting band, he sliced off the ear of Malchus (18:10) but then backed down to a servant girl (18:17); and that at the sea when he learned it was the Lord on the land, he hastily jumped off the boat and sprang into the water (21:7). As one searches the Gospels, the examples continue to multiply. While the beloved disciple paused outside the tomb to view the scene, Simon Peter entered. What Peter saw inside the tomb was intriguing because the burial wrappings were separated from the head/face covering. This separation of the grave wrappings may give some reason to question the shroud theory. On the other hand, the term is a general word that is something like a handkerchief or facecloth. How it was employed is not clearly defined in antiquity. It could have been used as a means for holding the mouth/chin closed, but the Johannine idea of a separate face wrapping for Lazarus (11:44) or head covering on Jesus (20:7) seems to be slightly at odds with the shroud concept. 20:8 10 Apparently, the reason for the beloved disciple s hesitancy was removed when Peter went into the tomb. Accordingly, the evangelist reported that he also entered, viewed the situation, and believed. The question has often been asked: What did he believe? That question is especially significant in that John added a footnote in verse 9 to the effect that they still did not realize the implications of what they were witnessing in terms of the Scripture. Therefore, he argued, both disciples simply left for home. Peter represented Jewish Christianity and the beloved disciple represented Gentile. Christianity both groups would come to faith following their representatives. He also added that the story does not signify any precedence. In the case of the beloved disciple, His faith was not derived from ancient prophetic texts; the fact of the empty tomb illuminated the sense of scripture (Ps 16:10). 4

5 Although it would be difficult to say for certain what level of believing is here envisioned, it certainly marks an example of the fact that the beloved disciple is a symbol of those who at this stage had not seen an appearance of the risen Lord and yet believed (cf. 20:29). It must be remembered that the combination of seeing and believing has been a repeated theme in John. Furthermore, it is particularly noteworthy that the beloved disciple is the only person in the Gospels who is recognized as having reached a point of believing as the result of seeing the empty tomb. Given the trauma of the crucifixion, the fear and bewilderment of most of the followers of Jesus was not allayed by the sight or reports of the empty tomb. It took the appearances of the risen Lord himself to convince most followers that the resurrection was a reality. The beloved disciple, however, is here viewed as the model for the believing community. But that is not the end of the story because this was inserted by the evangelist into the account of Mary Magdalene to provide perspective or give an envelope/sandwich effect to the story. The creative literary style of this presentation produces a powerful testimony especially for early readers who might have wondered about the reliability of the testimony of a woman (women) concerning the empty tomb. RELATED DISCUSSION TOPICS CLOSING PRAYER My God: I am grateful to have found You and kept You in the forefront of my being. Bless us continually with Your grace and mercy. They represent bountiful blessings for all of us. Amen. 5