The Greatest Discovery Ever Made (A Message for Easter) John 20:1-10 (NKJV)

Message for THE LORD S DAY MORNING, April 8, 2012 Christian Hope Church of Christ, Plymouth, NC Reggie A. Braziel, Minister EASTER SUNDAY The Greatest Discovery Ever Made (A Message for Easter) John 20:1-10 (NKJV) Please turn with me in your Bibles to the Gospel of John, chapter twenty. John 20:1-10 (NKJV) 1 Now on 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. P R A Y E R I N T R O D U C T I O N

Throughout history, man has made many great discoveries that greatly improved the quality of life for millions of people. * In 1899, German doctor, Felix Hoffman discovered a powder from the root of a willow tree could provide quick relief for the pain of a headache. That was the day ASPIRIN, sometimes called the miracle drug was discovered. *In 1928 Alexander Fleming was doing some experiments with some mold and fungi growing in a petri dish in his laboratory. That is when Fleming discovered an antibiotic called penicillin. Had it not been for that discovery many people would die of such common infections as strep throat. *In 1932, five doctors working in collaboration discovered they could restart a patient s stopped heart by administering a quick electrical shock to the chest. Since that great discovery the the defibrillator has saved hundreds of thousands of lives. *On February 29, 1953, James Watson of the United States and Francis Crick of England made one of the greatest scientific discoveries in modern history when they discovered the DNA molecule. That discovery led to giant leaps in the fields of forensic sciences and criminal justice. As great as all these discoveries are and as beneficial as they have been to mankind, they all pale in comparison to a discovery that was made one Sunday morning in the year 30 A.D. It was the discovery made by a Jewish woman named Mary, from the little village of Magdala or Mary Magdalene as she is commonly referred to in the Gospels. Who Was Mary Magdalene? We learn in Luke 8:2 that Mary Magdalene was once a social outcasts who was possessed by seven demons. Until she met Jesus, Mary Magdalene had no hope of a better life. But after Jesus cast the demons out of Mary, she faithfully followed Him from that day forward. In fact, she became one of Jesus most loyal and devoted followers. All four gospel writers tell us Mary Magdalene was present at Calvary on the day Jesus was crucified. When all the disciples except John were

fearful to show their faces in public, there bravely stood Mary Magdalene near the cross until He drew His final breath. And now we learn here in John chapter twenty that the same love and loyalty that brought Mary to the foot of the cross also brought her to the tomb of Jesus in the early pre-dawn hours on Sunday morning. It was here Mary Magdalene made I. The Greatest Discovery Ever Made 1. John s gospel seems to indicate Mary Magdalene went alone to the tomb that Sunday morning. But we learn in Luke 24 that Mary the mother of James and Joanna were also with her as well as several other unnamed women. (Luke 24:8-10) 2. Now this brings up a question. Why were these women going to a grave in the pre-dawn hours? We find our answer in Luke 24:1. Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they (referring to Mary Magdalene and the other women) came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. Now what was the significance of these spices? Burial spices were used to preserve the body of the deceased from decay and rapid decomposition. The spice mixture was primarily composed of myrrh and aloes. It was an ancient form of embalming. We must keep in mind Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus buried Jesus body quickly before sundown on Friday, because according to Levitical Law and Jewish tradition if a body that hung on a tree were left unburied overnight it would bring a terrible curse upon the land. Although Joseph and Nicodemus had buried Jesus quickly, we learn in John 19:40 they had used about 100 pounds of burial spices, which was about the customary amount used in burials. According to Matthew s gospel both Mary Magdalene and the other Mary had witnessed the burial of Jesus. So why were they bringing more spices? Perhaps it was to comfort their own grieving hearts as much as anything. 3. Mark s gospel tells us that while the women were on their way to the tomb that morning the women were wondering what they

were going to do about the huge stone that had been rolled over the entrance to the tomb. 4. Well as they made that last turn on the garden path just before arriving at the tomb, they stumbled on to a very chilling site. The stone had already been moved. The grave was open. 5. John s gospel tells us that when Mary Magdalene saw that the stone had been rolled away, she turned around and ran back to the homes of Peter and John. All the way back to that house Mary wasn t thinking Jesus had risen from the dead, she was thinking, Jesus body has been stolen. This is indicated in VERSE 2. Mary thought a grave robbery had occurred, but who would do such a sick and twisted thing? 6. When Peter and John heard Mary s story they took off running toward the tomb. 7. In verse 4 we learn that it was JOHN who arrived at the tomb first, but he didn t go inside. Instead he observed from the entrance of the tomb the strips of cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus body. It was Peter, the disciple who had promised Jesus he would never forsake Him.the disciple who had cursed and denied Jesus three times who was the first to step inside the empty tomb. 8. Now look closely at verses 6,7... 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. 9. Now that may not mean anything to you and me, but to Peter that discovery was of great significance. Remember before Jesus began His ministry He had been a

carpenter in Nazareth working alongside His earthly father, Joseph. In those days when a carpenter finished a job, he would wash himself, then take the towel he used to dry with and neatly fold it and leave it in a conspicuous place. Later, whoever would come to inspect the carpenter s work would see that neatly folded towel and know the work had been finished, the job was complete. 10. When Peter saw that napkin that had been wrapped around Jesus head neatly folded and lying off by itself, he knew that was something no grave robber would ever bother to do. There was only one explanation and that was that Jesus the carpenter from Nazareth, had left a message for whoever came to inspect the tomb, My work here has been finished, I have completed the task I came here to do. 11. But we learn in verses 8-10 that Peter and John at this point were still torn between FAITH and DOUBT. 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. 12. A grief-stricken Mary Magdalene is now left at the tomb all alone. Through her tear-filled eyes she looks inside the tomb and sees two angels seated where Jesus body had been lying. The angel asks Mary, Woman, why are you weeping? Mary responded, Because they have taken away my LORD, and I do not know where they have laid Him. 13. At that moment a man came up behind Mary. She turned around and there stood Jesus, only Mary didn t recognize Him. We learn in verse 15 Mary thought the man was the gardener. Jesus asked Mary two questions: First, He repeated the same question asked a few moments earlier by the angel,

Woman, why are you weeping? And without hesitation Jesus asked a second question: Whom are you seeking? 14. Still believing she was talking with the gardener Mary responded in verse 15, Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away. 15. It was at this point Jesus called her by name, Mary. That is all Jesus had to say. Mary had heard Jesus call her name many times before. She knew that voice! She was familiar with that sweet, tender tone. Immediately Mary knew this was no gardener, this was her LORD AND SAVIOR Jesus Christ. Mary Magdalene had just made the greatest discovery ever made! Jesus Christ is risen just as He said! 16. You see, THE STONE had not been removed to let Jesus body out, THE STONE had been moved to LET BELIEVERS IN! * The strips of cloth. * The neatly folded napkin that had been wrapped around Jesus head. * The two angels inside the tomb. It all made sense now! 17. After appearing to MARY MAGDALENE on that glorious resurrection morning, the scriptures tell us JESUS appeared to over 500 other people over the next 40 days before ascending back to His heavenly Father. 18. THE EMPTY TOMB OF JESUS CHRIST was and still is the greatest discovery ever made. NO DISCOVERY in all of history has ever made such an impact on the life of man. THE FACT that Jesus arose on the third day completely changed man s eternal destiny!

But brothers and sisters, I want to remind you this morning that the EMPTY TOMB and RISEN SAVIOR wasn t just just the greatest discovery MARY MAGDALENE made, it is also.. II. The Greatest Discovery You Ever Made 1. Throughout your early life time you have made many wonderful discoveries. *It was a great day when you discovered how to say your ABC s and do your multiplication tables. *It was a great day when you discovered how to tie your own shoe laces. *It was a great day when you discovered how to ride a bicycle and later how to drive a car. *It was a great day when you discovered the person whom you would eventually marry. 2. But brothers and sisters as great as all those discoveries were, they pale in comparison to your greatest discovery of all, and that was the day you DISCOVERED YOUR NEED FOR JESUS CHRIST, YOUR RESURRECTED SAVIOR! 3. Having Jesus in your life changes everything! -It means your sins have been forgiven and your slate has been wiped clean. -It means when this life is over you do not have to fear the Lord s judgment, for there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. -Having JESUS CHRIST as your Savior doesn t mean you won t face trials and troubles in this life, but it does mean you will have the STRENGTH, the COMFORT and the PEACE of CHRIST to see you through all of life s difficult circumstances. -Having JESUS CHRIST as your Savior doesn t mean you won t ever have to go through the GRIEF of losing

a loved one, but it does mean you have the wonderful HOPE of being reunited with those Christian loved ones again for all eternity. -Having JESUS CHRIST as your Savior doesn t mean you won t experience physical death, but it does mean you can face your death with COURAGE and CONFIDENCE knowing that because Jesus lives you too shall live! 4. Yes brothers and sisters, THE GREATEST DISCOVERY YOU EVER MADE was the day you discovered your need for THE RISEN SAVIOR! *************************************************************************************** C O N C L U S I O N Back when George Bush was Vice President under President Ronald Reagan, he represented the United States at the funeral of former Soviet leader, Leonid Brezhnev. Bush was deeply moved by a silent protest carried out by Brezhnev s widow. She stood motionless until just moments before her husband s casket was closed. Just as the soldiers touched the coffin lid, Brezhnev s widow stepped forward and made the sign of the cross on her deceased husband s chest. There in the citadel of atheistic power, the wife of the man who had ruled it all hoped her husband was wrong. She hoped there was another life, and that life was represented by Jesus Christ who died on the cross and rose again on the third day. It was that same JESUS Brezhnev s widow hoped would have mercy on her husband s soul. ( Gary Thomas, Christian Times, October 3, 1994, p. 26.) Alleluia! Alleluia! Hearts to heaven and voices raise; Sing to God a hymn of gladness, sing to God a hymn of praise. He who on the cross as Savior, for the world s salvation bled, Jesus christ, the King of Glory, now is risen from the dead. Now the iron bars are broken, Christ from death to life is born, Glorious life, and life immortal, on this resurrection morn; Christ has triumphed, and we conquer, by His mighty enterprise, We with Him to life eternal, by His resurrection shall rise.

(Text by Christopher Wordsworth, Music by Ludwig Van Beethoven)