INTRODUCING THE LESSON

In order to establish the facts of an event, you need eyewitnesses. These eyewitnesses must be honest and share only what they are sure of. In establishing the Resurrection, John carefully established eyewitness testimonies of the events. He knew Christianity rests on the truthfulness of these reports. As the apostle Paul stated in 1 Corinthians 15:14, “If Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is , also vain”?.

Examine the facts. Listen to the testimonies. May you come to the conclusion that Jesus is the living Saviour because of the empty tomb.

AN EMPTY TOMB

(A) Mary’s Discovery (John 20:1,2)

John 20:1 reports Mary Magdalene coming to the tomb before daybreak on the first day of the week. Though John only mentions Mary Magdalene, her use of the plural pronoun “we” in her exclamation in verse 2 shows that others were with her. They came to finish applying the final spices to the body of Christ.

As the women approached the tomb, they saw that the heavy stone had been rolled away. They obviously looked into the tomb, for they realised the body of Jesus was not there. Mary ran to tell others what they had discovered.

Mary found Peter and another disciple. She reported to them that she had found the tomb empty, and assumed it was empty because someone had removed Jesus’ body and moved it to a different place. Mary’s discovery of the stone being removed and the disappearance of Jesus’ body caused her personal anguish.

(B) Tomb Examined (John 20:3-9)

Peter and John ran to the tomb to verify the information Mary had given. John arrived at the empty tomb first and bent over to look in. Peter burst right past him and entered the tomb. John then followed Peter in. They saw the empty strips of linen lying there and the folded burial cloth that had been around Jesus.

QUESTION: Why did John record the details about the grave clothes?

These details are added proofs of Christ’s resurrection. The folded cloth would appear to signify a purposeful departure rather than the ransacking of the tomb.

QUESTION: What do you think John was referring to in John 20:8 when it reports he “saw, and believed”?

While the exact nature of John’s belief is not stated, it seems clear that he understood Jesus really was alive based on the evidence in the tomb, and it was not until adter that he and the other disciples came to understand that Jesus’ resurrection was foretold in the Scriptures.

THE RISEN LORD

(A) Angelic Presence (John 20:10-13)

The disciples returned to their homes. Mary stood alone outside of the tomb and wept. Mary looked back inside the tomb again perhaps she thought the body would be back in its place. It was no longer empty. Jesus’ body was not there, but there were two angels. The angels asked Mary why she was crying. Her response to the angel’s question reveals she still thought Jesus was dead.

QUESTION: Why do we sometimes overlook God’s hand at work in our lives?

Like Mary, we may allow our feelings to dominate how we view what is going on in our lives. Fear can undermine our trust in God. Discouragement and disappointment can cause us to doubt God’s care for us. Yet we must not forget that God does not forsake us, even in difficult situations. We must trust that He is at work in our lives, even when we can’t see it.

(B) Divine Encounter (John 20:14-16)

After Mary’s response to the angels’ question, she turned and saw Jesus, but she did not recognise Him. Jesus asked Mary a question similar to that of the two angels. Mary assumed He was the gardener and would therefore know where the body of Jesus had been relocated.

One thing is for sure, Mary knew who Jesus was the instant He called her by name. She addressed Him with the Aramaic word, “Rabboni,” which John translated for his Greek readers as “Master.”

THE GREAT COMMISSION

(A) Go And Tell (John 20:17,18)

Jesus sent Mary to the disciples to tell them she had talked to Him. She was to tell them Jesus was going to ascend to the Father.

QUESTION: What is the significance of the ascension of Christ for believers?

The purposes for the ascension of Christ are sometimes overlooked. Jesus Christ ascended as the forerunner of the believers (Hebrews 6:20). He ascended, in order to send the Holy Spirit (John 16:7). He ascended to be our Great High Priest, ever living to make intercession for us (Romans 8:34). He ascended to give gifts to the Church (Ephesians 4:8-11) He also ascended to prepare a place for us (John 14:2).

(B) So Send I You (John 20:19-23)

The disciples were hiding behind locked doors for fear of the Jews. Jesus met them at this time. One of His chief purposes was to quiet their fears. Jesus announced peace to them, for they were quite startled when He appeared suddenly among them.

After He had assured them that He was really alive, Jesus told them that He wanted them to carry out His work on the earth, even as He had faithfully carried out His Father’s work while on the earth. With that instruction, Jesus breathed on them and instructed them to receive the Holy Spirit. Without His power they could not carry out their work.

QUESTION: What is the significance of the commission Jesus gave these early disciples?

Jesus commanded His followers to take the gospel to the whole world. The gospel we are to proclaim is that “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that he was buried and that he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures: and that he was seen (1 Corinthians 15:3-5)".

As we proclaim this truth in the power of the Holy Spirit, people can come to believe in our risen Saviour and Lord. Then, together, we can worship and serve Him as our risen LORD.

CONCLUSION!

This lesson has reviewed the events of Christ’s resurrection.

His resurrection is the foundation of Christian faith and practice. Knowing this, we must take time to worship Christ as our risen Lord and express our gratitude. If He had not died for our sins and been raised from the dead, we would be lost.

But it is also important that we are able to give a clear witness to our faith in Christ. To do this we need to have a clear understanding of Jesus’ resurrection. It is not our responsibility to prove to the world that Jesus arose.

It is our responsibility to share the message of Jesus’ resurrection and of the new life He offers to all who put their trust in Him (1 Peter 3:15). We need to be able to do this in a clear, understandable and respectful manner. So we must study and understand the facts of the Resurrection.

As we obey Jesus’ command to tell those We meet about Jesus, the Holy Spirit will do His work. He will convict them of their sins and draw them to faith in Christ (John 16:7-11).

^{cheers, Omonosa!}