John 21:15-25 "Feeding Jesus' Sheep"

Well, we’ve finally done it. After 16 months, with a few breaks here and there, we’ve reached the final verses of John’s gospel. I mentioned last Sunday that this final chapter almost seems like an addition to John’s text, since John closed it at the end of chapter 20. However, you know how we pastor/preacher types are, we close things several times before they’re actually really closed and we’re completely done. Anyways, last Sunday we saw Peter, after realizing that it was Jesus on the shore, jump into the water, leaving a handful of disciples in the boat in an effort to get to him more quickly. We saw Jesus prepare a meal for the disciples and serve them right there on the seashore. This was the last time that we know of prior to their gathering for Jesus’ ascension that Jesus and his disciples would fellowship together. It seems that after they had all eaten, that Jesus and Peter somewhat break off in a conversation by themselves. We said that this final chapter of John’s gospel was in some ways the story of Peter’s redemption. Well, we saw the change in his reaction to Jesus’ presence between last Sunday’s text and Peter’s first encounter with Jesus in Luke 5. Today, we see a change in Peter’s faith from the account of his denying knowing Christ three times prior to his death to this point where we are today.

Jesus asked Peter “do you love me more than these?” Now, there are several things that “these” could mean, but one option seems to be the most obvious and more common interpretation. It appears that Jesus is asking Peter if he, Peter, loves Jesus more than the other disciples do. Remember, we said that no disciple took Jesus’ crucifixion harder than Peter. This was due to the shame that he felt from his denial of Christ. Because of this, there is a chance that Peter was even more joyous and excited at Christ’s resurrection than the rest of the disciples. That’s not to say that the others weren’t filled with joy and excited, but Peter had a little something extra. Think about it in terms of today, many times, it’s the person(s) who has or have been to the bottom who is more overjoyed at what Christ has done for them than someone who has never really faced hardships or trials. It’s the one who understands just how much they have messed things up and yet sees that God has still forgiven them that seems to appreciate and enjoy God just a little bit more.

Peter answered Jesus in the affirmative, followed by Jesus telling him that because of his love for Jesus, Peter is to “feed [Jesus’] lambs.” Jesus asked him of his love a second time, and Peter answered in the affirmative again. This time, Jesus responds by telling Peter that he is to “tend my sheep.” Jesus goes on to ask yet a third time of Peter’s love for him. Peter answers that he does love Jesus, but this time is starting to become troubled that Jesus is asking this question. However, we have to remember that Peter’s denial of Jesus happened three times; hence the need for Peter’s profession of faith to be in triplicate here. And after Peter’s third profession of faith for Christ, Jesus tells Peter that he is to “feed my sheep.” Now, we could get caught up in these three commands made by Jesus and try and figure out why he used feed sometimes and tend another, or we could try and determine the difference between lambs and sheep. However, I don’t want to do that this morning, I want us to focus on the one word that remains unchanged in each of these statements: MY sheep and MY lambs. Peter is given the command to care for Christ’s sheep, his people, his children. When Christ’s people are fed, nurtured, and filled with the strength of Christ and His Word, they become a mighty army in this world. If his children are not fed and equipped as they ought to be, then they cannot influence the world around them. Jesus is telling Peter here that if he is going to be a disciple, if he loves Christ, if he is committed to the continuation of Jesus’ ministry, then he must care for the needs of his people. And it’s that very same thing that each of us, as modern-day disciples, are called to do as well. As a pastor, I’m called to feed God’s children what they need to reach spiritual maturity. I’m called to care for the faith relationships that all of you have with God. However, I’m not the only one with responsibilities here. As friends, parents, children, brothers, sisters, colleagues, or any other relationship, as disciples and followers of Christ, we are all called to train up those around us in the Lord. We all have the responsibility of helping each other grow in our faith and reach a level of spiritual maturity.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Jesus somewhat abruptly changed the direction of his conversation with Peter. Jesus said to Peter, “Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” John then writes Jesus’ reason for saying these words to Peter: This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God. Now, Peter’s death won’t come for another thirty years; under Nero in Rome when he is, as is thought to be the case, crucified upside down. Basically, Jesus is telling Peter that he’s going to die. He doesn’t tell him when or where, but he does tell him that he is going to die. Despite this foretelling, Peter heeds the words of Jesus “Follow Me.” Jesus is telling Peter that he is to follow Christ even though he is going to die because of it, and that’s exactly what Peter did.

Peter, obviously not exactly thrilled with this news, saw John nearby their conversation and asked Jesus, “But Lord, what about this man?” In essence, Peter was asking Jesus, “Ok, you’ve told me about myself, now tell me how John is going to die?” Jesus basically asked Peter what business it was of his how John was going to die. Jesus said to Peter, “If I will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” In other words, Peter you worry about Peter and don’t concern yourself with anyone else. You see, we can relate to Peter many times when it comes to our faith. Think about it, when we are going through something or find out that we are about to endure something, one of the first things we want to know is “what about everyone else?” It’s sort of a misery loves company type of deal. I can remember that when I would come home from school my mom would always ask me about me day. More specifically, she would ask me about my grades and I would have to tell her about any grades that I had received that day. My parents placed a great deal of importance on my grades, and they knew that I was the master of not applying myself, so they stayed on top of me. When I would receive a poor grade, I knew that they would be disappointed in my effort. My defense was always the same, I would always say to them, “Well, it wasn’t just me…a lot of other people didn’t do well on the test.” Looking back on it, I can almost write the script here and know that my mom would respond with, “I don’t care what everyone else did, everyone else isn’t my son.” That’s one of those things that you think your parents just don’t get, but being a parent myself I now understand exactly what she meant.

Jesus is telling Peter that it doesn’t matter what his fate or anyone else’s fate may be, but what matters is following Christ. Peter, John, or any Christians today are not to be concerned with the fate of everyone else, but are to focus upon the task at hand of following Jesus. It’s simple, really. Jesus makes it very clear here to Peter, and to us as well, just how we are to carry on in the faith. We are to keep our eyes fixed upon Jesus, fixed upon the cross. We are to walk the path that has been set before us, teaching and training and guiding all those that we encounter along the way. However, we aren’t to be concerned with the things that are taking place around us. We aren’t to be concerned with the perception of another person’s reward being greater than ours. Our reward is not something that will ever be realized on this earth. No, Christ has given us a mission. He has called us to train and teach those around us, while constantly seeking and following him. We’re not to follow other people or trends, but we are to follow Christ. We are to walk to path that he has laid out before us, proclaiming his name all the way to the end. We are to walk the path all the way proclaiming his name until our Father in heaven stands before us and opens his arms saying, “Well done, My good and faithful servant.” Glory be to God; in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

John 21:1-14 "Peter's Redemption"

As we begin our look today at the 21st and final chapter of John’s gospel, we are preparing to bring to a close our lengthy and in-depth study of this eye witness account that has lasted us almost 16 months. We’ve seen the highs and lows of Jesus’ earthly ministry. We’ve seen his teachings and his miracles and signs. We have ridden the wave of emotion alongside the disciples as they wrestled with all that Jesus said and did. And over the course of the past month or so, we’ve seen John’s account of Jesus’ death and resurrection. The past few Sundays, we’ve paid particular attention to Christ’s resurrection and how we are to take that great and wonderful news out into the world. At the end of our text last Sunday, John even gave his closing remarks about this book and why it was written and why he included what he did. In honesty, you would have thought that the book was ending with those remarks. After all, many other books of Scripture end with the author of the book stating their reason(s) for writing the book and including the events that they did. However, John’s gospel is not yet finished. There is still one thing that needs to be resolved before John can completely end his gospel account.

There’s probably no disciple that took Jesus’ crucifixion harder than Peter did. After all, the last time that Peter had seen Jesus alive prior to his resurrection, they made eye contact while Jesus was being savagely beaten just as Peter denied knowing him for a third time. That shame, that disgust is something that you never quite get over I would imagine. I can remember growing up, my grandmother would always fuss at me if I was arguing with my parents or a friend. She would always tell me that you never go to bed angry with someone because you never know what could happen. I don’t know if this had ever happened to her, but I know that it was one of her must fundamental rules about life. Well, Peter hadn’t said goodbye to Jesus in anger, but his final moment of looking upon Jesus was after he had denied him. For Peter, the three days that Jesus remained buried in the tomb had to feel like an eternity. I mean, it’s not like he knew that Jesus was going to be resurrected. The final chapter of John’s gospel is in some ways the story of the redemption of Peter.

We’re told that seven of the disciples had gone out fishing at the Sea of Tiberias. Remind you, that the disciples mentioned were all fishermen prior to their being called by Jesus. They were in essence getting back to normal life as it existed prior to the beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry. They worked all night and caught nothing. Now, mind you, these aren’t your average fishermen; again, these are professionals. When me and my friends from college meet up in north Louisiana and go fishing, we usually fish all day if the weather permits. At night, we set out about 9:00 or 10:00 and go run trotlines all along Lake Yucatan, which feeds into the Mississippi River, in hopes of catching some good ole’ Mississippi River catfish. This takes a couple of hours, and we have been known to stay out managing these lines until the sun comes up and the “real” fisherman come out. Even if we don’t catch too much, we have a good time and aren’t too upset at our wasted efforts. Well, these disciples aren’t me and my buddies. When they go out, they expect to come back with a load of fish. After all, this was how they made their living.

As the sun is rising on the sea, Jesus is standing on the shore and calls out to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” The disciples, much like Mary when she first saw Jesus or the two men on the road to Emmaus, didn’t recognize that it was Jesus. They saw that it was a man, but just figured it to be some stranger. This man told them to cast their net on the right side of the boat. He said that if they did that then they would catch fish. Now, I have to be honest here, when someone tells me what to do from a distance, there’s a good chance that I’m not going to do it out of spite; especially when it’s something that I know how to do. Anyways, the disciples cast their net on the right side of the boat and low and behold they catch so many fish that they can’t bring in the net. This story is very reminiscent of Peter’s very first encounter with Jesus that we read about in Luke’s gospel. In Luke 5, we’re told that Peter wasn’t catching any fish then either. Jesus told Peter to put his boat out a little farther from the land and cast his net and the result was the same as it was in our text today, so many fish that the nets were breaking. Well, something in this event in our text today reminds John, the writer of this gospel, of the events recorded in Luke 5. John leans to Peter and tells him that the man speaking to them from the shore is Jesus. Well, Peter doesn’t care about the fish anymore; he jumps immediately into the water and begins swimming for the shore, leaving the remaining six disciples to tend to the fish that are still in the nets.

I want you to notice Peter’s reaction here, but first I want us to remember what happened back in Luke 5 when this other account took place. After Peter saw the power of Jesus, he fell to his knees and said to Jesus, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” This is a quite common response by people throughout the gospel accounts when they encounter Jesus for the first time. It’s also the same reaction that all of the creatures in the book of Revelation have when they too see the glory of the Lord. Why, even us folks today have this reaction when God blesses us; our first reaction is that we aren’t worthy and are undeserving of whatever it is that God is giving to us or calling us to do. We almost seek to retreat from God because we don’t feel like we deserve to be before Him. Now look at how Peter responds to Jesus in our text for today. There are no words of departing from him. In fact, Peter can’t get to Jesus fast enough. He hops right in the water and rushes to him without a second thought for the boat. It reminds me of that scene in the movie Forrest Gump when Forrest sees Lieutenant Dan at the pier and he gets so excited that he dives into the water to hurry to his friend’s side. Forrest arrives at Lieutenant Dan only to climb out of the water and see his boat ram into the nearby pier; then citing the now infamous line of “That’s my boat.” Lucky for Peter there are still six other people on his boat. Peter just couldn’t get to the shore and to Jesus fast enough.

We’re then told that there were some hot coals nearby and that Jesus wanted the disciples to bring some of the 153 fish they caught so that they could have a meal together. We’re told that Jesus took the bread and fish and gave it to them. This is very similar to the giving of the elements of the Lord’s Supper that had taken place just prior to Jesus’ arrest, crucifixion, and burial. This is very similar to the events of Jesus washing the feet of the disciples in order to teach them about what service looks like in the Upper Room. We see that both prior to and after his resurrection, that Jesus served the disciples, providing for their daily needs. He provided them with bread and fish right there on the seashore after a long night of labor trying to bring in fish. He provided for them during the three plus year period known as his earthly ministry. He provided for them even after this ministry was completed and after all of the disciples had returned home and gotten back to their normal lives, and so too does He provide for you and me. He provided for his disciples then, and he provides for his disciples now. There is not one thing in this world that we truly need that Jesus does not provide for us. Sure, there are things that we would like to have, but there is nothing that we must have that he has not already given to us. It doesn’t matter whether we are in the midst of a great spiritual awakening or just going through an average, ordinary period of our lives, God provides for our every need. We must trust in him. We must know that no matter what our situation or circumstance, the Lord will and does provide. When we find ourselves in need, we need not look inward, but upward. Won’t you trust in Him to care for your every need? Glory be to God; in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

John 20:19-31 "Believe and Go"

Last Sunday, we looked at the glorious news of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We looked at how Mary (and some other women) found Jesus’ tomb empty that Sunday morning. We saw that she went and got Peter and John and brought them to see for themselves. We saw that Peter and John witnessed with their own eyes the emptiness of the tomb and the absence of Jesus’ body. We saw two angels appear to Mary, and then Jesus himself came to Mary to inform her of his resurrection. At the end of our text, we saw Jesus tell Mary that she shouldn’t cling to him, but that she should go and take the good news of his resurrection into the world. Specifically, he commanded her to take this wonderful news to the disciples. It’s there that we find ourselves today. Mary had delivered this message to the disciples early that morning. It’s now evening, and the disciples have had nearly the entire day to let this news sink in. We would expect to find them out in the streets proclaiming that what the Messiah had said was indeed true. However, that’s not at all what we see. Instead of being out in the world, we find the disciples locked inside of a house out of fear. They are afraid of the Jews. They’re possibly thinking that after crucifying Jesus that they will be next. Or maybe they’re afraid that the Jews will claim that the disciples had taken Jesus’ body in order to give the illusion that he has risen from the dead; the later option being a very popular and well-known explanation by those who do not believe in him for how Jesus’ body left the tomb.

So as the disciples are gathered in this house with the doors securely locked behind them, Jesus appears to them and says, “Peace be with you.” As he said these words, the words of the typical greeting from one Jew to another, he showed them the marks left on his hand and side from the nails and spear respectively. He said again to them, “Peace be with you.” Now, we know from our lengthy look at John’s gospel that anytime the same phrase is said consecutively that it means that everyone better pay attention. Jesus was letting the disciples know what they are to do next; he was telling them just how they should respond to the news of his resurrection. He said to them, “As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” In other words, he was telling them the same thing that he told Mary earlier that day. He was telling them to GO! Just as the Father sent him into the world, he was sending them out into the world. Just as he sent them out into the world, God’s word sends us out into the world. Like we said with Mary Magdalene last Sunday, our response to the good news of Jesus’ resurrection should not be to hide ourselves away from the world around us, but to take this life-saving (literally life-saving) news out into the world. The only way that the gospel can be spread and that the world can be transformed into the image of Christ’s kingdom is for Christians to be out in the world. This is John’s version of the Great Commission that we find in the other gospel accounts. Jesus then goes on to breathe on the disciple and tell them that they have the power of forgiveness. This is seemingly a foretaste of what is to come at the time of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit will descend upon the disciples. He’s telling them how they will continue on this ministry after he is gone for good.

Then we come to the story of Thomas, the disciple who everyone describes with his double name of “Doubting Thomas.” I hated growing up with the name Thomas. Every time I didn’t understand something or didn’t accept something as true, some folks would say something like, “There goes doubting Thomas again, just like the disciple.” It was almost as if people presupposed that because my birth name was Thomas that I was predisposed to doubt and asking questions. Somehow I didn’t think that my disbelief in things as a child quite compared to this disciples disbelief that his Savior had risen, but what are you going to do? We’re told that Thomas didn’t believe his fellow disciples when they told him of Jesus’ appearing to them. Now, for some reason Thomas was not with the rest of the disciples when Jesus came to them in the locked house. Thomas told the other disciples that he would not believe anything unless he saw it for himself. My grandmother used to say that Thomas must have been from Missouri (you know, the “show-me” state). Thomas would only believe that Christ was risen if he saw him and could put his hands through the wounds. So, some time passes and eight days after Jesus first appearances before Mary and the other ten disciples, Jesus met once again with the disciples within the house where they gathered before, but this time Thomas was with them. Jesus greeted them the same way he did the first time, but them he offered for Thomas to physically touch Jesus’ wounds. Now, we’re never told whether or not Thomas actually takes Jesus up on his offer, but we know that ultimately this encounter ends with Thomas’ disbelief fading away. Thomas called to Jesus, “My Lord and my God.” Notice that Thomas doesn’t call him Rabbi, Teacher, Master, Messiah, or any of the other names that we commonly see used in the gospels of Jesus. Instead, the word that is used here is a word that correlates with the Old Testament word for Yahweh, the name of God. Thomas here acknowledged completely that the man before him, the risen Lord Jesus Christ, was God Himself.

Our text concludes with Jesus’ words to Thomas, followed by some authorial comments made by John. Verses 29-31 read, “Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’ Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” Make no mistake about it, Jesus isn’t rebuking Thomas. He not saying to Thomas, “It’s great that you believe, but it would have been better if you did so without having to see it. You know you should have just believed without having to see.” That’s not the case at all. Jesus is pleased with Thomas’ belief, but it’s not as if Jesus is going to physically appear to everyone so that they will believe in him. I know that many of you have heard people say that if only God would appear to them in some way that all hesitations about faith would be gone. Maybe you’ve even said that too. However, it shouldn’t take the miraculous for us to believe in our Savior. As a matter of fact, the miraculous has already happened; it’s just that it happened over 2000 years ago. What we are left with now is God’s Word. And it’s that Word that John makes the authorial comments about. The sad truth of the matter is that there is no amount of signs that Jesus could have done to prove to everyone that his claims to be the Messiah were true. There’s always going to be someone who wants just one more. If you can’t believe that his conquering of life and death and achieving salvation for all God’s children is enough, then there’s never going to be enough. The fact of the matter is that we can try and figure it out and convince ourselves or deduce things all we want to but it really comes down to one simple fact or question: has God called out to you and revealed Himself to you? A good friend of mine who does a weekly internet radio show said this a few weeks ago, “Friends, I spent a lot of time, years, and miles looking for God, but it wasn’t until He revealed Himself to me that I really saw Him for the first time.”

It doesn’t matter how you became a Christian. Some grow up in the church. Some go through experiences that bring them to saving faith later on in life. Some even say that God spoke directly to them during a point in their life and that caused them to believe. Whatever it may be, it really doesn’t matter. Yes, your story matters to you and it should because it’s part of your testimony, your witness. However, in the overall scheme of things, it doesn’t matter how each individual person came to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. What really matters is two things: 1. That it happened, that God has called out to you and you have heard His voice amongst the noise and have taken up the burden of bearing the name Christian throughout all the earth. And 2. What you do in responding to that saving faith. Friends, our response to the wonderful and saving news of the resurrection should not be to stay still or to hold firm with what we know, it should be taken out into the world. It should be shared with the entire world around you. I’ll end by quoting a song by a guy named Charlie Dodrill. First, let me set up for you what is going on in this song. Charlie is at a train station and overhears a conversation that three folks are having about life. They’re talking about exercise, religion, and general life matters. Charlie notices that as they talk about religion, it is apparent that the gospel has made no impression upon their lives. Charlie, not wanting to seem like the overbearing Christian, is debating whether or not to go and talk to these folks. Finally, after much inner debate, Charlie realizes that as he is hearing their debating, that he “possess the answer to their every question.” He gets up and shares the gospel with these folk. It’s that simple. We, Christians, have the answer to all of life’s questions. The question is, will we share it, or keep it to ourselves. Glory be to God; in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

John 20:1-18 "The Resurrection"

For some of you here today, it may feel a little bit odd reading this text and not seeing the church decorated for Easter. Sermons on the resurrection are usually accompanied by lilies around the pulpit, a wooden cross dressed with flowers with palm branches scattered around it, and familiar (and unfamiliar) faces that we don’t always see that are making their “annual” appearance at church. However, this text, although apt on Easter Sunday, is just as applicable each and every day of our lives. It’s fitting that this text should come before us on a communion Sunday as well. After all, we’re told to examine our hearts before partaking of the Lord’s Supper. I can think of no better examination of ourselves than how we received the words that were read only a few moments ago. If the words of this text immediately fill your heart with joy, then I think we’re ok. However, if the glorious news of the resurrection does nothing to stir within you any emotions, then let us hope that the Holy Spirit stirs something up within you between now and our partaking of this sacrament.

As we ended last Sunday, Jesus had just been laid to rest in Joseph of Arimathea’s tomb. Here, we’re told that when Mary Magdalene (and probably some other women) went out to check the tomb on the first day of the week (Sunday) to add more spice and fragrances, she found that it was empty. Her and the other women around her, at first thought that someone had broken in and stolen the body, so she ran to get help. She comes to Peter and the disciple whom Jesus loved (who we have said throughout is in fact John, the writer of this gospel), and she tells them that someone has taken Jesus’ body. The two disciples rush to the tomb to see for themselves. John arrives first, but waits for Peter. Now, it wasn’t uncommon for grave robbers to take a body in this day, but when they did, they took everything. As John waits for Peter, he looks into the tomb and notices that cloths which were laid across Jesus’ face and body at the time of his burial were sitting there in a pile. This would not have been the case if his body had indeed been stolen by common grave robbers. Once Peter gets there, he goes into the tomb. He goes in to see that the cloths are lying there in an orderly manner; definitely something that would not have been the case had grave robbers rushed in during the night to steal Jesus’ body. John then enters the tomb and as he walks to where Peter is standing and sees the cloths more closely, they both are puzzled by what is before them.

We’re then given this somewhat confusing statement by John. He says that “he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead.” The confusing part is that if they saw and believed, then what is there to not understand. Well, the answer is that believing and understanding Scripture are two totally different things. I think all of us who have ever taken part in any serious study of the Bible can attest to that. You see, John, after seeing the tomb open and the linens lying in such an orderly manner, truly believed that Jesus had risen from the dead. He believed in the resurrection, he just didn’t understand why it was necessary. John did not understand the teaching that the Messiah HAD to rise from the dead. Jesus had said several times that he would rise from the dead, but John was unaware that that resurrection was one of the prophecies of the Old Testament that must be true of the One True Messiah.

John then tells us that the disciples return back to their homes. Then, there is a shift in focus from the reaction of John and Peter, to what happens with Mary Magdalene. Who knows why the disciples left and went back or why Mary didn’t return with them, but we’re told that Mary remained by the tomb weeping at what had taken place. After all, she thought that the body of Jesus had been taken off by someone. After gathering the strength to gaze upon the empty tomb one more time, Mary looked in. However, instead of finding emptiness, this time she sees two angels at the places where Jesus’ head and feet had been laid at the time of his burial. They asked her why she was crying. Now, we would expect to find some words here about Mary’s reaction to seeing two angels, but instead we only find her response to their question. She tells them that she’s crying because someone had taken Jesus’ body and she didn’t know who it was or where they had taken it.
After expressing her reason for tears to the angels, Mary turns back the other direction and there finds a man standing before her. This man also asks her why she’s weeping, but at the same time, asks her whom she is seeking. Who knows if Mary can’t see through the tears or if the sun was in her eyes or what the case may be, but she doesn’t know that the man in front of her is Jesus. Even though she can’t see him, she just assumes that it’s the man tasked with keeping up the garden where this tomb is located and she answered his questions saying, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” She is distraught, she is in mourning, and she just wants some answers and some closure. We’re then told that Jesus simply says her name, “Mary.” She knew in that moment that it was him. It was as if she was blind and all it took was her Savior calling out her name and her sight was restored. She recognized him as a sheep recognizes its shepherd voice when calling out for it in the fields.

Now that Jesus had made it clear that it was he who was standing before Mary, he said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary runs to the disciples and proclaims to them that she has seen Jesus, she has seen the Lord. It’s pretty likely that Mary’s immediate response once she found out that it was Jesus before her was one of embrace. She could have run and hugged so tightly that they almost became one person. She could have bowed herself before him and clung to his feet. We don’t know, but we are told that Jesus tells her that she need not cling to him because this wasn’t permanent. Although Jesus actually spends about forty more days on earth, he is soon to ascend to the Father. Instead of her staying with him, he instructs her to go and inform the disciples as to the good news of his resurrection. Now, we will look at the reactions of the disciples next Sunday, but before we leave this text here today, I think that it’s important that we understand what Mary was commanded to do here and how it applies to us today.

Every Christian has had that “ah-ha” moment at some point in their life. By that I mean that every Christian has had that moment where they were struck by the power of God and moved by the Holy Spirit to where they were left knowing without a doubt that God is real and that Jesus is the Messiah and that every word of Scripture is true. And just as every Christian has had that moment, we’ve all had those points in our lives since then where we have be convicted or our belief reinforced. Sometimes it’s been by God’s working something in our lives, others it’s been just a stirring in our hearts. Whatever the case may be, how should we react to those moments, and does it differ from what we actually do or have done? Mary’s first inclination was to cling tightly to Jesus and almost keep him to herself. Remember, over the course of a few days, she has been dealing with the loss of Jesus; then his body had been stolen so she didn’t even have that, and now he is standing before her as if nothing had ever happened. However, Jesus doesn’t want her to cling to him. He doesn’t want her to stay there next to him, but he wants her to go. He wants her to take the good news of his resurrection out into the world. Jesus doesn’t want Mary to keep this wonderful news to herself as if it is her precious little secret, and he doesn’t want us to do the same thing either. When we are moved by God, when we hear the wonderful and glorious news of the gospel, God doesn’t want us to keep it inward. No! He wants it to go outward. He wants us to take that message out into the world and share it with all those around us. God doesn’t want us to leave here today, after hearing the wonderful news of Jesus’ resurrection, and go out to eat lunch or go prepare for the Saints game and keep this news to ourselves. This news is to be shared; it is to be spread across the earth. Before his ascension, we’re told at the end of Matthew’s gospel that, Jesus gives the disciples the Great Commission. He tells them to “Go!” and to “baptize ALL nations.” He doesn’t tell them to be careful who they tell. There no fear of them being seen as pushy about their faith. They are simply told, much like Mary in our text for today that this news is worth being shared. So my question to all of us, myself included, is what is your response? Do you keep this great and wonderful news a secret, or do you take this message out into the world for everyone to hear? Glory be to God; in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

John 19:38-42 "The Burial of Jesus"

Before we begin to really dive into what our text is telling us, let’s take a quick look back at where we’ve been and where we are in the story of Jesus. We’ve already seen, 5 days prior to the events discussed in our text, a multitude of people lined the streets and cheered as Jesus entered into Jerusalem. Jesus had just spent the past few days being conspired against by those in power in city, the Sanhedrin. They had stewed in anger as Jesus went throughout the city teaching all those who would listen. They sought any way possible to deal with their problem with Jesus. Finally, they arrested him on insurrection charges after the betrayal of one of his own disciples, one of his own dear friends. After being arrested, he was publicly beaten and nailed to a cross for everyone to see. A cross, the most humiliating way for someone of this time to be put to death. And as we just saw last Sunday, he was placed upon the cross alongside two criminals. After many hours of painful suffering, the man known as Jesus died, giving up his spirit, and it is there that we find ourselves today. The Messiah who had come to save all of God’s children is dead, and we can only imagine the pain and numbness and confusion that all of those who welcomed Jesus into the city were feeling at this time as his body lay lifeless upon a cross.

As we begin to look at our text today we must realize that we are presented with a golden opportunity. You see, not every event of Jesus’ life is recorded in all 4 of the gospel accounts, but his burial is. When we are presented with an opportunity like this one, a chance to use all 4 gospel accounts, it serves us well to look at each one. And as we just said, his burial is there for us in all 4 accounts. The Apostles’ Creed, which is recited several weeks ago, affirms, among other things, that Jesus “suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and buried.” It is easy for us to wrap our minds around the significance of Jesus’ suffering, his crucifixion, and Jesus’ death, but why do we include such a seemingly minor incident as His burial? Why would this be an article of faith in the Apostles’ Creed? One reason for the inclusion of Jesus’ burial in this creed is that it marks a turning point in Jesus’ ministry. It is beyond doubt that the lowest point of Jesus’ ministry was his crucifixion. It is equally beyond doubt that the highest point of his ministry was his resurrection from the dead, which was followed by his ascension to heaven where he sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. What we often overlook is that Jesus’ burial is the transition from his humiliating position upon the cross to his glorious resurrection and escape from the tomb. Jesus’ exaltation began here, in the tomb, as he went from a man without life, a man with no breath in his lungs, to a living and breathing person once again.

The circumstances that surround Jesus’ burial were unusual when compared to those of most Roman prisoners of the day. Fitting, since Jesus was no ordinary man. When a Jew was executed his family had the right to request the body after the Roman authorities were sure that the person was dead so that it could be buried outside of the city. They had to bury the body outside of the city so that the sacred places within the city walls would not be defiled. If a body went unclaimed, it was simply tossed onto a garbage pile outside of Jerusalem and was burned along with the rest of the trash. For others, the bodies of those who had been convicted of acts of treason, inciting rebellions, or heresy, their bodies usually remained on the cross for days while the vultures finished off their remains. Jesus was deemed guilty of such crimes, but his body wasn’t left upon the cross for the vultures. We see in verse 38, “After these things Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took away his body.” Here is Joseph, a member of the Sanhedrin, the very group that sought to have Jesus killed, sparing Jesus’ body from the humiliation that would befall it if left to the vultures. We are told that Joseph was actually a disciple of Jesus, but he was too afraid to express his faith and he kept it hidden for some time. I know that there are many of us here today, myself included, who have had times in our lives that we were and still are not proud of where we have followed the example of Joseph and kept our faith hidden out of fear of the opinions of those around us.

Joseph, prior to Jesus’ death, reminds me of something that happened at a Colorado high school near the end of the 1990’s. I often tell this story when talking about the faith that we ought to have in Christ because not only is it a popular story that resonates with so many people, but also I envy the young girl in this story for the faith that she displayed. I can only hope that if ever faced with a similar situation where my faith is tested to its limits that I would show the same love of Christ that she displayed. The story is of a 17 year old girl at Columbine High School during the tragic shooting on April 20, 1999. The girls name was Cassie Bernall. After a bomb went off at the school at 11:17 a.m. and gunshots began at 11:19 a.m. Cassie ran to the library as a place of refuge. Not long after Cassie and many other students reached the library, one of the gunmen from the shooting entered. The story of Cassie is best known for how it ended. One of the gunmen, while having a gun held next to Cassie’s head, asked her, “Do you believe in God?” He told Cassie that all she needed to do was say no and he would let her live. Cassie could not deny her Lord and Savior and she responded with an eternal, “YES!” The gunman proceeded without hesitation to pull the trigger ending Cassie’s life. Friends, here is a young girl, only 17 years old, who knew exactly where her hope rested. Her story, although tragic, has brought many others to know Christ long after she has gone from this earth. So when faced with awkward and uncomfortable situations, let us have the faith of a 17 year old little girl. Let us have the faith that Joseph the disciple of Jesus showed after Christ’s death, and not that of Joseph the honored member of the Sanhedrin. Our faith is never something that we should be ashamed of or hide away.

Getting back to our text, we also see that Joseph was not alone in his finally giving in to the faith that he had in Jesus Christ. We read in verse 39 of another member of the Sanhedrin who joins him in preparing and burying Jesus’ body. “Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about 75 pounds in weight.” So we see that both Joseph and Nicodemus, two men who were members of the group that sought to have Jesus killed, are no longer afraid to express their faith and are willing to take a stand for the burial of Jesus. But why did John include the things that Nicodemus brought with him? Well, he gives us the answer to that question right there in the next verse. “So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews.” You see, the Jewish people did not embalm their dead but wrapped them in linen and covered the linen with spices, ointments, and fragrances in order to mask the smell of the rotting fleshly body. Jesus’ body being prepared lets us know that this death was a death just like that of any man who passed away. It is what comes next that is where the story of the man named Jesus differs from any usual death.

So we have come to the point in the story where Jesus’ body is ready to be buried. The only problem is that Jesus has no place of his own to be buried nearby and time is quickly running out because the Sabbath was almost there and those burying his body could not have done any type of work on the Sabbath. Verses 41 and 42 tell us, “Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. So because of the Jewish day of Preparation, since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.” In an act that can only be described as the completely divine providence of God, there was a new and unused tomb in a garden close to the site of Jesus’ crucifixion. We know from the other gospel accounts that this tomb was actually owned by Joseph himself. So Jesus was laid in a brand-new tomb owned by this wealthy man who was part of the Sanhedrin, a tomb that was probably prepared for Joseph’s own burial. We are starting to see the beginning of the transition from Jesus’ humiliation to His exaltation.

One last thing of note from this passage is actually found in the accounts of Jesus’ burial as they are recorded in the other three gospels. Each of these other accounts includes the mention of two women who were with Joseph and Nicodemus. These two women were Mary Magdalene and another Mary. So this would bring our total count up to four; four people in all. That’s it; that’s the total number of people that we can find from four different accounts of Jesus’ burial that were present. Think of how many people lined the streets only 5 days earlier to see Jesus’ arrival into the city. When I hear this, I’m saddened. Also, strangely enough, I think of the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts. After losing the Super Bowl to the Saints in 2010, in a game that nearly everyone predicted them to win, they were almost completely forgotten about. While the city of New Orleans threw a parade that rivaled that of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem, the Colts players were met by a whopping 11 people at the airport when they arrived back home, 11! After being all but declared champions less than a week earlier no one seemed to care about them anymore. Think about Jesus and all of the people who professed that he was the Messiah that they had so desperately wanted as they lined the streets and cheered him upon his entry. Where were they to be found when Jesus’ body needed to be buried so that the vultures didn’t destroy it? Who knows, maybe they were in mourning. Maybe they were so upset because the man that they placed so much hope in as the Son of God was dead. Maybe they had simply moved on and were looking for the next person who claimed to be the Savior. I don’t know what they were thinking or where they were, but I do know that two men, two men from the very same group that sought to have Jesus killed in the first place, were the ones who took Jesus’ body down from the cross, prepared it for burial, and placed it in the tomb. This is the point in the story where if we were concerned with theatrics, if this were a play, then the lights would go out and we would all exit through the back of the sanctuary without saying a word to each other. The hopes and desires that so many people had, were now gone. They thought that Jesus was gone forever, and his claims to be the promised redeemer were false.

As our text for today comes to a close we stand at the cusp of the completion of the greatest historical event that mankind has ever known. After lying in the tomb for three days, as we will see next Sunday, Jesus will rise up from the dead, he will be resurrected. What Jesus had been saying about himself all along would come true. So let me ask you an important question about yourself with regards to Jesus and the tomb. How do you live your life? Do you live your life as someone who is struck by the awesome promises that we have in Jesus Christ? Is your life one in which you live in a way that reflects that you know without a shadow of a doubt that Jesus rose up and walked out of that tomb, ultimately conquering the last enemy and Satan’s greatest threat; death? Do you live as if this text is just another part of the story that is yet to unfold? Or do you live a life that would tell others that Jesus never came out of that tomb after Joseph and Nicodemus and the two Mary’s placed him there? Friends, if you do not live as if your entire being and your entire life is found in Jesus Christ then it is as if you think that He never walked out of the tomb. If this is your life, then this is the end of the gospel for you. There might as well be no more written about this man named Jesus. So I would encourage all of you to think about the power of God and what was going to be accomplished when he exited the tomb 3 days after his burial. Live your life in a manner that all you do is for God’s glory. There is no greater love than that which we have in Jesus Christ. He willingly came to earth taking a human body, he voluntarily bore our sins, was sentenced to death upon the cross, died and was buried, and then conquered death for sinners; sinners like you and me. If we place our faith in anyone or anything outside of Jesus, then it is as if he is still dead, still wrapped in linen, and still in the tomb. Don’t let your life be one in which the work of Jesus Christ is not constantly on display. Don’t let your life be one that tells others that Jesus is still in the tomb. Glory be to God; in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.