Isaiah 65:17-25 (excerpt) — Setting the scene
John 20:1-18 — Mary Magdalene finds the tomb open and empty
Acts 10:34-43 — Peter gives a witness account to a Roman household
1 Corinthians 15:19-26 — The death that Adam earned is reversed
• Read this week’s linked article, Jesus The Inclusive Saviour, which tells the story which comes through these Bible passages. And watch this week’s video Jesus Lord of New Life.
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Isaiah 65:17-25 (excerpt) — Setting the scene
19 I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in My people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more.
22 For as the days of a tree, so will be the days of My people; My chosen ones will long enjoy the work of their hands.
23 They will not labour in vain, nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by the Lord, they and their descendants with them.
24 Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.
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John 20:1-18 — Mary Magdalene finds the tomb open and empty
She unexpectedly encounters the risen Jesus, who calls her by name
1 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.
“While it was still dark” — Mary, a close friend and committed follower, had seen where Jesus had been laid, Mark 15:47 and set off before dawn to find the tomb and complete the burial.
2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put Him!”
“Running to Simon Peter” — despite his denials he was seen as the natural leader.
“We don’t know…” — Mary may not have set off on her own.
3-5 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in.
“The other disciple” — John’s way of giving a first person account.
“Bent over”— tomb entrances, excavated no larger than necessary, were low.
6-7 Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen.
“Saw the strips of linen lying there” – implying that the linen showed the shape of the body it had wrapped, with head wrapping separate.
“Head… cloth… lying in its place” — more explicit in other versions e.g. NLT “rolled up (entulisso) in a place by itself”. A grave robber would have stolen the valuable linen, or left it disorderly.
8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed.
“He saw and believed” — the disciples did not make up a story about resurrection to fit their expectations. Despite Jesus’ patient preparation of them, they were still lacking that anticipation.
9-10 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.
“Did not understand from Scripture” – e.g. Psalm 16:10; Isaiah 53:10–12; Hosea 6:2 which is easier for us, with hindsight, to grasp.
11-12 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.
“Two angels in white” — angels often appeared in pairs and in white, Acts 1:10, Ezekiel 9:2; Daniel 10:56; Rev. 15:6.
13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”
“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put Him.”
14-15 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realise that it was Jesus. He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”
Thinking He was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have put Him, and I will get Him.”
“The gardener” – gardeners often started work early before the heat of the day. Mary’s intention was to tend to the burial preparations.
16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.”
She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).
“Rabboni” – rather than ‘Rabbi’, a more familiar form, “my teacher”.
17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God.’ ”
“I have not yet ascended” — there would be further appearances before the Ascension. Then the fellowship would take a different form, John 20:22.
18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that He had said these things to her.
“Mary… went… with the news” – in a culture which disregarded women and their testimony, Jesus’ first appearance was to a woman, who became the key witness to the others.
Reflection
SUMMARY Mary suffered deep loss — and it seemed, a double loss — before becoming the first person to see the risen Lord and remarkably (as a woman) have the privilege of reporting this reality to the others.
APPLICATION Sometimes we are not yet seeing what God is showing us, because we are confident that we have the full picture. When we know we need His further revelation, we may be spiritually enabled to see the same picture differently.
QUESTION How much need do you admit, to see Jesus in a new way?
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Acts 10:34-43 — Peter gives a witness account to a Roman household
That everyone who believes receives forgiveness marks a gospel turning point
Cornelius, a God-fearing Roman officer stationed in Caesarea, had a visitation from an angel who told him to send to Joppa, 30 miles down the coast, for a man called Simon Peter to come back and speak to them. Meanwhile Peter had a vision which turned upside down his perception of non-Jews as impure, and a strong prompting to overcome his reserve and go with the Gentile visitors who appeared at that moment.
34-35 Then Peter began to speak: “I now realise how true it is that God does not show favouritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears Him and does what is right.
“God does not show favouritism” – in Judaism there was the theory of God’s impartiality, but it took a vision from God to open Peter’s mind to God’s full acceptance of non-Jews.
36 You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.
“The good news of peace” — Peter summarises events in the way Mark’s gospel did later, from John the Baptist’s announcements to the post-resurrection appearances. Mark’s gospel is probably a compilation of Peter’s preached messages.
37-38 You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached — how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how He went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with Him.
“You know”— Peter assumes this outlying area of the Roman province knew of what happened in Jerusalem concerning the crucifixion and resurrection to life of Jesus.
39-40 “We are witnesses of everything He did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed Him by hanging Him on a cross, but God raised Him from the dead on the third day and caused Him to be seen.
“We are witnesses (v.39) …seen… by witnesses (v.41)” – Peter emphasises how the apostles were close companions of Jesus and witnessed His life, the manner of His death, and the reality of His resurrection.
“Hanging Him on a cross” – literally ‘on a tree’, a metaphor for crucifixion recalling Deuteronomy 21:22-23
41 “He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen — by us who ate and drank with Him after He rose from the dead.
42 “He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that He is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead.
43 “All the prophets testify about Him that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name.”
“Everyone who believes… receives” – the heart of the gospel truth, which Cornelius’ household joyfully accepted in the story’s continuation.
Reflection
SUMMARY The Cross, the Resurrection, Pentecost and this story of a Gentile household are all linked turning points in the good news of God’s salvation in Jesus Christ being open to all who would believe. God is out to reach those who do not hold our values or customs with His love.
APPLICATION This story is also about putting aside our prejudices in order to be available to God and to reach others on His behalf. God did not appear to these Gentile seekers – He absolutely relied on Peter to be willing to bring the reality of Jesus to them.
QUESTION Unlike Peter we are not first-hand witnesses to Jesus’ death and resurrection. What is our story of experiencing Jesus in our life, which raises faith in others?
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1 Corinthians 15:19-26 — The death that Adam earned is reversed
How Christ, called the Second Adam, gives new life to all who receive Him
To doubt the resurrection is to lose what it promises us. The first Adam ensured that we were born to die, but the Second Adam reversed that with the blessing of new life in Him.
19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.
“Most to be pitied” – if Christians, experiencing persecution and deprivation, are living a lie.
20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep.
“Christ has indeed been raised” — Christianity is essentially a resurrection faith.
“First-fruits” — the first sheaf of the harvest was given to the Lord. Christ Jesus’ resurrection begins the promised new creation, Isaiah 43:18–19; 65:17; 66:22; Jesus is the “firstborn from the dead”, Rev 1:5.
21-22 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
“In Adam all die” – all Adam’s descendants, i.e. mankind, suffer death but “in Christ all will be made alive”. All become related to Him “in Christ” by faith, receive new life now and the promise of being made alive at the resurrection.
• For further study, see 1 Cor. 5:25; Romans 5:17-18; 1 Thess. 4:16-17; Rev 20:6.
23 But each in turn: Christ, the first-fruits; then, when He comes, those who belong to Him.
“Each in turn” — in His own time in history (c. AD 30) Christ was raised to new life. Those identified with Christ by faith will be raised at His second coming. His own resurrection is the pledge that ours will follow.
24 Then the end will come, when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father after He has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.
25-26 For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
“He must reign” – Jesus the resurrected Messiah will return to conquer every enemy and hand the kingdom back to God the Father. “He must reign” underlines the unshakeable divine plan that history ends with triumph over all evil, including the last enemy, death, with God’s people reigning with Christ forever, 2 Timothy 2:12.
Reflection
SUMMARY This passage mentions being raised, resurrection, being made alive and Christ reigning. Before that, there are also half a dozen references to destroying and death. That is because first, we have to surrender and die to ourselves, identifying with Jesus the Son of God and trusting in His saving work, in order to experience the new life He offers us.
APPLICATION Even the devil knows and believes who Jesus is, but he can exert a hold on us through our sin. If we see ourselves as ‘miserable offenders’ we will probably live like that. But if we know we are restored offenders, counted among “all the saints” that the NT letters are addressed to, we will want to live up to how Jesus sees us!
QUESTION How would we explain to someone exploring Christian faith how we found peace and confidence in knowing Christ and living in the freedom He gave us?
PRAYER Lord Jesus, at this special time of year we reflect at length on the immense sacrifice You made for us.
We thank You so much for making the offer to us to “believe and receive”.
We are sorry for trying to earn it, assume it, perform it or justify it when you simply ask for our decision of faith.
Once again we surrender all our rituals, strategies and efforts and humbly turn to you alone — to see You, believe in You, and with thanksgiving and joy receive forgiveness of sins and new life in Your name. Amen.
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