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Victorious Love (John 19:38-42; 20:1-10; 1 Peter 1:3-9)
something even better.
Seeing Can Lead to Believing | John 20:1-10
This text is one of the many resurrection appearances of Jesus. It takes place on the day of the resurrection early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark. Mary went to the tomb (a term that occurs six times in these verses) of Jesus with some of the other women (Mark 16:1). They went to anoint his body since the Passover Sabbath hindered them from doing this on Good Friday.
Upon arriving at the tomb Mary saw that the stone had been removed from the en- trance. She immediately as- sumed that Jesus’ body had been stolen and ran to tell Peter and John. Her despair could not be more obvious. When she encountered Jesus (whom at first she thought was the gardener), she was over- joyed and exclaimed, “I have seen the Lord!” (John 20:18).
Easter can make you run. Mary ran, and then Peter and John ran. (And John seems to enjoy telling us that he outran
Peter.) John carefully looked around before going into the tomb. He saw the shroud lying in strips in the tomb. Then Peter arrived, went past John, and saw the shroud and the su- darium (face cloth that wrapped the jaw shut) folded up neatly—even Jesus made his bed. John then went inside the tomb and saw and be- lieved.
In Mary’s case victorious love allowed her despair to give way to exuberance. In the case of Peter and John, victo- rious love allowed observation to give way to belief (this is ex- actly why John wrote his gospel—John 20:30, 31).
The key is the word saw. The word means to see, perceive, understand, and embrace what the seeing means (v. 8). That is why it is paired with be- lieved. So seeing can lead to believing.
Believing Is Better Than Seeing | 1 Peter 1:3-9
But seeing does not ensure believing. Many people who saw Jesus do miracles and heard him teach did not be- lieve in him (Mark 6:5, 6). For many people pride kept
them from believing in Jesus (John 12:42, 43). But for be- lievers, like Peter, believing surpassed seeing Jesus alive with his own eyes.
More than 30 years had passed from when Peter saw the resurrected Lord to when he wrote his first epistle to the people of modern-day Turkey.
The recipients of Peter’s let- ter needed to be reminded of what the resurrection had done for them. First, it had given them new birth. We are born of the water and the Spirit (last week’s lesson) as well as born into a living hope.
Second, we are born into a n inheritance. This inheri- tance can never fade and is se- cure in the hands of heaven.
Third, we are able to endure any trial because our trials are temporary, refine our faith, and result in praise to God. Be- lievers will ultimately see the salvation of God when Christ returns (mentioned three times in this text).
But for now believing is bet- ter than seeing (v. 8). No wonder Peter’s response was praise (v. 3) and joy (v. 8).
God’s victorious love unites with his resurrection power to bring life out of death.
Several people in our text today discovered this victori- ous love: Mary Magdalene, out of whom Jesus had cast seven demons (Luke 8:2), the dis- ciple whom Jesus loved (John), who observed carefully the details of this victory; Peter, who was like a bull in a china shop, but was over- whelmed with what this vic- tory meant in daily life.
Also changed in the process of Jesus’ death was the crimi- nal dying on the cross beside Jesus, who asked him to in- clude him in his Kingdom (Luke 23:39-43); the Roman captain (person that helped carry out Jesus’ death) who proclaimed that surely Jesus was the Son of God (Mark 15:39). But two very important people were Joseph of Arimatheaea and Nicode-
mus, who were secret follow- ers of Jesus, because they were leaders and honored members of the Jewish Council.
Joseph asked Pilate if he could take the body of Jesus to bury him.
With the help of Nicodemus they buried Jesus wrapped in linen cloth with spices. A ritual used in Jewish burials. Joseph and Nicodemus carried Jesus’ body into the tomb and rolled the large stone in front of it. The men had to hurry to avoid working on the Sabbath, which began Friday evening at sun- down. (Good Friday).
These leaders risked their reputations to bury Jesus.
Are you a secret believer?
This is an appropriate time to step up and step out of hid- ing to let others know whom you follow.
ALL saw the death and res- urrected Christ, but would come to realize that there is
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