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As the Father Sent Me, I am Sending You
As the Father Sent Me, I am Sending You John 20:1-31 Key Verse: 20:21 “Again Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’” Jesus taught his disciples about his death and resurrection again and again, but the disciples did not understand his teaching, because the resurrection of Jesus sounded impossible. Furthermore, before Jesus could be resurrected he would have to die, and the disciples really didn’t like to think about that. All of Jesus’ teaching about his death and resurrection went in one ear and out the other without taking any root in their hearts. Now Jesus was dead and the hopes of the apostles seemed to be crushed. They had nothing better to do than to lock themselves in a room and hope that the Jewish leaders wouldn’t come looking for them. To them this seemed like the tragic end to a story that was just too good to be true. However, Jesus death was not the end; in fact it was a new beginning. In this passage John shows us the evidences of Jesus' resurrection in many ways. The author also describes how the Risen Christ gave his disciples the Holy Spirit, and sent them out into the world just as the Father had sent Jesus into the world. Through the study of this passage may God open our spiritual eyes so that like Mary and the disciples we can recognize the Risen Christ and receive the Holy Spirit. First, the empty tomb (1-18). It was Sunday morning, the first day of the week. The Jewish Sabbath is our Saturday. While it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb. The other gospels tell us that several women went to the tomb including Mary, the mother of Jesus, but John just focuses on Mary Magdalene. What kind of person was Mary? Mary had once lived a wayward life. As a result, she was possessed by seven demons. However, Jesus drove those demons out and gave her a new life. Now she was one of Jesus most loyal followers. She had followed Jesus all the way to Golgotha and watched and wept as he was tortured and crucified. She had also watched the burial of Jesus' body. After his burial, she probably went home and cried all night, because she did not know why such a good man had to be condemned and crucified. The day after the Sabbath, early Sunday morning, while it was still dark, she went to the tomb to anoint Jesus' body with spices. It was out of her thanks to Jesus for his grace upon her life. However, in order to anoint his body she had to deal with a couple of big problems. She did not know how to remove the huge stone which had closed the entrance of the tomb. She did not know how to avoid the Roman security guards who were posted there to keep watch over the tomb. Despite these obstacles, she wanted to anoint Jesus' body with spices, for Jesus had been the meaning of her life. When she got to the tomb, however, she saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. What a disaster! She must have assumed that his body had been taken away by his enemies. Mary's last hope to anoint Jesus' body with spices was gone, and she was overcome with grief. She didn’t know what to do she ran to find Peter and the other disciples. She found Peter and one other disciple and said, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him". Look at verse 3. It says, "So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb." Most Bible scholars agree that “the other disciple” refers to John himself. John had a great assurance that Jesus loved him most. In fact, John was so sure that Jesus loved him the most sometimes he called himself "the disciple whom Jesus loved." John felt Jesus’ very personally, so he could love Jesus in return. Here we learn that we can love Jesus when we realize just how much he loves us. John may have felt that Jesus loved him the most, but Jesus loves each of us just the same. He loves us so much that he gave up his life to save each of us. When we realize this then we can be willing to give up our lives for Jesus and his ministry. Second, Peter and John ran to the tomb (3-9). So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple, John, outran Peter and reached the tomb first (3-4). Peter lost this race. However, John seemed to bit just a little timid, so he just nervously looked in the tomb but did not go in. On the other hand, on arriving Peter boldly went in and saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head. The author stresses the fact that the cloth wrapped around Jesus head was folded up by itself, separate from the linen. Why is this important? If Jesus’ enemies or grave robbers had taken the body, why would they take off the burial clothes and why would they fold up the cloth covering Jesus’ head and put it in a separate place by itself? This fact makes it pretty obvious that it was not Jesus’ enemies or common grave robbers. Peter and John both went and saw inside the tomb. Thus they became witnesses of the empty tomb (8). They saw the empty tomb, but they could not remember or understand Jesus' words concerning his death and resurrection. Verse 8 says that the other disciple saw and believed, but what he actually believed is something of a mystery. Maybe they believed what Mary had told them, e.g. someone had taken the Lord out of the tomb and put him somewhere else. Verse 9 clearly tells us that, "They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead." Third, two angels in white (10-16). The disciples didn’t know what to do so they just went back home, but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. Then she bent over to look into the tomb. She saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot (12). They were attending angels of the glorious Risen Christ. Jesus had repeatedly spoken to his followers and told them that he would rise again from the dead. Now he rose had, but Mary could only cry because she didn’t know Jesus rose again. In actuality, without the resurrection of Christ all men, regardless of their human condition, whether they are a king, a subject, or just a slave, they are all under the power of sin and death. They have to cry sorrowfully all their lifetimes in the midst of tragedies and agonies of human life. All people are fatalistic because of the power of death. Finally they say, "Let's eat and drink, for tomorrow we die" (1Co 15:32). Mary Magdalene received much love from Jesus, but she was still one of the crying people, because she had not yet believed in the glorious resurrection of Christ. The angels asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?" She said, "They have taken my Lord away, and I don't know where they have put him." Then she turned around and saw Jesus standing there (10-14). There he was, the one she was so desperate to find, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. The Risen Christ knew that Mary was still under the power of sin and death. Her problem was that she also did not remember Jesus' teaching about his death and resurrection. The Risen Christ asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?" The Risen Christ asked her again, "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" (15). Mary had the great honor of being the first person to see the Risen Christ, but because she had not yet accepted Jesus’ words about his resurrection, she was still a woman of sorrow. She was loved so much by Jesus, but her sorrow and unbelief kept her from recognizing him. Look at verse 15a again. "'Woman,' he said, 'why are you crying?'" Jesus had been tortured, crucified and buried. For a normal person this would have been a great tragedy worthy of great sorrow. However, Jesus is not a normal person and his story did not end in death. There was no need for Mary to cry in this situation, so Jesus asked her "'Woman, why are you crying?'" Jesus was gently trying to tell her, "I have risen. I have defeated the power of sin and death. Therefore, you have no reason to cry." As I said, Jesus was crucified and he died. He was buried in the tomb. However, Jesus rose again from the dead just as he had promised. Now the Risen Christ is King of kings, and Judge of the living and the dead, so she should be joyful, but she was crying because she did not believe the resurrection of Jesus. Mary was broken and sorrowful, not because of her human condition, but because of her unbelief. Jesus didn’t want her to remain like this so he gently called her by her name, "Mary." When Mary heard Jesus call he name she instantly recognized him. She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher) (16). After hearing the voice of her true shepherd call her by name, Mary could believe in the resurrection of Jesus. Fourth, "Go and tell my brothers..." (17-18). After meeting the glorious Risen Jesus, Mary was so happy that she wanted to hold on to Jesus forever. What was Jesus' response? "Jesus said, 'Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, "I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God"'" (17). The Risen Christ is not only a shepherd-like God, but he is the Risen Christ and King of kings and the Almighty God. Jesus knew that a person without a mission has to cry, so Jesus said to her, "Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" When we read verse 17 prayerfully, we find that the Risen Christ not only gave Mary a living hope in the kingdom of God, but he also gave her a holy mission to be a witness. This applies to all of us as well. Jesus commands each of his disciples to go out and make disciples of all nations – that is we must go out and be witnesses of the risen Jesus in this generation. Fifth, the Risen Christ visits his disciples (19-31). The disciples were together with the doors locked for fear of the Jews. They knew that the Jews had plotted and killed Jesus. They thought that now it was their turn. Peter had once been bold enough to say, "I will lay down my life for you.” Now he was full of fear, and so were the other disciples. They sat down terrified behind locked doors. As they sat there, the Risen Christ was suddenly in their midst, even though the door was locked. He said, "Peace be with you!" (19b) The Risen Christ gave them the peace of God, because they were fearful. As we all know well, this world is full of troubles and agonies of life which cause men to be sorrowful and fearful. This sorrow and fear causes many young people try to escape from the realities of life by any means. Many of them end up becoming helpless and even useless because they give into their sinful passions again and again until they become completely possessed by evil spirits that make them slaves to fear. The disciples had become slaves of fear because they had not listened carefully to what Jesus had told them, but a miracle happened when the disciples heard the voice of the Risen Christ. The power of death disappeared from their hearts. The peace of God came upon them and was overflowing from their hearts. It was a time of salvation for them. The Risen Christ is God who gives men the peace of God and the Holy Spirit. Here we learn that without believing in the glorious resurrection of Jesus, nobody can experience the peace of God. Sixth, Jesus commissions them as missionaries (21-23). What did Jesus do for his disciples next? In verse 21 he said, "As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." The Risen Christ commissioned them as missionaries. God sent his Son as the first missionary to this world to save men from their sins. The Son fulfilled his mission as the first missionary. As he was sent, the Risen Christ also sent his disciples into the world as missionaries to spread the good news of eternal salvation. But how could they go into the world when they were so fearful? The Risen Christ said, "Receive the Holy Spirit" (22b). Even though they had followed Jesus, they had not yet received the independent Holy Spirit. There is a reason why Jesus gave them the Holy Spirit. The disciples' real problem was not the Jewish leaders, but fear itself working within them. They needed the peace of God always in their heart so the Risen Christ gave them the Holy Spirit by breathing on them. Then the Holy Spirit, that is, the Spirit of Jesus, filled their hearts. When the Holy Spirit was with them, they could see the glorious Risen Christ who is God Almighty. This Spirit would always be with them so they could go out and do the work that God had prepared for them. Look at verse 23. "If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven." The main point of this verse is that we must proclaim the good news of great joy. In other words, we must win people over to Jesus so that their sins may be forgiven. Man has no authority to forgive others' sins. Only Jesus has authority to forgive sins. We cannot neglect this mission, because sin is not a way to human freedom, but the poison of the devil. The proclamation of the gospel is not a light matter. It is a mission to save men from eternal condemnation and to bring them back to the kingdom of God. Seventh, Jesus appears to Thomas the doubter (24-30). What is the strongest weapon of the devil? Doubt is the strongest weapon of the devil. Thomas, one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came the first time after his resurrection (24). When the other disciples told him that they had seen the Lord, he declared, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it" (25). Thomas was a man of doubt. Thomas probably thought the other disciples’ grief and fear caused them to have a kind of group hallucination. They needed to believe something so Thomas thought they had just convinced themselves of this fairy tale. However, a week later, when the disciples were in the house again, Thomas was with them. The doors were still locked (26). Even though Thomas had made a clear decision to doubt, Jesus didn’t give up on Thomas. Jesus came and visited him personally. The Risen Christ would soon go back to the Father to sit on his glorious throne, but he humbled himself before Thomas and said, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side" (27a). Jesus embraced Thomas, who was poisoned by the doubt of Satan. At the moment Thomas saw the wounds and scars in Jesus' hands and side, the Holy Spirit came upon him. He could see the glorious Risen Christ, so he shouted, "My Lord and my God!" Look at verse 29. "Then Jesus told him, 'Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.'" Thomas did not believe based on what Jesus said, but on what he had seen. However those who have believed, simply by believing the word of God, are even more blessed. Though they have not seen, they can see the Risen Christ in the word of God and in God’s work in their lives. They can experience the joy of heaven when they believe in the resurrection of Jesus. Jesus did many signs in the presence of his disciples to open their spiritual eyes to see that he is God who, through his death and resurrection, gives us eternal salvation and the kingdom of God as our inheritance (31). In this passage we learned that the resurrection of Jesus frees us from all sorrow and fear. When we meet the risen Jesus he gives us a holy mission to be his witness for others. He also gives us the Holy Spirit which has the power to transform us from weak, sorrowful and fearful human beings into powerful witnesses of the gospel and children of God. |
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