John 36 The First Day Of The Week

FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK

#36

John 20:1-18

“1 The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre. 2 Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him. 3 Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre. 4 So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre. 5 And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in. 6 Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie, 7 and the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself.

8 Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed. 9 For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.

10 Then the disciples went away again unto their own home. 11 But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre, 12 and seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. 13 And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.

14 And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.

16 Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. 17 Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God. 18 Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her” (John 20:1-18).

Black Sabbath

It is no accident Sabbath is the day Jesus spends resting in the cool dark tomb. The darkest Sabbath in human history. The Light of the world has been rejected by the darkness. The Way, the Truth, and the Life has been crucified. The King is dead. The Good News, however, has only just begun. This is the day they were preparing for. This is the day that meant everything.

Remember when they led Jesus to Pilate's residence? They did not want to go inside because He was a Gentile, and they didn't want to be defiled (John 18:28).

They wanted to be clean for this day. Remember when they asked Pilate to take the bodies off of the crosses? It was "so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for the Sabbath was a high day)" (John 19:31). They did not want to be defiled as they condemned an innocent man to death. They did not want to dishonor this "high day" while they dishonored and killed the King of kings. Ceremonial cleansing mattered. Honoring the Sabbath mattered. Eating the Passover mattered. Justice, mercy, and love were all ignored, but at least the Sabbath was honored.

Now Sabbath has come. There is nothing written about this day but you can just imagine. What are the disciples thinking? What is Peter thinking? Are the chief priests celebrating? Is Satan? Does he know he's destroyed himself? Does death know his power is being stolen? Is it known on the cross that Jesus took the full brunt of the world's wickedness into Himself so He might destroy it through His death and raise victoriously on the other side? Is it known that on that fateful Sabbath Day, Death is enjoying its last day of victory? For the first time, Death will find out what it means to lose. Sure, Lazarus made death nervous, but Lazarus would fall prey again.

For the first time, Death and Hades will see their demise is certain. Satan will be cast out as "ruler of this world." And the King who was beaten and battered just a day before will burst forth in the glory of His Father raised to the new life which can never be taken again. This is the last day of the old world. A new world is coming with the discovery of an empty tomb.

Apostle to the Apostles

Astonishingly, a woman named Mary from the town of Magdala is the first to discover the tomb. She arrives "while it is still dark" (John 20:1). At these vital moments, John always lets us know when it is "night" and when it is "dark." The Light of the world has not been seen yet. What has been seen is His tomb. The stone rolled away, empty on the inside. That's not what Mary expected to see. Her first thought? Go tell the disciples! Someone moved the body! She quickly finds Peter and the beloved disciple and frantically explains, "They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him" (John 20:2).

In horror, they sprint to the tomb, and the beloved disciple arrives first. Peter is always behind him. The beloved disciple peaks his head inside and sees the burial clothes. Peter barges right in to look around. The linen clothes were lying on the ground but the face cloth was neatly rolled up by itself. Someone had definitely been in there. Why would grave robbers unclothe the body? Why take the time to roll up the face cloth? When the beloved disciple enters the tomb, it dawns on him. He realizes what's happened. He believes (John 20:8). The beloved disciple is the only one said to "believe" before seeing the resurrected Jesus, although it will still take them time to see it in the Scriptures (John 20:9; John 2:17, 22; 12:16).

After the disciples return home, Mary stays by the tomb. She's weeping. Finally gaining the courage to peek inside the tomb to see what the disciples saw, she looks. She sees something amazing. Two angels are seated where Jesus' feet and head had been, and they ask her why she is weeping. They know there is nothing to weep about. She still believes the Lord is dead and His body has been stolen. She doesn't know where it is.

Then she turns. She sees someone. She's in a garden, and through her fear and tears she assumes it's the gardener. He asks an interesting question, "Whom are you seeking?" (John 20:15). This is the same question Jesus asked back in the other garden (John 18:4, 7). Mary begs the gardener, if he's moved the body to just tell her where! She'll go and take it. She'll care for it.

Jesus looks at her, clears his voice, and says, "Mary!" I can't imagine what that sounded like. She's crying; she's distressed; she knows Jesus is dead. She's trying to solve the problem of the missing body. And she hears that voice calling her name. That voice she's heard so many times before. Like a ton of bricks, it hits her. She sees! She runs! And she grabs Him! "Rabboni!" she screams. It's really Him, a real body you can really grab and hold. He tells her she must let go. He has a job for her. She will be the first person to proclaim the resurrection (John 19:16-18).

In church tradition, Mary has been given the honorific title of the "Apostle to the Apostles." I love that.

A woman from Magdala is the first to bring the message of the gospel to the apostles. She's the first to see the empty tomb. She's the first to see Jesus. She's one of the only ones to ever hug the resurrected Lord. What an honor! Women weren't even trusted by courts of law as faithful witnesses. However, the first witness, the witness to the apostles, is a woman. Mary's witness, combined with Joseph of Arimathea's known empty tomb, presents a strong line of evidence Jesus really did rise from the dead, even for those who never get to see it for themselves (John 20:29).

The Gardener

Isn't it interesting this whole scene takes place in a garden? Early in the morning as the sun is rising? It is dark at the beginning of the story (John 20:1) but the sun is shining by its end. I cannot read this passage without those images of New Creation popping back up again. When God created the world, it was in darkness (Genesis 1:2). When this story begins, it is in darkness (John 20:1). When God said, "Let there be light," it was the "first day" of the week (Genesis 1:3-5).

When the Light of the world rises from the darkness of death, it is the "first day of the week" (John 20:1, 19). When God first creates man, He is placed in a garden (Genesis 2:8). When the first resurrected man, the first New Man, comes to life, He is in a garden. Adam was called to be a gardener, to tend and protect the garden (Genesis 2:15). The first person who sees Jesus suspects He is a gardener as well (John 20:15).

There is a reason Jesus is the "new Adam" (Romans 5:12ff; 1 Corinthians 15:20-26, 45). Adam was the first man of the old creation. He brought rebellion, sin, and death into it. Jesus is the first man of the New Creation. Of new resurrection life. Of the new world. And He brings forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life. This scene represents the world's new beginning, a new world where God's kingdom is inaugurated through Christ. Like the wheat and the tares, for the time being, the new world seems to grow together with the old, but the "ruler of the world" is changing. And we get to be a part of that. Our world did not begin in Eden. Our world, the one we as Christians now inhabit, began in the garden tomb. That's where our life begins.