4/20/25 “Teachings from an Empty Tomb”
Teachings From an Empty Tomb
John 19:38 – 20:18
I’ve always believed that music is one of God’s greatest gifts to mankind.
There is power in music.
It’s amazing how hearing a song from decades ago can teleport a person right back to the time and place where you first heard it…
I often see this firsthand when I have the opportunity to play and sing at retirement facilities…
…people who are primarily in their 80’s and 90’s instantly turn into teenagers when they hear songs like “You’re Cheatin’ Heart” or “Earth Angel” or “It’s Now or Never”…
People who are in wheelchairs will get up and begin dancing because they are moved by the powerful memories these songs invoke in their hearts…
…and when my mom and her sister play waltzes and polkas on their accordions…look out…that’s when the party really ramps up.
In fact, a couple months ago when we played at Oak Park Place in Baraboo, the place got so crazy….I thought the cops were gonna have to be called in!
Music is – indeed – powerful.
….And when we think of music, we normally think about the notes that music is made up of…
Notes are what our ears hear…and they are each assigned specific durations…Whole notes, half notes, quarter notes, eighth notes…and so on.
But what we often don’t consider – when thinking about music - is the fact that notes are not the only thing that music is made up of.
In fact, notes are only part the story….there is something else that makes up music that is just as important as the notes themselves….
This happens to be the times of silence between certain notes…these moments of silence – when no sound is produced – they’re called rests.
Rests are vital in giving songs drama, emotion, and a sense of anticipation.
One of the most effective uses of a rest in popular music is in the Whitney Houston version of “I Will Always Love You”
There’s a point in the song when the vocal and all of the instruments fade out…
…leaving about 4 beats of silence before we hear Whitney’s voice come in with a powerfully modulated…. “And I…..”
If those 4 beats of silence are not there….that pivotal part of the song loses much of its emotional punch…
Simply put, what made that song so over-the-top in its appeal and popularity…were 4 beats of strategically placed….silence.
4 beats of emptiness.
As you all know Today is Easter Sunday…Personally, I like the name “Resurrection Sunday” as it provides a more definitive description of what this day is all about.
And – in a way - what we are celebrating today is….emptiness.
We are celebrating the absence of something….
….the absence of a body that previously was buried in a tomb….but is there no longer.
Today is the day we celebrate the fact that Jesus of Nazareth was resurrected from the grave….evidenced by an empty tomb…
….an empty grave that still speaks to us today about the miracle of Jesus being raised from the dead, and – in the process – conquering death itself.
…And the wonderful news for mankind is – if you are in Christ, then you have defeated death as well!
Verses 38 & 39 (John 19:38-39) of our passage for today describe how two men – Joseph of Arimathea, and Nicodemus – obtain Jesus’ body from Pontius Pilate, the Roman prefect (i.e. Governor)of Judea.
Joseph and Nicodemus wrap Jesus’ body in strips of linen – a common burial practice - and place him in a new tomb in a garden near the place Jesus was crucified.
Chapter 20 (John 20:1) opens with Jesus’ friend – Mary Magdaline – going to visit the tomb where Jesus was buried….
Only to find that the stone had been rolled away.
And – by the way – this stone wasn’t your run of the mill landscaping stone…
Archaeological evidence suggests that stones used in sealing tombs in 1st century Jerusalem were typically about 4 – 6 feet in diameter, weighing between 1 to 2 tons.
Heavy enough that it would have taken several men to roll it into place…and once situated, Matthew’s account tells us that it took the strength of an angel to roll it back again….
So, Mary finds the stone rolled away and immediately runs to tell the disciples what she had seen…
John then tells us that he and Peter quickly run to the tomb….finding it open, they went inside (Peter first, then John)
When inside, they see what the Bible describes as ‘Strips of Linen’ lying where the body should have been….along with the burial cloth that had been around Jesus’ head….
Surprisingly, the cloth had been folded up very neatly – providing more proof to the mountain of existing evidence that this was not the case of Jesus’ body being stolen…
…grave robbers don’t take the time to unwrap a body and fold a burial cloth before they go!
There is, however, something symbolically important about the strips of linen that were lying on the table where Jesus’ body had apparently passed right through them…
…And to grasp the vital significance of these strips of linen that – by the way are mentioned 3 times in the course of just 4 verses here in John’s account - we need to go back to the Old Testament.
The book of Leviticus mentions something very fascinating about how the High Priest would use strips of linen while presenting a sin offering on the Day of Atonement – the most significant day of the year for all of Israel.
Look with me at Leviticus 16:3-4 “This is how Aaron is to enter the sanctuary area: with a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering. He is to put on the sacred linen tunic, with linen undergarments next to his body; he is to tie the linen sash around him and put on the linen turban. These are sacred garments; so he must bathe himself with water before he puts them on.”
…and then picking up verse 23 (Leviticus 16:23) “Then Aaron is to go into the Tent of Meeting and take off the linen garments he put on before he entered the Most Holy Place, and he is to leave them there.”
So…why is this so important?
Here’s the significance:
The Day of Atonement was the one day of the year when the high priest – in this case, Aaron (The first high priest) – would be able to enter an area of the tabernacle called the ‘Holy of Holies’…or the ‘Most Holy Place’
It would be in this place where Aaron would present an offering to God for the sins of the entire nation of Israel…
The ‘Holy of Holies’ was also where the Ark of the Covenant was kept….this was the sacred chest where the ten commandments were stored…
…the ark was representative of the covenant between God and the nation of Israel….it was a visual symbol of a spiritual accord.
If you’re an ‘Indiana Jones’ fan, you have a general idea of what the Ark of the Covenant may have looked like.
When Aaron was offering Israel’s sacrifice to God, he was only to wear linen garments and a linen headband.
..,.these were sacred articles of clothing to be worn in a sacred place…where forgiveness for the entire nation would be administered.
…are you beginning to see a connection here between what we see in Leviticus…and what Peter and John are seeing here in the tomb of Jesus Christ?
Let’s look at the similarities:
The high priest was to wear linen strips while in the sacred place that represented the Old Covenant…Jesus wore linen strips in the tomb – which became a sacred place of a new covenant
The high priest offered a sacrifice for all of Israel through the shed blood of an animal…Jesus was the sacrifice for all of humanity through His own shed blood.
The high priest would enter the sacred place temporarily, then he would depart…This covered Israel’s sins for an entire year….
Jesus entered the tomb temporarily….then he also departed….This covered the sins of all who are in Christ for eternity.
The lid of the Ark of the Covenant depicted two golden angels – one on each side…
….Our passage for today (John 20:12) tells us there were two angels seated where Jesus’ body had been, one on each side.
John and Peter would have been very familiar with the symbolism of what they were seeing…
…This is why – I believe – we read in verse 8 (John 20:8) that John ‘Saw and believed”
The lightbulb was beginning to go on for these men…Even though – as verse 9 (John 20:9) tells us – they still didn’t fully comprehend what was happening….
they were starting to get the idea that Jesus was no longer dead…that he had physically risen from the grave.
The tomb was empty of a body…but it did contain proof of what had happened for those who recognized the symbolism of what was left behind..
Like a musical rest just before a majestic, soaring note of Joy and hope…
…the emptiness of the tomb also carried promise for the future – wrapped up in a head cloth….and strips of linen.
In their excitement, John and Peter went back to inform the other disciples…
But Mary…Mary stayed behind….Mary lingered…
And it was a good thing for Mary that she did stay a bit longer in the garden that day.
One of the angels asks her in verse 13 (John 20:13) “Woman, why are you crying?”…..”They have taken my Lord away”….”and I don’t know where they have put him”
Then – in her anguish & despair, she turns around and sees someone…a man.
In verse 15 (John 20:15) The man asks her the same question “Woman, why are you crying?”
Mary assumes it’s the gardner…she asks the man if he knows where Jesus was taken…
But the man simply says to her “Mary.”
Verse 16 is one of the most joy-filled verses in all of scripture…
Mary cries out “Rabboni!”….(Which means ‘teacher’ of great honor) She now understands that this man is the same man who she saw put to death on a tree just 3 days ago…
As we see in other passages, the glorified body of Jesus was such that his friends would sometimes not immediately recognize him….but his voice and nail-scarred hands bore the proof of his identity….
This was their beloved rabbi…their mentor…their friend.
The impossible just became possible…the inconceivable just became conceivable….
This was – indeed – Jesus….He was ALIVE!
He was resurrected from the dead….he had defeated the grave!
Jesus instructs Mary to go tell his disciples the news….that He is alive!
…and that his mission was now complete….he would soon be returning to the Father.
The resurrection of Jesus was proof that his sacrifice on the cross had completely satisfied the payment for the sins of those who place their faith & trust in him.
As the apostle Paul puts it “He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.” (Romans 4:25)
This is Good News…Amen?
Many of you have heard the story of the empty tomb and Jesus’ resurrection for almost as many years as you’ve been alive….
For others of you, this may be the first time you’ve ever really given much thought to the events described here in this passage of scripture….
Regardless of your level of familiarity with the resurrection of Jesus Christ….
Let me ask you this question…what significance does the empty tomb have in your life?
How does your worldview look different than it once did in light of the fact that Jesus walked up out of his grave?
When the gospel message is presented – which, by the way, the term ‘gospel’ simply means ‘the good news of Jesus Christ’….
…when this message is conveyed to someone. That individual is forced to intellectually deal with it.
The one who receives the gospel message must make a decision as to how they will respond to it.
…and there are only 2 possible options.
You either accept it. ….Or you reject it.
You believe that Jesus died for your sins, was buried in a tomb, and on the third day rose from that tomb, ascended into heaven, and now intercedes for you before the heavenly Father….
Or
You reject the claims of who Jesus said he was and what he did for you.
Author & apologist C.S. Lewis once famously said that, based upon the claims of His divine nature….Jesus is either liar, lunatic, or Lord.
Everyone who hears the story of the resurrection must come to a decision of who Jesus is.
For me…and for many of you as well…when I look at the culmination of evidence surrounding the person & work of Jesus Christ, I am left with no doubt whatsoever in my mind as to the validity of his claims.
The reliability of the Bible, the hundreds of messianic prophecies fulfilled through the life of Jesus, the miracles that Jesus performed, the wisdom in his teachings, his virgin birth, his voluntary sacrifice on the cross, his ascension, the fervent faith and willing martyrdom of every disciple but John….
And last – but certainly not least – the empty tomb.
All of these, along with the presence of Jesus in my heart that I experience on a daily basis, make me 100% confident that Jesus is who he claimed to be!
He is – indeed – Lord.
There are so many people today who know that they are lost….yet they just aren’t sure which spiritual claims are true.
If you are one of those individuals this morning – or if you know someone in your life who is genuinely seeking spiritual truth….
I’d like to remind you of one extremely important distinction between Christianity and all other religions in the world.
Many religions and worldviews are based upon the teachings of a specific individual…a “founder”, we might say….including Jesus as the foundation of Christianity.
But Jesus stands above all the rest in one very important way…and it has to do with the empty tomb.
You see, Mohammed, the founder of Islam….he’s still in his tomb.
Sidhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism…he’s still in his tomb.
Confucious, the founder of Confucianism…he’s still in his tomb
L Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology….he’s still in his tomb
Joseph Smith, the founder of Mormonism…he’s still in his tomb
Charles Taze Russell, the founder of The Jehovah’s Witnesses…he’s still in his tomb
Philosophers and committed atheists Friedrich Nietzsche, Charles Darwin, Carl Sagan, Bertrand Russell, and Stephen Hawking…..they are all in their Tombs!!!
But there is one man who is no longer in his tomb.
There is one man who threw death itself into an eternal grave….never to spiritually destroy those who put their faith and trust in him….
That man is The God-man….Jesus Christ.
….so – today – if you have yet to make Jesus Lord of your life….
What a day it would be for you to invite him into your heart…
…and begin living a journey of faith that will completely transform your outlook and priorities…
He will extract your heavy heart of stone…and replace it with a heart of flesh….
Jesus – the good shepherd – will bring you into His pasture of mercy & grace
…where you will find restoration for your soul….
…where your heart will learn to lay down beside the still waters of His love….
…and where you will no longer fear the shadow of death - because your mighty shepherd has destroyed it – and the power death once held over you.
So that you…along with all believers …may say these words with confidence:
“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? (1 Corinthians 15:55)
The deafening silence of the empty tomb is calling out to you….how will you respond to it?
Let’s Pray.