The Lutheran Hour
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"They Didn’t Get It"
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Text: John 20:9
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Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Today is the great festival of the Lord’s Resurrection. Today, Christians who have, by the power of the Holy Spirit, been called to faith in a living Lord, greet each other with the words: Christ is risen! Others, having heard this best news of greatest joy, respond, “He is risen, indeed.”
Christians get it. More accurately they are given this great and glorious truth. They know that Jesus has redeemed them at the cost of His own life. There is in the state of Georgia, a white man who is buried in a cemetery which has traditionally been reserved for black people. The mother of this distinguished man died when he was a small child. The boy’s father who never remarried, and according to custom at that time, employed Mandy, a black woman, a Christian woman, to help with the raising of his son. Without being his mother, Mandy gave the boy a mother’s love. Among his earliest and warmest recollections was Mandy’s tradition of coming up to his room, leaning over and waking him with a gentle: “Wake up, God’s mornin’ is come.” The boy grew, and as some grown boys do, he went off to college. When he came home for holidays and summers, Mandy still began the day with, “Wake up, God’s mornin’ is come.” He never outgrew hearing those words; she never outgrew saying them.
It was later in life after he had achieved some success, the man got the message, “Mandy has died. Can you come to her funeral?” Of course he would come. Standing at Mandy’s open grave, he turned to his companions and commented, “If I die before Jesus returns, I want to be buried here beside Mandy. I like to think that on Resurrection Day she’ll say, ‘Wake up, my boy, God’s mornin’ is come!’” The boy had gotten it. Mandy had gotten it. They knew Christ has risen. They knew death could no longer destroy them. They got it.
Sadly, this Resurrection dawn greets a world that is filled with hundreds of millions of people who just don’t get it. Some have never heard of Jesus. They can’t get it. Some know the name of Jesus, but only when it’s used as a curse word. They won’t get it. Some don’t get it because they refuse to believe that a Man Who lived and died 2,000 years ago can have any impact or influence upon them. Whatever the reason, millions don’t get it. Our world is filled with souls who remain lost, retain their sins, reject salvation and refuse the Redeemer’s rescue which has broken the shackles of sin and Satan, death and damnation. Because they don’t get it, this Resurrection Day remains dark and drear, depressing, downcast, despondent and devoid of all delight.
If you don’t get it, if your Bible remains unread because you are a pseudo sophisticate; if you scorn prayers offered by family or friend on your behalf; harden your heart when it is time to hear of Him; if you have, up to this very day hated every mention of Jesus’ Name, please give me the next ten minutes of your time. Give me ten minutes to tell you the story of some other men who just didn’t get it. Their story begins almost 2,000 years ago on a Friday, the day Jesus of Nazareth was nailed to a cross and died. Don’t doubt Jesus died. He had been whipped with a weapon that ripped His back to ribbons. He had been beaten, struck and nailed to a cross. He was stabbed through the heart, by men whose business it was to kill; whose own lives were forfeit if they let the condemned escape from his cross. Yes, Jesus had died.
According to the Bible, one of Jesus’ secret followers, a man by the name of Joseph of Arimathea, was allowed to bury Jesus. Joseph used narrow strips of linen and a great mixture of aromatic spices to improve the smell of the decomposing Body and, at least for a while, preserve the Corpse. When he and another of Jesus’ friends finished their hurried job, you would have described the Lord as looking like an Egyptian mummy, as much as anything. Jesus was buried in a new grave, hewn out of the rock. The man who had consented to the crucifixion had a seal placed upon the great stone which blocked the entrance to the sepulcher. A guard was placed on duty to make sure seal, stone, and Savior stayed put. That should have been the end of the story. But three days later, when another of Jesus’ followers came to pay her respects, the guard was gone; they had run away in fear, the stone was rolled aside and the Body of Jesus was gone. “Maybe,” she thought, “somebody has stolen the Corpse. Maybe somebody has moved the Body. Maybe…” Maybe she thought a lot of things. One thing she didn’t think was that Jesus had risen from the dead. She didn’t get it. You can hardly blame her. I’ve buried hundreds of people, and not a single one of them has risen yet. We all know that death is final. At least it’s supposed to be.
The lady-who-didn’t-get-it ran and told two of Jesus’ closest friends, Peter and John, what she hadn’t seen. Let me read what happened next from the Bible. If you’re interested, I’m reading from the 20 th chapter of John (3-9). “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. Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus’ head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)”
Two disciples went running to the grave. Hesitating at the tomb’s entry, John peeked inside and saw the linen, just as it had been put on Jesus the afternoon He had been buried. The only difference was Jesus’ body wasn’t there anymore. Throwing caution to the winds, Peter went inside and he too saw the linen. Realizing it was safe, John followed. Then, having seen the linen, the text tells us, John believed. You might rightly ask, “What’s the big deal about seeing some linen?” Well it is a big deal. So big a deal that John, with understanding given to him by God, realized that Jesus was no longer dead. Do I hear you doubters ask, with some cynicism, “And how did John come to such a conclusion by looking at a few bloody, burial cloths?”
John got it, because John did some detective work with that linen. That first Resurrection Sunday when he entered that tomb, he might have been thinking, as so many others have thought, “Jesus’ Body has been stolen.” But when John saw the linen he quickly rejected that idea. Think about it. The thief had to get past the guard, move the very large stone, take time to unwrap Jesus’ Body, put the linen back in exactly the same place, in the same shape, in the same manner in which it had been found, and then carry out the naked corpse. John concluded, “Couldn’t happen.” When John saw that linen, he got it, as you should get it; he knew Jesus’ body hadn’t been stolen.
But there’s more. John, the detective, also knew for the same reasons, that Jesus’ body hadn’t been moved to another tomb. That linen was obvious, undeniable proof that Jesus had been in this spot, only a short time before. That linen was proof that John hadn’t, in his rush, gone to the wrong grave. John got it. Jesus’ Body hadn’t been stolen; it hadn’t been moved; and he hadn’t gone to the wrong place. “Wait,” I can almost hear you who are playing detectives say, “but isn’t it possible that Jesus had only fainted, or gone into a coma when He hung on His cross? Isn’t it possible that when Jesus was placed in the cool, damp tomb, He revived, got out of the grave, ran away with Mary Magdalene and lived happily ever after, raising a family in France?”
Looking at that linen lying there, John would have said, “I have deduced that such thinking is incorrect.” Go ahead, ask him, you know you want to. No? Too shy? I’ll ask him, “John how can you be so sure?” I think John might have replied, “Elementary, my dear friend, elementary. Jesus died on the cross. I was there. I saw it. Jesus was buried here. People I believe saw Him wrapped, saw the spices put on, saw Jesus placed in this tomb, set on this very spot.” (Luke 23:49, 55; John 19:35) Then John might have continued, “Look closely. Do you see how the linen has fallen in on itself. It’s almost as if it had once held a human-shaped balloon and somebody let the air out of the balloon. Because that is so, I conclude: If Jesus had come out of a coma, He, and a hundred helpers could never have put those linens back exactly the same way. It would have been impossible. No, there can be only one conclusion. Jesus, in some manner I don’t understand, that probably no one will ever fully understand, went right through that linen. There is no other solution, can be no other conclusion: Jesus is alive. There is no other explanation.”
John got it. No, that’s wrong. Since no one can come to faith on their own, but are saved only by the Holy Spirit’s calling, I should more accurately say, “John was given it.” The text says, “He saw and believed.” He believed that Jesus had risen, and because Jesus had risen, just as He said He would, you can know…. (I pick that word carefully), you can know that the heavenly Father has accepted Jesus’ sacrifice to save us from our sins. You can know, (there’s that word again), you can know that everything else the Lord Jesus has said can be trusted. If Jesus said He is with us, believe it. If Jesus said we can cast our cares on Him, He is correct. If Jesus said, I will give you rest, it cannot be questioned.
As John looked at the Savior’s burial linen, he didn’t understand all of Scripture. Not yet. But John got it. John’s getting it would become more complete when a living, breathing, eating, talking, touchable Jesus appeared to him and the other disciples. More would come later, but that Resurrection Day, standing in the empty tomb looking at the collapsed linen, John knew for certain that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was alive. Christ has risen.
But the question, this Resurrection Sunday is, “Do you get it?” Understand, there are a great many Christian listeners who would disagree with the things I’ve said today. Oh, they would never disagree with the fact that Jesus fulfilled the law for us, or that He had died for us, or that He physically rose on the third day. Powerfully and passionately they cling to these truths about the Savior. But they would tell me, “Reverend, do not appeal to men’s minds. Faith is a matter of the heart.” They’re probably right, but this Resurrection Day, I have to try and get through to you in whatever way I can. Your eternal residency, heaven or hell, will be decided on whether you believe Christ is risen. I have to try in whatever way the Lord allows, to help you see Christ is risen.
I know that many of you listeners have been wooed by those who maintain that the Bible is a myth, to be believed only by children who are weak and wide-eyed. There are those who have tuned into this broadcast who have, for years, stumbled over the barriers built by their intellect; who have been lulled into listening to voices which say “sin has no substance.” There are those who have been convinced that Christ is a con, the crucifixion a cruel, cosmic hoax; and the final judgment, a joke.
To you who have elevated your minds and demoted the Savior, look. The death and resurrection of Christ is real. Put aside your scoffing sneers and look. Really look. The linen we have talked about is only one, very small bit of evidence to the greatness of God’s grace which is ours in a living Christ. There are many more things I could share which prove the reality of the Resurrection. Look, do you think these disciples would have been martyred, holding fast to the preaching of a prank? Do you think these cowering, cringing cowards could be turned into lions for the Lord if they had not believed in a risen Christ? They knew, and armed with the knowledge of a living Lord Jesus, they went into all the world and proclaimed, “Christ is risen.”
Under the city of Rome there are over 600 miles of catacombs. Six hundred miles of graves cut into the rock. In these alcoves the dead have been laid to rest. Believer lies next to unbeliever. Look into the Christian graves. Their skeletons tell terrible tales. Heads severed from bodies, ribs and shoulder blades broken, bones calcified from fire. Despite the awful sufferings they endured, the inscriptions on those Christian tombs shout of victory and triumph. One says, “Here lies Marcia, put to rest in peace.” Another says, “Lawrence, borne away by angels.” Yet another reads, “Being called away, he went in peace.” Contrast those graves with the tombs of unbelievers. Without the risen Lord, they warn: “Live for the present hour, since you can be sure of nothing else.” Another reads, “I lift my hands against the gods who killed me at the age of twenty.” Another says, “Traveler, do not curse me as you pass. I am in darkness and cannot answer.”
That’s a dramatic difference! What can give hope where once there had been horror, joy where once there had been judgment, peace where once there had been poison? Simply this: Christ is risen. That is the message which is shared today. Christ is risen! That is the truth the Spirit uses to bring you from darkness into light, from horror to hope, from hell to heaven. Christ is risen in this world, and now He wants to rise in your heart. If you feel the Holy Spirit’s tug, if you are hesitating, if you are unsure, let “The Lutheran Hour” help you. Call us. We will give the number before the end of the broadcast. It is time for you to look with eyes of faith and say, “Christ is risen!”
Philip was born with Down’s Syndrome. As a result, he never was part of the group. He was pleasant enough but he looked different and sometimes acted differently than his eight-year-old classmates. Easter Sunday that year, Philip’s Sunday School teacher gave each of her students a plastic egg, the kind pantyhose used to come in, and instructed them to bring them back with a symbol of the Resurrection. The following week the eggs were opened and each child explained the meaning of the symbol they had brought. One egg held a pretty flower; another held a butterfly. The children squirmed to see that one. In another, there was a rock. The last egg was empty. Nothing. If you had listened carefully, you would have heard things like, “That’s stupid” or “He didn’t do his homework.” Philip confessed, “That egg belongs to me. It’s empty, because Jesus’ grave was empty.” Philip got it. That summer Philip got something else – an infection. Most children would have shaken off such a little thing. Philip’s body couldn’t. At his funeral, nine eight-year-old children, accompanied by their teacher, brought a gift and placed it in his casket. You know what it was? Elementary, isn’t it? Almost as elementary as knowing God has given His Son to save you. The linens, the empty tomb prove it. May this day be your day to be joined with the rest of the Christian world and say, “Christ is risen!” He is risen, indeed. Amen.
Lutheran Hour Mailbox (Questions & Answers) for April 11, 2004
Topic: Proofs of the ResurrectionANNOUNCER: And we’re back with Reverend Ken Klaus, I’m Mark Eischer, and Pastor Klaus, Christ is risen!
KLAUS: He is risen indeed, Mark.
ANNOUNCER: Now you spent a lot of time in today’s Resurrection message talking about one of the proofs for the Resurrection. You specifically talked about the bands of linen that wrapped Jesus’ body.
KLAUS: Quite right. I did so because it has always struck me as unusual that John spent so much time talking about the linens. Now the question is, what can possibly be so interesting about linens? Scholars are divided. Some say the cloths were neatly placed, others say they were deflated with Jesus’ body having passed through them. They all agreed the cloths were not in disarray, nor had they been cut.
ANNOUNCER: And what does that prove?
KLAUS: A couple of things. It proves Jesus’ body wasn’t stolen. It proves the disciples hadn’t gone to the wrong tomb.
ANNOUNCER: Anything else worth noting about the linen?
KLAUS: Well Mark, they are proof to John that Jesus has risen from the dead. Now if he believed that, he didn’t fully understand all of the implications that the Resurrection was part of God’s salvation plan. That kind of fuller understanding only comes later on to the disciples at Pentecost. We do know that Jesus, later that evening explained how the Resurrection was part of God’s salvation plan to the two disciples who were in Emmaus. (Luke 24:27)
ANNOUNCER: I also noticed that you never use the word “Easter” today. Was that deliberate?
KLAUS: It was. It’s not a burning issue, but since all the rest of what Christians believe rises or falls on the basis of the Resurrection, I really preferred to emphasize that.
ANNOUNCER: And why did you appeal to a logical proof for the Resurrection? Shouldn’t this just be a matter of faith?
KLAUS: It is, but the Holy Spirit’s call to faith can be hindered, even stopped by people who think they’re being modern and logical and sophisticated. If they were to take an honest and rational look at what happened that day, they would see the preponderance of evidence is for Jesus’ Resurrection.
ANNOUNCER: Now that’s a pretty bold statement.
KLAUS: Yes, and it’s also the truth.
ANNOUNCER: Are there other evidences you could give?
KLAUS: Far more than we have time to deal with today. There are familiar proofs like the appearances of Jesus to His followers. For forty days Jesus came to His disciples, ate with them, talked with them, allowed Himself to be touched by them. He wasn’t a ghost or a bit of imagination. There are logical proofs like the transformation of the disciples from uneducated cowardly fishermen, to bold men who died bravely and fearlessly in terrible ways proclaiming the truth rather than denying it. There are proofs from outside the Bible such as Josephus’ writings or the Nazareth inscription which makes stealing bodies a capital offense. Mark, the list goes on.
ANNOUNCER: So what are we encouraging today?
KLAUS: “The Lutheran Hour” is doing what it has always done – preaching a changeless Christ to a changing world. We are, in spite of scoffers, encouraging people to take a serious look at the facts of the Resurrection. We want them to take an equally serious look at the logic of those people who laugh at what happened when Jesus came out of the tomb that day.
ANNOUNCER: And it’s vitally important that they do so.
KLAUS: It is. Eternity – heaven or hell, depends on whether they believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior.
ANNOUNCER: Now I know people who would disagree with you.
KLAUS: They don’t disagree with me. They disagree with God and His Holy Word. St. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians, this is just excerpts (15:14-22), “…if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. …if Christ is not raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. …those who fall asleep in Jesus are lost. …but Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. Since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead also comes through a man.”
ANNOUNCER: Anything else?
KLAUS: Two things. If somebody wants to know more about the risen Savior, call us at “The Lutheran Hour.” We will provide them assistance.
ANNOUNCER: And the second thing?
KLAUS: As always, Christ is risen!
ANNOUNCER: He is risen, indeed! Thank you Pastor Klaus. And if you, the listener would like more information we invite you to call us at our toll free number, 1-800-876-9880. This has been a presentation of Lutheran Hour Ministries.