The Lutheran Hour
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"The Rest of the Story"
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Text: John 20:31
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Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed! Those words are God’s Words of resurrection victory which is offered to all. Today the living Savior comes to change your life. By the Holy Spirit’s power, may the door of your heart be opened to the Christ, our living Lord. Amen.
Every wife who is listening to my voice knows that it is an unspoken part of her job description to make sure her husband regularly goes to visit his physician and dentist. Many wives also know that making sure their husbands regularly go to see their physicians and dentists is a thankless, and often futile, task. That’s probably the way Kate, the wife of construction worker Patrick Lawler, felt. For almost a week she had seen her husband suffer with a toothache. For almost a week she had watched him eat ice cream, take painkillers, and put ice packs on the swelling of his cheek and mouth. Finally, Kate, who worked as a nurse in a dentist’s office, managed to convince her husband to come in so they might get to the root of the matter. The dentist, having taken and examined the x-ray of Patrick’s head, was alarmed by what he saw. He told Patrick to visit his doctor as soon as possible. Patrick was confused; he had been reluctant to go to the dentist in the first place, and now he was supposed to go see his M.D. Why? Both he and Kate knew there had to be a rest of the story.
There was a rest of the story. Six days before, while Patrick was on the job, he had been using a nail gun. For those of you who don’t know, a nail gun is a tool which enables a carpenter to shoot a nail into a piece of wood rather than hammering at it. Normally a nail gun is a reliable piece of equipment, but this time things went wrong. When Patrick shot the nail into the wood, it worked. But the nail gun hit a hard knot, and kicked back hitting Patrick in the face. As Patrick intended, one nail went into the wood; but another nail went into his head. That’s right, a three-and-a-half inch long nail, fired very fast and with a great deal of power, went through Patrick’s upper lip, his cheek, behind his right eye, and stopped in the front part of his brain. Patrick’s physician confirmed the dentist’s diagnosis and after a four-hour surgery, the nail, along with Patrick’s toothache, had disappeared.
The rest of the story. Sometimes, as was true for Patrick, the rest of the story ends happily; in other cases the rest of the story is not as satisfactory. On May 9, 1957, a 23-year-old pilot, Lieutenant David Steeves, took off from Hamilton Air Force Base near San Francisco. Somewhere between there, and his destination of Selma, Alabama, Lieutenant David Steeves disappeared. A search was made, and neither Lieutenant Steeves, nor his Lockheed T-33 was found. After some time the Lieutenant’s mother received a certificate declaring her son to be dead. But there is a rest of the story. Fifty-four days after he had disappeared, Lieutenant David Steeves walked out of the California’s Sierra Mountains.
He told of how something had exploded in his cockpit; how he had parachuted to safety; how he had lived on berries and burrowed into the snow to sleep at night. He told of how he had stumbled upon a ranger’s cabin in King’s Canyon National Park where he found fish hooks, beans, and a canned ham. People were glad: Lieutenant David Steeves was alive. But there is a rest of the story. A nation which was worried about communism started to think: Isn’t it unusual Steeves’ plane went down just before his unit went to Korea? When no wreckage of the plane was found, some suggested the pilot had sold the jet to Russia; other said he had sent it in pieces to Mexico. No charges were ever brought against David Steeves, but he left the military with a cloud over his good name.
After that Steeves became a commercial pilot, but his free time was spent scouring the wilderness, looking for the wreckage of his plane. Steeves died in 1965, never having found the remnants of his jet. But there’s more; there is a rest of the story. In 1977, 12 years after Steeves had passed away, some Boy Scouts hiking in King’s Canyon found a cockpit cover – a cockpit cover whose number matched Lieutenant David Steeves’ lost Lockheed jet.
The rest of the story. The Bible is filled with stories that should have ended but didn’t. The story of Adam and Eve should have ended with them being expelled from the Garden of Eden, doomed to live without hope or any possibility of happiness. But, because of God’s grace and the promise of a Redeemer, there was a rest of the story. The narrative of Moses should have ended with him remaining a shepherd of the Sinai. But there was a rest of the story, and by God’s mighty hand, His people were delivered from slavery. The tale of Noah should have ended with the flood; the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego should have concluded with them being toasted in the fiery furnace; and the account of Daniel should have finished in the lions’ den. But in each of these cases, and in many more, there was a rest of the story. By God’s hand, and often in a miraculous way, God spared His representatives and they accomplished a divine purpose; they made a Godly witness. God’s grace brought about a rest of the story.
That is certainly true for the story of the Savior’s life. As I read through the Gospels, there are so many times when Jesus’ story should have ended; when His life, if it had been a movie, would have concluded with the words, “The End.” Take a look at the Bible and what it says about Jesus’ days among us. He was born in a Bethlehem stable. What are the survival odds for a child when he is born in a barn? What are the chances of a baby living when His first bed is an animal’s feeding trough? None of us would have been surprised if Jesus, a few days after He was born, had contracted some infection and died. But the Scriptures say Jesus’ life did not end in a stable; there was a rest of the story.
Shortly after Jesus was born, some wise men -magi – came from the east looking for the newborn King of the Jews. It was natural that they went to Jerusalem to find the young prince, understandable that they ended up at the palace. There would have been no way they could have known their questions would disquiet the already unbalanced mind of Herod, the power-mad monarch. Nor could they have known that after they had gone to worship Jesus in His Bethlehem home, others would follow after them. But these new visitors did not come to bring gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh; they came bringing death. At Herod’s order they came to murder all the babies of Bethlehem who were two years of age and younger. Jesus should have died in that slaughter of infants. He should have, but Scripture records there is a rest of His story when it says: “The child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon Him” (Luke 2:40).
At the age of 30, with His baptism in the Jordan, Jesus began His formal ministry. If you wonder what shape that ministry took, you need not ask me. Jesus Himself tells us. When John the Baptist was about to die, Jesus sent His disciples to encourage the soon-to-be martyr with these words: “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by Me” (Luke 7:22-23). One might think that no one could possibly be offended by Jesus who performed such miracles and shared God’s great good news of grace. One might think it, but one would be wrong. There were many people who were offended and insulted by Jesus. There was the time that Jesus spoke in the synagogue at His boyhood home of Nazareth. There, surrounded by the people who had watched Him grow, Jesus shared how God’s Old Testament promises were being fulfilled in the things He was doing. When He was done with His short message, the Bible says, “All in the synagogue were filled with wrath. And they rose up and drove Him out of the town and brought Him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, so they could throw Him down the cliff” (Luke 4:29). That should have been the end of Jesus’ life, but it wasn’t. There was a rest of the story as Jesus, in some way, passed through the midst of His one-time friends and continued His ministry elsewhere.
Then there was the time that Jesus was summoned to the home of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, three of His good friends. Lazarus was ill, maybe dying and the Savior was asked to come as quickly as He could. Jesus came, but by the time He arrived, Lazarus had already breathed his last and had been buried. One of the surviving siblings, Martha, greeted Jesus as He walked toward their house. A wondrous conversation took place between the mourner and the Savior; a beautiful discussion during which Jesus said: “I am the Resurrection and the Life. Whoever believes in Me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in Me shall never die.” Then He asked her, “Do you believe this?” (John 11: 25-26). It was a strange question to ask a lady whose brother had been dead for four days. Indeed, it would be a strange question if any of us asked it. But Jesus is special. True man and true God, Jesus is the Redeemer of the world and the defeater of death. That’s why, when Jesus went to the grave of His friend and called into the darkness, the dead man came back to life.
There were many there that day who, by the Holy Spirit’s power, came to faith. But there were also some who were offended by Jesus. They took the news of what He had done and told it to the Pharisees; the Pharisees told it to the Jewish Supreme Court and everybody got offended. They were so offended by Jesus and what He was doing and saying that they decided to kill Him. With the assistance of a disciple turned traitor, they managed to capture the Christ and bring Him to trial. Understand I use the word “trial” in the loosest possible way. I have never heard of any courtroom which was so corrupt and controlled. Before Jesus’ court case ever began, the judgment had been agreed upon; before the prosecution’s first word, the sentence, “Guilty! Worthy of death!” was assumed. The night of Jesus’ trial should have been His end, but it wasn’t. There was a rest of the story.
Left to themselves, the Jewish High Court might have had Jesus stoned. Unfortunately for them, Jesus’ trial took place when the Roman representative, Pontius Pilate, was in town. The procurator would not have been pleased if his authority had been questioned or overruled by the Jewish Supreme Court. To appease the procurator is why Jesus was brought to Pilate for a sentencing. The limitations of time do not allow me to tell of the many pressures placed against the governor; nor can I speak at length of how the Roman ruler felt himself compelled to allow the crucifixion of an innocent man. All I can say is that Jesus was railroaded and on a Friday morning the man who had escaped Herod’s soldiers as an infant; who had evaded the murdering mob of His hometown was nailed to a cross. The members of the crowd who gathered to watch Him die were mixed in their feelings. At the foot of the cross, casting dice for the Savior’s no longer needed clothing was the disinterested Roman execution squad. They cared little for the man or the charges which had put Him on His cross. Then there were some of Jesus’ friends, a disciple, His mother, Mary. They were watching the death of their dreams, as well as the end of someone they loved. They had had their hopes about His future, His mission, His work, but those were dying as Jesus died before their eyes. Then there was the crowd who was cursing and mocking, laughing and taunting. They were gladdened at what they were seeing, at the end of Jesus, the troublemaker. Although they were different people and had different reactions, they were united in this: they knew this was the end of Jesus’ story. Sometime after the Christ was dead, a Roman soldier reached up his spear and shoved its tip into Jesus’ heart. Jesus was dead. Quickly Jesus’ loved ones gave Him a hurried funeral before they rushed home to mourn.
But there is a rest of the story. Human experience says there shouldn’t be a rest of the story, but there is. Common sense says there shouldn’t be a rest of the story; modern medicine says there shouldn’t be a rest of the story. Doubters and deniers, skeptics and cynics, don’t want a rest of the story; but, there is a rest of the story. On the third day, a dead Jesus was shown to be the living Lord. Having carried our sins; having received our punishment; having died our death; Jesus Christ came out of the grave and showed to all the world the defeat of devil, sin, and death. There shouldn’t have been a rest of the story, but there was. The women who came to finish Jesus’ funeral found out there was a rest of the story when the risen Savior showed Himself to them. Mary Magdalene, crying out her eyes before the empty tomb, found out there was a rest of the story. Doubt-filled Peter and John ran to the empty tomb and received their first inkling that there might be a rest of the story.
Easter evening, a living, breathing, physically real Jesus showed ten of His fearful friends that there was a rest of the story. A week later, Jesus proved to the last of His living disciples that the final chapter of His life hadn’t been written. To Thomas Jesus said, “Here, touch Me, I’m real. Here, put your hands in these nail holes. Here, put your hand into My side. Take a look, I’m real.” With joy and respect, a believing Thomas called out: “My Lord and my God.” He knew there was a rest of the story.
Having recorded this poignant scene, the Gospel of John says, “Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:30-31). By inspiration of the Holy Spirit, John had given us everything we needed to believe if we were to be saved. In 20 chapters, he had shared how Jesus’ perfect life had been lived for sinners; John told how Jesus had fulfilled all the Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah so all might know Him as their legitimate Savior; John shared how Jesus carried humanity’s sins to the cross so all who believe might be freed from sin’s curse. John shared how Jesus rose on the third day so we might live forever. “These things are written so you can believe” – that’s the way John said it. It’s a nice way to say, “The End.”
Of course, those words aren’t the end. John has one more chapter in his story of the Savior. John used 20 chapters to tell us what Jesus has done to save us; he dedicates the last chapter to let us know, when it comes to Jesus, there will always be a rest of the story – a rest of the story which, even now, is being written in the pages of your life. Years ago I heard of a murder trial in Oklahoma. There was no body, but there was a mountain of circumstantial evidence pointing to the guilt of one man.
Toward the end of the trial, the defense attorney, knowing he was going to lose, stood up and enthusiastically announced: “Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I have just received word that the body of the deceased has been found… and he is alive. Even now, police are bringing him into the building.” With that, the attorney turned and looked at the courtroom door. The jury also turned and looked. After a pregnant pause, the lawyer said, “Ladies and gentlemen, I made that story up. But, the fact that you looked at the door says you have a reasonable doubt.” Later that day, the jury began their deliberations. They returned minutes later with a verdict: guilty. After the trial, the lawyer asked the foreman: “How did you come to that verdict. You had some doubt. I know you did; you looked at the door; you expected the dead man to walk in.” Do you want me to give you the rest of the story? A tale like that has to have a rest of the story, so here it is: the foreman agreed, “You’re right. We did have our doubts and we did look. But we also noticed your client didn’t.”
Today, like that lawyer, I am pointing to a door, the door of your heart. Today, like that lawyer, I have some pretty amazing news: The man everyone thought was dead is alive. Even now, He wants to come in and show you He is alive. Of course, unlike that lawyer who made up his story, mine is real. Jesus is alive and ready to come in. What will you do? What is the rest of the story? Will you keep Him out, or will the suffering Savior, the crucified and risen Christ, live within you? What is the rest of the story? I don’t know, but I pray you will trust Scripture which was given so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. And if you need to know more, call us at The Lutheran Hour. Amen.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FOR: 74-31
AIRS: April 15, 2007
TOPIC: Was Christ’s Resurrection a Surprise?
ANNOUNCER: Now, Pastor Ken Klaus responds to questions from listeners. I’m Mark Eischer.
KLAUS: Hi, Mark.ANNOUNCER: A listener wants to know if the disciples were taken by surprise when Jesus rose from the dead.
KLAUS: Can you give me some more background, Mark?
ANNOUNCER: Well, Jesus told His disciples on more than one occasion that He was going to rise from the dead. The angel at the tomb said “Jesus is not here. He has risen just as He had promised” (Matthew 28:6). Now it seems that in the Bible the women remembered Jesus’ Words, but the disciples didn’t. We might also add that Jesus’ enemies seemed to remember His promise more than the disciples did.
KLAUS: First, Mark, we need to understand that when the New Testament says the disciples didn’t understand, that passage comes from John chapter 20 (verse 9). There it says, “For as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise from the dead.” The disciples understood perfectly well that Jesus wasn’t there in the tomb. Their eyes told them He wasn’t there; and the way the burial cloths were arranged showed that something very unusual, something miraculous, had happened here. What the disciples didn’t yet understand was the Old Testament Scriptures which pointed to the Savior’s resurrection from the dead.
ANNOUNCER: For example, Psalm 16 (verses 9-10), which reads, “Therefore My heart is glad and My tongue rejoices; My body also will rest secure, because You will not abandon Me to the grave, nor will You let Your Holy One see decay.”
KLAUS: Yes, those words and others like them were written with the Messiah’s resurrection in mind. Before the Holy Spirit brought understanding, the disciples just didn’t get those Old Testament prophecies. And it’s still that way for some people today.
ANNOUNCER: Well, what else could you say to our listener?
KLAUS: We can say that the Jewish leaders remembered and understood Jesus’ claim to be the Messiah. At the trial, one of the charges brought against the Savior was that He had said: I am able to destroy this temple, and to rebuild it in three days. Now, He was talking about His body.
At the trial, however, the priests pretended to misunderstand the Lord. They acted as if He were saying He was going to destroy and rebuild the great temple at Jerusalem.
It was later, after He was dead, they went to Pilate and showed their true colors, and they asked Pilate to secure the tomb. They said: “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while He was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise'” (Matthew 27:63). They knew Jesus had said He was going to rise physically, and they remembered it. That’s not the same thing as believing it would happen. They probably suspected the disciples would plot some kind of hoax. But they weren’t going to take any chances. I’m glad they remembered.
ANNOUNCER: Why do you say that?
KLAUS: I’m glad they remembered because if the priests hadn’t guarded the tomb, the world would be able to say today that Jesus’ body had been stolen, or that He somehow revived in the tomb and then wandered out to become an ancestor to the kings of France.
ANNOUNCER: Yeah, how crazy would that be? But what about the disciples?
KLAUS: Suppose, Mark, they had looked at each other and said, “You know, we better set out our alarm clocks so we can be there on Easter Sunday to welcome Him back from the dead.” Suppose they had all shown up there that day. What would people say about that?
ANNOUNCER: Well I could only guess, because it didn’t happen that way.
KLAUS: I agree, it didn’t happen that way. The disciples didn’t remember. Worse, at that point they didn’t even believe, and the disciples were cowering in fear behind locked doors. They weren’t expecting a risen Lord. But, go ahead; make your guess, what would people say if the disciples had been at the grave that morning?
ANNOUNCER: First, I think they’d say something like, “Jesus wasn’t really dead after all.” If there had been a welcoming party, it might have been seen as evidence of some sort of plot. If the disciples had been there that day it might have indicated that they knew the Lord hadn’t really died on the cross because, let’s face it; a resurrection was the last thing anyone expected.
KLAUS: Very good. Anything else?
ANNOUNCER: Well, if there had been a crowd there that day, some would say that the disciples were so sure the tomb would be empty because they had stolen the body like the priests suspected.
KLAUS: So, Mark, is it a good thing the disciples didn’t remember or understand?
ANNOUNCER: When you consider human nature and all the things that have been said about the resurrection, I think it is good.
KLAUS: So do I. The disciples report they were afraid. They say, “We didn’t remember.” They were very honest about what they did; and they are equally honest about what Jesus did in resurrection for them, and for us.
ANNOUNCER: Thank you, Pastor Klaus. This has been a presentation of Lutheran Hour Ministries.
Music selections for this program:
“A Mighty Fortress” arranged by John Leavitt. Concordia Publishing House/SESAC
“Alleluia Verse” from Lutheran Service Book. Concordia Publishing House
“This Joyful Eastertide” From With High Delight by the Children’s Choirs of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church (© 2002 St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Ft. Wayne, Indiana)
“I Know That My Redeemer Lives” by Michael Burkhardt. From Hymn Improvisations, vol. 1 by Michael Burkhardt (© 1993 MorningStar Music Publishers)
“All the Earth With Joy Is Sounding” by Herbert Howells, arr. Walter Pelz. From Joy Is Sounding (© 2001 Association of Lutheran Church Musicians) Melody © Novello & Co. Ltd; setting © Concordia Publishing House