Stop Running
John 20:1-18
April 20, 2025 anno Domini
Only John records the footrace to the tomb. Mary Magdalene ran from the tomb tell to tell the disciples it was open. John and Peter run to the tomb. John is faster. He lets us know. Boys will be boys. That’s right, I beat Peter to the tomb. John might be faster, but Peter is bolder. John peaks into the tomb. Peter runs right in.
Why all the running around? They’re looking for Jesus. They expected to find His body, but Jesus wasn’t where He was supposed to be.
If you’ve ever lost something valuable you know why they are running around. You run around when you can’t find your car keys or your driver license. You run to your dresser, to your key rack, to your car, to the last place you had them.
Mary believed Jesus’ body was lost. She didn’t even look in the grave. An open grave meant an empty grave. She assumed grave robbers. Jesus was a hated and despised man except to a few like her. Someone was not content Jesus was dead. They wanted Him gone. They wanted to make sure His grave didn’t become a martyr’s shrine, so get rid of the body.
Peter and John did not take Mary at her word. They had to see for themselves. John got there first. Did I tell you that? He wants you to know he beat Peter. John and Peter see more than an empty tomb. They see evidence that it wasn’t grave robbers. The linen clothes are still there and the face cloth is folded up, apart from the clothes.
When the body of Jesus was prepared for burial, Joseph and Nicodemus used 75 pounds of myrrh and aloes, wrapped in linen strips. Myrrh is a resin. It gets sticky. It would not have been easy to unwrap the body. Robbers wouldn’t have taken the time to do that, and they certainly don’t fold up your clothes and put the books back on the shelf after they rob you. At that moment John believed. Peter did not. Once again John gets there first, but he also confesses, “yet, they did not understand the Scripture that He must rise from the dead.”
Seeing, they do not immediately believe. As it was for Peter, so it was for Mary Magdalene. She saw Jesus, but did not recognize Him. She thought He was the gardener. The two disciples on the road to Emmaus also didn’t recognize Jesus for 8 miles. We like to say, “seeing is believing” but that’s not what Jesus will say to Thomas, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” The Christian faith does not come by sight. Jesus never said, “Whoever has eyes should see Me” but He said, “He who has ears, let him hear.”
Mary Magdalene finally saw Jesus when He spoke. She recognized Him with her ears when He said to her “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabonni!” (which means Teacher.)
There was no doubt was dead on Friday. A spear was thrust into his side piercing his lungs and heart. His dear friends cared for his body and laid it in a tomb. A large stone was placed in front of the tomb and a group of Roman soldiers stood guard.
There is no doubt He came to life again and left the tomb on Sunday. The stone was rolled away. The body was missing. The burial clothes were folded up. Mary Magdalene hugged Jesus. He appeared to the disciples on the road to Emmaus and to the 11 apostles and later appeared to over 500 people at one time.
The Christian faith is based on historical facts. Christianity is the only world religion that is falsifiable. The Christian faith can easily be proven false. Produce the dead body of Jesus and Christianity is done.
But facts, even hard facts of a dead man coming alive again, do not bring you to faith. That is evident from that very first Easter. God’s Word alone brings you to faith.
John’s account of the resurrection records the running – Mary running, John running (did I mention that he beat Peter), and of course Peter running. That’s a pretty good description of all of us. We’re all running around because we’re all searching for something valuable that we have lost, something that is sure and certain, something that brings us joy and purpose, that gives us worth and value. If you’re honest you know that you’ve never found what you’re running after. Or if you did it only lasted for a moment before it died to you, or you died to it.
That’s why the Word of God accompanies the fact of the resurrection of Jesus. The Word not only tells us why Jesus rose, but what Jesus did for us. And that is not something to be seen, but something to believe.
Jesus of Nazareth claimed to be the Son of God in human flesh. The Jews believed that was a false claim and that is why they put Him to death. The evidence, however, supports the claim. He did all sorts of miracles, taught God’s Word as if He wrote it and experienced it, raised a few dead people Himself, and rose Himself.
Jesus also said He came to ransom or redeem humanity from sin. He came because you are a sinner and your sin cost you peace, joy, contentment, value, and purpose. You sin brought down the whole of God’s good creation. The evidence of that is also incontrovertible. You do not do what you know you should do. Why do you think everything you ever loved or chased or trusted eventually disappoints you?
Jesus came to buy you back from sin and death His life with His life.. He came to secure for you what His Father intended for you from before the creation of the world – a life of joy, peace, security, certainty, love, fulfillment, and worth. That’s what He said, and the evidence says He pulled it off. Empty tomb. No sign of grave robbers. A risen and living body. Hundreds of witnesses.
This is His word for you. Stop running and believe in Me. Stop running and receive My forgiveness. Seek Me and you will find what you have lost, as did John, Peter, and Mary Magdalene. In the name of Jesus. Amen.