Across the street from the walls that surround the city of David there is a tomb. It looks like any other ancient tomb in that area. Step inside and you will quickly realize that this tomb is different. Someone of status and wealth once owned this tomb. You can tell that it belonged to a person of means because this is a double tomb with two side-by-side burial spaces. What is more, this tomb once contained a body but now it lies empty. The evidence of its having been used is seen in the way that the sides of one of the two grave spaces are cut clean and square, just as they would be if a dead person had once occupied that place. You see, the custom in old Jerusalem was to cut a grave place only roughly ("rough it in," we might say) until the person to be buried there died. When the person died, a gravedigger would then hurriedly cut the grave precisely to the right size. This tomb is different from any other tomb in the world. This is the Garden Tomb, the place many scholars believe Christ's body was laid after his crucifixion. Lives are made livelier inside that tomb, even today. I invite you to come now to that tomb for a while and see with me, through the eyes of faith, some things that were seen there on the first Easter morning.
First, please note that sometimes what we see is not accurate. This was Mary's problem that first Easter:
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him." (vv. 1-2)
A newspaper report tells of the growing phenomenon of vandals disturbing gravestones in local cemeteries in some American cities. Last Easter, news reports told how some loved ones discovered the removed and broken headstones when they arrived at the cemetery to place Easter flowers on gravesites. Having conducted many funeral services, I have a particular interest in that report and in the accompanying camera footage of turned-over headstones and flower vases. Remembering the grief of bereaved family members and friends I have tried to console at gravesides brings anger to my heart. We can all easily imagine how hurtful it must be to come to the grave of a loved one and find that someone has maliciously disturbed what many would consider to be sacred space. Mary Magdalene's reaction is very understandable when we think about her experience in that context. It is easier to appreciate when we realize that grave robbing was not an uncommon occurrence in Mary's day. We can see how her mind raced to the conclusion that grave robbers had tampered with Jesus' grave. "She ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, 'They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him' " (v. 2).
Mary is upset, hurt, and angry that this has happened to someone she loved. We would be too. Mary, however, rushes to judgment and, as a result, reaches the wrong conclusions. We might do that also were we in her place that morning. She blames her imaginary grave robbers. In short, Mary, though her heart was pure, sees the wrong things. She demonstrates what can happen when we come to Easter with a limited vision.
In God's providential love, the scriptures tell us that Mary does see the risen Lord. Nonetheless, for a moment in time her vision is hampered because she looks with only the partial eyes of what she can see. Therefore, she is blinded by her own presuppositions. She does not expect to see him and she does not! Paul cautions us, "We look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:18).
John's thoughts run in the wrong direction at first as well. Scripture records that Peter and John, "the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved" (v. 2), run to the tomb to substantiate Mary's report. John arrives first. Looking inside he observes "the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in" (v. 5). John apparently concludes Mary is right. From where he and stands and looks he sees nothing that leads him to doubt Mary's conclusions concerning this desecration.
It is only when impetuous Peter arrives moments after cautious John and goes right inside the tomb, that the picture begins to come clear. By stepping all the way in, Peter sees the Easter difference as a neatly folded head burial cloth. That cloth testifies that this is no hasty grave robbery.
John finally musters up the courage to step into the empty tomb. When he does, his life changes forever: "He saw and believed" (v. 8). What makes the difference for John? Actually, we could first ask ourselves if there really is any difference for John. What is it that he "believed"? We might conclude that he simply believes Mary's original account. He too concludes that someone has vandalized Jesus' grave.
Two pieces of evidence, however, argue against this: The first is that John already seems to believe Mary's account, for when he arrives at the graveside he can see the stone rolled away and the strips of linen. The second evidence is the scripture verse that follows: "for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead" (v. 9). These words were inserted where they are in the text for a purpose. In this case it is so that you and I can "see," that is, that we can understand more fully why Mary and John, and perhaps even Peter, first conclude this is a grave disruption. In short, the idea of the resurrection of Jesus is a totally unexpected event for them. I suggest another possibility that John sees and believes Jesus is alive and John's life changes forever.
What does John see? He sees what he could not see from the door. He sees what only Peter has seen until this moment; he sees, "The cloth that had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself" (v. 7). It is a tiny detail, but it tells John everything he needs to know for now and forever. You see, vandals are not generally in the habit of taking care of details. The usual way of hooligans is to rush in, do the dirty deed, and rush out again. It would not be like a grave robber to enter a grave, remove the head cloth from a body, steal the body, and then neatly fold the linen up beside the grave. However, a resurrected Lord might do that!
A risen Lord would very possibly awaken from death, as you and I would arise from sleep. He would sit up calmly, perhaps stretch himself for a moment, take off the cloth that covered his head and face, and fold it neatly before placing it beside the place where he had been lying just minutes before.
How does John see? No one can see the true reality of Christ all alone. It requires a touch from heaven. John sees in the power of God's Holy Spirit. That touch from the Spirit that first comes to John on the resurrection morning to nudge him to step inside the grave touches him once again as he peers at the neatly folded cloth that is there. John demonstrates that no one can stand in the semi-darkness and see the full light of the resurrection. No one can stand on the edge and experience the living Christ. We cannot step up close to Christ and know the fullness of his resurrection power in this life he invites us to live. You must step right into the bowels of the tomb and into the fullness of new life in Christ, before exciting things begin to happen in your life. John's life would never be the same again, nor would he want it to be. No one ever wants to go back to the old life after being touched by the Spirit of the living Christ.
The second point I would make is that this principle is still true. To know resurrection power today, to experience the power of a life transformed, we must be ready to go in deeper than we have ever gone before with Christ. For some of us, this will mean going in deeper with Jesus than we ever planned. We must be willing to go all the way with Jesus. John's life takes on new meaning because he steps into a place that he hesitated to go earlier.
We too must step in all the way with Jesus to really see the difference. As a pastor -- as any pastor -- can say, with regret: Some of this world's most unhappy people in the church of the resurrected Jesus are those who spend their lives standing on the edges. They are neither out nor are they in. They remind me of the people Dwight L. Moody once described as having, "Just enough religion to make themselves miserable; they cannot be happy at a wild party and they are uncomfortable at a prayer meeting." They bring back memories of that children's song about the Grand Old Duke of York, do you remember?
The Grand old Duke of York
He had ten thousand men
He marched them up to the top of the hill
And he marched them down again.
When they were up, they were up
And when they were down, they were down
And when they were only halfway up
They were neither up nor down.
It is the truth! Religion -- even Christianity -- can make a person desperately unhappy. There are people who claim membership in the church who are always too ready to believe the worst, always too willing to criticize what others do. The truth is that they have not yet stepped inside new life in Christ. They are holding back on going all the way with the Lord of the cross. They have a religion. What they really need is not religion but a relationship with the living Christ. Until they have that relationship, they will live their lives in self-imposed misery of uncertainty and insecurity. I believe it is possible for any one of us to be in this position. Most people who stand on the edge of absolute surrender do so for three primary reasons.
The first is that they do not know what it means to step inside all the way with Christ. Amazing as it may seem, many people are still hung up on the idea that to really get close to Jesus means one has to become a little eccentric about Christ and his church. Unfortunately, some people have been exposed to well-intended Christians who acted just this way. Such would-be super saints come across as being a little bit crazy. Others have met Christians possessed of negative, killjoy spirits, people whose whole talk about faith is full of "thou shalt not!" Observing such people go through life with long faces and negative ways does not encourage others to come to Christ. Unbelievers who witness this form of religion (for it is religion and not the relationship we are called to in Jesus) avoid like a plague really making a commitment to Christ. Truthfully, I can understand why people whose primary exposure to Christianity falls into this category would stand out on the edges of the church. Some of us need to learn that negative news and negative attitudes simply do not draw people to anything, not even Christ. This is not the Christianity of the resurrection or of the Bible. The resurrection that we celebrate this day is the best news that the world will ever hear. Tell it with compassion and enthusiasm wherever you go, Christian!
Another reason some people stand on the edge of commitment to Christ and his church is that they believe they are not good enough for God. They think, "I am not virtuous enough to come close to the Savior, therefore I dare not come." There are many such people all around us. They are right! None of us is good enough. However, they are wrong, because they have an inaccurate view of faith in Christ Jesus. The very reason Jesus died was that we are not good enough. He died in our place to make us good enough through his own goodness. So we must come to him not on our own merits but on his merits alone. He is not expecting us to reach perfection before we become disciples. All he asks is that we come saying, "Dear Lord, I'm not good enough and I have made a lot of mistakes but I am willing to try. I'll probably fail many times but I believe you make up for all my failures."
Yet others stand on the edge of faith because they are not willing to give up control. They have self-made plans and goals that are not yet realized. Their intention is not to be against God and they do intend to follow Christ one day. They say something like, "One day, when I have done everything I plan to do, I will become a Christian. Right now, I just have other priorities." The trouble with this viewpoint is that future planned-for day of commitment may not come. Today is the only day we are guaranteed. Tomorrow may not come for any of us. That is why today is the best day to decide to step in all the way with Jesus. The Bible says, "Now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation!" (2 Corinthians 6:2). And the Holy Spirit says, "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts" (Hebrews 3:7-8). The Bible never speaks about making a faith commitment tomorrow. It always speaks with urgency about today!
In the name of Christ, the risen Lord of the tomb, I speak about going in all the way; about total commitment; about really stepping into absolute surrender of everything we are, and have, and ever hope to be, to God the Father, and to his Son, Jesus.
It is too easy to live life on the edge with reserved commitment but it is never smart. Even Peter tried that at one point. In another chapter John's gospel records that when Christ, after his resurrection, calls again to the once-brash Peter, the big fisherman, having failed Christ is hesitant about making a renewed commitment. Upon seeing John, Peter asks Jesus, "Lord, what about him?" (John 21:21). Peter's question is designed to allow him to give less than his personal best to Christ. Perhaps it seems to Peter that John, following from a distance, might be required to carry less responsibility. He asks it in the context of John following from behind. The Lord responds, "What is that to you? Follow me!" (John 21:22). It is Peter's attempt to excuse himself on the perceived lesser commitment of another, and Christ calls it for what it is. We dare not measure our level of commitment with the adjudged level of someone else's. There is only one against whom we measure our commitment level and that is the Lord Christ himself.
One man, asked to serve on a church board, tried to dodge the responsibility that comes with such a position. He said to his pastor, "Let someone else do it. I don't want to be tied down." "Why not?" his pastor asked. Then the pastor added, "Jesus wasn't tied down. He was nailed down! If he did that for you, how can you ever imagine responding with a short-measure commitment of any kind?"
The fact is we are either inside or outside when it comes to our relationship with Jesus Christ. We are either with him or away from him. John could not stand back and experience the power of the empty tomb. He has to step inside for himself, as must we. Peter could not follow from a distance and become all that Jesus has in mind for him to be. The only way to experience the fullness of resurrection power is to commit to going all the way with Jesus. John stepped in "and believed."
This principal of commitment applies to other areas of life too. Do you know the secret to a contented marriage? It is to take the plunge all the way. Step in with heart and soul, and you will never regret it. It is the same on your job. A sign on a business office wall says, "If you don't believe the dead can come alive again come back at quitting time!" The sign was hung to evoke humor and it does. However, in other places a sign like that may indeed be an accurate measure of the level of dedication some employees bring to work each day. No one ever finds contentment in a job done with half a heart. Only when we give ourselves with enthusiasm do we experience joy in life.
Oh say, can you see by the dawn's early light? It is Resurrection Sunday and all around the world Christians are singing glad hymns of praise to the living Jesus. In your heart (and not just with your lips) are you joining the glorious chorus? Do you have the confidence that Christ alone can bring into our lives? Have you stepped all the way in with Christ? If you have not, then there is no better morning than Easter, and there is no better place than here to come to Jesus all the way. If you are ready to do that, then welcome glad morning. You can see! You can see! You can see! And you will see and believe more!