Suppose you had just said goodbye to someone you love. If so, you would know the feeling of remorse encapsulating Jesus' disciples after his death. Those disciples were left in a state of total chaos. All along Jesus had tried to make them see that his presence among them was only temporary. He had given them clues about his destiny with such words as You will seek me and you will not find me; where I am you cannot come, and The light is with you for a little longer. Even with these words, however, those disciples, as some of his present disciples, had Jesus pictured wrongly. Those men felt that if they followed Jesus, they were sure to be on the winning team. They expected Jesus to defeat any who dared oppose him. Lord, do you want us to bid fire come down from heaven and consume (the Samaritans)? asked James and John of Jesus. The answer, of course, was no.

That terribly long day -- the day that the mobs took Jesus away to crucify him -- was thrust into that group of disciples. Like a knife which severs all threads of hope, that day of crucifixion cut away all forms of expectancy in the lives of those disciples. No group of people anywhere would ever be more crushed and despondent. One may easily know what went through their minds. Had they spent three years following a crazed fool? Would they, too, be dragged before the courts to be charged with insurrection? They were truly a confused group.

The 20th chapter of John's gospel tells us of the events which happened immediately after Jesus' death. Mary Magdalene arose early one morning to go to the tomb. Perhaps she had to touch that limp, lifeless body once more, just to convince herself that he really was gone. Mary made her way down that narrow pathway leading to the graveyard. She expected to find death. What she found was life. The body of Jesus was not in the grave!

Mary learned, as we must learn, that not even the grave could enslave Jesus. He arose. That resurrection was of no small consequence. It was not insignificant to anyone. Our task is to explore the results of the resurrection.

I. A Result Of The Resurrection Is The Giving Of Truth To The Confused.

Put yourself in Mary's place. She saw Jesus die. She probably prepared his body for burial and helped to place it in the grave. Perhaps she had come on the previous morning to anoint Jesus' body with herbs and oil. Here Mary was again, ready to repeat this procedure. This time, however, there was no body to touch or see. How would you have felt had you been in her place? This fact was an insult added to the ultimate injury. Not only had her Master been killed, but now she thought someone had stolen the body.

Mary stood weeping outside the tomb where Jesus had been placed. In a dazed stare she just kept looking at the grave clothes and the stone which was out of place. What a confused person Mary must have been.

Consider Thomas. He, like Mary, had been close to Jesus while Jesus was alive. Also like Mary, he found himself to be in a state of confusion after the crucifixion. We are told that Jesus came to both Mary and Thomas after his resurrection.To both of them he showed the truth of what happened. He gave them the truth in the midst of their confusion. Jesus' resurrection does the same for us.

Turn to the evening news any given day and you'll find a commentary concerning the state of confusion that the entire world finds itself in. Old powers are slipping while new powers emerge. Nations are no longer sure where they stand concerning their allies. The world seems to be a boundless change. This situation exists not only on a worldwide scale, but on a personal one also. Someone has deemed the modern person "vogue on the outside, vague on the inside."

Although confused, Mary and Thomas sought the truth. Having done so, they found what they searched for. It is this truth that stands in the resurrection. That the resurrection is God's victory over our own confusion is certain. It was Jesus who said, You will know the truth and the truth will make you free. He never promised a snap-of-the-finger enlightenment. He did, however, assure that we will find the truth in our confusion. The resurrection is the promise of that fact.

II. A Result Of The Resurrection Is The Giving Of Peace To The Frightened.

No word could have better been spoken to that frightened group of disciples than, Peace be with you. Huddled in a room behind closed doors sat the disciples. Fright was the prevailing atmosphere in that room. At any moment the Roman soldiers might come to take them to court. Already one betrayer had been found in their group. They all wondered about each other, hoping that no other betrayer would give them away. Any knock at the door brought trembles. Any word from outside brought terror.

And then Jesus came and stood in their midst. His presence with that group was like that of a parent with a frightened child. The very presence brought peace and security.

What a trenchant word -- Peace. Peace in the biblical sense is a condition of being whole and complete. It is much more than a mere absence of conflict.

Those disciples were whole again, because the Master was back. You and I may experience this feeling of wholeness by accepting this result of Jesus' resurrection. We will never have Jesus standing in our homes. We do, however, have opportunity to be heir to the legacy of the peace which can come only through God.

A misconception rampant today is that people may achieve peace if they simply ignore their problems. A young executive sat nervously on a plane for his first business trip. The plane taxied down the runway, but it slowed down and turned around. The young executive inquired of the problem. A flight attendant explained that the pilot thought he heard a noise in one engine. After an hour of repair work, the plane attempted another take-off. But again, when it reached the end of the runway it slowed down, turned around, and taxied back to the hangar. The pilot thought he heard another noise. After another hour's delay the plane was finally airborne. The executive remarked to the flight attendant his relief at finally getting the noise fixed. The flight attendant exclaimed, "Oh, we didn't. We just got another pilot."

We laugh at such antics, but we do the same things at times. Jesus never told his disciples, or us, that the road to peace was one of putting blinders on and ignoring our problems. We are recipients of peace in spite of trouble, not in exclusion of it.

Peace be with you, said Jesus. Let us be whole and complete because of his resurrection.

III. Another Result Of The Resurrection Is The Offer Of Power To The Weak.

John tells us that when Jesus came to his disciples he "breathed" on them and said, Receive the Holy Spirit. These words send our minds racing back to Genesis 2:7 where God breathed into man's nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. God's act in Genesis and Jesus' act in John's gospel represented acts of new creation.

The coming of the Holy Spirit upon those disciples, and upon us, is like a new creation. It wakes within us life where there was no life, and it makes live and breathe that which only had lain silent. This power which came upon those weakened disciples, and comes to us, is something which must be experienced rather than just talked about. A person who touches a bare electrical wire might learn more about electricity in an instant than he or she ever learned in a physics classroom. Jesus' resurrection gives us first-hand and immediate power because it is a foreshadowing of what is promised to his followers of all the ages. You and I may participate in this power by linking our lives to his life.

IV. A Result Of The Resurrection Is The Assigning Of A Task To The Church.

Jesus' words sound strange to us: If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven. Is the task which Jesus gives us that of going around forgiving sin? If that is so, then we do not need God. Let us examine this task by way of an illustration.

Someone in another city has a gift which she is seeking to give away. I know this person. You do not know her. I approach you and inform you that someone whom you do not know has a gift for anyone who will ask. I give you directions on how to get there and send you on your way. My task is that of a middle person. I do not have the gift. I just tell you about it and about where to find it.

Our role in the forgiveness of sins is to tell people that this gift awaits them, and to tell them where to find it. We do not give the gift of forgiveness ourselves. We just point the way to it.

Carrying on this work of forgiveness is doing the same work which Jesus himself did. You can have a vital part in it. Carry out that task with the full assurance that God is guiding and empowering you.

Conclusion

Some modern critics of Christianity have charged that the resurrection was only a decoy to cover up a miserable failure on the part of Jesus. But the New Testament writers picture no such ruse. It was no trick or mistake. One of life's ironies is that when it gets dark enough you can see the stars. The resurrection was a star which shone brightly in the darkness evoked by the crucifixion.

The grave could not hold Jesus. He arose, and the resurrection brings great results to all who believe. The truth, the peace, the power, and the task which Jesus gives us is no small offer. Accept these today. Live as if you believe that Jesus is yet alive.