John 20:1-18 - Easter

First I would say that I believe in resurrection because somebody told me about it. Well, some would immediately reply, that certainly isn’t very reliable. Well, it may not be but the truth of the matter is that most of what we know is simply because somebody told us about it. How do you know that Columbus discovered America in 1492. Were you there? No, you were not there, but there were people there who witnessed and wrote about it and that is how we know about that. How do you personally know that a man has walked on the moon? Were you standing there to meet him when he stepped off? Well, you say, I know it because I saw it on TV. There are people to this day who insist that it was all done in a fake TV studio down in Hollywood. Many of them would insist that the International Space Station is all a hoax. That may sound absurd, but the truth of the matter is I cannot prove it or disprove it either way and neither can you. In the end, I guess I would have to say: I do believe that a man has walked on the moon, simply because a lot of people have told me about it.

We have far more historical proof of the resurrection than we do thousands of pieces of information which we routinely accept as fact every single day. If we are going to take a stand on something, then why not the historic testimony of countless persons throughout the ages who have declared the validity of the resurrection.

When Mary went to the tomb on that first Easter morning she did so with a heavy heart. Her Master, her teacher, her friend had passed away. All of life was now in doubt. She stood at the entrance to that tomb weeping. And then she meets the gardener and then the gardener calls her by name. “Mary,” he says. Can you imagine the look in her eyes and she turns and looks into his. Do you remember what she said? The joy of that first Easter can be found in her one word response, “Rabboni!” She yells. “Teacher!” And from what John tells us she must have leaped into his arms. Jesus tells her not to hold onto him just yet.

Now I want you to listen to this next thing Jesus tells Mary. It is the job description for the church. He tells her: Go to my brothers and tell them. My friends I believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ because someone told me about it.

Undoubtedly, there are people who are bothered by the fact they cannot prove that when Mary told the Disciples “I have seen the Lord” she spoke the truth. I will grant you. It cannot be proven. But the truth is that you will never have more proof than the testimony of those first century witnesses. There are no photographs. Resurrection cannot be proven, nor can it be disproved. And that is why there are many brilliant people who believe and many brilliant people who do not believe. Because it can't be proven either way. What we know of it is simply what people have told us about it.

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Comments

[Clive Harffy]

I am working on my sermon based on John 10 at this time. Just in case these illustrations might help anyone: my wife and I used to live in Madrid, Spain; on a visit to Segovia we were in a small village above the town. A heated argument was taking place in a local bar (cafe) it turned out that the owner of some sheep was berating two hired hands. Their crime?, the night before there had been a fiesta in the village, not wishing to miss the fun they had abandoned the sheep and gone to the fiesta, the sheep had been found wandering the streets, no doubt looking for the shepherds. A true story illustrating the truth that the hired man does not care about the sheep.

On another occasion, in the hills near Madrid, we met a goatherd, all his goats would come to him individually when he called them by name, he knew each one and they knew him. I'm going back to my sermon preparation now, shalom.