The Stone Rolled Away

[Read John 20:1-10]

There’s been lots of talk about conspiracy theories over the last few years, which means I’ve been thinking about conspiracy theories a lot over the last few years. As I’ve thought about this, I’ve developed an understanding of why conspiracy theories often come about. Obviously, there are many reasons they come about, but there seems to be one primary underlying cause.It seems like most conspiracy theories result from something happening that doesn’t match the way we see and understand the world. As a result, people start coming up with reasons and explanations for how this thing could be possible. It often starts with someone saying something like, “I can’t imagine a world in which…”

Let me give you one example that’s going to be very relevant, very soon—the election. I’m not trying to be overly political and I’m not trying to proclaim to be prophesying the future, but I can guarantee that no matter who is elected in November conspiracy theories will abound. I’ve repeatedly heard over the last few months BOTH of these statements: I can’t imagine a world in which people could vote for Donald Trump AND I can’t imagine a world in which people would vote for Kamala Harris. Whether you like it or not, one of them will be elected President of the United States in November. When one of them is elected, the side that cannot imagine a world in which that could happen will immediately try to explain what happened, typically through various forms of conspiracy theories. I can almost guarantee it’s going to happen because it will be the only way they can make sense of the world in which this thing just happened.

(I’m sorry that I had to bring politics up in this sermon. I’m sure many of you are already tired of the whole thing and sick of the advertisements and the spam text messages and phone calls. However, I couldn’t think of a better example.)

We actually see Mary Magdalene do the same thing in this passage. We read, “Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away 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.”” (John 20:1–2, ESV). Something just happened that she can’t explain. She can’t imagine a world in which the stone would be rolled away from the tomb on its own. So, what does she do? She comes up with an explanation that explains what just happened. Someone must have stolen the body.

It’s also interesting to listen to the way she says this to Peter and John. She says, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” (John 20:2, ESV). Who are “they”? Who is she talking about? Who does she think stole Jesus’ body from the tomb? We don’t know. We’re never told. However, we can make some assumptions based on the situation and the context. “They” are the people she considers enemies—either the Romans or the Jewish leaders. She immediately assumes that the same people who killed Jesus decided to remove his body from the tomb and dispose of it somewhere else. Maybe out of spite. Maybe because they don’t believe he deserves such an honorable grave.

Mary is the first to come up with a theory for the empty tomb, but not the last. Others have come to similar conclusions, suggesting the Jewish or Roman authorities stole the body, that thieves stole the body, or even that the disciples stole the body. Others have suggested that Jesus didn't really die, but only looked dead and then walked out of the tomb by himself. Some have even suggested that Mary and the disciples were disoriented and possibly were at the wrong tomb, which is why it was empty. All of these explanations stem from the idea that something happened that they couldn’t explain with their worldview. They can’t imagine a world in which someone rises from the dead. So, they have to come up with their own explanations.

That’s where Peter and John come in. Mary runs to Peter and John to tell them the news AND her theory of what happened. We don’t know if Peter and John were just the first disciples she encountered, or if she sought them out particularly. Based on the way it was written, it seems like she sought them out on purpose, most likely because they were two of the leaders of the disciples. When they hear what has happened and Mary’s theory about what happened, we read, “So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.” (John 20:3–4, ESV). Peter and John take off running to the tomb to see for themselves. There’s been a lot of talk over the years about why John talks about getting to the tomb first. Some have wondered if it’s his way of showing his preeminence. Others have said that it’s his little way of bragging about how he beat Peter to the tomb—which is kinda funny, but probably not accurate. However, I like DA Carson’s explanation the best: he was younger than Peter, which most likely meant he was faster than Peter, which is why he got there faster.

Why even put that in the story? John is telling this story with lots of personal details for one very important reason. He is showing us a first-hand account of what happened and what he saw when he arrived at the empty tomb. He didn’t hear this second-hand. He isn’t making assumptions about what happened. He was there. He ran there. He got there first. He looked into the tomb first. He saw all of this with his very own eyes. This is his witness.

We read, “And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself.” (John 20:5–7, ESV). John may have gotten there first and looked into the tomb first, but Peter comes barging right by him and enters the tomb first. They both see the same thing: “…he saw the linen cloths lying there…He saw the linen cloths lying there… (John 20:5–7, ESV). Anytime you see something repeated verbatim like that, it screams, “Pay attention!”. The  linen cloths were lying there are key to the story. It’s the first thing both of these men notice when they get to the tomb. We also read that when inside the tomb, Peter also saw, “…the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself.” (John 20:7, ESV).

There’s a lot of talk about this scene. I’ve heard many different explanations as to why the face cloth was folded and sitting off by itself. Again, often I hear these sorts of explanations and think, “I suppose that could be possible, but it seems a little far fetched to me.” What I think is most probable—and fits better in the context of the book of John—is that this shows a contrast with Lazarus’ return from the dead. Here’s what we read back in chapter 11: “When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.”” (John 11:43–44, ESV). Notice that Lazarus comes out of the tomb still wrapped in the linen cloths and the face cloth. What happens with Jesus is very different. He left those cloths behind because he no longer had any use for them. Something dramatically different has happened here. Herman Ridderbos has a great line that says, “Now they lay there, left behind in good order, each in its own place, as discarded attributes that were no longer of any use and also, with the stone that had been rolled away, as silent witnesses of Jesus’ victory not only over death but also over the grave in which his body had been laid.” (Ridderbos, 633). I like the terminology of a silent witness to the resurrection.

Here’s the overwhelming point to this entire story: The Tomb Was Empty! Mary witnessed to that fact, even though she had her own ideas. Peter and John witness to that fact by rushing there and seeing with their own eyes. The tomb was empty. That’s a big deal.

This fact is even proven through the misinformation campaign by the Sanhedrin that we read about in another gospel. We read, “While they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sufficient sum of money to the soldiers and said, “Tell people, ‘His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story has been spread among the Jews to this day.” (Matthew 28:11–15, ESV). Why would they have to come up with a story to explain what happened if the tomb wasn’t empty? If the tomb wasn’t empty, they could have simply walked people to the tomb, shown them Jesus’ dead body, and disproved the whole thing. Yet, the tomb was empty, and so they had to come up with an explanation as to why it was empty.

Mary’s theory is ruled out right away—that the Jewish or Roman authorities stole Jesus’ body. It’s an unreasonable explanation. Why would the authorities do something that would cause so much commotion, undermine their attempts to remove Jesus, and eventually overthrow their empire? This would accomplish nothing for them and would completely undermine what they were attempting to do by killing Jesus in the first place. So, that theory doesn’t work.

The theory created by the Sanhedrin also doesn’t work—that the disciples stole the body. It’s logistically impossible. This would require that the eleven disciples who fearfully abandoned their master, would all of a sudden gain so much courage that they would take on a guard of soldiers—sixteen highly trained soldiers who served under threat of death. That these fearful disciples would be courageous enough to take on these soldiers and effective enough to defeat them to the point of being able to roll away the massive stone that covered the tomb, and steal the body without leaving any evidence of such a thing happening, and then getting rid of Jesus’ body in such a way that nobody would ever find it. All of the sake of what? The opportunity to be ostracized and suffer and eventually be tortured for preaching a falsehood. Doesn’t sound like a good solution.

What about the theory that thieves stole the body? Besides all of the logistical reasons I just gave for the disciples, there’s parts of John’s witness in this passage that point against that theory. What did Peter and John notice right away in the tomb? The linen cloths. Do you really think grave robbers would take the time to unwrap the body before removing him from the tomb, even nicely folding up the face cloth? No way. On top of that, it’s not mentioned explicitly in this portion of the story, but most likely the linen cloths were still lined with the myrrh and aloes from Nicodemus—pretty much the only reason someone would rob a tomb anyway would be to steal what was valuable—and yet it was still there in the tomb. So, that doesn’t make sense.

What about the theory that Jesus didn’t really die? Well, that’s more ridiculous than the other theories. We’ve already heard John’s witness that Jesus really died—remember the spear being shoved up into his chest and the blood and water flowing? That showed he died. Yet, even if Jesus wasn’t dead when placed in the tomb—is anyone going to argue that he was able to single-handedly get himself out of the linen cloths, roll away the stone by himself, THEN fight off the sixteen highly trained soldiers outside his tomb? That’s ridiculous.

There’s one more theory out there: It’s that Mary and the Disciples were so distraught by everything that just happened that they went to the wrong tomb, which was empty. This one is also ridiculous. First off, scripture clearly tells us, “And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.” (Matthew 27:57–61, ESV). So, they saw the tomb in which Jesus was placed. Also, this was a very public execution that everyone knew about, it wasn’t a secret. Not to mention Jesus’ tomb has sixteen soldiers in front of it, which is kinda hard to miss. On top of all that, it would have been very easy for the Jewish and Roman leaders to redirect people to the right tomb and show them Jesus’ body and shut the whole thing down.

The most likely explanation for what happened is that Jesus Christ rose again from the dead. That’s why we read this about John: “Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed…” (John 20:8, ESV). This is John telling us that when he entered the tomb and saw the linen cloths laying there, he knew something major was happening. It was the silent witness of the rolled-away stone and the linen cloths that brought John to see and believe that Jesus rose again from the dead.

Yet, here’s what’s really interesting about all of this. John gives us some insight into what’s going on inside of him at this moment, because he actually shows us that his faith at this point was very immature. That’s why he says, “…for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead.” (John 20:9, ESV). So, John is telling us that he didn’t yet understand that the Scripture taught that Jesus must rise from the dead, but he still believed. It was a very immature, infantile faith, but it was faith nonetheless.

Luke shows us the moment when the disciples finally understand: “Then [Jesus] said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.”” (Luke 24:44–49, ESV). Notice that Jesus isn’t referring to just one passage from the OT that talks about his death and resurrection. He actually teaches his disciples that all of the Law and the Prophets and the Psalms teach this—the entire Old Testament taught that Jesus must die and rise again. They couldn’t understand these things until Jesus opened their minds to understand the scriptures. Then, Jesus reminds them that they are eye-witnesses to these things and are called to share that witness to all the nations.

Yet, that hasn’t happened yet in our story. John believes, but it’s still a very immature faith. I think this is also why John points out at the beginning of this passage that “it was still dark.” Remember that he likes to use darkness as a way of showing confusion and darkness of understanding. We see that in Mary’s understanding of what happened, but we also see it in Peter and John’s understanding and response to what happened. Even though John believes, he’s still confused and in the dark a little bit. That’s why we read, “Then the disciples went back to their homes.” (John 20:10, ESV). It’s like they don’t know how to process what just happened—they’re still in the dark to some degree—so they walk away dumbfounded and confused and head back to their homes. And the next we hear about them, they’re hiding in a room with the doors locked. They’re still in the darkness to some degree.

This moment is absolutely crucial for our faith. The moment the tomb was empty is the pivotal moment in all of history. It forces everyone to have an answer. Even the Apostle Paul says, “And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.” (1 Corinthians 15:14, ESV). If Jesus wasn’t raised from the dead, then this is all pointless—it was all a lie and we’re all lying for continuing to tell the lie. But, since Jesus WAS raised from the dead, everything is changed.

Tim Keller says this in a really good book called The Reason for God: “Sometimes people approach me and say, "I really struggle with this aspect of Christian teaching. I like this part of Christian belief, but I don't think I can accept that part." I usually respond: "If Jesus rose from the dead, then you have to accept all he said; if he didn't rise from the dead, then why worry about any of what he said? The issue on which everything hangs is not whether or not you like his teaching but whether or not he rose from the dead" That is how the first hearers felt who heard reports of the resurrection. They knew that if it was true it meant we can't live our lives any way we want. It also meant we don't have to be afraid of anything, not Roman swords, not cancer, nothing. If Jesus rose from the dead, it changes everything.” (The Reason for God, 202).

This is what we see in the fearful disciples. When Jesus and the Holy Spirit finally opened their eyes and their minds so that they understand clearly that Jesus rose again from the dead and that this was the fulfillment of everything written in the Old Testament, these men were unstoppable. Everything changed. They no longer hid behind locked doors, but preached so publicly that they were locked behind bars and imprisoned for their bold faith. They preached and lived so boldly and faithfully that every one of them suffered and died for their witness to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Everything changed for them.

The same is true for us. If Jesus didn’t rise from the dead, then ignore everything I’m saying or have ever said. It’s all a lie. But Jesus did rise from the dead. That means he is who he said he was. That means we have to follow him and give our lives to him. That also means that we can be freed to speak and live as boldly as the disciples. We don’t need to fear. Since Jesus rose from the dead, everything has changed.