A recent report tells us that teenagers think about death on an average of once every five minutes. Death is a problem to man because he has no control over it. Death is troublesome because it alone knows its moment. Man can't conquer death. Consequently, the Bible indicates in Hebrews 2:15 that man lives all his life in the bondage of the fear of death. So the ultimate question is asked by Job, "If a man die, shall he live again?..." (Job 14:14a). That is man's ultimate question. We believe Easter answers that question because Jesus promised, "...Because I live, ye shall live also" (Jn. 14:19b). Jesus claimed to have complete power over death. He not only claimed to be able to conquer death, but to control death for His own purposes and for every man.

John 19:30-20:10 is a thrilling and powerful record of Jesus conquering death. It indicates to us the tremendous, overwhelming power that Jesus had, not only in conquering death, but in controlling it for His own purposes. In these verses, you will find that Jesus Christ is presented as the majestic, sovereign, death conqueror. I want to show you three progressive revelations of Christ's power over death. We see His power over death in His Dying, in His Burial, and in His Resurrection. Woven into these progressive revelations is the fulfillment of prophecy. Twenty-eight specific prophecies of the sufferings of Jesus were fulfilled in the twenty-four hour period leading up to and including His death on the cross. In addition to these, there were many types fulfilled.

First of all, let's notice...

I. HIS DYING (19:30-37)

We will see how Jesus reveals His power over death. In John 10:17-18 Jesus said, "Therefore doth my Father love Me, because I lay down My life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again...." Death could not surprise Jesus--He controlled it. Jesus died only when He commanded death to take His life. Death could not take Him apart from His own will.

A. The Power Of Jesus (v. 30)

"When Jesus, therefore, had received the vinegar, He said, It is finished; and He bowed His head, and gave up the spirit."

In John 19:28 Jesus recognized that all of the prophecies were fulfilled up to His death except for one. The one unfulfilled prophecy was the prophecy from Psalm 69:21 that He would drink vinegar. Knowing He had to fulfill that one prophecy, He said, "...I thirst." So, the soldiers gave Him the vinegar. Then in verse 30, when He had received the vinegar, He said, "It's done. I have fulfilled every prophecy. I have accomplished the sin bearing. I have bruised the serpent's head."

1. DYING BY DETERMINED CHOICE

Having said, "It is finished," there was no sudden jerk, no jolt, no slumping of the head; Jesus just gently, and in full control, pillowed His head as if in sleep and yielded up His Spirit. Jesus died in total control of His own death; He was no victim. This is the first indication of the overwhelming power that Jesus had over death. No one took His life from Him; He willingly yielded it. Death could not surprise Jesus. There is no such thing as an unexpected death for Jesus. He did not die as a victim. He was not killed by the Romans--they did not bring about His death against His will--He died purely and simply because He said, "Death, now you may take Me," and death did. He controlled His own death; it was no surprise. He was death's Master.

2. DYING AT THE DETERMINED TIME

Jesus died at the very second determined by God in ages past. Jesus died at three o'clock in the afternoon. Now, it's very abnormal for an individual who has been crucified to die that soon. In fact, the thieves were still alive when Jesus was already dead. You say, "But Jesus went through the scourging." So did the thieves. It was a common custom for everyone to be scourged prior to their crucifixion. So, they had gone through the same agony and pain that Jesus had gone through. You say, "Maybe Jesus was weaker than they were." Not so. The body of Jesus Christ never knew disease because His body never knew sin. The body of Jesus Christ was spared from human infirmity and the marks of sin. I believe the body of Jesus Christ was the finest human physique that has ever been on the earth. Consequently, it was not because He was physically weak; it was not because He was scourged that He died so soon, for scourged, crucified victims often lived as long as three days before they died; He died so soon because He was operating on a divine calendar and a divine clock--it was time to die. Thus He controlled His death and fitted it into God's eternal plan. He died when it was time to die.

B. The Proofs Of His Death (vv. 31-34, 36-37)

1. HIS UNBROKEN BONES (vv. 31-33, 36)

a. The Request of the Jews (v. 31)

"The Jews, therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the Sabbath day (for that Sabbath day was an high day), besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away."

1) Keeping the Minutiae of the Law

The beginning of verse 31 says, "...it was the preparation...." We believe that the preparation was the day before the Sabbath. We also believe that it was the day before Passover, so this was a special Sabbath--a very high day, the Passover Sabbath. The Jews would not leave His body on the cross on the high day; they would not leave His body on the cross on any Sabbath. According to Deuteronomy 21:22-23, the instruction of the Word of God says that if anyone commits a crime worthy of death and is hanged on a tree, his body is not to hang overnight. It is to be removed by evening. So the Jews, desiring to apply this passage at this point, desired to have Jesus removed before the Passover began. Keep in mind that this day was Friday; it was three o'clock; Jesus was dead; when the night fell, the Passover began; therefore the body had to be removed quickly for Passover was coming as evening was approaching. So the Jews, not wanting to have the body of Jesus Christ hanging on the Sabbath, especially the Passover Sabbath and overnight, desired to remove Him.

2) Killing the Fulfillment of the Law

Here is an example of the scrupulous observance of the law by these Jewish leaders. They wanted to be sure to keep the minutiae of the law while they killed the One who fulfilled it. This is the insidiousness of legalism. They have allowed the Son of God to die. They are sure to scrupulously maintain the form of their religion while the One who fulfilled their religion is dead.

By this time it was very late in the afternoon, and so they were very anxious that Jesus be removed from the cross. In order to make sure that He would be removed, as well as the other thieves, they went to Pilate. In verse 31 they "besought Pilate that their legs might be broken." It was the custom that if someone was dying of crucifixion but very slowly, they could speed up the death by breaking the victim's legs.

b. The Response of the Soldiers (v. 32)

"Then came the soldiers, and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who was crucified with Him."

The soldiers broke the legs of the two thieves. The word break in the Greek means "to shiver to pieces." In other words, a large mallet was used to shatter the legs completely. The tremendous pain and agony and trauma associated with the breaking of the bones, in addition to the elimination of the only support that held the individual up on the cross, resulted in the slumping of the body, the intensifying of pain, and the suffocation of the internal organs, which then brought death on rather swiftly. So the Jews, not wanting the bodies hanging on the crosses on the Passover Sabbath, asked Pilate to send his soldiers to smash their legs. The soldiers responded by crushing the legs of the thieves.

c. The Recognition of Christ's Death (v. 33)

"But when they came to Jesus, and saw that He was dead already, they broke not His legs"

1) The Perspective of Pilate

When they came to Jesus, there was no need to break His legs because He was already dead. This was unnatural. In Mark 15:44, Pilate was shocked: "And Pilate marveled if He were already dead, and, calling unto him the centurion, he asked him whether He had been any while dead." Pilate was shocked that anyone would die so soon after being crucified.

2) The Plan of the Father

Jesus died for the simple reason that His work was done. And the second reason was that He had to already have been dead in order to accomplish the plan of the Father, as stated in prophecy. If Jesus had not died when He did, they would have broken His legs. They would have shivered to pieces His legs with that mallet. If that had happened, you could pick up your Bible and throw it away. If they had broken one single bone in one leg of Jesus, God would be a liar. You say, "What do you mean by that?"

a) Numbers 9:12 -- The Passover lamb that was given as a sacrifice was not to have any bone broken. Who is the perfect Passover Lamb? Jesus Christ. In order to be the perfect Passover Lamb, He could not have a single bone broken.

b) Psalm 34:20 -- "He keepeth all His bones; not one of them is broken." If one bone of the legs of Jesus had been broken, God would be a liar and the prophecy broken with that one broken bone. But not one was broken!

Jesus had to die before the soldiers arrived with the mallet to crush His legs in order to fulfill prophecy. Jesus controlled His death down to the very minutest detail so that every tiny piece of prophecy was fulfilled. He sandwiched His death between the prophecy of the soldiers giving Him vinegar to drink and the next prophecy of the soldiers not smashing His bones. If His death had occurred at any other time, then the chain of God's prophetic truth would have been broken.

d. The Result of Prophecy (v. 36)

"For these things were done, that the Scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of Him shall not be broken."

Jesus controlled His death not only to show us He was God, but to fulfill prophecy. Incidentally, this is also good proof that He was really dead. Many modern-day critics say, "Jesus was never dead; He just went into a swoon. When He was in the grave, the coolness, spices, and the ointment revived Him." But these Roman executioners were trained men. They knew who was dead and they knew who was alive. The first great proof that Jesus was dead was the fact that the soldiers saw that He was dead. They were not Christians trying to prove He was really dead; they were strictly Roman soldiers--trained observers of those who died on a cross. They said, "He's dead." But they made sure He was dead because it was so strange that He would die so soon.

2. HIS PIERCED SIDE (vv. 34a, 37)

a. Sealing the Truth (v. 34a)

"But one of the soldiers, with a spear, pierced His side..."

The soldiers could not believe that He was dead so soon even though they knew He was. They decided to verify it. If there was any life left, it would surely have been eliminated at that point. Evidently, the soldier rammed the spear deep into the side of Jesus as He was hanging on the cross. He did this just to be sure that if there was any lingering doubt about whether or not He was dead, this would seal it for good. Isn't it marvelous that the soldier did this?

b. Separating the Prophecies (v. 37)

"And, again, another Scripture saith, They shall look on Him whom they pierced."

That scripture is Zechariah 12:10. The dear old prophet Zechariah looked hundreds of years into the future, under the inspiration of God, and said that someday the Messiah would be pierced. The Roman soldier didn't know that prophecy. Jesus controlled every detail.

Now, John 19:37 doesn't say, "Another Scripture is fulfilled." The prophecy "They shall look on Him whom they pierced" is not fulfilled. The piercing has been fulfilled, but not the part that says, "They shall look on Him...." That is talking about the conversion of Israel during the time of the Tribulation. So John doesn't say it has been fulfilled, he says, "...another Scripture saith...." The Bible picks exactly the right words for every situation because God wrote every word.

If Jesus had not died when He did, the first prophecy would have been destroyed because the soldiers would have shattered His legs. And if they had shattered His legs, they would have had no reason to pierce Him with a spear, and then the second prophecy would have been broken. So Jesus died on a divine schedule at exactly the right moment to perfectly and accurately fulfill prophecy to the very letter. Jesus controlled His own dying, perfectly timing it to fulfill the prophecies.

3. HIS RUPTURED HEART (v. 34b)

"...and immediately came there out blood and water."

This proves that Jesus did not die from the spear wound, but that He was already dead when the spear went in. You say, "What's the significance of blood and water?" The physiological explanation apparently is that Jesus died from a ruptured heart as a consequence of the tremendous agony and sorrow that He was undergoing. Mental anguish can effect the bodily organs. Stress, anxiety, and all kinds of fear and guilt can have a tremendous effect upon the physical body. Jesus Christ, while on that cross, was undergoing guilt, stress, anxiety, pain, anguish, and sin from every human being that ever existed or would exist in the history of the world. No human heart can handle that. People have heart attacks for infinitely less severe things than that. Here was Jesus Christ enduring what no human heart could ever handle. Consequently, I believe His heart muscle ruptured. When such a thing occurred, death would be instant.

a. The Affirmation of Medicine

Doctors tell us that blood flowing into the pericardium (the sac about the heart) would coagulate and separate into the red clot (blood) and the liquid serum (water). When the spear was jammed into His side the separation would be visible, indicating that the heart had indeed ruptured. There have been many physicians who have held this view. Dr. Stuart Bergsma of Grand Rapids, Michigan, says, "It is extremely rare, well-nigh impossible,...for the normal heart muscle to rupture. Christ, however, suffered as no man before or since has suffered." No human heart ever made could handle the anxiety, the pain, the sin, and the guilt that Jesus had laid on Him; and His heart burst under that pressure.

b. The Accuracy of Psalm 69

You say, "That's all conjecture. You don't have any proof for it." Psalm 69:21 details Jesus' crucifixion by prophecy. Notice how accurate it is.

1) Verse 21a -- "They gave Me also gall for My food...." Now, is it true that on the cross at the beginning of His crucifixion they offered Him gall to drink? It is indeed, they did offer Him gall--a kind of sedative to ease the pain. Did He take it? No, Matthew 27:34 says that He would not drink it. That is a very accurate prophecy, and we take it literally.

2) Verse 21b -- "...and in My thirst they gave Me vinegar to drink." Did they give Him vinegar to drink? Is that to be taken literally? Absolutely. The gall was literal and so was the vinegar.

3) Verse 20a -- "Reproach hath broken My heart...." If we can take verse 21 literally, can we take verse 20 literally? Can we believe that Jesus Christ actually died of a ruptured heart? Can we believe that when the Old Testament was speaking about the seat of the emotions of a man, it did not use the word heart but used the word bowels? Of course! Why then does the psalmist use the word heart in this verse? Maybe it was used to direct us to a literal understanding of the fact that Jesus actually died of a broken, ruptured heart because of the pain and the anguish of sin that no human heart could ever handle.

So, we believe that when John 19:34 says that when the soldiers pierced His side and the blood and water flowed, it indicates that the heart muscles ruptured and the blood and serum divided into two parts.

You say, "Why is it so important to go into all this detail?" It's important because this is what Scripture said would happen. The Bible said that Jesus would not have a bone broken, and He did not. The Bible said He would be pierced with a spear, but that the piercing would not kill Him, and that happened. And Psalm 69:20 said that His heart would be broken. When the spear went in, it revealed that His heart had been ruptured. Every single tiny detail of prophecy in the Old Testament regarding Jesus Christ's death was fulfilled to the very letter. He knew everything He was doing, and He was controlling death in every move. You say, "What's John's point?"

C. The Purpose Of John (v. 35)

"And he that saw it bore witness, and his witness is true; and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe."

Believe what? The thing that John has wanted us to believe all through this book: Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God. You say, "How does this prove that He is?" One, He controlled death; and two, He fulfilled prophecy. John says, "I was there; I saw it. They didn't break His legs. They put a spear in His side. I saw the blood and water. I saw fulfilled prophecy. I say this to you so that you might believe, and my witness is true." Do you believe? Do you believe He is God? How else could Jesus control death and call it to act in His purpose?

So we see the tremendous power of Jesus over death in His dying. Second, we see the control of Jesus over death in...

II. HIS BURIAL (19:38-42)

It's one thing to control your death, it's another thing to control your burial. You may be able to bring about your own death, but in terms of controlling what someone does with your body after you are dead, no one has ever been able to do that. Jesus controlled everything that was done with His body. Peter said He was "put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit" (1 Pet. 3:18b; NASB). Jesus was still alive spiritually.

A. The Bold Men (vv. 38-39)

In Isaiah 53:9 the prophet said, "His grave was assigned with wicked men..." (NASB). You don't bury a criminal with rich men, but with the criminals. But verse 9 continues, "...yet He was with a rich man in His death..." (NASB). That is a prophecy of the death of Christ. You say, "We have a problem; there aren't any rich disciples." That's true, at least of those disciples we are familiar with. How in the world was Jesus going to be buried with the rich? In addition, if the Jewish leaders got hold of His body, they were certainly not going to put Him in a rich man's grave. How was Christ going to control this? The Jews wanted Jesus to be removed from the cross and thrown in an evildoer's grave. How was Isaiah's prophecy going to be fulfilled?

1. JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA (v. 38)

"And after this Joseph, of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him leave. He came, therefore, and took the body of Jesus."

a. His Submission

1) His Past Cowardice

Joseph, of Arimathea, was a rich man, but he was also a secret disciple. He was behaving as a sinful and cowardly man. He had been hiding because he didn't want to state his faith in Christ and become excommunicated from the synagogue. He did not want to be put out of the life of his people. Joseph was a member of the Sanhedrin (the seventy ruling elders of the whole nation of Israel).

2) His Present Courage

But Jesus, even while He was dead, moved into the heart of Joseph and directed him to go and get His body. This is unbelievable. If Joseph was a coward when Jesus was alive, how could he become a hero at this point? When all of the heroes have fled, why is the coward coming to the fore? The Bible says, "...I will smite the Shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered" (Mk. 14:27b). That was fulfilled (Mk. 14:50). How does this man who has been a coward become a hero? Divine grace was active in his heart. Jesus moved into his heart, and he couldn't wait to do what Jesus wanted. Joseph didn't have three days to debate about it. Joseph had to get Christ's body off the cross and into the grave before it was sundown and the Sabbath. So Jesus, even while dead, moves upon Joseph of Arimathea.

Arimathea was a little town about twenty-five miles north of Jerusalem. Together, the four Gospels tell us several things about Joseph. He was rich (Mt. 27:57), devout (Mk. 15:43), good and righteous (Lk. 23:50), a counselor (Mk. 15:43), a member of the Sanhedrin (Lk. 23:51), and one who had believed in Jesus Christ. But because of his sinful fear of his people and the Jewish leaders, he had not declared his faith. When the Son of God moved on him, he became courageous and went to Pilate.

Mark 15:43 says he "went in boldly unto Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus." Joseph stood right out. Some of the Jews would have been upset that he even went into Pilate's praetorium because they didn't believe that a Jew should go into a Gentile house. But he went right into Pilate's praetorium and boldly asked for the body of Jesus. He counted the cost and decided to stand up for Jesus Christ.

b. His Speed

In Matthew 12:40 Jesus said, "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth." Jesus had to be in the earth three days. Now, I believe that Jesus was crucified on Friday. To the Jewish mind, a day and a night is a single unit. Any part of that day or part of that night constitutes a whole day. Therefore, Jesus did not have to be in the earth three whole days and three whole nights, but any part of one of those days. Jesus had to be buried in the earth before the Sabbath began to constitute a part of that day so that He would be in the earth three days--Friday, Saturday, and then Sunday (the part of the day that He rose from the grave). Joseph was in a hurry to get Jesus in that grave while it was still Friday because the Sabbath began in the evening when the sun went down.

Joseph became God's instrument in fulfilling the prophecy of Christ's burial, not only with the rich, but in making sure that Jesus was buried in order for Him to be three days in the grave and still rise on the day that God had designed. So Jesus, while He was dead, does for Joseph what He didn't do when He was alive--bring an open confession from him. Joseph wanted Jesus buried before nightfall because of the Sabbath. God wanted Him buried before nightfall because He wanted Him in the grave three days. Joseph was subjected to the control of Jesus Christ.

2. NICODEMUS (v. 39)

In verse 39 we meet another secret disciple. He is a very well- known person.

a. His Secrecy (v. 39a)

"And there came also Nicodemus, who at the first came to Jesus by night..."

In John 3:2, Nicodemus had wanted to know what he had to do to get into the Kingdom. In verse 3 Jesus told him that he had to be born again. Nicodemus became a secret disciple. Evidently, somewhere between John 3 and John 19, he was saved. He believed, so now he also shows up. And he was rich, too.

b. His Wealth (v. 39b)

"...and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight."

The myrrh and aloes were used to sprinkle the body. They were aromatic spices--the myrrh likely being liquid and the aloes a kind of ground-up wood powder. He had a hundred pound weight of this (seventy-two pounds in our measurements). This shows that Nicodemus was wealthy. He also thought greatly of Jesus because that much myrrh and aloes would normally be used to bury a king.

Here are two of the great leaders in the Sanhedrin. Nicodemus may have been the number-one teacher in Israel. These two men counted the cost and eliminated from their whole life all their friends, all their society, and the whole of Judaism to take their stand for Jesus Christ. And they took their stand publicly. They counted the cost, and they chose Christ.

B. The Burial Method (vv. 40-42)

1. THE PREPARATION OF THE BODY (v. 40)

"Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury."

Jews did not embalm or mummify as the Egyptians did. They simply wrapped each limb separately and the torso separately. While they wrapped the body, they sprinkled in the myrrh and aloes to prevent the odor of decay for a little while until the body could be laid in the grave, and as a sign of care and concern for the body. Evidently, they never quite finished. They were in such a hurry to get Jesus' body in the grave before the Sabbath that they did not complete their work. We know this is true because on Sunday the ladies came back and brought spices with them (Lk. 24:1). For what reason? Evidently, to continue the sprinkling of Christ to complete the burial. They could not finish on the Sabbath because it was not lawful for them to walk that far or work in that fashion on the Sabbath. So, they waited until Sunday before they came with their spices.

2. THE PLACE OF BURIAL (vv. 41-42)

a. Its Newness (v. 41)

"Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulcher, in which was never man yet laid."

Right where Jesus was crucified there is a garden. In Jerusalem you can stand at the garden tomb and look up and see the place of the skull. In His sovereignty, God had Jesus crucified above a nice garden where Joseph had built a tomb--a brand new one that nobody had ever lain in. Jesus would only need it for three days. It wasn't a permanent situation. In three days He would be out--not even long enough to decay. The psalmist said, "...neither wilt Thou suffer Thine Holy One to see corruption" (Ps. 16:10b). So, they took Jesus to that new, beautiful garden sepulcher.

b. Its Nearness (v. 42)

"There laid they Jesus, therefore, because of the Jews' preparation day; for the sepulcher was near at hand."

If the sepulcher had been three miles away, they wouldn't have made it in time. It had to be close so they could get Jesus in the grave before the Sabbath. And they laid Him in the grave in time.

Jesus was controlling every step of His burial. Jesus moved in the lives of Joseph and Nicodemus to bring them out of hiding in order to accomplish His burial in time so that He could fulfill the prophecy that He would be three days in the grave. It's one thing to control your dying; it's another thing to control your burial. Third is the great climax: He not only controlled His dying and His burial, He controlled...

III. HIS RESURRECTION (20:1-10)

In Psalm 16:9-11 is the great prophecy of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The psalmist says, "Therefore My heart is glad, and My glory rejoiceth; My flesh also shall rest in hope. For Thou wilt not leave My soul in Sheol, neither wilt Thou permit Thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou wilt show Me the path of life...." That is the promise of the Old Testament that the Messiah would rise again, and that God would not let His Holy One see corruption, but that He would see life. You say, "Will He fulfill that prophecy?" Absolutely. To break death's power and to create life again is the ultimate in conquering death.

A. The Report By Mary (vv. 1-2)

"The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulcher, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulcher. Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved [John], and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulcher, and we know not where they have laid Him."

When Mary Magdalene (from whom Jesus had cast seven demons; Lk. 8:2) came to the tomb, she found that the stone had been rolled back from the front. There had been an earthquake and an angel rolled back the stone (Mt. 28:2). Jesus was gone, and she thought that the Jews might have stolen His body to add some further indignity. She also may have thought that ghoulish creatures, who made it their business to rob tombs, had robbed His grave. The tomb was empty and she didn't know what to think. She didn't believe He was resurrected because she said, "...we know not where they have laid Him." She thought He was still dead. She had great love, but weak faith. When Peter and John heard this, they moved.

B. The Response Of Peter And John (vv. 3-4)

"Peter, therefore, went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulcher. So they ran both together; and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulcher."

John does not want to remind us that he was faster than Peter, I think that John is simply indicating that he was younger than Peter. Peter was older, so he got there last. John ran faster and arrived at the tomb first.

C. The Revelation Of The Resurrection (vv. 5-7)

1. TO JOHN (v. 5)

"And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in."

He was a little timid, so he just looked in and "saw the linen clothes lying." In the Greek the word "lying" means that the clothes were undisturbed and in their proper place. They were not scattered. If grave robbers had taken the body, they would have likely picked Him up with the linen clothes still on. They wouldn't carry Him around naked, or take the time to unwrap the body if they were going to steal it. If they did desire to unwrap Him, they would have ripped those grave clothes off. But the clothes were lying perfectly and undisturbed in their original place. The clothes about the arms, the legs, and the torso were lying perfectly undisturbed.

You say, "What happened?" Jesus just lifted Himself out of those grave clothes. You know He had that power because when He appeared after His resurrection to the disciples, He entered the room they were in through the wall (Jn. 20:19). Jesus said to them, "...Peace be unto you." In His resurrection body Jesus has the ability to do that. He simply transported Himself through His grave clothes. And John saw that they were lying wholly and undisturbed in the place appointed for them.

2. TO PETER (vv. 6-7)

a. Observing the Linen Clothes (v. 6)

"Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulcher, and seeth the linen clothes lying there"

The same word for "lying" is used again. The clothes were wholly undisturbed in their proper place. Jesus had lifted Himself out of those clothes. There was no struggle, no rush, and no scattered linen, they were lying perfectly.

b. Observing the Head Cloth (v. 7)

"And the cloth, that was about His head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself."

You say, "Why does John include this detail?" If the head napkin had been lying right beside the grave clothes, that would have been another testimony to Christ's resurrection. But where is the guarantee that He is really alive physically? The guarantee is in the fact that He gently folded the napkin that was about His head and set it in another place. Why did He do that? Not only did the grave clothes testify of His resurrection, but the linen cloth testified of His bodily resurrection. With His own hands He folded the napkin and set it aside, providing double testimony to His resurrection.

So, the evidence is pretty conclusive--an empty tomb, an absent Christ, undisturbed grave clothes, a napkin lying apart, and a stone rolled away--every bit of it cries, "Resurrection!" And John understood the message.

D. The Realization Of John (v. 8)

"Then went in also that other disciple, who came first to the sepulcher, and he saw, and believed."

We usually tend to knock Thomas because Jesus said to him, "...because thou hast seen Me, thou hast believed; blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed" (Jn. 20:29). Don't knock him, John did the same thing. John didn't believe in the resurrection until he saw the proof of it. John says that he believed; Luke says that Peter wondered (Lk. 24:12). John was convinced; Peter scratched his head. Peter went away wondering, but John believed. Then John explained why he had to see in order to believe.

E. The Reaffirmation Of Scripture (v. 9)

"For as yet they knew not the scripture, that He must rise again from the dead."

John admitted that they didn't understand the prophecies of resurrection. They didn't understand the Old Testament prophecies--Psalm 16, Psalm 110, Psalm 118, and Isaiah 53:11. They had to see the evidence first. So John says, "But when I saw it, I believed."

What about you? You have the evidence. You have the prophecies of the Old Testament. You have the statement of the New Testament. You have the evidence of a resurrected Christ--the grave clothes, the empty tomb, the rolled-away stone. That's all that is needed for you to believe. Do you believe, or are you going to go away wondering? In Romans 10:9 the Apostle Paul said, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." It is a matter of believing in the resurrection. Do you believe? I pray to God that you do believe.

F. The Return To Home (v. 10)

"Then the disciples went away again unto their own home."

They had seen the evidence of the resurrection. They were soon to see the risen Christ.

I pray to God that you believe, and that you won't go away doubting. I pray that you will agree with the evidence and with John, and that your faith will be real. I pray that you will claim the wonderful promise of Jesus, who said, "I am the resurrection, and the life; he that believeth in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth in Me shall never die..." (Jn. 11:25-26a). Do we fear death? We say with Paul, "O death, where is thy sting?..." (1 Cor. 15:55a). Jesus Christ has given us the victory.

Focusing on the Facts

1. What is the ultimate question for man? What is Jesus Christ's answer to that question? 

2. What are the three progressive revelations that John uses to show Christ's power over death? 

3. Why was death no surprise to Jesus? 

4. Why did Jesus die so soon on the cross? How long did it take for most people to die on a cross? 

5. Why did the Jews want to have Jesus and the two thieves removed from the crosses so quickly? In what way were the Jews being legalistic with this act? 

6. How did the Romans speed up the death of crucified victims? Describe this process. 

7. Why didn't the soldiers break the bones of Jesus? What prophecies did this fulfill? 

8. Why can we believe the Roman soldiers' testimony that Jesus was really dead? How did they verify He was dead? What prophecy was this a partial fulfillment of? Why was it only a partial fulfillment? 

9. What is proved by the fact that blood and water came out of Jesus' side when it was pierced with a spear? What is the significance of blood and water? 

10. What caused the heart of Jesus Christ to rupture? What prophecy did this fulfill? 

11. What was the Old Testament prophecy that said that Jesus would be with a rich man in His death? 

12. Who was Joseph of Arimathea? How did he serve Jesus Christ after He had died? What did Jesus do for Joseph after He was dead that He did not do for Joseph when He was alive? 

13. Why did Joseph have to get Jesus buried so quickly? What prophecy needed to be fulfilled? 

14. Who was Nicodemus? Why was He significant to Jesus in His burial? 

15. What was the normal manner in which the Jews prepared a body for burial? 

16. Why is it significant that the sepulcher in which Jesus was laid was so close to His place of crucifixion? 

17. What is the great prophecy of the resurrection from the Old Testament? 

18. What did Mary Magdalene fear had happened to Jesus when she found the empty tomb? 

19. What is significant about the fact that John "saw the linen clothes lying"? (Jn. 20:5)

20. What is significant about the fact that the linen cloth that was around Jesus' head was found folded and not lying with the linen clothes? 

21. Why did John have to see the evidence before He believed that Jesus was raised from the dead? 

Pondering the Principles

1. Why did Jesus Christ die for you? What did He endure on the cross for your sake? Look up the following verses: Genesis 6:6-7; Deuteronomy 25:16; Psalm 5:4-6; 11:5; 106:40; Proverbs 6:16-19; Jeremiah 25:7; 44:21-22; Habakkuk 1:13; Zechariah 8:17; Luke 16:15. According to these verses, what does God think of sin? What are the wages of sin, according to Romans 6:23? In consideration of what God thinks of sin, why did Jesus die of a ruptured heart? How does it make you feel, especially in regard to your sin? How do you feel about the magnitude of God's love for you? In what way does this make you want to behave toward others? Memorize Ephesians 4:32: "And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God, for Christ's sake, hath forgiven you."

2. Read 1 Kings 18:17-19:18. Joseph of Arimathea was not the only man in the Bible who was righteous at the same time that he possessed a sinful fear of the people. So was Elijah. What did Elijah do in his encounter with the prophets of Baal? What did the messenger from Jezebel tell Elijah? What was his response? How did God influence Elijah to change his attitude? Perhaps you have not truly counted the cost and taken your stand for Jesus Christ. You may love Him, you may do good, you may be righteous, but when it comes to confronting a sinful world, you are afraid. Count the cost now. Spend this time in prayer, asking God to move in your heart to be a courageous witness for Him. Remember to ask in faith (Js. 1:5-7).

3. Make a list of all the evidence that reveals Jesus' power over death in His death, burial, and resurrection. How would you present this information to an unbeliever? What was the purpose that John had in being a witness of these things?  When you bear witness of Jesus Christ to others, what is your purpose? Is it the same as John's? It should be. Perhaps you need to reexamine your reasons for witnessing to others. Take the time to do that now.