It’s Tuesday! Woo hoo! We’ve reached Easter in the book of John! I know it’s going to be exciting and I hope you hear it in the lesson and find it in the reading too.
Let’s pray:
Praise be the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has raised our Lord from death and seated Him above all rule and authority, power and dominion and as head over everything for the church. We are your people, Lord, and today we ask, come, lead us through this chapter and help us worship, help us believe, help us know all that You want us to know. In Jesus’ holy name, I pray. Amen.
We’re in the NIV, so if you don’t have one, go here. Grab something to write with and write on and maybe even a highlighter if you are inclined to use one.
Let’s take just a minute and praise Him for the subtitle of John 20.
The Empty Tomb
Praise and thanks to You, Father for making The Tomb Empty. Thank You for the forgiveness and reconciliation You’ve made for us through Your Son Jesus Christ. Thank You for the promise of resurrection that You gave us, and for the many, many promises we can not even imagine what they will look like that You are going to give us when Jesus comes to bring us all home.
Read John 20:1
Other books spend a little more time in front of the empty tomb and with more than just Mary Magdalen. But since we’re in John, let’s just go with this. She gets to the tomb and the stone has been removed.
Now read verse 2:
So she came _________________ to say ‘it’s empty!’
Read verses 3-5
Both were ______________ but the ‘other’ ______________..and reached the tomb first.
Can you imagine? Mary Magdalen must have run in fear and worry and Peter and John in surprise and fascination and while John is looking in at the strips…
Read verse 6-8
When John goes inside, he saw and _____________.
Read verse 9-10
It’s a little hard to imagine what it was like at the time. Something like this had never before happened. Yet we know it is true and we know He’s Alive and, well, it makes verse 10 feel weird to me.
Read verses 11-12
Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene
Mary went back when Peter and John did? Do you think she ran back too? However and whenever she got back there, she is all upset and looks in and sees _____________________________, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.
Read verses 13-15
I wonder what made her turn around. Do you suppose she heard Him walking or breathing or was it some kind of sign of respect to turn away after stating her problem?
Read verses 16-18
Oh the Joy and the Wonder she must have felt. The honor of being entrusted with His message to his brothers. Jesus was always so different, so much more respectful to women than most others at the time. Unfortunately there are still places today where women’s words are discounted and they are treated more like possessions than partners.
But He told her, and she ____________________________.
Read verses 19-20
Jesus Appears to His Disciples
John telling us time again.. What time is it?
They’re together but fearful so the doors are locked. So Jesus came and stood among them…“Peace be with you.” Can you imagine the shock? The surprise? The wonder? Yes, the overjoyed-ness of this? Can you feel it?
Read verses 21-23
21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
Oh to have been there. “Peace be with you!” “Receive…” The foreshadowing of Pentecost. The authority he bestows on them to forgive or refuse to forgive is about all those they will be sent to rather than the interpersonal relationships where forgiveness does more for you when you’ve been hurt than unforgiveness does. And it doesn’t conflict with the prayer He taught them either.
Read verses 24-25
Jesus Appears to Thomas
“Unless I see” ah Jesus, I praise you for the words you have in response to that line.
Read verses 26-29
Time stamp again:
Still the doors are locked. It happens again, He comes and stands among them and says “Peace be with you.”
Thomas’s declaration, “My Lord and My God” is the statement of Faith for all who doubt, who need to see proof before they’ll believe. That’s something I heard this past weekend in a sermon by Mark Batterson. Praise God for YouTube and streamed sermons!
Write verse 29b, the part after the semicolon.
“Blessed are those who have not seen
and yet have believed.”
Read verses 30-31
The Purpose of John’s Gospel
How does verse 30 make you feel?
Then we get to 31 where it says “But” so don’t worry, all that has been written is so that you may believe.
Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God.
By believing you have life in His Name.
Faith is what it takes. Just believe.