Easter is this coming Sunday, and it is good to remember the hope that the resurrected Christ gives to fallen men in a fallen world. This hope is at the heart of the Christian faith. Christ’s resurrection is not only the object of our faith, but the ground of our hope.
John records the resurrection not merely to give historical details, but also to draw our attention to the theological truths bound up in it. One of these truths, plainly, is Christ’s victory over death. John tells us that when he and Peter arrived at the tomb, they did not the body of Jesus. What they did find were the linen cloths and face cloth that had been used in his burial. In chapter 19, we are told that seventy-five pounds of myrrh and aloe had been used in wrapping his body. It would not have been easy to remove linen cloth so saturated with burial spices. Yet Peter saw the linen cloths lying there with the face cloth folded by itself. This was not the sort of scene one would expect if someone had stolen or moved the body. Rather it pointed to a work completed fully and finally.
When Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, he commanded that the grave cloths be removed in order to set him free. Here, however Christ’s own resurrection declares that all who are united to him will no longer be held by death, meaning that whosoever calls to him in faith, will be given life in him.
His resurrection was the Father’s public vindication of his mediatorial work. All the prophets had pointed forward to a Messiah, a Savior who would reconcile sinners to God. The Son of God came into the world to die, and die he did, for our sins, so that we might live through him. His whole life was in service to God as he stood in the place of sinners. The discarded linen cloths and folded face cloth testify that we may now approach God face to face, dressed in the white robes of Christ given to the redeemed of God. Jesus accomplished what the Father had given him to do.
He then ascended to the Father, as he says in verse 17, where he reigns as king and extends his kingdom through the conversion of every soul that believes in him for forgiveness of sin and peace with God. What comfort this gives to the Christian: Christ has sweetened the grave, making it an entrance into true freedom and everlasting joy with God.
We also see here the love Christ has for his people. Mary Magdalene stands prominently in the account, and her devotion to Jesus is unmistakable. She weeps at the tomb because the body is missing. Then the risen Jesus appears and asks her why she is weeping. Whom is she seeking? She has come to look for a corpse, but the One she sought, though he had died, now lived again.
When Jesus first spoke to Mary, she did not recognize him. She supposed him to be the gardener, the one in charge of the place. In one sense she was right: he was indeed the One in charge. But she did not yet know who he was. Then Jesus made himself known by calling her by name: “Mary.” There is deep consolation in hearing your name spoken in love. Here the Lamb of God, the risen Savior and Lord of all, calls her by name in a way no one else can.
Consider your sins for a moment. Not the trials, sorrows, and pains that come to us all in this fallen world, but your sins alone—even the inner sins of your heart and mind. Then imagine the Holy God drawing near and calling you by name. If you are truly convicted of sin, your instinct would be to run and hide. Yet with the Lord is forgiveness and Mary knew that forgiveness. Jesus called her name not to accuse her, but to assure her of his love.
Now recognizing her Lord, Mary clings to him in humble adoration. But Jesus tells her not to cling to him, because he has something greater in store for her and for all his people. He is about to ascend into heaven and, in due time, send the Holy Spirit, so that the truth concerning him may be known with greater clarity, his love more deeply understood, his glory more fully seen.
Jesus still calls his sheep by name. If you believe in Him, it is because he has called you, just as he called Mary. And if you have never yet responded to his voice, now is the time to do so. Easter reminds us that God’s purposes are settled: those outside Christ shall perish, but those in Christ will live forever.
