John 20: 1-9.

The life of Jesus is bracketed by two impossibilities: a virgins womb and an empty tomb. Jesus entered our world through a door marked ‘No Entrance’ and left through a door marked ‘No Exit’.

The resurrection isn’t part of human expectation. Mary Magdalene finding the stone rolled away was for the benefit of the disciples to see that Jesus had been bodily resurrected.

Mary’s immediate re-action ‘where is his body?’ In a state of shock she ran to the house where the disciples where gathered and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb and we don’t know where they have laid him!” The disciples in Mark’s Gospel were recorded as not believing that he was resurrected,  Luke’s Gospel the disciples thought her words were an ‘idle tale, and they did not believe them.” Mark 16: 13. Luke 24: 11.

Mary and the disciples were having their concept of the resurrection challenged.

The Pharisees believed that the resurrection would take place, on the last day, when the Christ comes.                                                                                                  

Job in his suffering said, “I know that my redeemer lives and at last he will stand upon the earth and after my skin is destroyed then from my flesh shall I see God.” Job 19: 25, 26. Daniel 12:2. Isaiah 26: 19.

Jesus taught that the resurrection would take place on the last day.  John 6: 40. “For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life: and I will raise him up on the last day.”

Journey to Heaven by Leila, Leah Bronner

A retired Lecturer on Biblical Studies  quoting from Isaiah 37: 5.  “This is what the Sovereign Lord says to those bones: I will make breath enter into you and you will come to life.”    She  states that, “This imagery is more than a metaphor for the revival of the collective body, it is a graphic depiction of physical resurrection.”

It was more than a resurrection of people returning to their home land. It was speaking of a bodily resurrection.

God challenged the beliefs of the chief priest a Sadducee and the Pharisees. The Sadducees didn’t believe in the resurrection and the Pharisees did believe in the resurrection, but on the last day.

As a result they came before Pilate and said, while he was still alive said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’   They had heard Jesus say, that he would be like Jonah  and rise from the dead after three days. Matthew 12: 40

So they asked Pilate for the tomb to be made secure until after the third day. Pilate accommodated their request sending a guard of soldiers and setting a seal on the stone. Matthew 27: 62-66.

Jesus challenges Christians today on our belief in his resurrection.   Reported by the Telegraph Newspaper BBC Poll taken on Palm Sunday 2017 found 23% of those who call themselves Christians don’t believe in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.

Among Christians who regularly attend church 57% believe in the resurrection. 9% on non religious people believe in the resurrection.

Comments from the Bishop of Manchester

“This important and welcome survey proves that many British people, despite not being regular churchgoers, hold core Christian beliefs.  Alongside them it finds surprisingly high levels of religious belief among those who follow no specific religion, often erroneously referred to as secularists or atheists.   

The resurrection is essential to the Christian faith. Without the resurrection we are dead in our sins.   

In our reading it took several minutes for Mary Magdalene’s  message to sink in, then Peter and John ran to the tomb to investigate and found it just as Mary had said. Later that day Peter we are told saw the risen Jesus.

John went in and discerned that Jesus was risen from the dead even though he didn’t know the scriptures. The disciples had heard Jesus say that he would be killed and rise on the third day they couldn’t grasp what he was saying and they didn’t question him about it. Luke 9: 45.

John had the assurance that Jesus was risen, maybe Martha shared with John about her conversation with Jesus after the death of Lazarus and those words became real to him.

Jesus had said to Martha, “Your brother will rise again.” She replied, “I know that he will rise at the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life, those who believe in me, though they die, yet shall they live, and whoever lives in me shall never die.” Martha said, “Yes Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, he who is coming into the world.” John 11: 24-27.

Her mind set, the resurrection on the last day.

Jesus, however, was saying something to Martha that she didn’t understand   “I am the resurrection and the life.”

Jesus the first fruit of the resurrection.  

Jesus the source of eternal life for all humanity, He has defeated death, dealt with sin, He is resurrected into eternal life, so that all who believe in Him will be resurrected.  

Paul wrote first Corinthian letter, “Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruit of those who sleep. When the earthquake struck some of the graves in Jerusalem were opened and after Jesus was resurrected the saints were raised from their graves and went and witnessed in the city.  Matthew 27: 52, 53.

Jesus said, “Those who believe in me, though they die, yet shall they live.”

Two aspects of the resurrection – The Spiritual resurrection and the bodily resurrection.

The spiritual resurrection – Martha didn’t have to wait till the last day to receive eternal life. For anyone today whose faith in Jesus, through repentance their sins are forgiven enter into a relationship  with God in a personal way, and live in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Baptised into Jesus’ death and raised up in his resurrection. Both can be experienced in the Spirit at different times.  

The Bodily resurrection –  What the Jewish people didn’t realise that Jesus had to die and be resurrected so that the rest of humanity could be resurrected into his resurrection.                                                                                                

Jesus calls out his church

 In Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians: he writes that those who are alive and those who have died, together we meet the Lord in the air. God will gather a person’s ashes that have been scattered, it’s impossible to destroy matter.  God will unite those who have died in Christ with their resurrected spiritual body, and those who are alive their bodies will be transformed into their resurrected body.1 Thessalonians 4: 13- 18    

“And whoever lives in me shall never die.”    After being called out Christians go before the Judgement Seat of Jesus not for judgement, but for rewards. 1 Corinthians 3:  12-15.  2 Corinthians 5: 10.

The resurrection on the last day, Revelation 20: 11 – 15 reveals that it’s at the ‘White Throne’ where the opening of the books and judgement takes place. The Christians who have come to faith after Jesus has called out his church will be raised up into Jesus’ resurrection fulfilling his words that I read in John 6: 40 Everyone who believes in him,  Jesus will raise up on the last day.

God has become one of us  in order to give us eternal life now in the present and to be risen with Christ.  Also to have a resurrected eternal body.

Thank you, Jesus