New World Order John 20:1-10
Last week we saw how the events around Jesus’ arrest rectified the curse we are all under. Those events removed the effects on our person that sin created. Our refusal to honor God, our mocking him, was removed by Jesus allowing the soldiers to mock him. Our trying to hide or ignore our sin, our trying to blame anyone or anything other than ourselves for our sin is removed by Jesus remaining silent when falsely accused of sin. Our ignoring those God has lifted up as teachers and priests is corrected by Jesus when he took in his hand the wooden staff offered in jest and ridicule. Jesus endured the whipping, scourging, and being nailed to the cross, all to take our sins upon himself. All to take our punishment, thereby leaving us sinless and righteous before God.
Three days ago, Jesus was crucified. But as our eternal teacher, even from the cross Jesus teaches. Luke 23:34, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Even at the pinnacle of his suffering, Jesus offers mercy, compassion, and forgiveness. Jesus’ request of the Father while nailed to the cross shows the world no one is beyond the reach of divine grace. If God can and will forgive those that crucified his son, he can and will forgive all we can do.
Luke 23:43, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” It is Jesus at the cross that offers us hope and redemption.
Luke 23:42, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” The thief had no means of correcting his sins, it is simply through belief that he is saved. This shows us that even in our most desperate moments, when we are unable to reverse our sins, salvation and peace are ours by faith.
John 19, verses 26 and 27, “’Woman, behold your son,’ and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.’” In anguish Jesus honors his mother, highlighting the importance of honoring loved ones. And the importance of putting others’ needs above our own, even as we face hardships of our own. This moment shows that true family does not come from blood lines, but from a shared commitment to watch over each other, to care for each other, and to give of ourselves to each other.
Matthew 27:46, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” This plea underscores Jesus’ genuine humanity. For the only time in his existence, the Son is separated from the Father, as all mankind is separated from the Father through sin. Through his cry, Jesus tells us he understands our deepest pain, and the severity of the chasm between us and the Father. Only through Jesus’ total estrangement from God can he reestablish our relationship with the Father.
These words also demonstrate Christ’s perfect obedience. Nailed to a cross, feeling abandoned by God, Jesus still turned to God in his torment and pain, teaching us that no matter the severity of our pains and struggles, even in those times we feel God is distant, we too should turn to God.
John 19:38, “I am thirsty.” These words like the ones we just looked at, show Jesus’ full humanity, how Jesus totally shares in all of our frailty. Jesus wasn’t lifted up on that cross easily, just patiently waiting for God to say it’s time. Jesus felt everything. He felt the worst physical agony that could be given. And he did this so through our faith we are forgiven everything, because nothing was left behind nor undone.
John 19:30, “It is finished.” Luke 23:465, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” Jesus declared the completion of his redemptive work, announcing while still on the cross, the blood debt for sin is paid in full. And with his last breath he shows the relationship with the Father is central. His surrendering of his spirit invites each person to surrender their lives to God.
Last week we saw how Jesus’ arrest reminds us of how our curse started. How he removed all aspects of that curse by remaining quiet while others falsely testified against him, and by accepting the ridicule of the soldiers.
At the cross, Jesus took the punishment, the wounds and pain caused by our sin, all upon himself. His body became sin. And by his death, came the death of our sin, and our forgiveness by the Father.
As we looked at his crucifixion, we saw that even nailed to the cross, Jesus teaches us about the new world order he is ushering in. Now, forgiveness is offered to everyone, and heaven is the result of faith in Christ. He tells us that in this new order, we are responsible for each other. In this new order, the faithful need to be committed to God the Father, committed, no matter the hardship, pain, or anguish we suffer.
And now, we are here, Easter Sunday. The resurrection. Mark 16:4, “But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away.”
The large stone has been rolled from the entrance to the tomb. The Commandments, which are a large responsibility for us to bear; The Commandments, through our failure to keep, kept us in death, now have been moved aside. The tomb is now opened for us to walk out of by our faith in Christ Jesus.
John 20, verse 6,
“Then Simon Peter came…and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there.” At the time, after death the body would be tightly wrapped and bound with linen strips. This physical reality is a representation of our spiritual death, our being bound by our sins. These strips are cast away from the risen Jesus showing us that through faith in him, the sin that bound us to spiritual death is cast aside as our sanctified and redeemed spirit emerges into life with Christ.
John 20, verse 7, “as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen.” The English Standard translation says, “The facecloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen strips, but folded up in a place by itself.” Either way, this shows ease and time. The resurrected Jesus had an ease about him. His work is done, and he’s reunited with God. He has time and is not rushing on to the next task. The folded cloth is meant to show us we are reunited with God by our faith in Jesus. We do not have to work to try and reach the Father, the work has been done for us, we can be at ease with our new relationship with God.
The folding of the headcloth also symbolizes the individual’s intent to return, reflecting both the reality of Jesus’ return from the dead, and our hope in his eventual return to earth.
Today on Easter Sunday, let us rededicate ourselves to God. May we all be thankful for Jesus removing each aspect of our curse through his arrest. May we commit ourselves to the new world order brought by Jesus and given to us from the cross. And may we all be joyful and exuberant; by our faith in Jesus, the law cannot keep us in death, the weight of total obedience it placed on our shoulders has been rolled away. Our relationship with God no longer is one of labor, our constant work of trying to be worthy. It is now one of ease because Jesus is worthy.
May you be blessed by the risen Christ
And by his Father in heaven.
And may his Holy Spirit lead you to peace and comfort in the Lord.
Amen