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Witnesses to Something Miraculous

Luke 24:10-12

Growing up near Williamsburg, Virginia, many trips were made during my childhood to that reconstructed section dating back to the 1800’s. Of course, I would learn over time, that most of Colonial Williamsburg is a replica – an imitation of what it once was.

I remember touring one home in Williamsburg as a teenager – we had a narrow pathway that guided us through the home – the rooms were stanchioned off with velvet ropes.

At one point, we were looking into a living room, dining room area filled with beautiful antique furniture and I imagined what it must have been like to sit on those chairs and eat in that dining room.

I asked the tour guide, “What is it in here that truly dates back to the 1800’s?” She motioned toward the living room and said, “Do you see the table and chair over by the window.” I said, “Yes – wow, they’re in such great shape.” She said, “No, look at that table.” I said, “Oh, that table is original?” She said, “No, not the table – do you see that candle sitting on top of that table?” I said, “Yes.”

She said, “The candle holder is the only thing in this entire house that is original.”

I wanted my money back.

Now, if you were to travel two hours west, you could visit Monticello, where so much of Thomas Jefferson’s home is still original – many of Thomas Jefferson’s books, the furniture, his clock hanging in the lobby and even the antlers hanging on the wall, all belonged to him.

Now I don’t have any problem with replicating historical landmarks.

The tragedy is this – one of the most replicated items from this Colonial period of time, is a copy of the Gospels. Not an original copy – not even an attempt to replicate the gospels. It’s called the Jefferson Bible, and I have a copy of it here.

When he was 77 years old, Thomas Jefferson completed a project he’d started years earlier. He had taken several copies of New Testament gospels and cut out passages – and I quote – “which made sense” to him.

He pasted them together to create his own gospel account. He cut everything else out.

He denied anything miraculous in the gospels. He denied the deity of Christ. So his “Bible”, so to speak, begins with Luke chapter 2, skipping over chapter 1 where angels announce the miraculous virgin birth of Jesus, who was, the angel called him, “The Son of God” (Luke 1:35).

From what we’ve learned in our study through the gospel of Luke, so much of it validates the deity of Christ and the miraculous power of Christ.

So Thomas Jefferson had to cut out a lot of Luke. Of the 1,151 verses in Luke’s Gospel, Jefferson kept only 70 of them.

Now he claimed to be a Christian who believed in a Creator God; but he would write to a friend that he believed that Jesus was a moral man – I quote – an eloquent, benevolent, innocent victim of the Roman state.

Since Jefferson rejected any miraculous elements of the gospels, he rejected the greatest miracle recorded of all – the resurrection of Jesus from the dead.

Because of that, Jefferson’s Bible ends with these words – I’m reading from a copy of it which I purchased several years ago while visiting Williamsburg.

Jefferson’s bible ends with these verses: “Now, in the place where He was crucified, there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulcher/or tomb; wherein was never man yet laid. There laid they Jesus. And rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb, and departed.”

^{Above quotes and material adapted from Thomas Jefferson, The Jefferson Bible (Beacon Press, reprint: 1989)}

The end. That’s it – Jesus is dead and buried. End of story.

Six years after finishing his bible, Thomas Jefferson died. And unless he changed his mind at the last moment, he soon discovered that the Creator God was in fact the Son of God – “For by Him (Jesus Christ) all things were created in heaven and on earth” (Colossians 1:18).

The Son of God was the voice – the Word – speaking creation into existence.

How tragic to discover that truth, too late.

But I gotta add, it was tragic to learn that several decades after Jefferson’s death, the United States government decided to print 9,000 copies of Jefferson’s Bible, and for the next 190 years – up until 2010 – they gave every incoming United States senator a free copy.

A bible that denied the deity of Christ, and ends with His tomb.

There is no doubt that the deity and resurrection of Christ would be the most hotly debated topics over the past 2,000 years.

Which is one of the reasons why God’s Spirit made sure all four gospels, and every New Testament writer refers to the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

God the Father planned that at least 5 people were visited by angels at that tomb, announcing that Jesus had risen from the dead.

Let’s go back to this miraculous scene – to the garden tomb, and take a closer look at some of these witnesses – Luke chapter 24.

First, you have the witness of several faithful women.

We noticed them in our last study, but Luke is careful to give us some of their names.

They weren’t afraid to come forward, in fact, for years to come, they would be asked about what they literally saw that day.

Luke writes here in verse 10:

Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. Luke 24:10-11

Now if we put the gospel clues together and form a chronology of events – it’s gonna look like everything is spinning into fast motion – and it should, given the stunning news of an empty tomb.

• Early in the morning, Mary Magdalene and these other women head to the tomb with their spices to anoint the body of Jesus.

• Mary Magdalene evidently runs ahead of them. She arrives and sees the stone rolled away and tomb empty and races back to tell Peter and John.

• The other women arrive and they also see the stone rolled away, but then two angels dressed like brilliant lightning appear and inform them that Jesus has risen from the dead.

• They run back to the tell the apostles, who don’t believe them.

• In the meantime, Mary Magdalene has told Peter and John and the three of them race back to the tomb.

• Peter and John outrun Mary, as we’ll discuss in a moment, and then head back to their homes.

• Mary reaches the tomb after Peter and John have left, and by the time she arrives back at the tomb, everyone’s gone and she begins to weep in despair.

^{A detailed chronology is provided by John Phillips, Exploring the Gospel of John (Kregel, 1989), p. 376}

Now let’s slow the camera back down.

Back in Luke chapter 8, Luke mentions some of these women who traveled with the disciples – financing the disciples with their own money.

Several women were related to the disciples, and others were wealthy women who gave what they had to Jesus to finance their travels.

Here in Luke 24 and verse 10, Luke mentions Joanna. Earlier in chapter 8, Luke tells us that:

Joanna [was] the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household manager. Luke 8:3a

This would have been Herod Antipas, the son of Herod the Great—Chuza was a high-ranking member of King Herod’s court. (Source: ^{David E. Garland, Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament: Luke (Zondervan, 2011), 342. )}

He’s in the inner circle of political power. This would have provided a wonderful testimony to the secular, politically connected world. We don’t know the details, but we do know that Joanna would have been a surprising disciple.

We don’t know if Chuza had become a believer, but the implication of her travels with Jesus, and the money she spent on supporting Him certainly indicates his cooperation.

Luke is effectively telling us that the gospel of Christ has reached into the upper echelon of society.

Chuza is in charge of managing the financial portfolio of Herod.

In this world, he was like a Nehemiah, serving as the confidant/the cup bearer to the king.

Chuza and Joanna rubbed shoulders with the movers and shakers in this world. They would have had to be diplomatic, wise, yet courageous as followers of Christ.

Herod was no friend of the gospel.

Luke is no doubt was encouraging the high-ranking official named Theophilus, to whom this gospel account was written (Luke 1:3); he’s encouraging Theophilus with the news that he isn’t the only believer up there in the top echelons of the rich and powerful and famous.

“Theophilus, there are other disciples in high places – you’re not alone.”

To this day, the Lord’s followers are found in unexpected places of power and influence.

Joanna and her husband were among them; she would have been a cultured, refined, poised, sophisticated woman who knew her way around the palace grounds.

You would want to sit next to her at a formal banquet – so you’d know what to do with 5 forks and 3 spoons and two knives – where do you start first?

I’ve been told that you start from the outside and work your way in – and if you run out by dessert, use your fingers. I made that up.

By the way, somebody did give me a great tip. If you hold your fingers up like this, you create a b & d – the b points to your bread plate, and the d points top your drink. Now you known – that was worth coming to church for.

Now in case anybody wondered, being a disciple of Jesus is not reserved for the cultured or talented, or well connected.

You couldn’t have added to this circle of close friends, a woman who would’ve been more different – the exact opposite – of Joanna. She’s known as Mary Magdalene.

We’ll look at her in a moment, because if you remember, Mary had quickly left the tomb and run back to tell Peter and John that it’s empty.

Now Luke mentions only Peter going to check out Mary’s story, but John’s gospel mentions them both Peter and John, so let’s focus on John’s detailed account.

The Witness of Peter and John

We’ll call these two men the second witnesses to something miraculous.

John is writing now at chapter 20 and verse 1.

Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. (literally, carried away – picked up out of the groove and tossed aside) So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, [that’s John] and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. John 20:1-4

And if this was my 3-year old granddaughter Lily, she’d stop and say, “I won – I won – I won” – with all humility.

Peter wasn’t happy about it, I’m sure – verse 5:

And stooping to look in, he [John] saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. John 20:5

So here’s how it develops. John wins the race, but just stoops down to peer into the cave/tomb.

He sees the linen cloths; the Greek word (parakuyoV) refers to looking with curiosity – he’s intrigued – he’s surprised by what he’s seeing.

Remember, Mary Magdalene had simply said “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb”.

But John sees the linen cloths lying there – “lying there” in the middle voice means, “lying there outstretched”. You could render it, “lying there undisturbed . . . that is, “lying there still in their folds”.

So get this: the shape of the Lord’s body is evident – the folds of all those linen wrappings had hardened over the weekend, but now there was no body inside.

One author writes – “you have this strange appearance of hollow linen wrappings still in the shape of a body suggesting it had vanished from within, leaving a sort of undisturbed cocoon shell.” (Source: ^{Charles R. Swindoll, Insights on Luke (Zondervan, 2012), p. 516)}

While John is standing there mystified – Peter arrives – huffing and puffing – not happy he came in second – he pushes past John – verse 6:

Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. [he just goes right in] He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. John 20:6-7

The word used earlier for John seeing this scene was to see with curiosity.

But this word here for Peter seeing is a different word (qeorew) - which gives us our word “to theorize – to mentally consider”; in other words, Peter’s trying to figure it out”.

Now why were they both immediately mystified? Because this was something they would have never seen before or after.

This was a stunning sight.

All these linen wrappings,

• lying where the body had been laid –
• only the body is missing –
• the linen wrappings are undisturbed –
• they are still in place –
• probably, somewhat slightly caved in at the chest area.

And it doesn’t look like anybody was in a hurry because they took the time to fold the headpiece – that separate face cloth.

In these days, this cloth was wrapped around the head and tied under the jaw to keep it from sagging open – it was neatly folded in place.

This body wasn’t stolen. It hadn’t been taken away by grave robbers.

This body has vaporized into thin air.

Now with that John pushes his way back in and evidently tells Peter to make room in there – verse 8:Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed. John 20:8

This verb – to see – is now a different word – oraw - which means “to see with discernment; to be persuaded by what is seen”.

Now they still don’t understand how or when, but John believes what had happened – he believes that Jesus is alive.

By the way, what do you see when you encounter this eyewitness account of the tomb that isn’t actually – completely – empty? Something’s been left in there!

These early witnesses give us the full range of responses – from unbelief, to fear, to amazement, to curiosity, to coming up with theories.

What’s your theory? How do you view the tomb of Christ today? What do you think of the gospel accounts? 

Now keep in mind that if you are a disciple of Christ today – if you are a witness to something miraculous, you’re not responsible for the responses of people – you just get the word out.

And we know that the power of God is inherent in the gospel of Christ –

Don’t be ashamed to spread the gospel – for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes (Romans 1:16).

Yesterday I read the news that a group of Christian university students spent all night writing in chalk out on their campus. It wasn’t permanent – it was in chalk, so the rain will eventually wash it away – but for a few days it’s there.

They spent all night writing on a sidewalk at Western Kentucky University all 21 chapters of the gospel of John.

They used different colors to creatively write out the entire gospel narrative – all 879 verses – it took 2 miles of sidewalk.

They wanted to evangelize students who might stop and read a passage or two – or perhaps walk the entire 2 miles.

God knows how He will use the truth that’s now out in the open.

Let me tell you, Satan doesn’t like this at all. He isn’t gonna take this sitting down. Especially on a university campus.

He knows the gospel of Christ spells his defeat – and he knows his time is short – and he’s already lost.

So he’s constantly deceiving and distracting the world of darkness away from the light of the gospel of Christ – “Here, read the Jefferson Bible – why don’t you give one to every incoming senator for the next 190 years . . . maybe that’ll distract them.”

I think of the 2^nd century Gnostic document discovered in Egypt called the Gospel of Judas. It defames the Lord and rewrites the narrative so that Judas is given secret instructions from Jesus; Jesus wants to die so that He can escape His physical body and go to the realm of the divine.

Judas is the only disciple who understands Jesus is just a man who wants to become a god, and Judas helps Jesus – Judas becomes the hero, not the villain.

This document was relatively ignored as an obvious attack on Christianity until this century. And let me tell you, in the last 15 years everybody is praising it – affirming it – from the National Geographic Society, Time Magazine, Newsweek, Biblical Archaeology Review, The Smithsonian Magazine, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, The UK Times, and one tabloid after another, have trumpeted the wonderful insights and secrets uncovered from the Gospel According to Judas.

Some time ago, I was asked by the News and Observer to give my opinion on it. I was happy to do that. I wrote back that people who want to believe the gospel of Judas instead of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, they certainly have that right, but with that right comes an incredible risk.

I wrote – “If I am wrong, and Jesus is a man and Judas is the hero I have nothing to lose – my eternal destiny is not gonna be any different than it was. But if those who believe the gospel of Judas are wrong, they have everything to lose – the risk is heaven or hell.”

My quote didn’t make it into the newspaper.

Now there’s a third witness to something miraculous. 

The Witness of Mary Magdalene

Just after Peter and John leave the tomb, Mary Magdalene finally makes it back – all out of breath.

The other women had come and gone. The soldiers are gone. The angel isn’t sitting out there on the rock anymore. Peter and John are gone.

This tomb has been like Grand Central Station

Mary thinks she’s here alone.

And John writes in chapter 20 that:

Mary stood weeping outside the tomb . . . John 20:11

She stands here weeping.

The word for weep is the same word used of Lazarus’ sister who runs out to meet Jesus who had arrived too late to help her brother – or so she thought.

She’s weeping. The verb literally means “to wail”. (Source: ^{Phillips, p. 377)}

This is unrestrained grief.

Now Luke’s gospel introduced us to Mary back in chapter 8. We were told that seven demons had been driven from her by the Lord.

She had grown up in Magdala, a fishing village on the coast of the Sea of Galilee, near Capernaum, where Jesus spent much of His ministry.

We don’t know how long she was demonized. There’s no reference to family or friends.

With demonization came physical and emotional disorders – like the demon possessed man delivered by Jesus, he was deranged, living out in a cemetery before being delivered.

We’re not told when Jesus met her, how old she was, or how He delivered her, but what we do know is that she had been hopeless, and virtually helpless –

But now she has been forgiven and freed from her past – invited to join this traveling band of disciples . . . we also know from Luke that Mary Magdalene helped anyway she could, alongside the other women.

• Luke is telling us that the gospel of Christ can reach into unexpected homes, such as Joanna’s upper-class world of the rich and powerful.

• Luke is also reminding us that the gospel of Christ can reach into unexpected hearts, like Mary’s, and teach us that a dark past doesn’t hinder the power of God in giving someone a bright future.

But now here, as far as Mary is concerned she is hopeless and helpless again – she stands here sobbing – wailing – weeping in grief.

John writes in verse 11:

And as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” John 20:11b-13

In other words, “Can you give me directions so I can find the body of Jesus?”

Two things strike me here – first, she told the disciples earlier in verse 2, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb.” 

Here she tells the angels, “They have taken away my Lord…”

I love that – this is an amazing statement of faith!

She was limited in her perception, but in her thinking, Jesus was dead, but Jesus was still her Lord. (Source: ^{Allen Blair, John: Devotional Studies on Living Eternally (Glad Tidings, 1992), p. 301)}

The second thing that strikes me is that she’s taking to angels. John writes they are sitting in the tomb – we know from other passages, that these angels aren’t just wearing white choir robes – they appear as bright as lightning – emanating light that had earlier caused Roman soldiers to be paralyzed with fear.

And she doesn’t even seem to notice she’s carrying on a conversation with angels.

Like Balaam who started a conversation with his donkey – your donkey’s talking to you, that oughtta be a sign.

Lightning bright angels are talking to Mary – and she’s asking for directions.

The angels never answer her – no doubt because they see the Lord now standing behind her. Either Mary heard footsteps or sensed someone was behind her – (Source: ^Ibid)

– Because John writes in verse 14:

Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. John 20:14

Let me just say that Jesus looked a lot different than the last time she saw Him on the cross. Or perhaps her tears were getting in the way – whatever the reason, she thought he was the gardener.

But then Jesus calls her by name – Mary – and she recognizes his voice and calls Him Master.

She evidently falls at His feet, it’s possible she hugged Him tightly.

He tells her to stop clinging to Him – there’s work to do – He gives her this assignment – go be a witness to something miraculous.

I find it interesting that after Jesus rose from the dead, He and didn’t march into the court of the Sanhedrin – the Supreme Court – and call them all hypocrites who refused to see the truth.

He had already told them that they were:

• blind guides leading the blind (Matthew 15:14)
• You see, but you never perceive.” (Matthew 13:13)

Jesus had nothing to say to them.

He didn’t march into Pilate’s palace and give him a tongue lashing for political cowardice – “You let an innocent man be put to death!”

He didn’t go into the center of Jerusalem and should, “You rejected the true Messiah – you crucified Me, but I have risen from the dead.”

He didn’t do that either

He doesn’t do that to this day

He doesn’t scoff at the scoffers

• He just meets a faithful woman He’d rescued from a dark past;
• a demon possessed woman without a family or wealth or connections;
• but a woman forgiven of her sins;
• He calls her by name and tells her go and tell the others.

Like you and me today – we are witnesses of God’s forgiveness. We are personal testimonies of purpose in life, we’ve been freed from the prince of darkness.

And for Mary –

• what better person to spread the news –
• what better person to be a witness to something miraculous –
• that the Prince of Peace is alive –
• and the age of grace has begun.