“Seeing...and Then Seeing!”

He is risen, and I'll answer for you, He is risen indeed. Thank the Lord on this Resurrection Sunday that we serve a living and risen Savior. I trust your Easter Sunday, your Resurrection Sunday has already started well, and looking forward to a blessing as we focus our attention on our Lord, His resurrection from the tomb, and all that accomplished in our lives here 2 ,000 years later.

Resurrection Sunday Announcements and Church Updates

Before we begin the service itself, just a few announcements to share with you. This afternoon, after the service today, there will be a devotional booklet available that you can actually access it on the church website and you go to the tab that says articles, devotions, and the latest devotions that shows up will be meditations for Resurrection Sunday.

It's got quite a number of really good devotional thoughts interspersed with some YouTube videos of Easter music, and I think it'll be a great blessing to you. So don't go there now and look for that, wait till after the service this morning, and that'll be available on the website from here on out, but anytime today would be a good time to just get away, shut everything else out, and reflect on the resurrection.

Then of course, Wednesday night, we'll be back for our seven o 'clock prayer and Bible study time, seven to about 7 .30. I encourage you to join in on that. Then each day at noon, I'll still be doing the daily devotionals during the weekday.

The weekdays, fair warning, tomorrow's video at noon is going to be a pre-recorded video. I have a scheduled conflict and can't do that live tomorrow, but that'll be available, and I believe it'll only be available on Facebook at noon.

It'll show up on the church website later. Many have been very, very faithful and gracious in giving in offerings, and that's been greatly appreciated. Many have used the online giving option, and that's been very helpful, and thank you for your faithfulness in giving.

Others have mailed your gifts, contributions in, and likewise, we're most grateful for that. Others are waiting until we gather again together and put your offering in the offering plate, and that's perfectly fine.

Thank the Lord he has provided for our church ministry sufficiently to get us through this time that we're not in any dire straits, and we're grateful for that. Another testimony that we serve a living Savior who cares for his own through difficult times.

The Hope of Resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15

Well, let me read as we begin our worship service time together this morning, 1 Corinthians 15 verses 19 -21. The Apostle Paul writes, if in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.

But now is Christ risen from the dead and become the first fruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection from the dead. We are grateful today that our hope is not limited to this life.

That the course of the service this morning, I want to read John chapter 20. The other day, Thursday evening in our Maundy Thursday service, we ended with Joseph of Arimathea, the rich man taking the Lord Jesus' body and placing it in his own tomb, and today we read that that body did not stay in the tomb.

I want to read first of all verses 1 -10, and we'll read other portions through the service. John 20 verse 1 says, the first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark under the sepulcher, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulcher.

Then she runneth and cometh to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, they have taken away the Lord out of the sepulcher, and we know not where they have laid him.

Peter therefore went forth and that other disciple and came to the sepulcher. They ran both together, and the other disciple did outrun Peter and came first to the sepulcher, and he stooping down and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying, yet went he not in.

Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulcher, and seeth the linen clothes lie, and the napkin that was about his head, not lying with the linen cloths, but wrapped together in a place by itself.

Then went in also that other disciple which came first to the sepulcher, and he saw and believed. For as yet they knew not the scripture that he must rise again from the dead. Then the disciples went away again unto their own home.

I want to begin with a hymn this morning. I'll read you the text to it as Kelly. I appreciate Kelly's help again this week. She plays the tune in the background. The hymn is entitled, Good Christians, Now Rejoice and Sing.

Good Christians, now rejoice and sing. Come, see the triumph of our King. To all the world glad news we bring. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia. The Lord of life is risen today. Death's mighty stone is rolled away.

Let every tongue rejoice and say, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia. Thy name we bless, O risen Lord, and sing today with one accord. The life laid down is now restored. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia. Pray together.

So our Father this morning, we do cry out, Alleluia, praise to our risen living Savior. Meet with us together as we gather in this most unique and unusual way, around your word and around the thoughts of hymns that remind us of our risen Lord.

This we pray in Jesus' name. For our psalm reading today, I would like to read Psalm 16, a portion of the psalm and it's a psalm that is one of the prophetic passages regarding the Lord's resurrection.

Psalm 16. The psalmist writes, preserve me, O God, for in thee do I put my trust. O my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord, thou art my Lord, my goodness extendeth not to thee. As for the saints that are in the earth, they are the excellent ones in whom is all my delight.

Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another God. Their drink offerings of blood will I not offer, nor take up their names into my lips. The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup.

Thou maintainest my lot. The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places. Yea, I have a goodly heritage. I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel. My reigns also instruct me in the night seasons.

I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad and my glory rejoiceth. My flesh also shall rest in hope. For thou will not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine holy one to see corruption.

Thou wilt show me the path of life. In thy presence is fullness of joy. At thy right hand there are pleasures forevermore. Christ arose from the dead is a resurrection hymn that was written just a few years ago.

We want to share that together this morning. Christ arose from the dead. Death laid the Savior low, sinners to justify. Christ slew the ancient foe and he lives no more to die. Bow to the conquering King, God's own begotten Son.

Death, where is now thy sting? God's redeeming work is done. Gone is the hopeless gloom, vacant the stony bed. No more a conquering tomb, Christ is risen from the dead. Christ arose from the dead, praise his matchless glory.

Christ arose as he said, tell the wondrous story. Christ arose, shout and sing, Jesus faileth never. Christ arose as the King and he lives forevermore. As we pray together this morning, we are grateful that we can pray to our Heavenly Father through our living eternal High Priest.

We come to the Father through the Son in his name today. And our missionary of the week this week are the Barillas, missionaries to Cameroon. And as you're probably aware, they are in the States on furlough and actually a delayed furlough, an extended furlough, especially for Mark.

He was intending to be back in Cameroon right now, but because of the virus crisis and all the restrictions on travel, still in the States awaiting an opportunity to return to the field. So we wanna pray for them in this time of constraint and restraint and pray also for the stability of the ministry there in Cameroon, because the country there is under the same kind of restrictions and limitations as we are.

And in some of those countries like Cameroon, they don't have the technology available that we might have so that they can even gather virtually. So I wanna pray for that ministry. And then also a couple other prayer requests to pass along.

A friend of one of the church members, church families, is having a, I believe it's a quadruple bypass surgery tomorrow, so pray for, we'll call him Jay. And also pray for his wife, because in these strange times, even with such a serious concerning surgery, she's not allowed to be at the hospital with him as he undergoes this surgery.

So you wanna pray for that couple. And then a word of rejoicing and praise, as well as continued prayer. We've been praying for little baby Hendricks for quite some time. He's now nine months old and is doing very well.

And just saw a post from his mom. And just thank the Lord for how God has graciously spared this little boy's life. And thankful for Hendricks and for the blessing that this is to his parents, as well as his grandmother as a member or part of our church family.

So I wanna pray for Hendricks' continued healing and strength. Let's look to the Lord in prayer today, shall we? Our Heavenly Father and our God, we are grateful and thankful for all that you have done for us.

We're thankful for a risen Savior. We're thankful for His intercession in our behalf right now. Because He lives, He ever lives to intercede for us. We praise you and thank you for answers to prayer as well, for Hendricks and the health and strength that you've given to this little boy.

We thank you for your faithfulness to provide for us, even in these times of difficulty and uncertainty. We thank you for the encouragement that your word gives to us. And I thank you for the hope that is ours in Christ Jesus.

And that He is the focus and the foundation of all that we hope. Father, thank you for your goodness and graciousness to us. And yet, Father, we also would come to you confessing today our own failings, our own sinfulness, our fearfulness, our anxiety, where we hear the news of the day, we hear the prospects of the future.

And we, in our flesh, become so anxious and we become so fearful. And I pray that you would forgive us for every incident and every moment. And when we have taken our eyes off of you and we have put our focus and attention on the uncertainty of the world and allowed that to control our responses.

We also confess to you, Father, that we have not, you have given us great opportunities in this time of measured isolation. Yet we have not always used those hours and moments in the best way possible.

We haven't redeemed the time. I pray that you would forgive us even of this and help us, Father, to make good use of these days and the hours. Some of us, that means getting extra rest. It means restarting some of those spiritual disciplines that we have neglected for so long.

I pray that you would use this time in our lives to draw us closer to you. And may our walk with you become more faithful and deepen in our trust in you as well. We do pray for the Barillas today. We pray that you would encourage them in this time of waiting to get back to the field.

We pray for the ministry in Cameroon that you would give it stability and that when they have the freedom to assemble together again, they, like so many of us, will gather with joyfulness and thanksgiving for the opportunity to gather again.

We do pray also, Father, for Jay and his wife, the surgery tomorrow. We pray that you would guide the hand of the surgeons and I pray that the surgery would be successful, that you would spare this man's life and that he would come through this surgery well and would heal quickly.

And I pray also for his wife, give her a peace of mind as she trusts in you through this time. We pray, Father, for Hendricks, continue to strengthen his little body. Thank you for all that you have done in your grace in his behalf.

Father, there are some in our area, in our county, that are suffering from this COVID virus. I pray that you would grant them healing, restore their bodies to health. Father, I pray for those in our church family and in our community that are suffering some financial setbacks because of the restrictions, the stay-at-home restrictions, the struggles of some of our local businesses and companies that cannot function right now.

I pray that you would sustain these in your common grace to those businesses. May they continue and carry on. And I pray that in your grace and your promise to your people that you would continue to provide our needs and supply each one.

Some of us have been unaffected in negative ways, materially, through this time. I pray that we would have a heart to share with those in need. Continue, Father, to protect our bodies from illness, protect our hearts from a restless anxiety, from an unnecessary, needless fear.

And I pray that we would not waste and fritter away our time with obsession over all that is coming across in the media, be it the television, the internet, or whatever. Help us to keep our perspective.

We pray that you would guide our lawmakers, our policymakers, those in authority over us. Father, there are many who have overstepped their bounds of their legal authority, and I pray that you would remind them in some very strong and forceful ways that they have done so.

I pray that those who are really mostly concerned about the welfare of people would have wisdom to know what decisions to be made for that welfare. In all of this, Father, we continue to pray that your truth would triumph, that your righteousness would reign, that your justice would prevail, that your kingdom would come, and that your will would be done.

And this we pray in Jesus' name. Let me continue reading in John chapter 11, verses 11 through 18. It says, but Mary stood without at the sepulcher weeping, and as she wept, she stooped down and looked into the sepulcher, and seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.

And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him. And when she had thus said, she turned herself back and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.

Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? Whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.

Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself and saith unto him, Rabboni, which is to say, Master. Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not, for I am not yet ascended to my Father, but go to my brethren and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God.

Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her. Christ the Lord is risen today, is a hymn that we love to sing on Resurrection Sunday.

Christ the Lord is risen today, hallelujah. Sons of men and angels say, hallelujah. Raise your joys and triumphs high, sing ye heavens and earth reply, hallelujah. Lives again our glorious King, hallelujah.

Where, O death, is now thy sting? Once he died our souls to save, where thy victory, O grave, hallelujah. Love's redeeming work is done, hallelujah. Fought the fight, the battle won. Death in vain forbids his rise.

Christ hath opened paradise, hallelujah. So are we now where Christ hath led, hallelujah. Following our exalted head, made like him, like him we rise. Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, hallelujah.

The Risen Christ Appears to the Disciples and Thomas

I'm gonna finish off this chapter, John chapter 20, beginning in verse 19. Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut, where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst and saith unto them, peace be unto you.

And when he had so said, he showed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad when they saw the Lord. Then said Jesus unto them again, peace be unto you, as my father hath sent me, even so send I you.

And when he had said this, he breathed on them and saith unto them, receive ye the Holy Ghost, whose so ever sins you remit, they are remitted unto them, and whose so ever sins you retain, they are retained.

But Thomas, one of the 12, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto him, we have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails and put my finger into the print of the nails and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.

And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them. Then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst and said, peace be unto you. Then he saith unto Thomas, reach hither thy finger and behold my hands, and reach hither thy hand and thrust it into my side, and be not faithless, but believing.

Thomas answered and said unto him, my Lord and my God. Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed. Blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed. And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book.

But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. And that believing, ye might have life through his name. A brief prayer. Our Father and our God, bless I pray this passage to our hearts this morning, as we consider the importance of seeing that we might believe.

We pray in Jesus' name. So the other day, our dog, Berkeley, was out in the back by the patio sniffing around, and I'm watching him and I'm seeing what he's doing, and he's just kind of following. It's like he's got his nose to the ground and kind of following along something.

So I went over to where he was and I'm looking around and I didn't see anything. I didn't see anything at all. So I couldn't quite figure out what had attracted his attention. Well, the next day I was outside right in that same area, and all of a sudden I saw a mouse scurrying from the flower bed to the patio wall, the block wall that we have there by the patio, and the mouse scurried into a crack in the wall.

I looked down there and I couldn't see him, but I did see. At that point, I saw what Berkeley was after. I understood, I could perceive. So it was in so seeing that I understood exactly what was so interesting to the dog.

Notice the different levels of seeing. You can just simply look at something and see it. And then you can look at that same thing and ponder it, consider it, contemplate it. And then finally, there is a looking, a seeing, contemplating that understands, that has some clarity as to what exactly you're seeing.

And one of the interesting things about John's account of Resurrection Sunday is his emphasis on seeing. I don't know if you noticed that as we read through chapter 20. It might be an interesting thing to go back through the chapter and circle every occasion where you see the word seeing or the word behold, a reference to seeing.

But in these passages, we discover that there are three different ways that people see and then believe. Three different ways people see and then believe. And undoubtedly, everyone who's listening to my voice today is in one of those three groups.

But when it comes to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ from that garden tomb, you need to be in the third group. So what are these groups? How is it that people see and then believe? Well, the first group in verses one to 10 are people who see the evidence.

And when they see the tangible, physical evidence, then that convinces them. And there is, as this chapter opens up, as this passage opens up, there are some monumental evidences of the resurrection. Right at the very beginning, Mary Magdalene comes to the tomb and she sees that the stone is taken away.

And there are a couple of different Greek words that are translated see in this passage. And three of them, four of them actually, to be exact. And the word that's translated see here simply means that she observed it, she saw it.

She saw that the stone was rolled away. So one of the physical evidences is there's a moved stone. And then the last part of verse two, what Mary also sees is that that tomb where the stone had been rolled away is empty.

She, seeing that the stone was rolled away, she came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple, which is John, and she says, they have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre. So she looked into that tomb, that sepulchre, and she saw that it was empty.

It was an empty tomb. Now, what is the conclusion so far? The conclusion thus far is that the corpse has been moved. They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre. But then a third evidence is that the body is actually missing.

And that goes right along with what I just said, but she also says at the end of verse two, we know not where they have laid him. So it's not just the fact that the body is not in the tomb. Mary says, we don't know where that body is.

There's a missing body here. So let's review our evidences so far. We have a moved stone, we have an empty tomb, and we have a missing body. Ah, but there's more. As Peter and John hear this message that the tomb is empty, the body is gone, and it is missing, they run to the tomb to see for themselves.

And when they arrive at the tomb, we read in verse five that Peter, or John, stooping down and looking in, he saw again, just a notice, just an observation, he just looked at, he looked in there and he saw, but what did he see?

He saw these linen cloths lying there. He didn't go in to do any more than that. He just looked in the tomb and he saw that there on the shelf in that stone, carved out stone tomb, sepulchre, was this pile of the linen cloths that were there where Jesus had laid.

So the grave clothes were left behind. And then there's even more. In verses six and seven, Peter, following right behind John, he arrives at the tomb, and he's not so reticent to go into the tomb. He goes right on into the tomb, and he not only sees the linen cloths lying there, verse seven says he also sees the napkin that was about Jesus' head, and it wasn't lying with the linen cloths, it was placed somewhere else.

It was wrapped together in a place by itself. Now the interesting thing is that the word that we see translated in verse six, that Peter went into the sepulchre and sees the linen cloths lie, is a different word.

And it doesn't mean that he just noticed or observed. It means that he contemplated, he's thinking about, he's pondering what he's seeing. As if he's saying to himself, what is the meaning of this? What could this possibly mean?

So here are these different physical evidences of the resurrection, a moved stone, an empty tomb, a missing body, grave cloths that are left behind, and grave clothes that are strangely positioned there in that tomb.

Well all of this leads John to an inescapable conclusion that he reaches in verse eight. So verse eight says, John went in also, and he had come first to the sepulchre, and it says, when he saw, he believed.

When he saw, he believed. He came to the point of understanding. Just like the other day when I was outside and I was same spot where Berkeley had been the day before, and all of a sudden I saw this mouse running across the patio and launching into a crack in the wall.

I saw and understood. John saw and understood. He reached this inescapable conclusion. But verse nine tells us that he reached that inescapable conclusion in spite of ignorance. Verse nine says, for as yet they knew not the scripture that he must rise again from the dead.

So he came to this conclusion, but he didn't even realize that the Old Testament prophecies had anticipated that Jesus, the Messiah, would die and would rise from the dead. We read earlier together Psalm 16 and in verse 10.

It's one of those cryptic prophecies. It was a mystery at the time, but now the mystery is cleared up. Psalm 16, 10 says, thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither will you allow your Holy One to see corruption.

So even though John didn't know those prophecies, didn't understand those prophecies at the time, he came to this inescapable conclusion. He also came to this conclusion in spite of his own, shall we call it skepticism.

What I mean by that is that earlier, probably a good week and a half earlier from now, from this point in time, Resurrection Sunday, Jesus promised that he would rise again. Remember this? We read of it in Matthew 20, verses 17 and following, and it says, as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the 12 disciples aside and on the way, he said to them, see, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified.

Let's pause there for a minute. All of that has actually come to pass. Now think about this. The disciples heard Jesus tell that this was coming, tell them that this was coming, and there on Good Friday afternoon, almost evening time, they watched this whole scene before them as exactly what Jesus told them was going to come to pass, that he would be crucified, and he was.

But Jesus, when he told them that this was going to happen, he also told them he will be raised on the third day. He promised that he would rise again from the tomb, that there would be a resurrection, and yet they obviously didn't expect it.

I mean, if you expected the resurrection to take place, if you knew that that promise, that prophecy, if you will, was just as firm and just as sure and certain as was the prophecy that he would be crucified, and you saw that prophecy fulfilled right before your very eyes, where would you be on this resurrection morning?

Would you be holed up in a upper room somewhere? Or would you be there at that tomb waiting for the ground to shake, waiting for the earth to split open, the rock to split open, and for Jesus to rise from the dead?

Where would you be? And yet, they weren't there. So they obviously didn't expect that resurrection. But John apparently had reached that conclusion upon the investigation of the evidence. It was overwhelming to him.

Verse eight, again, says he saw and believed. Follow the process here. There was, in verse five, an initial look, looked into the tomb and saw the grave close. Then there was careful observation and consideration.

He sees the linen cloths lying there, sees, ponders, contemplates. And then, finally, there is the perception of intelligent comprehension. He saw and he believed. This was his aha moment, if you will.

Reminds me of when I was a child on vacation one year, we went down to the Ozarks and went to Eureka Springs in Arkansas. And while we were there, we went to a house that was made all out of stones that were, they were really different kinds of stones.

It wasn't like just your typical stone house. These were like almost semi-precious kind of stones, quartz and so forth. And they built this whole house out of that. And in that house, there was a museum, if you will, showing the different kinds of rocks and stones.

And then, of course, there was a gift shop, always the obligatory gift shop. And in this gift shop, I'm fascinated. My little eight-year-old eyes are wide, looking at all these stones, and I want all of them.

But my eyes fixated on this nice big chunk of gold. I mean, it was probably the size of a quarter. And the price on that little piece of gold was unbelievably inexpensive. I couldn't believe it, a quarter.

I could afford this. I said to my dad, dad, look, gold. I can get this piece of gold for a quarter. I saw a piece of gold. My dad said, son, that's not really gold. That's called pyrite. It's called fool's gold because it kind of looks like gold.

But if you will examine it carefully, look next to a real piece of gold, you will see that it's not gold. And then I had my aha moment. I came to understand. John had his aha moment. He saw the evidence, and he believed.

Some are like that. Are you in that category of people who says, if I can't see the evidence, I'm not gonna believe it? Well, there's another group. There are some who believe only after they see the real thing, the real deal.

The Cautious, Fearful, and Doubtful Who Believe Only After Seeing the Real Thing

And this really comprises verses 11 to 28, the majority of this text. And I want you to notice there are three different kinds of people that are represented here with these individuals. Some are like Mary.

Read of Mary in verses 11 through 18, who is careful. She's careful in her reticence to believe. Look at the caution that she expresses in verses 11 to 15. She sees a couple of angels. And it's that same word that means she ponders and contemplates.

She sees these two angels. She ponders, who are these men sitting in this tomb, one at one end and one at the other of the shelf where Jesus' body was lying? What are they doing here, she's wondering in verse 12.

And they ask her, what are you weeping for? Why are you crying? And she expresses a cautious, unchanged conclusion. Remember her conclusion when she went to the disciples? They have taken away our Lord's body and I don't know where they have put it.

And she says essentially the same thing here. She says to them in verse 13, because they have taken away my Lord and I know not where they have laid him. It's the same cautious, unchanged conclusion. Disappear from sight and she turns herself around and she sees Jesus, not knowing it was Jesus, sees him standing there in verse 14.

She sees him. Again, she's contemplating, what's the gardener doing out here so early in the morning? What is he here to tend the garden for at this hour of the morning? She sees Jesus standing there, doesn't realize who it was.

And Jesus asks her the same question as the angels. Why are you crying? Whom are you seeking? And again, she expresses her cautious, unchanged conclusion. Sir, if you've taken the body away, if you've taken him away, tell me where you have laid him and I will take him away.

He's essentially saying the same thing. Somebody has taken the body of my Lord and I don't know where he is. If you've done it, would you please tell me and I'll take him and put him back in the tomb.

But then Jesus, in his grace and kindness and his compassion, he manifests himself to her. And she perceives, in verse 16. Look at how he does this. Look at how he does this. Jesus simply says to her, Mary.

You remember what Jesus said back in John chapter 10? What's happening here gives clear indication, it's clear evidence, if you will, that Mary is one of Jesus' children, one of his followers, one of his sheep.

Because in John chapter 10, Jesus says the sheep hear his voice, the voice of the good shepherd. And he calls his own sheep by name and he leads them out. And when he has brought out all his own, he goes before them and the sheep follow them, listen, because they know his voice.

And all Jesus has to do is with his voice, call her name, Mary. And she turns herself, startled, and says unto him, master, Rabboni, master, master. And as is the case in each of these three individuals who finally perceive who Jesus is, with the perception, Jesus follows with a command that then elicits a response.

And the command for her in verse 17 is go and tell what you have seen and heard. Don't hang on to me, he says, don't hang on to me, I haven't yet gone to my father and your God, but go and tell my brothers.

Did you catch that? Go and tell my brothers. Notice the relationship that Jesus, how now Jesus looks at his followers as his disciples. Go and tell my brothers what you have seen and what you have heard.

He issues to her that command, and this cautious believer responds with believing obedience. And she goes and testifies of the resurrection in verse 18. Mary Magdalene came and told that she had seen, and now she uses a different word that communicates a clear discernment.

She has clearly discerned the Lord, and she did what she was told to do. The cautious believer responds. Well, some who won't believe until they see the real thing are careful like Mary. And some, like the disciples, are fearful, with good reason, with good reason.

See in verse 19 that the disciples are, here on this first day of the week, resurrection Sunday, they were shut up in this upper room for fear of the Jews. Well, that is a reasonable and logical fear that they would have.

You think of the crucifixion climate of Jerusalem at this particular time. You think about the reasonable fear because they've heard the story of the missing body. They're afraid. Now there's this little ditty that goes something like, hey, look, just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean I don't have a reason to be.

Well, they're paranoid, and it's a reasonable fear that they have. But here comes Jesus again, and Jesus manifests his presence in his grace and his kindness and his compassion to his disciples, and he is perceived.

He appears to them suddenly in verse 19. All of a sudden, Jesus stood in the midst of them, and he offers to them this kind, reassuring word. There's no, initially, there's no, what's the matter with you guys?