We're continuing to read through the Gospel of John. Today's reading is John 20:1-18.
Mary Magdalene, Peter and John were the emergency response team at the scene of a crisis. Something happened to Christ's body. Why wasn't it there?
Mary Magdalene was the hasty witness. She saw something but not everything. She was unafraid to assume: "They have taken the Lord. . . ." Who are "they"? Why assume "they" moved Him to another grave? The hasty witness is an empiricist: she wants all the facts neatly wrapped with a bow and won't consider the supernatural as an explanation.
John was the hesitant witness. He saw something more than Mary Magdalene. John hesitated to go in the tomb. He would've been defiled for seven days. Was it worth it to explore things further? John was torn between his heart and his head. So are many witnesses today. They remain in the "undecided" category.
Peter was the headstrong witness. "You stay outside if you want, but I'm going in to see things for myself!" What detailed evidence confronted Peter. The folded head cloth suggested intentionality, time, and confidence. This "thief" wasn't worried about getting caught. Wait! What if the thief was no thief? What if Jesus really was alive? Open-minded people carefully consider the evidence for the resurrection. If you believe the resurrection has no validity, is it evidence that convinced you or is it simply that you predetermined you won't believe no matter what?
Together, Peter and John represent the half witness. They both believed (Jn. 20:8) the right thing but for the wrong reason (Jn. 20:9). The best reason to believe the resurrection is not the evidence itself. The best reason to believe the resurrection is not tradition. No, the best reason to believe Jesus' resurrection is the record in God's Word: (1) Jesus predicted His resurrection, (2) the Old Testament also predicted it. To downplay the resurrection is to trivialize God's Word.
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