In this sermon, we looked at the eternal significance of the resurrection of Jesus. In John 20:1-18, we see Mary Magdalene go to Jesus' tomb on the third day following His death. She didn’t go to see if He had resurrected but to make sure He had been properly buried. Upon seeing the empty tomb, she thought that the tragedy of Jesus’ death was now followed by the additional tragedy of His body being stolen. She quickly went to get Peter and John, who ran into the tomb to see for themselves. John immediately believed in the resurrection but Mary wasn’t convinced; it took hearing Jesus say her name for Mary to believe. Believing in the resurrection is an essential truth of the Christian faith. Each of us must wrestle with the reality of the resurrection and decide whether or not we believe. John makes it abundantly clear that he wrote this Gospel believing that reading it would allow you to see Jesus as the Messiah who died on the cross and resurrected from the dead and that, by believing, you would have abundant and eternal life in Jesus.
