Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

I grew up in the 1980s.

I still think of it as a great decade.

One of my favorite words to use when I was in those impressionable years was the word, “radical.”

“That’s rad man.”

It was one of the popular slang terms that we used along with “awesome”, “cool”, etc… As these things go, this particular word, “radical” left the popular vernacular.

It wasn’t in style anymore I guess.

People largely stopped using it and moved on to other means of expressing awesomeness.

But I remember several years later when I was in college.

I had been listening to a particular punk rock band a lot and I remember that their lead singer in an interview or at some point used the word, “rad”.

I was intrigued because remember, I liked it a lot.

So, I figured it was kind of punk rock and counter pop culture so I brought it back into my vocabulary.

You may still occasionally catch me saying it.

The thing is, we used that word, as many of the others, in ways that really didn’t match up with the definition of the word or at least not to the degree the true definition would go.

In using it in a common way, we were essentially redefining it.

But today I want to recapture the actual definition of the word “radical.”

According to dictionary.com, the first definition of radical is: (adjective) (especially of change or action) relating to or affecting the fundamental nature of something; far-reaching or thorough.

Example: A radical overhaul of an existing framework.

A radical event is an event that takes the normal or usual way a system works and upsets the apple cart…just flips it on it’s head.

IF something is truly radical, it instantly changes everything.

The single event in history that has brought about the most extreme change in the world is without a doubt, the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

In one instant on one morning, nothing would ever be the same again!

Let’s read about it in the book of John, chapter 9, beginning in verse 38.

Pray

My goal this morning is to break down the various scenes in the passage so we understand what is happening, pointing to the changes happening to people along the way, but then to point to the radical changes that have taken place because of the resurrection of Jesus and how it changed things for us as well.

Would you pray with me that we would see the Lord clearly in His Word this morning?

I. Jesus was buried.

Joseph of Arimathea - the text tells us he was a secret disciple of Jesus because he feared the Jews.

Scripture tells us that he was a member of the Sanhedrin.

He got permission from Pilate to take Jesus’s body after He was crucified.

Nicodemus came as well.

If you’ll remember John 3, Nicodemus had previously come to Jesus at night.

Now he comes to prepare Jesus’ body for burial.

These two men were putting their reputations on the line and outing themselves as followers of Jesus.

This seems to be a pretty big change for these two guys.

From secret follower to asking for Jesus’ body and preparing it for burial.

This was a costly burial.

They took the body to a garden tomb that no one had ever laid in.

Generally speaking, the wealthy were the only ones who could afford a new tomb.

This fulfills

So we see a change in the attitudes of these two men.

We see a change in the way Jesus was treated.

From hung on the cross and executed with common criminals and denied to being cared for and prepared for burial in a rich man’s tomb.

These are small changes.

They are aftershocks of the major happenings here.

II.

The resurrected Lord Jesus appears to His followers.

(v.1-10)

Mary Magdeline goes to the tomb and finds the stone rolled away.

She fears that someone has taken Jesus’ body.

She tells Peter and another disciple who we understand to be John who is writing this account.

These two guys head out for the tomb.

They were running together but the other disciple runs ahead of Peter and gets there first.

He stoops and looks in but waits for Peter before entering the tomb.

Peter arrives and enters the tomb first.

Note is made of the burial clothes.

Now you can find different ideas about what this means that have varied amounts of scholarship to them.

Let’s look at another resurrection recorded in scripture.

Let’s go back to John 11 when Jesus raised his friend Lazarus from the dead.

What I want you to pay attention to is that when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, he came out with the grave clothes still on.

But Jesus had left His grave clothes there in the tomb.

This is an interesting contrast.

Note in verse 44 of chapter 11.

Jesus told them to unwrap Lazarus.

Lazarus was raised by the power of God.

He was raised by Jesus.

So was Jesus.

Lazarus was unable to remove the garb of death from himself but Jesus was all powerful in the resurrection.

Remember that Jesus is sovereign over this entire event.

v. 8 (saw and believed)

v. 9 They didn’t understand the Scripture that He must rise from the dead

John doesn’t fully understand it but he believes.

You don’t have to know all of the answers to every question and you can still count the cost of following Jesus and believe that He is God, that He died in your place for your sins, and He is risen from the dead, and if you trust Him alone you will be saved.

You don’t have to have everything figured out first.

Yes, there are basic things about the gospel that you need to understand and be able to articulate.

I am very interested in doctrinal precision.

I think it’s important.

But when you are new to the faith, you shouldn’t think you have to know everything.

And here’s a little secret… the people who have been Christians for many years…they don’t know everything either.

They have learned more and experienced more over their years probably but if anyone tells you they have God completely figured out, you’re going to probably want to keep your distance from that guy.

So we must keep studying but we should believe and take God at His word even though we don’t know how it all works.

One pastor I served with said not to discount something just because you’re not smart enough to figure out how it works

Peter and John head back to where they were staying.

In the next section, verses 11-18, we are back with Mary and she’s out side the tomb crying. 2 angels appear and ask her why she’s crying.

She still thinks that someone has taken the body.

Then Jesus appears to her but she thinks he’s the gardener.

He asks her why she is crying and who she is seeking.

She wants to know where he has put the body.

Jesus says her name and she recognizes Him.

This reminded me of

She calls him Rabboni which we are told means, teacher.

Jesus gives her a mission.

He tells her to go tell His brothers, meaning the disciples.

Don’t remain complacent here.

Don’t just keep this but go and tell the others.

Even here, Jesus is sending someone out to spread the good news of the resurrection.

She obey’s and tells the others.

Again we transition scenes and the disciples have locked themselves up together because they are afraid of the Jews.

Makes sense.

The Jews killed their master, their teacher, and leader.