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Series Code: IIWSS
Program Code: IIWSS024051S
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00:00 [inspiring music]
00:11 [inspiring music] 00:13 >>Eric Flickinger: Welcome to "Sabbath School," 00:15 brought to you by It Is Written. 00:17 We're glad that you are joining us. 00:18 We are on a journey through the Gospel of John, 00:21 looking at the great themes 00:23 that run through this incredible book. 00:25 We are at the very-- near the very end 00:27 of our study together, a 13-lesson study. 00:31 This is lesson number 12, and we're taking a look 00:34 at what everything has been leading up to. 00:36 This is "The Hour of Glory: The Cross and the Resurrection," 00:40 an incredible study, and we're glad 00:42 that you are here to join us for it. 00:44 Let's begin with prayer. 00:46 Father, we ask that You'll be with us today 00:49 as we look at this incredible time 00:51 in Jesus' life and truly an incredible time 00:54 in the history of the universe. 00:57 We ask that You'll bless us with a greater 00:58 and deeper understanding of Christ's glory, 01:01 and we thank You in Jesus' name, 01:03 [together] amen. 01:05 Well, we're happy to have with us once again 01:07 Dr. Tom Shepherd. 01:09 He is the senior research professor 01:11 of New Testament at the Theological Seminary, 01:14 Andrews University. 01:15 Tom, thanks for joining us again. 01:17 >>Tom Shepherd: A joy to be here. 01:18 >>Eric: So we've been leading up to this for quite some time, 01:21 11 weeks, 12 weeks have led us up to this. 01:24 We're looking now at 01:26 "The Hour of [Christ's] Glory: 01:28 The Cross and [the] Resurrection." 01:30 Let's get down to where we are in this story. 01:33 We're leading into the last hours of Christ's life 01:36 and Jesus' encounter with Pontius Pilate. 01:41 Walk us through this encounter. 01:42 >>Tom: Okay, so this is found in John, chapter 18. 01:46 We noted before that throughout the Gospel of John, 01:49 there's these interesting experiences 01:51 where Jesus is one-on-one with another individual. 01:55 We saw Jesus with Nicodemus, 01:57 Jesus with the woman at the well, 01:58 Jesus with the man at the Pool of Bethesda. 02:01 Now we're coming down to the end, and lo and behold, 02:04 Jesus has an encounter one-on-one with the governor, 02:08 Pilate, Pontius Pilate, 02:10 and it's found in John 18, verses 33 through 38. 02:16 >>Eric: "Then Pilate entered the Praetorium again, 02:18 "called Jesus, and said to Him, 02:20 "'Are You the King of the Jews?' 02:22 "Jesus answered him, 'Are you speaking for yourself 02:25 "about this, or did others tell you this concerning me?' 02:29 "Pilate answered, 'Am I a Jew? 02:31 "'Your own nation and the chief priests 02:33 "have delivered You to me. What have You done?' 02:35 "Jesus answered, 'My kingdom is not of this world. 02:39 "'If my kingdom were of this world, 02:40 "'my servants would fight, so that I should not be 02:42 "'delivered to the Jews; 02:44 "but now my kingdom is not from here.' 02:47 "Pilate therefore said to Him, 'Are You a king then?' 02:50 "Jesus answered, 'You say rightly that I am a king. 02:53 "'For this cause I was born, and for this cause 02:56 "'I have come into the world, that I should bear witness 02:58 "'to the truth. 03:00 "Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice.' 03:03 "Pilate said to Him, 'What is truth?' 03:05 "And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, 03:08 and said to them, 'I find no fault in Him at all.'" 03:12 >>Tom: Okay, it's quite an interesting encounter 03:14 that Pilate has with Jesus. 03:16 Roman governors had, when they would try somebody, 03:19 they had a rule that they had to ask them 03:21 three times questions related to the crime 03:25 that they're involved with. 03:26 And you'll see that there's three questions 03:28 that he asks of Jesus. 03:31 And the first one that he says is, 03:33 "Are You the King of the Jews?" 03:35 So this was not the way that Jesus was condemned 03:41 by the religious leaders. 03:42 They condemned him for blasphemy, but they knew 03:46 that with Pilate that wouldn't bear any weight at all. 03:50 And so, since He is the Messiah-- 03:54 that's a kingly kind of terminology-- 03:58 so, they are presenting Him as somebody 04:01 who is usurping Caesar's role in the Roman Empire. 04:06 He's a danger to the Roman government. 04:08 So Pilate asks Him that question, 04:12 "Are You the King of the Jews?" 04:14 Now, Jesus' response is interesting 04:17 because He says, "Do you say this 04:19 of your own accord, or do others say it to you about me?" 04:23 Now, why does He do this? 04:26 Because Jesus doesn't give up on anybody. 04:29 He gives them the opportunity, and He's really talking 04:33 to Pilate. He's kind of turning the tables now. 04:37 He's not the one on trial. 04:39 Now, Pilate's really kind of the one that's on trial. 04:41 Is he really interested in truth? 04:44 Is he really interested in knowing who Jesus really is, 04:48 or is this just a question of, you know, 04:51 what the Jews are bringing before him, 04:55 and he has no interest in, you know, 04:57 in a deeper understanding. 04:59 So Pilate answers by saying, "Am I a Jew? 05:06 "Your own nation and the chief priests 05:08 have delivered You over to me." 05:10 Here's his question: "What have You done?" 05:13 So, when Pilate says, "Am I a Jew?" 05:18 he's indicating he's not interested in Judaism. 05:21 He's not interested in who Jesus is, 05:24 in the spiritual sense. 05:26 He's just interested in the facts of the case. 05:30 And so he says, "What have You done?" 05:33 Now, Jesus then responds, "My kingdom is not of this world." 05:38 Now, what that means is, you know, 05:42 sometimes this is taken as the kingdom of Jesus 05:45 has nothing to do with affairs here on earth. 05:48 Not quite. [chuckles] 05:50 Because Jesus was very involved with things here on earth. 05:53 He says, "My kingdom is not of this world." 05:54 It's actually not from here. 05:56 His kingdom comes from God, not from human authority, 06:00 all right? 06:02 But then He says, "If my kingdom were of this world, 06:07 "my servants would have been fighting 06:09 that I might not be delivered to the Jews." 06:11 So He says, "My kingdom is not political in nature 06:16 "like other kingdoms in this world. 06:18 "I'm no threat to you. 06:21 I'm no threat to the Roman Empire." 06:22 That's really what He's saying. 06:24 But He does say, you know, He has a kingdom, right? 06:28 "'But my kingdom is not from the world.' 06:31 "Then Pilate said to Him, 'So You are a king?' 06:35 "Jesus answered, 'You say that I am a king. 06:39 For this purpose I was born.'" 06:41 So He's agreeing with Pilate: "Yes, I am a King." 06:44 See, the kingdom of God is about the rule of God over His people, 06:48 His covenant with them, and their obedience to Him, 06:51 their relationship with Him. 06:52 This was the covenant in the Old Testament; 06:54 the New Covenant has the same kind of concept 06:57 that we're under the rulership of God. 07:00 You see, we are citizens of heaven. 07:03 We are citizens of earthly kingdoms 07:07 and earthly countries here, 07:09 but that's not our primary allegiance. 07:12 Our primary allegiance is to God Himself. 07:15 So Jesus said, "I have come into this world 07:19 "to bear witness to the truth. 07:22 Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice." 07:26 Now, Pilate's response has been repeated over the centuries: 07:31 "What is truth?" 07:33 You can say that question several ways. 07:35 [curiously] "What is truth?" 07:37 Or you can say, [contemptuously] "What is truth?" 07:40 Probably Pilate's more like the second one-- 07:43 [contemptuously] "What is truth?"-- 07:44 because he doesn't wait for an answer. 07:47 "After he said this, he went back outside to the Jews 07:50 and told them, 'I find no fault in Him.'" 07:54 So Pilate has now said, "This man is not guilty. 07:59 This man is not guilty." 08:00 So He actually should be released. 08:04 He should be released. 08:06 But of course, that's not what's going to happen. 08:09 >>Eric: No, and things get worse from there. 08:12 >>Tom: They do. >>Eric: In fact, 08:13 let's pick this up in John 19. 08:15 I'm going to read verses 1 through 6 here. 08:19 "So...Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him. 08:21 "And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns 08:23 "and put it on His head, and they put on Him a purple robe. 08:27 "Then they said, 'Hail, King of the Jews!' 08:29 "And they struck Him with their hands. 08:31 "Pilate then went out again, and said to them, 08:34 "'Behold, I am bringing Him out to you, 08:36 "that you may know that I find no fault in Him.' 08:39 "Then Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns 08:42 "and the purple robe. 08:43 "And Pilate said to them, 'Behold the Man!' 08:46 "Therefore, when the chief priests 08:48 "and officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, 08:50 "'Crucify Him, crucify Him!' 08:52 "Pilate said to them, 'You take Him and crucify Him, 08:56 for I find no fault in Him.'" 08:59 So what are some lessons about the cost of discipleship 09:02 that we can learn from this passage here? 09:05 >>Tom: All right, so Pilate has Jesus flogged. 09:10 In this setting here in John, it may be to try 09:15 to, you know, let the leaders and let the Jewish people know 09:18 that he's, like, "teaching Jesus a lesson," 09:21 but he wants to let Him go, and that the flogging 09:25 should be enough, and they will have none of it. 09:29 He brings Him out and says, "'Behold the Man!' 09:31 "And the chief priests and the officers cry out, 09:35 "'Crucify Him, crucify Him!' 09:36 "Pilate said, 'Take him yourselves 09:38 and crucify Him, for I find no guilt in Him.'" 09:41 That's the third time he's said that. 09:44 So he asked Jesus three questions. 09:46 This is the third time he said, "I find him as innocent." 09:50 So then, actually in verse 7, "The Jews answered him, 09:54 "'We have a law, and according to that law 09:56 "'He ought to die because He has made Himself 09:58 the Son of God.'" 09:59 Now, this scares Pilate. 10:02 He's like, "Oh, is this Man a God?" 10:05 He goes back in and talks to Jesus, 10:08 and Jesus won't talk to him, won't say anything. 10:13 And he says, "Don't you realize I have the authority 10:14 to release you or to put you to death?" 10:17 Jesus answers in verse 11, "You would have 10:20 "no authority over me at all unless it had been given you 10:23 "'from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you 10:26 has the greater sin." 10:28 So now Pilate tries to release him, 10:31 but here we really see the cost of discipleship. 10:34 In verse 12, "The Jews [cry] out, 'If you release this Man, 10:38 "'you are not Caesar's friend. 10:41 "Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.' 10:45 So when Pilate heard these words"--verse 13-- 10:48 "He brought Jesus out and sat on the judgment seat 10:51 "at a place called The Stone Pavement, 10:53 "and in Aramaic Gabbatha. 10:55 "Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover. 10:57 "It was about the sixth hour. 10:59 "[And] he said..., 'Behold your King.'" 11:01 So this is interesting because Pilate knows 11:04 he's not going to get away with not crucifying Jesus, 11:07 but he's really going to make them pay for it. 11:10 "He said..., 'Behold your King!' 11:12 "They cried out, 'Away with Him, away with..., crucify Him!' 11:15 "Pilate said to them, 'Shall I crucify your King?' 11:18 "The chief priests answered, 'We have no king but Caesar.' 11:21 So he delivered Him over to be crucified." 11:24 Now, this is striking because Caiaphas had said 11:29 earlier back in chapter 12, "It's better for one man to die 11:33 than that the whole nation perish." 11:34 They hated Jesus so much that they were willing 11:38 to set aside their nationhood and say, 11:41 "We have no king but Caesar." 11:43 So, really, they showed their own hatred of Jesus. 11:49 It was worse than their love for their nation. 11:52 And it's a powerful kind of a statement. 11:55 The cost of discipleship, Pilate didn't pay the price, did he? 12:00 When he heard that he would lose his role as governor-- 12:05 if everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar-- 12:08 he couldn't accept that He would do that. 12:11 And so he sets that aside, and he won't have Jesus 12:15 as his Master or as his King. 12:19 He's chosen Caesar instead of Jesus--tragic. 12:23 >>Eric: And unfortunately, many people's decisions 12:25 are motivated, or there's a catalyst 12:30 very similar to that, and they choose wrong decisions, 12:33 make wrong decisions today about Jesus. 12:36 We have a companion book that delves more deeply 12:38 into what we're looking at right now. 12:39 Share with us a little bit about that. 12:40 >>Tom: The companion book is published by Pacific Press. 12:43 You can buy it there. 12:44 Our friend here, Eric, will tell you how to get it 12:47 at It Is Written. But it gives you more information 12:49 about the study, about the background, 12:53 about information that's interesting, 12:55 about the materials that are being discussed 12:58 in the lesson. 12:59 More information than the lesson, 13:01 more information than the teacher's lesson, 13:04 very good resource to have, pick up a copy. 13:07 >>Eric: And you can pick it up at itiswritten.shop. 13:09 Again, that is itiswritten.shop. 13:12 It goes right along with what we're studying, 13:13 gives you more detailed information, 13:16 the background on Pilate and the judgment hall scene 13:18 and so forth. 13:19 You can pick that up again at itiswritten.shop. 13:21 We're going to come back in just a moment, 13:23 and we're going to continue looking 13:25 at the hour of Christ's glory. 13:28 We'll be right back here on "Sabbath School," 13:30 brought to you by It Is Written. 13:32 [inspiring music] 13:35 >>John Bradshaw: It's everywhere, 13:37 adorning churches, adorning people. 13:40 There's a season every year commemorating the cross. 13:44 But beyond eggs and rabbits, there's a power, 13:48 the power of a sacrifice, the power of the love of God. 13:52 Be sure you see "At the Cross" and learn about the single event 13:56 that changed the course of history, 13:59 the event that can change your life forever. 14:03 Predicted by prophets and foretold by Jesus Himself, 14:06 what happened at the cross was a demonstration 14:09 of God's love like no other. 14:12 Humanity's fall into sin in the Garden of Eden 14:14 brought upon Adam and Eve and their descendants 14:17 inescapable consequences. 14:20 But into that turmoil stepped Jesus, 14:22 promising the planet a way of escape. 14:25 Don't miss "At the Cross," 14:28 brought to you by It Is Written TV. 14:36 [inspiring music] 14:40 >>Eric: Welcome back to "Sabbath School," 14:42 brought to you by It Is Written. 14:44 We're taking a look at the book of John 14:46 and the very closing hours of Christ's life. 14:50 Tom, I'm gonna read a little bit more 14:52 from John, chapter 19, verses 17 through 22. 14:57 It says, "And He"--that is, Jesus--"bearing His cross, 14:59 "went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, 15:02 "which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha, 15:05 "where they crucified Him, and two others with Him, 15:08 "one on either side, and Jesus in the center. 15:10 "Now Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross. 15:13 "And the writing was: 'JESUS OF NAZARETH, 15:16 "THE KING OF THE JEWS.' 15:18 "Then many of the Jews read this title, 15:20 "for the place where Jesus was crucified 15:22 "was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, 15:25 "Greek, and Latin. 15:27 "Therefore the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, 15:30 "'Do not write, "The King of the Jews," 15:31 "'but, "He said, 'I am the King of the Jews.'"' 15:34 Pilate answered, 'What I have written, I have written.'" 15:38 What's the significance of this title 15:42 that Pilate has written on the cross? 15:45 >>Tom: Well, of course, this is 15:47 what He was accused of. 15:49 Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews. 15:52 He's being crucified as the Messiah, 15:54 as the King of the Jews. 15:56 Now, the reason that the religious leaders 16:00 don't want that on the cross 16:01 but rather "This Man said, 'I am the King of the Jews'" 16:05 is because it would very easily, very quickly become known 16:10 why He was crucified and who got Him 16:14 put on the cross, and it was the religious leaders. 16:18 Now, some scholars--years ago I was at professional meetings. 16:22 This is where many scholars from all kinds 16:24 of different universities and denominations come together, 16:29 and they talk about issues like this. 16:32 Somebody said that the disciples couldn't know 16:35 about the events of Jesus' trial 16:38 because they weren't there, all right? 16:41 I had recently come back as a missionary from Africa, 16:45 and I stood up, and I said, "You know, I was in a country"-- 16:49 I didn't name the country-- "I was in a country in Africa 16:51 "where the president had one of his ministers assassinated. 16:56 "And the government paper said that he had had 17:00 "an auto accident. 17:02 "Nobody, nobody was fooled about this. 17:06 Everybody was talking about this." 17:09 And I said, "You know, the events of Jesus' trial 17:14 "and death wouldn't be able to be hidden. 17:16 The truth would come out." 17:18 In fact, you see this in the Gospel of Luke. 17:20 When Jesus rises from the dead and He's on the walk to Emmaus, 17:24 you have these two fellows, and they're walking along, 17:26 and Jesus comes to join them. 17:27 Their eyes are held, or being holden by God, 17:30 so that they can't see who He is. 17:32 And He says, "What are these things 17:34 you're talking about?" 17:36 And they stop, and their faces are downcast, and they say, 17:40 "Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem 17:42 who doesn't know what happened?" 17:45 And He says, "What things?" 17:46 And then they tell Him the story. So it's true. 17:49 Everybody was talking about this. 17:52 So that's why they were upset that, you know, 17:55 that this is what was written on the cross. 17:58 Well, Pilate finally gets strength in his backbone, 18:01 and he says, "What I have written stays written." 18:04 So Ellen White says in "Desire of Ages," 18:07 there was a divine hand that guided him 18:11 in what he wrote. 18:12 Because this is a declaration that He was crucified 18:15 as the Messiah, the King of the Jews-- 18:18 very interesting. >>Eric: Fascinating. 18:21 Let's drop down just a few verses. 18:24 We'll read verses 25 through 27. >>Tom: Very beautiful. 18:27 >>Eric: "Now there stood by the cross of Jesus 18:29 "His mother, and His mother's sister, 18:31 "Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 18:34 "When Jesus therefore saw His mother, 18:36 "and the disciple whom He loved standing by, 18:39 "He said to His mother, 'Woman, behold your son!' 18:43 "Then He said to the disciple, 'Behold your mother!' 18:46 And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home." 18:50 >>Tom: This is a very touching scene, actually, very tragic. 18:54 You can imagine Jesus is a young man. He's in His 30s. 18:59 His mother is probably in her 50s or 60s. 19:03 And here she is watching her Son 19:04 die on the cross in shame. 19:07 And it had to be just terribly hard for her. 19:11 There's actually three Marys here: 19:13 Mary His mother, Mary the wife of Clopas, 19:16 and Mary Magdalene. 19:18 In Portuguese they call this "Las Tres Marias," 19:21 the three Marys. 19:23 So when Jesus saw His mother there at the cross 19:27 and the disciple whom He loved--that's John-- 19:29 standing nearby, He says to His mother, 19:33 "Woman, behold your son!" 19:35 And He says to the disciple, "Behold your mother!" 19:38 Now, remember, being crucified, 19:40 it was very difficult to breathe. 19:43 So any statements that you made, you had to make-- 19:47 they were short statements. 19:48 So this is very typical, would fit perfectly 19:52 with this idea--"Woman, behold your son." [inhales] 19:55 "Behold your mother." 19:57 And John immediately understood what Jesus was saying. 20:01 He didn't have anything to give for her. 20:04 His clothes were being, you know, 20:06 divided up among the soldiers. 20:08 And so He did have a disciple who loved Him, though, 20:13 and would care for His mother. 20:15 So it's a beautiful expression of His love for His family, 20:21 love for His mother. 20:22 Even when He's suffering, suffering terribly on the cross, 20:25 suffering under the sins of the world, 20:27 He cared for His mother, took care of her. 20:29 It's beautiful. 20:31 >>Eric: And that love and care, as you said, 20:33 extends right to the very end of Jesus' life. 20:35 Let's look at verses 28 through 30. 20:38 "After this, Jesus, knowing that all things 20:40 "were now accomplished, that the Scripture 20:42 "might be fulfilled, said, 'I thirst!' 20:45 "Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; 20:48 "and they filled a sponge with sour wine, 20:50 "put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. 20:53 "So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, 20:56 "'It is finished!' 20:57 And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit." 21:00 >>Tom: Okay. 21:01 >>Eric: So what does this statement "It is finished" mean? 21:05 What was finished here? 21:07 >>Tom: All right, so what was finished was-- 21:08 what was accomplished was our salvation. 21:10 Jesus said back earlier in chapter 4 21:14 that He came to complete His Father's work, 21:17 and His work is the salvation of the world. 21:18 "God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, 21:21 "that whoever believes in Him should not perish 21:23 but have [everlasting] life." 21:24 That's what He accomplished. 21:27 In chapter 10 and verse 18 He makes 21:31 a significant statement, Jesus Himself. 21:33 He says, "No one takes it from me"--His life. 21:37 He says, "No one takes it from me, 21:39 "but I lay it down of my own accord. 21:41 "I have authority to lay it down, 21:43 "and I have authority to take it up again. 21:46 This charge I have received from my Father." 21:49 So, He came to redeem the world, and He accomplished that work 21:54 at the cross, so, "It is finished"-- 21:56 that means the plan of salvation is secure. 21:59 It's beautiful. 22:01 >>Eric: If that was where the story ended, 22:03 it would be powerful, but not as powerful 22:06 as what happens when we get to chapter 20. 22:08 >>Tom: That's right. >>Eric: In chapter 20, 22:09 verse number 1, it begins with this: 22:12 "Now on the first day of the week 22:13 "Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, 22:15 "while it was still dark, and saw that the stone 22:17 "had been taken away from the tomb. 22:20 "Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, 22:22 "and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, 22:24 "and said to them, 'They have taken away 22:26 "'the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know 22:28 "where they have laid Him.' 22:30 "Peter therefore went out, and the other disciple, 22:32 "and were going to the tomb. 22:34 "So they both ran together, and the other disciple 22:36 "outran Peter and came to the tomb first. 22:39 "And he, stooping down and looking in, 22:42 "saw the linen [clothes] lying there; yet he did not go in. 22:47 "Then Simon Peter came, following him, 22:49 "and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths 22:51 "lying there, and the handkerchief 22:53 "that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, 22:56 "but folded together in a place by itself. 22:59 "Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, 23:01 "went in also; and he saw and believed. 23:04 "For as yet they did not know the Scripture 23:06 "that He must rise again from the dead. 23:08 Then the disciples went away again to their own homes." 23:13 There's an empty tomb, which is not what you expect 23:17 after someone has been laid there. 23:18 >>Tom: That's right. 23:20 And of course, the first supposition 23:22 that Mary makes is that somebody 23:25 has stolen the body, right? 23:27 So she ran, and she says, "They have taken the Lord 23:30 "out of the tomb, and we do not know 23:32 where they have laid Him." 23:33 She doesn't think He's risen from the dead. 23:36 She believes that somebody has moved His body, 23:38 and this bothers her, of course, and the other disciples 23:41 are concerned about this as well. So they run there. 23:44 And then they come into the tomb, 23:47 Simon Peter is the one who goes in, 23:49 "And he saw the linen cloths lying there, 23:52 "and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus' head, 23:54 "not lying with the linen cloths, 23:56 but folded up in a place by itself." 23:59 Now, remember, we've said before that any detail 24:02 that appears in Scripture is almost always important 24:05 to the story, right? 24:07 So this is important to the story 24:09 because it indicates that Jesus rose from the dead. 24:13 Because thieves will not take the body, 24:17 they'll take the expensive perfume 24:19 that's there. 24:20 They will not fold grave cloths 24:22 because they're in a hurry to get away. 24:24 So this says something else has taken place, 24:28 and that something else, of course, 24:29 is the resurrection of Jesus. 24:32 And it's interesting-- John goes in; it says, 24:35 "And he saw and believed." 24:37 Hey, he seems to have been the one more open 24:40 to these kinds of experiences. 24:41 But then they go back, and Mary is left there at the tomb. 24:44 So we should read that part, verses 11 to 18. 24:47 >>Eric: "But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, 24:50 "and as she wept she stooped down 24:51 "and looked into the tomb. 24:53 "And she saw two angels in white sitting, 24:55 "one at the head and the other at the feet, 24:57 "where the body of Jesus had lain. 24:59 "Then they said to her, 'Woman, why are you weeping?' 25:02 "She said to them, 'Because they have taken away my Lord, 25:05 "and I do not know where they have laid Him.' 25:07 "Now when she had said this, she turned around 25:09 "and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know 25:12 "that it was Jesus. 25:13 "Jesus said to her, 'Woman, why are you weeping? 25:16 "Whom are you seeking?' 25:17 "She, supposing Him to be the gardener, 25:19 "said to Him, 'Sir, if You have carried Him away, 25:22 "'tell me where You have laid Him, 25:23 "and I will take Him away.' 25:25 "Jesus said to her, 'Mary!' 25:27 "She turned and said to Him, 'Rabboni!' 25:30 "(which is to say, Teacher). 25:32 "Jesus said to her, 'Do not cling to me, 25:34 "'for I have not yet ascended to my Father; 25:37 "'but go to my brethren and say to them, 25:39 "'"I am ascending to my Father and your Father, 25:41 "and to my God and your God."' 25:43 "Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples 25:46 "that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken 25:48 these things to her." 25:50 >>Tom: That's a great story. That's a great story. 25:52 Now, here's the interesting thing. 25:54 He said one word to her. 25:56 We're reminded of Nathaniel at the beginning of the Gospel, 25:59 who, when Jesus said, "I saw you under the fig tree," 26:02 a small, little revelation that led to this amazing declaration 26:07 of Nathaniel that He's the Messiah. 26:09 And when Jesus says, "Mary," 26:12 she immediately recognizes that it's Jesus 26:15 who was risen from the dead. 26:17 The small revelation, one-word revelation, 26:19 changed the world, that she said, you know, 26:22 He's now the risen Lord. 26:25 And He says, "Don't hold me back because I haven't gone 26:28 "to the Father yet, but go tell my brothers 26:30 what has taken place." 26:32 And she goes and says, "I have seen the Lord." 26:35 It's a wonderful, wonderful ending to the story. 26:39 But of course, we're not really at the total end of the book. 26:42 We are closer to the end of the Resurrection story. 26:47 You know, we have stories about Him appearing 26:49 to the disciples and appearing to Thomas. 26:51 And then it concludes that chapter 26:54 with the purpose of the book. 26:56 But surprisingly, the book's not quite over yet. 26:59 There's still yet another chapter to come. 27:01 But now we have the good news of the risen Lord from the dead. 27:06 >>Eric: And with that news we get to be led 27:09 into the very tail end of the book, 27:11 the epilogue, if you will. 27:13 And next week we are going to be looking at, finally, 27:16 lesson number 13, the very last lesson 27:20 in our study of the book of John and the great themes 27:23 that run through this book. 27:25 If you happen to have missed any of our preceding episodes, 27:29 lessons, you can find them 27:30 at itiswritten.tv, they're archived there, 27:33 or on the It Is Written YouTube channel. 27:35 But don't miss the very last lesson. 27:39 That's going to be next week. 27:40 We're looking at the epilogue tying everything together 27:42 here on "Sabbath School," 27:44 brought to you by It Is Written. 27:46 [inspiring music] 28:23 [inspiring music] 28:26 [Captions provided by Aberdeen Captioning www.abercap.com] |
Revised 2024-12-11