From Misery to Mission

From misery to mission

Theme: The resurrected Savior

Scripture: John 20:1-31

A1 Outline

B1 Jesus is gone John 20:1-10

B2 Jesus and Mary Magdalene John 20:11-18

B3 Jesus and disciples John 20:19-23

B4 Jesus and Thomas John 20:24-29

B5 Why John wrote John 20:30-31

 

A2 Notes and questions

B1 Jesus is gone John 20:1-10

C1 What day of the week were these actions?

C2 What approximate time did Mary come to the tomb?

C3 What was the first thing that Mary noticed?

C4 Who is the "we" in John 20:2? (Cometh Mary Magdalene.—St. Matthew has, “Mary Magdalene and the other Mary;” St. Mark has, “Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome;” St. Luke has, “The women which had come with Him from Galilee” (Luke 23:55), and enumerates them in Luke 24:10, as “Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and the others with them.” St. John speaks of only one of the group, who was specially prominent). From Ellicott's Commentary on this verse.

C5 Why did Jesus rise from the dead when it was dark?

C6 What is the most important thing about the tomb? (it is empty).

C7 What does this mean for the Christian?

C8 What does this mean for the non-Christian?

C9 Is there any evidence of this resurrection other than eye witness? (Yes, "Who Rolled Away the Stone?" By Frank Morison.

C10 Who was the faster disciple?

C11 Why did they run?

C12 Was there any importance in mentioning the linen strips and Jesus's head cloth?

C13 After John saw, he believed. What did he believe?

B2 Jesus and Mary Magdalene John 20:11-18

C1 What is Mary doing outside the tomb? Why?

C2 What did Mary see when she looked inside the tomb? Did John and Peter see the same?

C3 Why did the angels ask Mary why she was crying?

C4 Mary turns around and sees _______? Was this an hallucination?

C5 Why did Mary hold on to Jesus? (Possibly to examine him, to see if He was real or a spirit).

C6 Why did Jesus reply the way He did?

C7 What does it mean "...not yet ascended...?" (Possibly to go to the heavenly Temple and offer His blood as an atonement for sin).

B3 Jesus and disciples John 20:19-23

C1 What emotion were the disciples experiencing before Jesus showed up? Why?

C2 What was the first thing that Jesus said to the disciples?

C3 Why did Jesus show them His hands and side?

C4 What emotion did the disciples experience now?

C5 What was Jesus asking them to do?

C6 Did they already have the Holy Spirit?

D1 Jesus gave them the Holy Spirit for special work.

D2 They received the baptism later at Pentecost.

D3 Evidently this was a mission to govern the church that will begin soon. This was not a commission for all Christians. This time frame is still the Old Testament dispensation. They had already received the Holy Spirit for sanctification and to do miracles. The full outpouring would be at Pentecost.

C7 What is the meaning of John 20:23?

D1 Does it mean that I can go across the street, tell my neighbor that his sins are forgiven, and assure him that all his sins are forgiven and that he is going to heaven? (No)

D2 Does it mean that if someone robs a bank, that I can go to them and forgiven them, then the government will not prosecute? (No)

D3 Is this only for the Apostles (the 12)? (No, for one, Thomas, was not present).

D4 No Apostle ever was seen exercising this gift, so it cannot mean that they or the community of believers could forgive sins as God forgives sin.

D5 The College Press commentary has "John 20:23 has long been a problem. The Roman Catholic Church has used this verse to teach that the so-called successors of the apostles (the popes and priests) have the authority to forgive men of their sins. Such a doctrine is technically called “absolution.” Not even the apostles themselves had any authority of their own to grant absolution—the forgiveness of sins. One need only to turn to Acts 8:14-24 to find one example of an apostle being asked to grant absolution in the case of a man confessing his sin. The answer of the apostle Peter is, “Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray the Lord, if perhaps the thought of thy heart shall be forgiven thee.” This passage in John 20:23 does not grant the apostles the power of absolution. The verbs apheontai (they are forgiven) and kekratentai (they are retained) of this verse are in the perfect tense in the Greek. Now the perfect tense means “an action having been completed in past time with a continuing result.” Literally translated John 20:23 would read, “whose soever sins ye forgive, they have already been forgiven them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they have already been retained.” It is very interesting indeed that in the other two instances where Jesus similarly commissioned the disciples (Matthew 16:19; Matthew 18:18) the verbs are also in the perfect tense! There the verbs are dedemena (has already been bound) and lelumena (has already been loosed).
In founding the church, declaring the will of God and preaching the gospel of repentance and remission of sins by the blood of Christ and men’s obedience to the gospel, the apostles merely declared on what terms, and to what people God extended forgiveness of sins. Whatever they preached on earth had already been decided in heaven. Only God can forgive sins. The apostles and all who have preached since are merely heralds of the covenant which has already been ratified, once for all, in heaven.
The apostles were given here by Jesus a symbolic prophecy of the special baptism of the Holy Spirit when He “breathed.” The literal baptism of the Spirit would come upon them on the day of Pentecost and would empower them with miraculous power in order to confirm the already-ratified message which they were to preach afterward. The Holy Spirit did not give them any inherent authority to grant absolution of sin. "

D6 Basically it has to do with preaching the Gospel.

B4 Jesus and Thomas John 20:24-29

C1 Why did Thomas respond this way? Can skepticism be a good thing?

C2 When Jesus came what did He tell Thomas? Why is this important? What about us?

C3 What is the most important part of Jesus's words to Thomas? (Stop doubting and believe).

C4 Is Jesus God?

C5 Is belief hard? What don't most people believe?

C6 Is there a special blessing for belief?

B5 Why John wrote John 20:30-31

C1 What do people have to do to have forgiveness of sins?

C2 What kind of life is the Apostle John speaking of? What is the alternative?

C3 Which comes first the believing or the life (which is forgiveness of sins, regeneration, rebirth, born again, etc.)?