Let's take our Bibles and turn
back to the Gospel of John chapter 20. Peter and the other disciples
arrived at the tomb of the Lord Jesus Christ, because Mary Magdalene
had reported that the stone was rolled away. John, the other
disciples, I believe, arrived. first and looked into the tomb
and seeing the linen clothes lying, but he doesn't go in. And then Peter gets there and
he goes into the tomb and he sees the linen clothes lie, but
there's something that's different. The napkin that covered the face
of the Lord Jesus Christ is not where it was appointed. It's
not where it was laid. It was not where it was set.
It was not where it was put in place. Lending clothes were there,
just exactly where they lay. That's what the word means. It
was exactly, they were exactly where. Taken up now, verse 8,
then went in also that other disciple, which came first to
the sepulcher, and he saw and believed. John went in, he looked, and he saw, he saw, he see, that's
what the Scripture says, He looked in, verse 5, and he saw the linen
clothes lying, but he didn't go in. And Peter, following,
went into the sepulcher and seeth the linen clothes lie. But then in verse 8, John goes
in and he saw and he believed. Now, I want to deal with the
wording of these scriptures, because the wording of these
scriptures set forth exactly what happened. This is the Lord's
resurrection, and how wonderfully, beautifully the Spirit of God
has so ordered these men to look, to see, to perceive, and gives
us exactly what had happened. This is truly, this is holy ground
here. This is holy ground. This is
what happened. Now, in verse 5, John stooped
down and saw. Now that word saw, it means this,
to behold, to have sight of. He saw the linen clothes. That word, now that word in verse
5, now listen, I'm telling you, the word in verse 5, he saw,
Peter seeth, in verse 6, in verse 8, John went in and saw, there's
three different words. There are three entirely different
words. Look them up. There are three
different words. The word in verse 5 means that
John had the ability to see. He had two eyes. He saw it. Now in verse 6, Simon Peter went
into the sepulcher and the word there, seeth, he seeth, the linen
clothes lie. And that word, seeth, means to
be a spectator. But in verse 8, John goes into
the sepulcher and he saw that word, different word than the
other two, and here's what it's going to mean. I'm going to read
the Greek. Now, I don't speak Greek, but
I can read I can read a Greek lexicon and I read what Strong
had to say and I go in here and I look to see what Mr. Thayer
had to say and I look to see what Mr. Vine has to say and
I'm going to see if these guys all agree, you know, because
I don't speak Greek. But I can read a dictionary,
I can read what they say, and I'm going to tell you what this
dictionary has to say, this Greek lexicon. It means, in verse 8,
when John saw, it means able to recognize form. Literally or figuratively, it
means to be able to look and to recognize an appearance, a
fashion, a shape, a sight. So looking up that word, that
word means to be able to perceive an intelligible, visible form
or a kind of thing or an outward appearance of a shape. One word means that I have eyes,
I can see, I can see, I'm kind of, I'm looking, I can see. Alright? One means spectator. One means to recognize because
of a shape. Now I'm going to give you an
illustration here. I've thought about this illustration. This
is as good as I can come up with. I'm going to hold up an object
in my hand right now and I'm going to ask you something. Can
you see this? Can you see this object that
I have in my hand? Okay, well if you have two eyes
and your eyes are working, mine don't work as well as they used
to. I can see, okay? If you can see this object that
I have in my hand, that's what John did in verse 5. He looked
in and he saw, he could see the linen clothes. Now, I'm going
to ask you this, since you're looking at this object that I
have in my hand, would you consider yourself to be then a spectator?
of what I have in my hand. Well, if you're looking at it,
and you're the one looking at it, then I'm going to assume
that you're going to say yes, that you are a spectator. You're
looking at something that I have in my hand. Okay, so that's the
word of Peter, when he cometh in and seeth. He was a, that's
what the word means, he was a spectator. But now, I'm going to ask you
this, now that you're looking at this object that I'm holding
in my hand, I'm going to tell you that this is a baseball bat. And you'll say, no, no that's
not a baseball bat. Well how do you know that it's
not a baseball bat? It's because you have a knowledge
of what a baseball bat looks like, and you have knowledge
of what a Bible looks like, and based on your knowledge that
you have of a baseball bat or a Bible or some other object,
you have perceived that what I have in my hand is a Bible. That's what John did in verse
8. He came in and he saw. He looked at the linen clothes
and he recognized something. He recognized what it was. He perceived by the shape. He knew by viewing the appearance,
the fashion, what he was looking at. What he was looking at caused
him to believe. Now I want to give you some scriptures
using the same word that was used by John in verse 8 when
he saw and believed. Now listen to this. Luke 3.22,
And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove
upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art
my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Do you know what
the word shape means? The Holy Ghost ascended in a
bodily shape, like a dove. That's the same word Saul. Same
word. Luke 9, 28, 29. It came to pass
about eight days after these things, he took Peter and John
and James and went up into a mountain to pray. And as he prayed, the
fashion, the form, the appearance, same word as Saul, The fashion
of his countenance was altered and his raiment was white and
glistening. They were looking at something
and they recognized something by looking at it. They recognized
the form, the shape, the appearance. It was changed. John 5.37, And
the Father himself which hath sent me hath borne witness of
me, ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his
shape, his form, fashion, or appearance. Same word, saw. John came in and he saw the linen
clothes. He recognized what he was looking
at. He saw what he was looking at. And what he was looking at, he
knew, that's the gray clothes of the Lord. They were exactly
as they had been laid, where they had been appointed, where
they had been set. They were where the napkin was
moved, but the linen clothes, where they did lie, that's what
the word means. I'm going to read you something
that Mr. A.W. Pink said. I think he said it
better. Based on the wording, based on
the wording, what he's about to read, based on the words that
I've looked up, it sounds right to me. I'm going to tell you
what A.W. Pink said. He said, John saw and believed. That is, he understood. He said
it was a logical conclusion an irresistible one, drawn from
the evidence before him. The body was gone from the sepulcher. The clothes were left behind,
and the condition of them indicated that Christ had passed out of
them without them being unwrapped. John, by the grace of God, drew
but one conclusion. Christ had risen. Our blessed
Lord had left the grave closed just as they rested upon Him. He had risen out of them by divine
power. Now let me tell you what I've
wondered. And I'm just wondering. I'm just wondering. I'm not saying
this is what scripture says. I'm wondering this. I don't know
if they maintained their bodily shape around or if they went
flat. I don't know. I don't know, but
I can tell you this, the way they were lying, John looked
at them and the way that they were, that's the way they were. They were still there. And John
saw in Peter 2, the napkin that was wrapped about his face was
rolled up and put somewhere else. That napkin that would have covered
his face, they came and they looked according to the words,
according to the word, according to the meaning of these words.
He looked and there was no one there. I'm looking where the
face ought to be. The napkin's gone and it's rolled
up and it's laying somewhere else. And it's very, very methodical. It's very, very in place. There's nothing upheavaled. He stooped down and looking in,
saw, he just saw that they were lying there. Simon Peter came
and as a spectator, he saw the linen clothes there too. That
napkin that was about his head was not lying with the linen
clothes wrapped together in a place. But verse 8 says, according to
these scriptures, John went in and recognized by appearance,
by fashion, by shape, by sight. He recognized. I look at you
and I know that that's you because I recognize your shape. That's Mitch right there. I know
that's Mitch. I know Mitch. How do you know
is it? I know what he looks like. He
recognized by the shape. Then the scripture says in verse
9, for as yet they knew not the scripture that he must rise again
from the dead. The Lord had told his disciples
of his death and his certain resurrection. Matthew 26, 31,
32, then says Jesus unto them, all ye shall be offended because
of me this night. He told them on the day that
he was to be crucified, where it's written, I'll smite the
shepherd, the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad, but
after I'm risen again, I will go before you into Galilee. So
they heard him speak those scriptures. He heard them prophesy those
scriptures. According to his death and burial,
Zechariah 37, that's what the Lord was quoting. He said, as
it is written, they're going to smite the shepherd. But here's
the heart of what's being said. Faith rests upon the revealed
Word of God. For them to perceive what the
Lord had said, He told them. But it takes the Spirit of God
to give them understanding. The Lord, God, the Spirit had
to give them light on what was said up until this point. For
as yet they knew not, they didn't perceive the Scriptures, that
He must rise again. They heard Him say it, but they
did not understand it. And the Scripture says, in verse
10, Then the disciples went away again unto their own home. They had come to that place,
they had looked, they saw, that the grave clothes were where
they were, where they had been appointed, where they had been
lain, where they had been set. And at first they just looked.
They looked as spectators. But John looked, and by appearance,
and by form, and by shape, he recognized, the Lord's not here. He has come
out of these clothes. The napkin that covered His face,
I can see He's not there. The napkin is very gently rolled
up and laid in this place. As we reverently search the Scriptures,
seeking the Lord's face, seeking the Lord's will, seeking the
Lord's direction, May we pray that as we consider the glorious
resurrection of the Lord, that it was that which was holy, divine. This was a miracle. Any other
way could always leave doubt. What if there was a big pile
of grave clothes there? Maybe somebody did take him out.
What if they were, you know, all upheavaled? But the wording
of the scripture says that exactly where they were, that's exactly where they were.
Not the napkin. But when John looked at that,
he believed. Lord, help us to believe for
Christ's sake. Amen.