The Comeback Kid
John 20:1-18
John Elway, former quarterback for the Denver Broncos was known as the “comeback kid” because of the many times he brought his team from seemingly insurmountable odds to victory.
The 49ers trailed 38-14 with 4 minutes left in the third quarter, but they scored 25 straight points on two TD passes and a scoring run.
Paul Azinger, The 1993 PGA champion. Paul missed the 1994 campaign with cancer in his right shoulder. He recovered after a missing a full year and resumed competing.
When Ernie Irvan crashed his car during a NASCAR race at Michigan Speedway in August 1994, he was given a 10 percent chance of surviving. The odds were against him ever recovering from critical brain and lung injuries.
But less than one year later, in October 1995, Irvan not only entered a NASCAR race but finished a remarkable sixth. If Irvan did nothing more than finish out of the money as a NASCAR driver, his comeback would’ve been nothing short of miraculous. But he did much more than merely compete. He won two races in 1996.
In the spring of 1996, Lance Armstrong began to experience pain and swelling in his groin and attributed it to his six- to eight-hour days of cycling training. He did not seek medical advice until more than five months later when he started to get headaches and cough up blood.
A check-up with his doctor showed that cancer had produced a dozen golf ball-sized tumors in his lungs and lesions on his brain. Lance was given only a 50 percent chance of survival. He had to go through surgery and chemo treatments. The doctors assured him that he could never again ride competitively. Lance has done far more than ride competitively. Since 1999, Lance has owned the cycling world and record book…winning four consecutive Tours de France, making him the only American to accomplish this feat. This year he will try to break all records by competing to win an unprecedented fifth straight Tour do France.
All of these stories involve comebacks. Coming back and winning when they weren’t supposed to. Coming back against overwhelming odds to become champions.
That’s what happened on the first Easter morning. Jesus was dead. He’d been crucified, he had died, and he’d been put into a tomb a couple of days before. His family, friends, and disciples were overwhelmed with grief. The game was over. There was no time left on the clock. The other team, the Pharisees, the bad guys, had won. Game, set, match.
Now Jesus didn’t have a knee injury. HE’S DEAD! When you’re dead, you don’t just suck it up and play hurt! You don’t put a brace on and deal with the pain. Jesus was dead. There are no comebacks, no 9th inning or 4th quarter heroics when you’re dead. The disciples have no hope that their leader can come back and lead them to victory.
Good Friday was a dark and dreary day but now Sunday has come!
The Lord has defeated death once and for all and He has come back to lead his team to victory. And his comeback, which we Christians refer to as the resurrection, is the greatest comeback of all time.
But the world, outside the church, does not believe in a resurrection. I do have one glaring exception. In Greenville, SC, the Department of Social Services seems to believe in resurrection. They wrote to a welfare recipient: “Your food stamps will be stopped, effective immediately, because we have received notice that you passed away. You may reapply if there is a change in your circumstances.”
I personally know of only one person who ever experienced those “change in circumstances”, and he didn’t live in South Carolina. So you can talk about your “comebacks” all you want. Your Lance Armstrongs, your Ernie Irvans, Paul Azingers. It doesn’t matter! I believe Jesus is the only true “comeback kid”.
Hallelujah! Christ is Risen!
But remember, the world does not believe he is alive. They do not believe in resurrections. How can we? What is our proof that Jesus is alive? Is it just that the Bible says so?
Well, that is evidence for believers. But… what about non-believers. Is there any proof we can offer them?
I believe there is, and today I want us to look at the proof.
1. The Empty Tomb.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Christianity rises or falls on the empty tomb. It is the one silent and infallible witness. The opponents of Jesus… the Jews and others, knew the importance of the resurrection. They knew that if the Christians were able to convince people that Jesus was alive… something that no other religion could claim… there would be no stopping the new religion. Not only that… if Jesus was alive… all He said was true and all other religions were history.
The Pharisees, who were gloating on Saturday, were scrambling on Sunday to come up with an answer to this resurrection. They did!! A lie. They paid the soldiers to say that the disciples had stolen the body. These leaders knew how damaging the resurrection was. They knew it was the critical issue on which Christianity stood or fell.
If that tomb was not empty, if the disciples had lied… all the Jews had to do was to open the tomb… the tomb that was covered by a stone that would take several men to move… the tomb which was guarded by up to 16 soldiers who were under the strictest orders not to let anyone in the tomb… the tomb which was sealed with the royal tomb and carried with it the wrath of Rome on anyone who would break it..
All they had to do was open it… and Christianity was history, was over… game, set and match.
BUT THEY COULD NOT!!! It WAS empty.
So, either, the disciples stole the body to support their lie… or the Jews had taken the body… OR HE WAS ALIVE!
Remember… the disciples were frightened, wimpy little cowards, hiding in the upper room. They did not have the guts to come out. And if they did… how could a handful of rag-tag fishermen and tax collectors overpower the soldiers… or sneak him out from behind that massive stone without being heard?
They could not.
And if the Jews had the body… they would have produced it.
The tomb WAS empty… Jesus IS alive. He claimed that He would rise from the dead on the third day -- and that’s exactly what He did. The empty tomb validates His claim.
Exhibit B: Multiple Witnesses
The early Christians did not believe Jesus had risen just because of the empty tomb -- they believed because they saw Him with their own eyes. When they talked to others about Jesus, they did not say, “We found an empty tomb,” instead, they said, “We saw Jesus alive!”
The most outstanding proof that Jesus rose from the dead is that more than 515 eyewitnesses saw him on 12 different occasions. Acts 1:3 says that, “After His suffering, He showed Himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that He was alive. He appeared to them over a period of 40 days and spoke about the kingdom of God.”
The apostle Paul, when writing a letter to a group of new Christians, laid it all out in 1 Corinthians 15:3-6: “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, He appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep.”
It is one thing today for us to say that over 500 people saw Jesus alive after the resurrection. They have been dead for almost 2000 years and we can not be proven wrong.
But when the early Christians told people that Jesus was alive… they had seen him… they could be trapped in a lie. The person could say, “Name one!” The disciples could name dozens. Hundreds still were alive and talking.
If the Jews had not known the witnesses were there, they would have challenged the disciples to produce even one witness. They dared not… the witnesses were many.
People knew the tomb was empty and that Jesus had appeared to hundreds of people -- it was verifiable.
There’s one more compelling argument for the Resurrection.
Exhibit C: Changed Lives.
Those who met the Resurrected Jesus have had their lives totally transformed. The Resurrection is validated by the changed lives of Jesus’ followers.
Something happened to radically reorient this original group of followers.
After Jesus was put to death, the disciples scattered. The Bible tells us that they were gathered in a locked room on the top floor of a building. They were filled with fear. Their leader had been executed. What would happen to them now?
John 20:19-20 tells us that Jesus appeared in the upper room to his scared, wimpy little puppies with their tails tucked between their legs. That appearance transformed them into bold, confident bulldogs for God who would walk up to total strangers and tell them about Jeus. Courageous followers who were ready to lay their neck on the chopping block for the gospel of their Jesus.
These ordinary men were transformed from frightened wimps into one of the most effective missionary organizations the world has ever seen. Let me ask you a question: What motivated them to go everywhere and proclaim the message of the risen Christ? Was it for money? Power? Fame? No.
Listen to how they died and see if it sounds like they were just making up the Resurrection:
• Matthew was killed in Ethiopia
• Mark was dragged through the streets until he was dead
• Peter, Simeon, Andrew, and Philip were crucified
• James was beheaded
• Bartholomew was flayed alive
• Thomas was pierced with lances
• James was thrown from the temple and stoned to death
• Jude was shot to death with arrows
• Paul was boiled in hot oil and beheaded
Members of the jury, may I suggest that the only thing that could have possibly changed their lives so dramatically was the Resurrection of Jesus Christ? Every one of these guys could have lived if they had said just one statement: “He is dead.” But they refused because they knew He was alive!
Exhibit C is changed lives. Not only did the resurrected Christ impact this group of individuals, His life-changing power has transformed people from the third decade of the first century down through today.
Jesus has changed my life. And I know that He has changed yours as well. His life-changing power is just as available to us today as it was to that group of frightened followers on Easter Sunday night.
Members of the jury, what’s your verdict on the Resurrection? The question is not… “Did Jesus die for you and Did God raise Him from the dead?”
Ther is no serious doubt about those two facts. The question is… “What will you do with the forgiveness of sins and eternal life that Jesus died to secure for you.
One last story…
There was a certain Professor of Religion named Dr. Christianson, a
studious man who taught at a small college in the Western United States.
Dr. Christianson taught the required survey course in Christianity at
this particular institution. Every student was required to take this
course his or her freshman year regardless of his or her major. Although
Dr. Christianson tried hard to communicate the essence of the gospel in
his class, he found that most of his students looked upon the course as
nothing but required drudgery. Despite his best efforts, most students
refused to take Christianity seriously.
This year, Dr. Christianson had a special student named Steve.
Steve was only a freshman, but was studying with the intent of going
onto seminary for the ministry. Steve was popular, he was well liked,
and he was an imposing physical specimen. He was now the starting center
on the school football team, and was the best student in the professor’s
class.
One day, Dr. Christianson asked Steve to stay after class so he
could talk with him. "How many push-ups can you do?"
Steve said, "I do about 200 every night."
200? That’s pretty good, Steve," Dr. Christianson said.
Do you think you could do 300?"
Steve replied, "I don’t know... I’ve never done 300 at a time."
"You don’t have to do them all at once." said Dr. Christianson.
Can you do 300 in sets of 10? I have a class project in mind and I
need you to do about 300 push-ups in sets of ten for this to work. Can
you do it? I need you to tell me you can do it," said the professor.
Steve said, "Well... I think I can...yeah, I can do it."
Dr. Christianson said, "Good! I need you to do this on Friday. Let
me explain what I have in mind."
Friday came and Steve got to class early and sat in the front of
the room. When class started, the professor pulled out a big box of
donuts. These weren’t the normal kinds of donuts, they were the extra
fancy BIG kind, with cream centers and frosting swirls. Everyone was
pretty excited it was Friday, the last class of the day, and they were
going to get an early start on the weekend with a party in Dr.
Christianson’s class.
Dr. Christianson went to the first girl in the first row and asked,
"Cynthia, do you want to have one of these donuts?"
Cynthia said, "Yes."
Dr. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked, "Steve, would you
do ten push-ups so that Cynthia can have a donut?"
"Sure." Steve jumped down from his desk to do a quick ten. Then
Steve again sat in his desk. Dr. Christianson put a donut on Cynthia’s
desk.
Dr. Christianson then went to Joe, the next person, and asked,
"Joe, do you want a donut?"
Joe said, "Yes."
Dr. Christianson asked, "Steve would you do ten push-ups so Joe can
have a donut?" Steve did ten push-ups, Joe got a donut. And so it went,
down the first aisle, Steve did ten pushups for every person before they
got their donut. And down the second aisle he went, till he came
to Scott. Scott was on the basketball team, and in as good condition as
Steve. He was very popular and never lacking for female companionship.
When the professor asked, "Scott do you want a donut?"
Scott’s reply was, "Well, can I do my own pushups?"
Dr. Christianson said, "No, Steve has to do them."
Then Scott said, "Well, I don’t want one then."
Dr. Christianson shrugged and then turned to Steve and asked,
"Steve, would you do ten pushups so Scott can have a donut he doesn’t
want?" With perfect obedience Steve started to do ten pushups.
Scott said, "HEY! I said I didn’t want one!"
Dr. Christianson said, "Look, this is my classroom, my class, my
desks, and these are my donuts. Just leave it on the desk if you don’t
want it." And he put a donut on Scott’s desk.
Now by this time, Steve had begun to slow down a little. He just
stayed on the floor between sets because it took too much effort to be
getting up and down. You could start to see a little perspiration coming
out around his brow. Dr. Christianson started down the third row. Now
the students were beginning to get a little angry.
Dr. Christianson asked Jenny, "Jenny, do you want a donut?"
Sternly, Jenny said, "No."
Then Dr. Christianson asked Steve, "Steve, would you do ten more
Push-ups so Jenny can have a donut that she doesn’t want?" Steve did
ten....Jenny got a donut.
By now, a growing sense of uneasiness filled the room. The students
were beginning to say "No" and there were all these uneaten donuts on
the desks. Steve also had to really put forth a lot of extra effort to
get these pushups done for each donut. There began to be a small pool of
sweat on the floor beneath his face, his arms and brow were beginning to
get red because of the physical effort involved.
Dr. Christianson asked Robert, who was the most vocal unbeliever in
the class, to watch Steve do each push up to make sure he did the full
ten pushups in a set because he couldn’t bear to watch all of Steve’s
work for all of those uneaten donuts. He sent Robert over to where Steve
was so Robert could count the set and watch Steve closely. Dr.
Christianson started down the fourth row.
The bell rang and Dr. Christianson told all of the students to stay in their seats. Some students in the hall saw Steve doing pushups and wandered in and sat down on the steps along the radiators that ran down the sides of the room. When the professor realized this, he did a quick count and saw that now there were 34 students in the room. He started to
worry if Steve would be able to make it. Dr. Christianson went on to the next person and the next and the next. Near the end of that row, Steve was really having a rough time. He was taking a lot more time to complete each set.
Steve asked Dr. Christianson, "Do I have to make my nose touch on
each one?"
Dr. Christianson thought for a moment, "Yes. You must pay the full price for each donut." And Dr. Christianson went on.
A few moments later, Jason, a recent transfer student, came to the
room and was about to come in when all the students yelled in one voice,
"NO! Don’t come in! Stay out!"
Jason didn’t know what was going on. Steve picked up his head and said, "No, let him come."
Professor Christianson said, "You realize that if Jason comes in
you will have to do ten pushups for him?"
Steve said, "Yes, let him come in. Give him a donut"
Dr. Christianson said, "Okay, Steve, I’ll let you get Jason’s out
of the way right now. Jason, do you want a donut?"
Jason, new to the room hardly knew what was going on. "Yes," he
said, "give me a donut."
"Steve, will you do ten push-ups so that Jason can have a donut?"
Steve did ten pushups very slowly and with great effort. Jason,
bewildered, was handed a donut and sat down.
Dr. Christianson finished the fourth row, then started on those
visitors seated by the heaters. Steve’s arms were now shaking with each
push-up in a struggle to lift himself against the force of gravity. His back was swayed, not straight. His waist barely cleared the floor. Sweat was profusely dropping off of his face and, by this time, there was no sound except his heavy breathing, there was not a dry eye in the room.
The very last two students in the room were two young women, both
cheerleaders, and very popular. Dr. Christianson went to Linda, the
second to last, and asked, "Linda, do you want a doughnut?"
Linda knew that no matter what she said, Steve would have to do ten more pushups. She said, very sadly, "No, thank you."
Professor Christianson quietly asked, "Steve, would you do ten
push-ups so that Linda can have a donut she doesn’t want?" Grunting from
the effort, Steve did ten very slow pushups for Linda.
Then Dr. Christianson turned to the last girl, Susan. "Susan, do
you want a donut?"
Susan, with tears flowing down her face, began to cry. "Dr.
Christianson, why can’t I help him?"
Dr. Christianson, with tears of his own, said, "No, Steve has to do
it alone, I have given him this task and he is in charge of seeing that
everyone has an opportunity for a donut whether they want it or not.
When I decided to have a party this last day of class, I looked at my
grade book. Steve, here is the only student with a perfect grade.
Everyone else has failed a test, skipped class, or offered me inferior
work. Steve told me that in football practice, when a player messes up
he must do push-ups. I told Steve that none of you could come to my
party unless he paid the price by doing your push ups. He and I made a
deal for your sakes. Steve, would you do ten push-ups so Susan can have
a donut?" As Steve very slowly finished his last pushup, with the
understanding that he had accomplished all that was required of him,
having done 350 pushups, his arms buckled beneath him and he fell to the
floor.
Dr. Christianson turned to the room and said. "And so it was, that
our Savior, Jesus Christ, on the cross, plead to the Father, ’into thy
hands I commend my spirit.’ With the understanding that He had done
everything that was required of Him, he yielded up His life. And like
some of those in this room, many of us leave the gift on the desk,
uneaten." Two students helped Steve up off the floor and to a seat,
physically exhausted, but wearing a thin smile. "Well done, good and
faithful servant," said the professor.
That day, in that class… That student paid the price so that everyone could have a donut. The students were angry and sad. They did not want the donut. On every desk there laid an uneaten donut. The professor told them, “Steve has paid a very high price so you could have that donut. Wouldn’t it be ungrateful on your part, after all he has done, for you to leave the donut on the desk?”
There is no doubt that Jesus paid the ultimate price, his life, so that you could have forgiveness of your sins, eternal life in heaven and abundant life on earth. God proved it by raising him from the dead.
As we sing our hymn of invitation, when you can come and accept His gift… wouldn’t it be ungrateful on your part, after all He has don, for you to leave the gift unaccepted?
