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A DISCIPLE’S RESPONSE TO THE GOOD NEWS
John 20:1-18, Acts 2:14a, 22-32
30 March 2008

Introduction

In life, there are basically two types of news that we receive everyday: good news and bad news. And our response and reaction differs depending on whether it is good news or whether it is bad news. For example, if we hear the bad news of the death of a loved one, the natural reaction is to grief, to feel sad and cry. It is this type of news that we all rather avoid and ignore.

On the other hand, if we receive a piece of good news like when a close friend or relative who finally received Christ as their Lord and Saviour; or when a loved one is finally cured of a long term sickness, the emotional response is one of gladness and joy. Further, there is a tendency to share this good news to others.

I remembered a few years back I was with a group of secondary students who were waiting anxiously for their “O” level results. You could see the tension and anxiety in their faces as they waited impatiently for the moment. But upon receiving the good news that they have not only passed but had done well enough to enter either the JC or poly, their reaction was simply one to share. They would excitedly show their friends their result slip and would quickly inform their parents of the good news.

Good news are meant to be shared and I’ll let you in to a secret: Mothers are excellent at spreading good news! Well I don’t know about yours, at least mine is.

You see, when I was married back in 1994 to my lovely wife, the question that mothers usually asked is “When?” – translated as “When will I have a grandchild?” Here’s a warning for those young people planning to get married: Mothers cannot wait for their children to give them grandchildren!

Well, we responded to her “when” question with a “wait” answer as we wanted to enjoy our married life together for at least two years. So for awhile, life was peaceful for mum remained silent. However, when the 2 years was up, guessed what? The “when” question reappeared. Apparently, it seems that mothers are equally good at remembering the promise you made to them! The question kept reappearing because we both were still enjoying our married lifestyle and was not prepared to start a family. But finally in 1998, when Gabriel our first born was conceived, we told mum the good news. And within the hour after informing my mother of Cassandra’s pregnancy, we received calls from long lost relatives congratulating us. When I asked how did they received the news, their response was: “From your mum!”

Mothers are indeed excellent at spreading the good news and as disciples, we must be likewise.


Three Individual Responses

On the very first Easter morning, we encounter three disciples who heard the Good News and interestingly they all responded differently. Let me introduce the first of the trio: Peter – the brash, loud leader of the pack.

In John 20:2 we are told that Peter together with the disciples heard the news that the tomb was empty!

They have taken the Lord out of the tomb and we don’t know where they have laid Him.

Peter’s immediate reaction to what was told to him was to run to the site of the tomb (V4). Not content to just hearing the news, he wanted to discover and confirm this truth for himself. As Peter got to the site and saw proof of the empty tomb as well as the linen cloths lying there (V6), he was dumb-struck! His reaction was … well to put it nicely – none! (Though Luke 24:12 records that Peter went home marveling at what had happened) In other words, Peter had no reaction at all to the Good News that Jesus was alive! And this despite the fact that he had heard Jesus telling him of His future resurrection and even seeing for himself the empty tomb!

The second individual for our focus is the disciple whom Jesus loved, John. Like Peter, John also heard the news, he ran to the tomb and he saw exactly the same thing - that it was empty (V4,6). But unlike his fellow disciple who had no reaction, V8 informed us that John believed when he saw the grave cloths and the empty tomb. Now it must be noted that although John believed, he nevertheless did not share the Good News with others; he kept the truth to himself. It was as though the Good News was meant only for him and that is only what matters!

The third person on the scene is Mary Magdalene. Now don’t confuse this Mary with Mary of Bethany, who anointed Jesus with an expensive jar of perfume (Mark 14:3-9) and who is the sister of both Martha and Lazarus. Neither is this Mary, the mother of our Lord Jesus. Rather, this Mary was a former demoniac in Luke 8:2 who as a result of being set free supported Jesus’ ministry (Luke 8:1-3). She was also present at the cross during Christ’s crucifixion (Mark 15:40). On that very first Easter morning, this Mary was the first to see proof of the empty tomb (V1) and then later was also the first to hear the voice of Jesus in V15-17, evidence that Jesus has risen. At each of this incident, it is recorded in Scriptures that Mary ran and informed the disciples of the Good News!

· “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb …” (V2)
· “I have seen the Lord” (V18)

Mary was a bearer of the Good News!

DISCIPLE
ACTION
RESPONDS
Peter
· Heard (V2)
“They have taken the Lord out of the tomb …”
· Ran (V3-4)
· Saw (V6)
He saw the linen cloths lying there
None!
John
· Heard (V2)
“They have taken the Lord out of the tomb …”
· Ran (V3-4)
· Saw (V5)
He saw the linen cloths lying there
Believed but kept it to himself (V8)
Then the other disciple who reached the tomb first also went in and saw and believed.
Mary
Magdalene
· Saw (V1)
Saw that the stone had been taken away
· Ran (V2)
· Heard (V15)
“Woman, why are you weeping?”

Tell others
She … went to Simon Peter and the other disciple (V2)

Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord” (V18)

Conclusion

As we looked at these three individuals, who among them is a true disciple of Christ? A true disciple is one who fulfills the Great Commission of Christ (Matthew 28:19) in bringing the Good news to others.

What of us? What is our response and reaction to the Good News? Do we treat it as an ordinary event that happen everyday? Has the familiarity of the Resurrection story caused us to remain numb like Peter that we have no respond?
Or perhaps our response is like that of John who selfishly hold on to the news and choose not to tell others of God’s great love?

Granted that we may not be first-hand witnesses like Mary and the disciples in seeing the empty tomb and the grave cloths or even hearing the risen Lord speaking, we still have the Good News available for us. We have the Bible, the Word of God that tells us of this Good News. As we read Scriptures, we see and hear the story of the Resurrection. And our response must not be indifferent. We cannot receive this Good News and yet not respond to it; neither can we just keep it to ourselves. The appropriate respond is to react the same way as Mary did in getting all excited and quickly spreading the Good News to everyone.


Ultimately, both Peter and John by the grace of God, did lived a life worthy as Jesus’ disciples by spreading the Good News everywhere. Peter as told in the Acts passage, preached in his maiden sermon to a large crowd and 3000 souls were saved that day (Acts 2:41). John as the author of one of the 4 Gospels has been instrumental in bringing millions to Christ as a result of his writings.

Let me end with a dialogue between our Lord Jesus and the Angel Gabriel upon His return to heaven.

Gabriel: Master, welcome home. You must have suffered terribly for people down there.
Jesus: Yes, I did.
Gabriel: And did they now know all about how You loved them and what You did for them?
Jesus: Oh no, not yet. Right now only a handful of people in Palestine know.
Gabriel: Then what have You done to let all people know of (perplexed) the Good News about Your love for them?
Jesus: Well, I’ve asked my disciples Peter, James, John and a few others (excitedly) to tell people about Me. They in turn will tell others and soon the Good News will be spread to the farthest reaches of the globe. Ultimately, all mankind will hear about Me and what I have done on their behalf.
Gabriel: But, but Lord, you know that people are not dependable. What if Peter and the rest grow weary? What if people who come after them forget? And what if, way down in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, people get too busy to bother telling others about You? Haven’t You made other plans?
Jesus: No, Gabriel, I’ve made no other plans, I’m counting on them.

Are we dependable in doing our part? Can Christ trust us as His disciples to bring His message of salvation and love to the whole world? Let us take every opportunity as we leave this place, in our homes, in our workplace, in our community to share the Good News that Jesus is Alive!

Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matt 28:19).

REFLECTIVE QUESTIONS:

1. Among the three disciples – Peter, John and Mary - on that first Easter morning, which of them could you identify with?

2. Why is it so hard for us as disciples to share the Good News to others? Give some reasons

3. Is the result (whether people respond or not) or the obeying of the Great Commission more important to
a) Disciples?

b) God?

4. List some ways we can creatively share the Good News with others

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