He did not stay dead. The empty tomb makes possible your own resurrection.
Did the resurrection of Jesus Christ actually happen, or is it a comforting legend? In this expository sermon on John 20:1-18, Dr. Toby B. Holt walks through the morning Mary Magdalene found the stone rolled away, Peter and John ran to an empty tomb, and the risen Lord called Mary by name. From a confessional Reformed perspective, the bodily resurrection is the hinge on which the Christian faith turns. Without it the gospel collapses, for "if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!" (1 Corinthians 15:17, NKJV). With it, every promise of God stands secure.
0:00 — The Hinge of History. Christianity stands or falls on the resurrection (John 20; 1 Cor 15:14).
1:45 — He Is Risen Indeed. The empty tomb is the Father's vindication of the Son.
11:32 — Mary's Grief at the Tomb. "They have taken away my Lord" (John 20:13).
14:37 — Two Angels Where He Lay. A picture of atonement, like the mercy seat (John 20:12).
18:00 — "Rabboni!" The risen Christ calls Mary by name (John 20:16).
The empty tomb is the physical, public evidence that Jesus rose bodily. John records that Mary "saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb" (John 20:1, NKJV), and that the disciples found the linen cloths lying there. The Reformed faith insists the resurrection was not a vision or a feeling but a historical event in space and time, witnessed and verifiable.
Paul makes the entire gospel depend on it: "if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!" (1 Corinthians 15:17, NKJV). Without the resurrection there is no justification, no forgiveness, and no hope beyond the grave. Because Christ truly rose, His atoning death is proven sufficient and His people are secure.
John notes the handkerchief "folded together in a place by itself" (John 20:7, NKJV). Grave robbers do not tidy a tomb. The orderly cloths testify that Jesus rose deliberately and left death behind, not that His body was stolen. The detail strengthens the case that the resurrection was an act of divine power, not human tampering.
Scripture says Christ "was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification" (Romans 4:25, NKJV). The resurrection is the Father's public verdict that the Son's sacrifice fully satisfied divine justice. As the Westminster Confession teaches, Christ rose again for our justification, and in Him believers are declared righteous.
Mary, "supposing Him to be the gardener" (John 20:15, NKJV), was blinded by grief and did not expect a living Lord. Recognition came only when He spoke her name. This reflects the Reformed conviction that spiritual sight is granted by Christ Himself, who opens the eyes of His own to know Him.
When Jesus said "Mary!" she immediately answered, "Rabboni!" (John 20:16, NKJV). The risen Shepherd knows His sheep personally: "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me" (John 10:27, NKJV). Saving knowledge of Christ is personal and effectual, the fruit of His sovereign, calling grace.
Jesus told Mary, "Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father" (John 20:17, NKJV). He was redirecting her from holding His physical presence to the greater reality of His ascension and the sending of the Spirit. Fellowship with the risen Christ would now be by faith, not by sight.
Jesus said, "I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God" (John 20:17, NKJV). Through the risen Son, believers are adopted as children of God. The Westminster Confession describes adoption as a grace whereby we are received into the number and enjoy the liberties of the sons of God.
John records "two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain" (John 20:12, NKJV). Many Reformed readers see an echo of the two cherubim over the mercy seat in Exodus 25, marking the place where atoning blood was once sprinkled. The empty tomb becomes the true mercy seat, where atonement is finished.
Because "Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep" (1 Corinthians 15:20, NKJV), His resurrection guarantees ours. The grave is no longer the end for those united to Him. Reformed hope rests not on feelings but on the historical, bodily resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.
1. The Empty Tomb Is the Hinge of History
The Christian faith does not rest on inspiring ideas but on an event. When Mary "saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb" (John 20:1, NKJV), history turned on its hinge. Paul states the stakes plainly: "if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty" (1 Corinthians 15:14, NKJV). The resurrection is not a doctrine among many; it is the ground on which every other doctrine stands.
2. The Resurrection Vindicates the Son and Justifies the Sinner
The empty tomb is the Father's verdict over the finished work of the cross. Christ "was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification" (Romans 4:25, NKJV). His rising declares that the price was fully paid and divine justice satisfied. In the risen Christ, the believer's righteousness is secured and the grave's claim is broken forever.
3. The Risen Christ Calls His Own by Name
Mary wept until the Shepherd spoke one word: "Mary!" and she answered, "Rabboni!" (John 20:16, NKJV). Saving knowledge of Christ is personal and effectual, granted by His own voice. The risen Lord still calls His sheep, opens blind eyes, and makes Himself known. To know the risen Christ is to be known by Him, adopted into the family of "My Father and your Father" (John 20:17, NKJV).
The Scripture Text: John 20:16-17 (NKJV)
"Jesus said to her, 'Mary!' She turned and said to Him, 'Rabboni!' (which is to say, Teacher). Jesus said to her, 'Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, "I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God."'"
Continue studying: explore the full Gospel of John sermon series, or browse the complete Reformed Sermon Archive.
About The Speaker: Dr. Toby Holt serves as the third President of New Geneva Theological Seminary (Colorado Springs, CO), founded 1993. An expository preacher with over 1.9 million sermon downloads on SermonAudio.com, Dr. Holt brings over 17 years of pastoral experience to his verse-by-verse Bible teaching. New Geneva offers fully online Reformed theological education — M.Div., Th.M., D.Min., and other degrees.
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