Pastor Adam Gomez
Sunday, July 26, 2026
Scripture: John 20:1–16
Part 1: The Predawn Seeking (John 20:1)
Worship and Early Morning Prayer
The first day of the week would have been a Sunday, which would have begun the day of gathering of worship for the Church. Scripture emphasizes that "it was still dark." Throughout the Psalms and Gospels, we see a rich pattern of seeking God in the early hours:
Early birds understand the value of the distraction-free time that the early morning hours provide. They complete priority tasks before the rest of the world wakes up, beginning their day on the right foot. Waking up early to seek the Lord in prayer provides a person with distraction-free time with the Lord before the busyness of the day begins. It also allows for a person to discuss their first thoughts with the Lord, disintegrating any negativity or anxiety that our minds tend to accumulate, and aligning our thoughts with the will of God.
The Bible tells us that it was Daniel’s custom to pray three times a day (Daniel 6:10), assuming that it was morning, noon, and evening. David similarly wrote about praying three times a day in Psalm 55:17 (NKJV): “Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, and He shall hear my voice.”
Mary Magdalene’s Journey out of Darkness
Like the darkness of that morning, Mary Magdalene had walked in the deepest of darknesses in her life before coming to know the Lord. Luke writes:
If the number seven is the number of completion, then Mary Magdalene was “completely” demon possessed. Living with seven demons inside would completely ruin a person’s life.
After the sinful woman of Luke 7 anointed the feet of Jesus with the costly, fragrant oil, began washing His feet with her tears, and wiping them with her hair, Jesus said: “Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little” (Luke 7:47).
According to Mark 15:47, Mary Magdalene observed where Jesus was laid. She kept her eyes fixed on Jesus—her healer and her helper—and knew exactly where to walk in the predawn darkness of that Sunday morning.
The Eyewitness of the Removed Stone
When Mary arrived, she saw that "the stone had been taken away from the tomb." This could only mean one thing in Mary’s mind: Someone has stolen His body!
When examining this text, paying close attention to the verbs is revealing. First, she “saw.” Mary Magdalene is not simply a character in this narrative; she was an eyewitness to the empty tomb. She could not have rolled the stone away, nor could she have carried the body of Jesus with His dead weight and the 100 pounds of spices and wraps that He was covered in. Mary Magdalene would become the first eyewitness of the empty tomb.
Part 2: The Race to the Tomb (John 20:2–7)
Notice the next verb: she “ran.” Mary Magdalene needed to tell somebody! This raises a direct question for us today: Are you telling people about the empty grave?
She ran and came to Peter and John. Peter and John were always together—they were a team of two. Much could be said about having a partner:
John’s Holy Hesitation
Here, we are witnessing a bit of friendly competition captured in the Scriptures. These disciples were “Average Joes.” John had a “holy hesitation” about stepping into the tomb, possibly overwhelmed by the reality of the events as they were unfolding.
Peter’s Zealous Boldness
Peter is the “all in” guy. No hesitation. Peter is gung-ho, resolute, filled with passion to discover the reality about Jesus and what He had said about His death, burial, and resurrection. He is relentless, fearless, and cannot be stopped in his curiosity. He was strong-willed, zealous, and a born leader.
Consider Peter's extensive track record of action:
Yet, just three nights prior to this morning, Peter was weeping bitterly after denying that he knew Jesus. There is no doubt that his heart was still in the posture of anguish, regret, and despair from that event as he entered the tomb and saw the linen cloths lying there, empty of the body of Jesus.
The Folded Handkerchief & First-Century Burial Practices
His burial cloths are lying there, completely empty, and the handkerchief is folded neatly in its own place. A grave robber would not leave the cloths lying there where the body had been laid, nor take the time to fold the cloth that wrapped His head.
According to Jewish burial practices in the first century, the hands, arms, legs, and feet of the deceased would be individually wrapped in long strips of linen. The face would have its own linen wrap called a sudarium. Once the linens were dipped in the spices, the grave cloths became stiff like a cocoon. We see this contrast when Lazarus was raised from the dead: he needed help being unwrapped from his grave cloths.
Refuting False Theories of the Empty Tomb
The Conclusion: There is only one explanation for the empty grave, and that is that Jesus bodily rose from the dead! Not a tooth, not a hair, not a fingernail of Jesus can be found.
Part 3: Believing and Recognizing the Master (John 20:8–16)
Seeing, they believed. Some people need to see to believe. The disciples had been told about this event many times, but it had not really sunk into their understanding that it would actually happen. They needed to see to believe.
The other disciples would also have to “see to believe,” as Luke records in Acts 1:3 (NKJV): “to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.”
Many of us also needed to “see” to believe. The Lord had to cause a series of unexplainable events to happen in our lives to prove to us that He was real and that He was the one pursuing us. Some of you have been told about Jesus all of your lives. You’ve considered the claims about Jesus, but never really landed anywhere solid. It may be that the Lord is allowing you to “see” Him through a series of unexplainable events in your life. It is my prayer that what is being shared today will be the tipping point for you to “see” and “believe.”
Recognizable Traits of Jesus
Could it be that the disciples recognized the particular way Jesus folded the face cloth? He used a towel to wipe the feet of the disciples in John 13; did he fold it in a particular way that was recognizable?
People living in ancient times, especially in the Middle East, wore layers of clothing:
Could it be that Jesus had a particular way of folding the layers of his clothing that was recognizable when removing them?
We see a similar moment of recognition on the road to Emmaus, where Jesus may have revealed Himself to the disciples by the particular way He always broke bread and prayed:
Mary Encounters the Resurrected Lord
Jesus said in John 10:27 (NKJV): “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.”
A child can recognize the voice of their mother or father in a crowd. A spouse can recognize the voice of their partner in a crowd. Do you recognize the voice of Jesus today?
When Justine and I began getting to know each other by spending time together and having fun together, that was romance. When we began having long, involved talks with each other, that was intimacy. Knowing someone requires the development of intimacy, which necessitates spending ample time together—that’s why the dating process is so important!
Mary Magdalene knew Jesus. She knew His voice. There is nothing like the human voice; it is a person's signature. When someone’s voice goes silent, it can result in deep sadness and loneliness. How someone says something gets embedded in your soul. What someone has said can be weighty and powerful. How a person repeatedly says your name—their pitch, their tone, and the unique features of their voice—becomes engraved in your heart and mind.
And in verse 16, Jesus says her name: “Mary!”
Sunday, July 26, 2026
Scripture: John 20:1–16
Part 1: The Predawn Seeking (John 20:1)
“Now the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.”
— John 20:1 (NKJV)
Worship and Early Morning Prayer
The first day of the week would have been a Sunday, which would have begun the day of gathering of worship for the Church. Scripture emphasizes that "it was still dark." Throughout the Psalms and Gospels, we see a rich pattern of seeking God in the early hours:
- Psalm 5:3 (NKJV): “My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning I will direct it to You, and I will look up.”
- Psalm 57:8 (NKJV): “Awake, my glory! Awake, lute and harp! I will awaken the dawn.”
- Psalm 63:1 (NKJV): “O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water.”
- Mark 1:35 (NKJV): “Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.”
Early birds understand the value of the distraction-free time that the early morning hours provide. They complete priority tasks before the rest of the world wakes up, beginning their day on the right foot. Waking up early to seek the Lord in prayer provides a person with distraction-free time with the Lord before the busyness of the day begins. It also allows for a person to discuss their first thoughts with the Lord, disintegrating any negativity or anxiety that our minds tend to accumulate, and aligning our thoughts with the will of God.
The Bible tells us that it was Daniel’s custom to pray three times a day (Daniel 6:10), assuming that it was morning, noon, and evening. David similarly wrote about praying three times a day in Psalm 55:17 (NKJV): “Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, and He shall hear my voice.”
Mary Magdalene’s Journey out of Darkness
Like the darkness of that morning, Mary Magdalene had walked in the deepest of darknesses in her life before coming to know the Lord. Luke writes:
“...and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities—Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons,”
— Luke 8:2 (NKJV)
If the number seven is the number of completion, then Mary Magdalene was “completely” demon possessed. Living with seven demons inside would completely ruin a person’s life.
After the sinful woman of Luke 7 anointed the feet of Jesus with the costly, fragrant oil, began washing His feet with her tears, and wiping them with her hair, Jesus said: “Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little” (Luke 7:47).
According to Mark 15:47, Mary Magdalene observed where Jesus was laid. She kept her eyes fixed on Jesus—her healer and her helper—and knew exactly where to walk in the predawn darkness of that Sunday morning.
The Eyewitness of the Removed Stone
When Mary arrived, she saw that "the stone had been taken away from the tomb." This could only mean one thing in Mary’s mind: Someone has stolen His body!
When examining this text, paying close attention to the verbs is revealing. First, she “saw.” Mary Magdalene is not simply a character in this narrative; she was an eyewitness to the empty tomb. She could not have rolled the stone away, nor could she have carried the body of Jesus with His dead weight and the 100 pounds of spices and wraps that He was covered in. Mary Magdalene would become the first eyewitness of the empty tomb.
Part 2: The Race to the Tomb (John 20:2–7)
“Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, 'They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.'”
— John 20:2 (NKJV)
Notice the next verb: she “ran.” Mary Magdalene needed to tell somebody! This raises a direct question for us today: Are you telling people about the empty grave?
She ran and came to Peter and John. Peter and John were always together—they were a team of two. Much could be said about having a partner:
- Having a partner enables better communication.
- Having a partner enables shared responsibilities.
- Having a partner enables fast problem-solving.
John’s Holy Hesitation
“3 Peter therefore went out, and the other disciple, and were going to the tomb. 4 So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first. 5 And he, stooping down and looking in, saw the linen cloths lying there; yet he did not go in.”
— John 20:3–5 (NKJV)
Here, we are witnessing a bit of friendly competition captured in the Scriptures. These disciples were “Average Joes.” John had a “holy hesitation” about stepping into the tomb, possibly overwhelmed by the reality of the events as they were unfolding.
Peter’s Zealous Boldness
“Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there,”
— John 20:6 (NKJV)
Peter is the “all in” guy. No hesitation. Peter is gung-ho, resolute, filled with passion to discover the reality about Jesus and what He had said about His death, burial, and resurrection. He is relentless, fearless, and cannot be stopped in his curiosity. He was strong-willed, zealous, and a born leader.
Consider Peter's extensive track record of action:
- Walking on Water: He was the only disciple who got out of the boat on a raging sea to attempt to walk to Jesus (Matthew 14:28–29).
- Bold Confession: He was the first to identify Jesus as the Messiah (Matthew 16:16).
- Rebuking the Master: He was the only disciple to rebuke Jesus (Matthew 16:22).
- Drawing the Sword: It was Peter who pulled out his sword and cut off the ear of the servant of the high priest, Malchus (John 18:10).
- Swimming to Shore: It was Peter who jumped out of the boat and right into the water to swim to Jesus on the shore (John 21:7).
- Pentecost Preacher: Peter will be the one to preach the first gospel sermon on The Day of Pentecost in Acts 2.
- Acts 3 Healing: Peter will be the one to say to the lame man in Acts 3, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk” (v. 6).
- Acts 15 Defense: Peter will boldly defend the Gentile believers in Acts 15.
- A Christianity Pioneer: Peter will be a trailblazer and pioneer for Christianity.
Yet, just three nights prior to this morning, Peter was weeping bitterly after denying that he knew Jesus. There is no doubt that his heart was still in the posture of anguish, regret, and despair from that event as he entered the tomb and saw the linen cloths lying there, empty of the body of Jesus.
The Folded Handkerchief & First-Century Burial Practices
“and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself.”
— John 20:7 (NKJV)
His burial cloths are lying there, completely empty, and the handkerchief is folded neatly in its own place. A grave robber would not leave the cloths lying there where the body had been laid, nor take the time to fold the cloth that wrapped His head.
According to Jewish burial practices in the first century, the hands, arms, legs, and feet of the deceased would be individually wrapped in long strips of linen. The face would have its own linen wrap called a sudarium. Once the linens were dipped in the spices, the grave cloths became stiff like a cocoon. We see this contrast when Lazarus was raised from the dead: he needed help being unwrapped from his grave cloths.
“And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, 'Loose him, and let him go.'”
— John 11:44 (NKJV)
Refuting False Theories of the Empty Tomb
- Conspiracy Theory (Body stolen by disciples): According to Matthew 27:62–66, a unit of highly trained Roman guards vigilantly guarded the entrance—knowing they would be punished by death if Jesus’ body disappeared. Matthew 28:4 explains that the earth shook, an angel appeared and rolled away the stone from the opening of Jesus’ tomb, and "the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men." More than that, the disciples did not expect Jesus to rise from the dead, and did not have any motivation to fake a resurrection. We will soon find them hiding behind locked doors.
- Political Theory (Taken by Roman authorities): Some say that his body was taken by the Roman government to be put on display when the story of a resurrected Jesus would begin to circulate. However, the Romans knew that Jesus was dead. They simply wanted to be sure that none of His followers stole His body. That was it.
- Swoon Theory (Jesus merely passed out): Some say that Jesus wasn’t actually dead when they removed Him from the cross, and that when he was exposed to the coolness of the tomb, he awoke and escaped. Yet Jesus was methodically whipped and beaten by Roman soldiers, was so weak that He was unable to carry His cross, had spikes driven through His hands and feet, and hung on the cross for six hours. Before removing His body from the cross, the Romans thrust a spear deep into His side and blood and water flowed.
The Conclusion: There is only one explanation for the empty grave, and that is that Jesus bodily rose from the dead! Not a tooth, not a hair, not a fingernail of Jesus can be found.
Part 3: Believing and Recognizing the Master (John 20:8–16)
“8 Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed. 9 For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went away again to their own homes.”
— John 20:8–10 (NKJV)
Seeing, they believed. Some people need to see to believe. The disciples had been told about this event many times, but it had not really sunk into their understanding that it would actually happen. They needed to see to believe.
The other disciples would also have to “see to believe,” as Luke records in Acts 1:3 (NKJV): “to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.”
Many of us also needed to “see” to believe. The Lord had to cause a series of unexplainable events to happen in our lives to prove to us that He was real and that He was the one pursuing us. Some of you have been told about Jesus all of your lives. You’ve considered the claims about Jesus, but never really landed anywhere solid. It may be that the Lord is allowing you to “see” Him through a series of unexplainable events in your life. It is my prayer that what is being shared today will be the tipping point for you to “see” and “believe.”
Recognizable Traits of Jesus
Could it be that the disciples recognized the particular way Jesus folded the face cloth? He used a towel to wipe the feet of the disciples in John 13; did he fold it in a particular way that was recognizable?
People living in ancient times, especially in the Middle East, wore layers of clothing:
- An inner garment resembling a long, loose-fitting T-shirt (kimono-like).
- An outer tunic (robe).
- A cloak (layered on top of the outer tunic in cooler weather).
Could it be that Jesus had a particular way of folding the layers of his clothing that was recognizable when removing them?
We see a similar moment of recognition on the road to Emmaus, where Jesus may have revealed Himself to the disciples by the particular way He always broke bread and prayed:
“Now it came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him; and He vanished from their sight.”
— Luke 24:30–31 (NKJV)
Mary Encounters the Resurrected Lord
“11 But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb. 12 And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. 13 Then they said to her, 'Woman, why are you weeping?' She said to them, 'Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.' 14 Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, 'Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?' She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, 'Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away.' 16 Jesus said to her, 'Mary!' She turned and said to Him, 'Rabboni!' (which is to say, Teacher).”
— John 20:11–16 (NKJV)
Jesus said in John 10:27 (NKJV): “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.”
A child can recognize the voice of their mother or father in a crowd. A spouse can recognize the voice of their partner in a crowd. Do you recognize the voice of Jesus today?
When Justine and I began getting to know each other by spending time together and having fun together, that was romance. When we began having long, involved talks with each other, that was intimacy. Knowing someone requires the development of intimacy, which necessitates spending ample time together—that’s why the dating process is so important!
Mary Magdalene knew Jesus. She knew His voice. There is nothing like the human voice; it is a person's signature. When someone’s voice goes silent, it can result in deep sadness and loneliness. How someone says something gets embedded in your soul. What someone has said can be weighty and powerful. How a person repeatedly says your name—their pitch, their tone, and the unique features of their voice—becomes engraved in your heart and mind.
And in verse 16, Jesus says her name: “Mary!”
Posted in Pastor Adam Gomez
Crossroads Church of Denver
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