Rabboni Series

Rabonni March 31, 2024 John 20: 1 – 18 – Easter Sunday

Intro: This morning when I was getting ready for church, I paused for just a moment and prayer that during this service Jesus would appear behind you all. Sometimes, I think that is what it will take for many to believe in Him and become true disciples. I ask you this morning, exactly why are you here? If you did not come expecting to see the risen Christ among us, why did you come? I guess this morning we are just like Mary long ago. She went to the tomb expecting to see Jesus, but he wasn’t there. She believed someone had stolen his body. What do you believe?

I VVS. 1 & 2 “Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”

A Mary did not look in the tomb. She just assumed. She jumped to a conclusion. She assumed the worst. Somebody had stolen the body of Jesus.

B Have you ever believed you got a bad grade on a test? You assumed the worst. But, when you saw your actual grade on the paper you were pleasantly surprised. Believing something is true, doesn’t make it true.

C How can we know that it was really true that Jesus rose from the dead? Can we be sure that it happened? What do you believe?

II VS. 8 “Finally, the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed.

A He saw the empty tomb. He saw the strips of linen and the cloth that had been on the head of Jesus. He saw all this, but what did he believe?

B Did he believe that someone had taken the body? Did he believe that Jesus had been moved? Did they all believe that the person who owned the tomb had ordered the body to be moved?

C VS. 9 & 10 – “(They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.” They didn’t even bother to investigate! They didn’t try to discover what had happened to the body of their leader, their teacher. What would you do if you buried a loved one and discovered their body was missing?

III VVS. 15 “He asked her, ‘Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for? Thinking he was the gardener, she said, ‘Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”

A We know that the disciples and Mary were all looking for the wrong thing; but they didn’t. They searched but didn’t find anything. The same may be true of you. If you come to church expecting nothing, that is exactly what you will find. NOTHING!

B VS. 16 – Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni! (which means “Teacher.)

C It is not until Jesus addresses Mary with her personal name. It is the personal relationship through which Mary recognizes Jesus.

Concl: This is the message of Easter! God has come to earth. It was through a personal connection that Mary recognized Jesus. In that relationship Jesus turned her tears of sadness into tears of joy. He can do the same for us. We may see but fail to believe because we want to see with our head and not our hears. Sadness, hopelessness, and despair can be swallowed up in victory when we SEE Christ Jesus through our tears. Christ Jesus can be with us when we are open to establishing a personal relationship with Jesus by walking in HIS way, seeking HIS will, and showing HIS love. Only then, does Christ Jesus emerge victorious and our tears of sadness turn to tears of joy and we truly see HIM.