I've Just Seen Jesus! Series

I’ve Just Seen Jesus

Jn. 20:1-18

Show Video (Sunday’s Coming). Guess what?! Sunday’s here!!

Today is Resurrection Day. Because of Easter, every day is Resurrection Day.

In preparation for today, we’ve been looking at various people’s responses to their encounters with Christ.

Please turn with me again to Jn. 20. (Review Peter, Centurion, Crowds)

Today, we look at one woman’s encounter with the risen Lord – Mary Magdalene.

Prayer

I. MARY’S BACKGROUND

Mary was from the village of Magdala, near Tiberias on the coast of the Sea of Galilee.

Scripture gives us little snippets of her encounter with Christ.

Lk. 8:1-3 AFTER THIS, JESUS TRAVELED ABOUT FROM ONE TOWN AND VILLAGE TO ANOTHER, PROCLAIMING THE GOOD NEWS OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD. THE TWELVE WERE WITH HIM, 2AND ALSO SOME WOMEN WHO HAD BEEN CURED OF EVIL SPIRITS AND DISEASES: MARY (CALLED MAGDALENE) FROM WHOM SEVEN DEMONS HAD COME OUT; 3…THESE WOMEN WERE HELPING TO SUPPORT THEM OUT OF THEIR OWN MEANS.

•She became one of his primary financial supporters/“faith partner”.

Catholic tradition also says that Mary was the adulteress that Jesus delivered from stoning in Jn. 8. However, there is no biblical evidence to support this.

Modern, pagan tradition now says that she was married to Jesus and they had children. This is obviously unbiblical, unsubstantiated, blatant heresy.

•What we do know is that Mary’s first encounter with Jesus was life-changing.

•In fact, her encounter convinced her to commit her life to following/serving Him.

She was also one of His few supporters at the cross.

Jn. 19:25 NEAR THE CROSS OF JESUS STOOD HIS MOTHER, HIS MOTHER’S SISTER, MARY THE WIFE OF CLOPAS, AND MARY MAGDALENE.

One can only imagine what was going through her mind at that time.

She had been radically delivered from evil oppression.

She had dedicated her life and livelihood to serving and supporting Jesus.

And now, she had witnessed her Savior’s horrible death on the cross.

Even there, however, her service to her Savior didn’t end.

Mt. 27:57-61 AS EVENING APPROACHED, THERE CAME A RICH MAN FROM ARIMATHEA, NAMED JOSEPH, WHO HAD HIMSELF BECOME A DISCIPLE OF JESUS… 59JOSEPH TOOK THE BODY, WRAPPED IT IN A CLEAN LINEN CLOTH, 60AND PLACED IT IN HIS OWN NEW TOMB THAT HE HAD CUT OUT OF THE ROCK. HE ROLLED A BIG STONE IN FRONT OF THE ENTRANCE TO THE TOMB AND WENT AWAY. 61MARY MAGDALENE AND THE OTHER MARY WERE SITTING THERE OPPOSITE THE TOMB.

This is interesting. Only Mary and Joseph of Arimathea, and a few others were there.

Even after she helped bury Jesus, her work wasn’t over.

The Sabbath was fast approaching, which forced them to bury Jesus without properly preparing the body with spices.

•So as soon as the Sabbath was over, she went again to finish the job.

Now we come to the moment we’ve all been waiting for - the incredible miracle of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Mt. 28:1-6 AFTER THE SABBATH, AT DAWN ON THE FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK, MARY MAGDALENE AND THE OTHER MARY WENT TO LOOK AT THE TOMB. 2THERE WAS A VIOLENT EARTHQUAKE, FOR AN ANGEL OF THE LORD CAME DOWN FROM HEAVEN AND, GOING TO THE TOMB, ROLLED BACK THE STONE AND SAT ON IT. 3HIS APPEARANCE WAS LIKE LIGHTNING, AND HIS CLOTHES WERE WHITE AS SNOW. 4THE GUARDS WERE SO AFRAID OF HIM THAT THEY SHOOK AND BECAME LIKE DEAD MEN. 5THE ANGEL SAID TO THE WOMEN, “DO NOT BE AFRAID, FOR I KNOW THAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR JESUS, WHO WAS CRUCIFIED. 6HE IS NOT HERE; HE HAS RISEN, JUST AS HE SAID. COME AND SEE THE PLACE WHERE HE LAY. 7THEN GO QUICKLY AND TELL HIS DISCIPLES: ‘HE HAS RISEN FROM THE DEAD AND IS GOING AHEAD OF YOU INTO GALILEE…”

With that backdrop, let’s look closer at Mary’s response to Jesus’ resurrection.

II. MARY’S RESPONSE

A. She went early.

1EARLY 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.

She got up at O dark thirty just to go to the tomb.

She had waited agonizingly through the whole Sabbath to finish what she had started.

Even Jesus’ death didn’t deter her from serving and caring for Him.

Mt. tells us she was met at the tomb by an angel who told her Jesus had risen.

Apparently, in her anguish, the angel’s words hadn’t sunk in yet.

John tells us she ran to the disciples, but with a different message.

B. She ran for help.

2SO 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!”