Mary Magdelene Series

Resurrection Day

Theme: First Evangelist Mary

Text: John 20:10-19

Introduction:

The resurrection narratives in all four gospels record very precisely how things were moving from one stage to the other. All of them want to give credit to Mary Magdalene as the first person to meet the Resurrected Lord Jesus Christ. The first evangelist of the Kingdom of God was Mary Magdalene. Though Mary Magdalene had great enthusiasm for Lord Jesus Christ. She loved the Lord more than all others of her age and culture. She bathed Jesus with her tears and alabaster Balm (Luke 7:36-37 & John 8:7). She was found in Luke 8:3 as a woman healed from seven demons. Later she became a strong devotee and spent the time to listen to the Word (Luke 10:38-42). Mary had great faith in Jesus and in His Power (John 11:2,32). She continued her sacrificial giving to Jesus before his death she brought another costly perfume and washed feet of Jesus (John 12:1-3). Now Mary is a model believer of the early Christians.

20:1-9 Mary was a Fearful Follower

There were almost three women in the morning went to the graveyard. Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Salome (Mark 16:1). Only a day has gone but everything seems to be bleak, gloomy and non-futuristic. They were afraid of the Constitutional authorities, religious leaders(John 7:13, 9:22) and guards. It was very natural after the defeat of a leader.

Fear is a very common emotion in the human body. We are more familiar with the word “Phobias”. “acrophobia” is fear of high places; “claustrophobia” is fear of closed places; “nyctophobia” is fear of dark places, etc. normally fear leads to instability, unhappiness and finally to defeat. It is the enemy of faith. It saps spiritual vitality and it can paralyze the soul”(Harold S Martin). Fear is one of the by-products of modern life no one could avoid. Fear of losing employment taunts the young and old together, marriages are under stress for young couples, and children struggle with social pressures.

Bible talks about two kinds of fear: A respectful fear to God and fear of men. Serve the Lord with fear and trembling (Psalm 2:11). Jesus told his disciples not to fear the men who can only destroy their bodies and not their soul (Mathew 10:28 & Luke 12:4).

Paul Johannes Tillich, a Lutheran Theologian, German-American, lived from 1886 to 1965. “He wrote about 3 types of worry. First is a worry about fate and death. Second is a worry about two feelings. The feelings are about two lacks. There is the lack of inner satisfaction. There is the lack of meaning to life. The third is a worry about being guilty and deserving punishment”.

John Bunyan in his Pilgrim Progress records a very interesting incident that at one point he met with two Roaring Lions blocking his way to heavenly city. He was more fearful to take further step but with courage he moved on, when he reached very near to the Lions, he found that the Lions were chained by God. How often, we are afraid of the chained defeated, powerless issues over us. God has confined and curbed them already.

When I am afraid I will put my trust in you (Psalm 56:3). Psalm 34:4 “I sought the Lord,... he delivered me from all my fears”. Psalm 23:4 “ Even though I walk through the valley of death, I fear no evil”. Psalm 46:1-3 “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling.” Psalm 91:4-5 “He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day.” Mathew 10:31 “Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows”. Great Prophet Elijah afraid of Jezebel and ran for his life (1 Kings 19:1-3).

Here, now the women disciples, as soon as they reached the garden they found an empty tomb. So they quickly returned to City and told Simon Peter and John, they rushed to the spot and confirmed the empty tomb. The open grave brought more fear than hope and joy. All of them did not heed to the words spoken by Jesus Christ while he was with them.

The search for Truth with unbelief always leads to an empty, fearful and useless situation in life. They had forgotten the new teachings of Jesus Christ on Resurrection. Throw away whatever fear you carry in your life. The fear of persecution, fear of rejection, fear of shame and ill-treatment, fear of defeats. Let’s cast all our fears, anxieties upon Jesus Christ.