A young couple began attending a midwest church. They had been saved only about 8 months when they announced that they needed prayer; they had experienced several miscarriages and had just discovered they were with child again. The congregation responded. And the young couple had the most prayed for baby in the church.
After the child’s birth, their worst fears came true - their child died only a few hours after birth. Their pastor joined them, as well as their unsaved family members. After a time of sorrow, the attending physician asked if they would like to hold their baby one last time. They said yes. Instead of cursing God, questioning Him, or complaining, they took their child (named Mindy), placed her in the arms of their unsaved parents, and said, "If you don’t trust Christ, you’ll never see Mindy again. We’ll be spending eternity with her in heaven." A miracle happened - In following weeks, her family came to church and responded to the gospel message. Their weeping and sorrow turned to great joy!
Today we’re looking at a woman who learned that sorrow can be turned to joy. Mary Magdalene came to the tomb with the weight of the world and her sorrows bearing her down. Weeping is not a sin – Jesus wept. But our weeping can and should always turn to joy.
Two questions are asked of Mary who is at the empty tomb: First the angels ask: “Woman, why are you WEEPING?” and then Jesus himself asks the same question: “Woman why are you weeping?” The Lord comes to each of you this morning or during your darkest hour and asks the same question: “Why are YOU weeping?” or what is holding your joy back?
1. It’s not as it seems.
When we grieve, when we weep – we very often feel that it’s the end of the world. Your emotions are torn apart – you have been hurt sometimes by someone else, sometimes by yourself, sometimes by a great loss. It can be the loss of an opportunity, or a natural ability (your sight, your health), a job, a friendship, it can be the death of a loved one. The pain is real and the loss is real. We don’t deny that!
Jesus REALLY died – his body was battered and bruised, crushed and even stabbed with a spear. He was 100% dead and buried. And that hurt deeply. It was a travesty of justice. Totally unfair! And so Mary wept for good reason. Mary Magdalene’s life had been turned upside down by this man – this Jesus.
Mary grew up on the shore of the Sea of Galilee – in the town of Magdala. We don’t know what her life was like before she met Jesus except for one thing – she was living in total darkness. The Gospel of Luke tells us that she was filled with seven demons (8:2) and that Jesus delivered her from them all. And then she immediately became one of Jesus’ closest followers and supporters. She and a number of other women helped to provide for Jesus and the disciples as they travelled from village to village (8:3).
We often think of John or Peter as the disciples closest to Jesus. But it was Mary who watched his crucifixion. It was Mary who followed Jesus body to the tomb and sat there as the Romans rolled the stone over the entrance. And it was Mary who was first at the tomb that early Easter morning. She truly loved her Master and losing him was losing everything.
But grief is very often a distortion of reality. The death was real, but the bigger picture is much more important.
You can look outside – earlier this week it was snowing. The snow is real, the cold is real. It’s not fun! And we can so easily jump to conclusions and think its December and the winter is still before us – we’re just skipping summer this year. But what is reality? Its spring and the flowers are ready to bloom! Feelings do not reveal everything!
2. You are not alone
But there is a second reason to rejoice – you are never alone! So Mary wept. Was she alone in her grief? Two angels appear “Why are you weeping?” All of heaven has been celebrating the greatest event in history – the victory of Jesus over death and this woman weeps. WHY? What does she need to do? She needs to see reality – she needs to see the risen Lord Jesus!
“she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away."
Notice, her emotions have blinded her. She sees two angels – that alone should shock and startle any one of us. But she simply is overwhelmed with grief. Then she turns and sees Jesus and probably in her tear blurred eyes doesn’t even look him in the face. She feels so alone. But feelings are not reality.
Jesus is alive – the one you weep for is right next to you. You are not alone! And so it is for every single one of you here today. YOU ARE NEVER ALONE – THE RISEN LORD IS HERE today present through his Holy Spirit.
You can turn to the person sitting next to you, hold that person’s hand – you know he or she is real and alive. Some of us have lost spouses, parents, friends, sisters or brothers. We grieve that they are not near us today and we long to hold them again.
But it’s NOT the same with Jesus. He IS HERE as much as he was there with Mary. How do we know that? Because he said so: “I will be with you always, even to the end of the age.” 1 Peter 1:8 “Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory,”
You can lose your family, your job, your bank account, your home, your health, your friends and you would say “I have nothing!” and yet Jesus is still alive and near you just as he was before your loss. Remember Job who lost everything of value to him? Listen to his words: (19:25-26) “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!”
3. He calls YOUR name
What wakes up Mary to reality? Jesus calling her name! “Jesus said to her, ‘Mary.’ She turned and said to him in Aramaic, ‘Rabboni!’ (which means Teacher).” This is the third reason to rejoice – he calls your name.
Our eyes can be so blind to our situation and to God. You can miss out on everything that is important in life. You can go through life thinking that you got the short end of the stick. And certainly many of us have had troubles. And you may not see God at work, you may be blind to the miraculous ways he has protected you and helped you. But it is his voice that awakes you to his presence. It’s his voice that calls out to you right now just as it did to Mary that Easter morning.
He knows your name. He calls YOUR name. The resurrected Lord calls out: Clarice, Mike, Chuck, Sue, Vonne, Emily, Richard, Caroline, Alan, Jim, Patty, Larry, Gayle, Joel, Rose, Jan, Zona, Renata, Michael, Peter, Marilyn, Brenda, Keith, Earl, Meghan, Jenny, Claire Rene, Bethany, Rylan, Alec, Micah. Have you heard him call your name? He calls it today – he whispers it in YOUR ear.
Oh how Jesus wants to renew his relationship with you. So many of us need renewal! Do you feel that your relationship is like a cold tomb? Your sorrows or your sins have overcome you and you might assume that the Lord you used to know is far far away. You say, “He’s forgotten me . . . oh how I long for life again!”
In Isaiah (49:14-16) the Lord says to us this Easter morning: “But Zion said, ‘The LORD has forsaken me; my Lord has forgotten me.’ Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me.”
It’s impossible for your Lord to forget you. He lives – and if you trust in Him, you live also. And this is the fourth reason to rejoice – as Jesus lives, you also live!
4. As Jesus lives, we live also!
You can imagine the reaction of Mary that Easter – YOU’RE REALLY ALIVE! Grief turned to Joy. Oh how reality is so different than our imagination.
And from that moment on, Mary was never the same. When Jesus died, she died. But as Jesus lived, so too she lived! How is it possible? Because she was “in Christ.” This is such an important key to the meaning of the death and resurrection of Jesus.
If you trust in Jesus Christ, you are IN HIM. What he experienced, you experienced. You are along for the ride! He adopted you into himself and you trust in him.
In eastern Europe hitchhiking is a normal way of traveling. It’s not considered so dangerous as here. Many young students spend their summers traveling across the country or even across Europe by hitchhiking rides. Some get back and forth from their University in the other end of the country by hitching a ride.
When you jump in that car – you’re basically putting a lot of trust in that driver. You trust he will keep you safe, take you on the road you want to go, but he’s a complete stranger and you never know.
Being in Christ is simply getting in his car and letting him take you wherever HE desires. It’s completely trusting in his protection, provision, and direction.
And so when you surrender to Christ, you are part of his journey. You died with him on the cross. You are dead! The old you! The sinful you! The nasty you! That is crucified and buried with Jesus.
And when Jesus rose from the dead, you were made alive with him. You are a new person, a new creature, born again. (Romans 6:4-7,11) “We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. ..So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.”
And you are going on the journey of your life that he sends you on. Oh he has so much to teach you and so much to tell you.
What was Mary’s response to her name? An immediate confession: “My Teacher!” She submitted to Him as her Lord. She was in Christ, submitting to her teacher who would lead her down life’s journey. Is Jesus your teacher? Your guide? Your protector? Your Savior? Or are you on the side of the road waiting for something or someone else to teach, lead, guide, and save your life?
Mary’s second response revealed her love: I believe that she gave him a bear hug like none other. She was so overjoyed to see her Lord and Savior, her friend who called her name that she held him and never wanted to let him go. And so finally Jesus tells her “Do not cling to me.”
Do you love the Lord? Do you worship Him?
5. You are sent to bring joy to others
Finally, the last reason to rejoice is the fact that you are sent to bring this joy to others. Jesus tells Mary her first mission: Vs. 17 “go to my brothers and say to them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'” And finally, Jesus in essence tells her – don’t just stand there! Don’t just hug me – it’s time to get those feet moving! It’s time to tell the good news!
And this is the last step of turning our sorrows into joy – let it out! Tell the story. Tell your testimony of what you heard, what you saw, what Jesus has done for you. If we’re just going to meet together and read our bibles and stay at home it’s a tragedy. Jesus tells us on Easter: “I am Alive. You are Alive! Yes submit to me. Yes love me. But now GO!”
There is a lost world living in death and sorrow right outside our door. Let’s declare the victory of the Lord!
