I praise God that He is risen. He is risen indeed. For our friends in Pakistan we say, "Wo jee utha. Wo jee utha, beshuk." It is so good to have 20/20 hindsight. Friday we left Jesus in the tomb. But death could not hold Him. He conquered death and gave us the hope of the Resurrection and eternal life. We left here very solemnly Friday night and no one said much of anything. Many times, people just don't know what to say at the funeral of someone they knew and loved.
I read a story about a pastor and his wife who hadn't been at their Church very long when one of their charter members passed away. It was going to be a huge funeral because the deceased was one of the more influential ladies in the church. As any good mom would do, the pastor's wife began prepping their little boy as to what to say and do. She told him about the receiving line and how, when it was their turn to speak to the family, he should say, "I am sorry for your loss." In a mixture of confusion and frustration, he immediately responded with, "Why should I be sorry? I didn't kill her."
What makes that story even funnier is that it is a true story. The pastor said that he got a good laugh out of his son's innocent response, but death is no laughing matter. It doesn't differentiate between the young or the old. No one escapes earth's deathly grip. However, the good news for believers, those that have asked Jesus to be their Savior, the good news is that it's not the last word. Jesus Christ conquered death, and through faith in Him, we have eternal life. Praise God! Prayer.
John 20:1-2 – “On the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark. She saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. 2 So she went running to Simon Peter and to the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said to them, “They’ve taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they’ve put him!”
Friday left us with broken hearts and tear-filled eyes. Saturday was a day of silence. But today is the first day of the week. It was on this day that Mary Magdalene got up very early and went to the tomb while it was still dark. It was there she found the stone had been removed. So, she runs back and tells Peter and John that someone had taken Jesus out of the tomb. You know the story.
We're not sure exactly when Mary Magdalene first encountered Jesus, but both Mark and Luke tell us in their gospel writings that she was possessed by seven demons that Jesus cast out of her. It was pretty clear that this early encounter with Jesus changed her life. From that experience, she became a follower of Jesus, often traveling with Him and the disciples in their ministry.
Mary had a lot to be thankful for, so it's no wonder that she felt the need to get to the tomb early on that Sunday morning. She felt obligated. But even more than that, she loved Jesus as her Savior. When the Sabbath was over and before the sun had even risen, she made her way to the tomb. Other women accompanied Mary to the tomb as noted in Mark's writings, but the gospel writer John focused on Mary Magdalene's encounter with Jesus. And it was that encounter that began with a discovery that something was out of place. The stone had been rolled away. Let's see if we can picture that moment in our minds.
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When I was in college, I was fortunate to have as my roommate my cousin, Fred. (Hi, Fred, if you’re watching.) So, there were never any problems with the way the room was arranged or anything like that. But we had a friend who told us that his roommate was extremely particular about the way that he kept his room.
He didn't like anyone going into his room or touching any of his things. If he left for the weekend, he would vacuum the carpet in such a way that he could tell if anyone had walked on it. He even placed a Hot Wheels car on his desk, and if anyone opened the drawer, the car would move, and he would know someone had been in his desk. He always knew when something was out of place.
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Mary Magdalene didn't need a toy car at the tomb to know something was out of place. The stone had been moved. John didn't give us all the details between this discovery and Mary's report back to the disciples, but it's clear that she wasn't thinking about the resurrection. Even though Jesus had told the disciples several times that He would be killed and then rise from the dead, those words seemed to have escaped them. Mary's first thought was that someone had taken the body of Jesus. For her, this was the most realistic understanding of the situation.
No one goes to a graveyard expecting to see an empty grave, but this is exactly what happened. Can you imagine her confusion?
John 20:11-16 – “But Mary stood outside the tomb, crying. As she was crying, she stooped to look into the tomb. 12 She saw two angels in white sitting where Jesus’s body had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you crying?”
**********“Because they’ve taken away my Lord,” she told them, “and I don’t know where they’ve put him.” 14 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know it was Jesus. 15 “Woman,” Jesus said to her, “why are you crying? Who is it that you’re seeking?”
**********Supposing he was the gardener, she replied, “Sir, if you’ve carried him away, tell me where you’ve put him, and I will take him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” Turning around, she said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!”—which means “Teacher.”
I love the detail that John gives about what Mary Magdalene saw when she looked into the tomb. She saw two angels in white sitting where Jesus's body had been lying, one at the head and one at the feet. Mary wasn't sure what to make of what she was seeing. Even when she turned and saw Jesus, she didn't recognize Him. It wasn't until He called her name that she saw Him for who He is. There's something powerful about being called by your name. The man she had seen killed on Friday was now calling her name on Sunday. You know, Jesus knows each of us by name.
Every time I read about Mary Magdalene's experience at the tomb, I think of Psalm 30 that says, "Weeping may stay overnight, but there is joy in the morning." Mary was crying over the loss of Jesus's body, but her weeping was about to turn to joy as she experienced the surprise of her life.
Mary Magdalene had seen Jesus beaten and nailed to the cross and knew that He had died and was placed in the tomb. When she awoke on Sunday morning, you know that her heart had to be heavy. Deep down she was probably dreading going to the tomb to finish preparing Jesus's body. But boy was she surprised. Everything she thought turned out to be the opposite. She assumed the worst only to find out the best. Jesus was alive and standing in front of her.
I want to digress for just a moment and look at what John said in the beginning of his writings about Jesus.
John 1:29-30; 34-36 – “29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one I told you about: ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me, because he existed before me.’ . . . 34 I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”
35 The next day, John was standing with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”
John was good at giving details. He gives us a mental picture as we read his words. John included details about what Mary saw in the empty tomb. I would like to describe that scene again and see if you can picture in your mind what I see. Mary saw two angels in white sitting where Jesus's body had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. The angels sitting on both ends of where Jesus lay would have looked similar to The Mercy seat on the ark of the covenant.
The Mercy seat was the gold lid of the ark of the covenant where the blood of a sacrificial lamb was sprinkled on the day of atonement. This was Israel's plea for the forgiveness of sins. Now picture this with me. (Picture of the ark of the covenant) Moses described the ark of the covenant this way:
Exodus 25:18-21 – “Make two cherubim of gold; make them of hammered work at the two ends of the mercy seat. 19 Make one cherub at one end and one cherub at the other end. At its two ends, make the cherubim of one piece with the mercy seat. 20 The cherubim are to have wings spread out above, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and are to face one another. The faces of the cherubim should be toward the mercy seat. 21 Set the mercy seat on top of the ark and put the tablets of the testimony that I will give you into the ark. “
That is what I think of when I picture the two angels sitting at each end of the table where Jesus’ body lay. Just as the people of Israel would experience the mercy of God at the temple on the day of atonement, we experience the grace of God as we look to the empty grave and the risen Savior. Jesus was our sacrificial lamb, and His blood paid our sin debt, purchasing our freedom.
John 20:17 – “Don’t cling to me,” Jesus told her, “since I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them that I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.”
Jesus's words to Mary Magdalene might sound strange to us. When we find something of great value the natural desire is to hold on to it tightly, to cling to it. It almost seems like Jesus was rebuking Mary and was coming across as untouchable, but we know from the ministry of Jesus that He was very approachable.
And this is why I think Jesus told Mary what He did. Jesus was about to ascend into heaven and would no longer be with her physically. He didn't want her to rely simply on His physical presence even though He was fully and physically present there outside the grave. Mary would now rely on Jesus in a different way as He came to live in her through the presence of His Holy Spirit.
It really shouldn't surprise us that the first directive Jesus gave Mary Magdalene was for her to go and tell others that she had seen the risen Lord. There isn't a more important message in all the world than this one. The distinction between the use of the words my and your is meaningful.
Jesus had a unique relationship as the only Son from the Father and while we are not sons of God in the same way as Jesus; look what the Apostle Paul said.
Galatians 3:26 – “for through faith you are all sons of God in Christ Jesus.”
We have a relationship with the Father through the Son and only through the Son. Notice the immediate response of Mary. Jesus instructed her to go and tell, and she went and told.
John 20:18 – “Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them what he had said to her.”
The gospel is not for us to cling to like a top-secret message meant only for ourselves. It is to be shared and spread across the entire world. His glory and power are not in limited supply. In fact, the more we share Christ with others, the more we experience His power and presence in our lives.
As you know, our church is directly involved with Revival Sunday school Ministry for children in Karachi, Pakistan. The more I am involved in that ministry the clearer it is to me and to us that taking the gospel from our neighborhoods to the nations around the world has to become a high priority in our church.
God calls all His followers to be His witnesses, but we don't witness alone. When Jesus ascended into heaven, He set the stage for the coming of the Holy Spirit. It's that same Spirit who indwells believers today and empowers us to share the same message that Mary was sent to tell the disciples: Jesus is alive!
We have the only message of Hope available to humanity, and so we ought to be sharing it. And so once again, I share with you that Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father except through me."
Let this Easter Day be more than bunny rabbits and easter eggs. SURE that’s a lot of fun for the kids. And that’s Ok. But remember that today is not about the bunny, it’s about the Lamb.
Let this Easter Day be the Day that you commit yourself to telling others what Christ has done for you. Jesus's resurrection is the best news ever. Let's tell the world that our Jesus is alive and well! HE IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED!
