MARY MAGDALENE – JOHN 20.1-18
Over the past year one of the major best sellers has been a book called the Da Vinci Code. The book purports to be genuine history of a secret which the Christian church has tried to suppress for nearly 2000 years – namely that Jesus did not die on the cross but was spirited away by his disciples and that he did in fact marry Mary Magdalene and have children by her. As a novel I believe it is well written and quite exciting. As history, and especially theological history, it is utter nonsense. The problem with the book is that it is promoted as the truth and due to the serious lack of biblical knowledge, even amongst Christians, telling the truth from the lies is missed by many. The book claims to have secret knowledge of God, of Jesus and of the history of the Christian faith. Let me say to you all here and now – the bible clearly teaches that there is nothing hidden of God – it has been revealed in Christ. John in his epistles and the letter the Galatians seeks to refute such ‘secret knowledge’ teaching – known as Gnosticism. Any one, any organisation that claims to have secret knowledge concerning the truth of God is a deception and that is both inside and outside the church.
So this morning in our series of women in the bible we are going to look at Mary Magdalene and see what Scripture reveals concerning her. Turn with me first to Luke chapter 8, whilst keeping your finger in John 20. In Luke 8 we learn that Mary Magdalene was one of a group of women in the Galilee area who financially provided for Jesus and His disciples. We also read that in the past Jesus had freed her from seven demons. We do not know what bondage they had placed her in or how they had entered her life and I am not about to speculate about that this morning. We can safely declare that Christ freed her from them and from their bondage in her life. From that moment on she becomes a devoted follower of Jesus.
Turn now to John 20. Let me set the context. It is the third day after the crucifixion. We know from the gospel accounts of the crucifixion that Mary Magdalene was present throughout at the foot of the cross. She had witnessed the death of Christ. She, no doubt had been involved in the anointing of His body for burial in the tomb of Joseph of Arimethea. Now John tells us (verse 1) she goes early in the morning of the first day of the week to anoint His body again. Literally she has left somewhere between 3am and 6am to walk to the place of His burial to do this last act of devotion and discipleship for her Lord. This was following the traditional Jewish custom which anointed the body until the third day when it was believed that the soul departed the body. So Mary Magdalene was not doing anything out of the norm in going to the tomb. It is worth noting though that, as throughout the rest of the gospel of John, she begins her journey under the cover of darkness – coming to Jesus, the light of the world, and now (unbeknownst to her) risen from the dead. The symbolism of light and darkness is apparent even here at the end of the gospel of John as it was in the opening chapter. We read (v1) that when she arrives at the tomb the stone has been rolled back and she immediately sets off to get the disciples. I find it interesting in verse 2 that she goes for Peter. He had denied Jesus three times and yet his standing is such amongst those who followed Jesus that it is to him Mary Magdalene goes to report the stone being rolled away from the entrance. A lesson there for us all about how one fall does not destroy a man completely.
John goes on to recount in the next 7 verses how Peter and John run to the tomb and find it empty. John just peers in but Peter, in typical fashion, rushes on in. They find the grave clothes where His body was. Isn’t it interesting that in John 11 when Lazarus is raised from the dead he comes forth out of the grave with his grave clothes on and needs help to remove them from his body. But when Christ rises from the dead his grave clothes remain in the grave, exactly where His body was. Why? Because Lazarus was raised to physical life again and he would one day die. Christ, however, has defeated death. Death would never again have any claim over Him and so the grave clothes are left behind. They would be needed again in the case of Lazarus but not in the case of Christ.
Look at verse 10, read. You might think there is nothing remarkable in those words. But stop and think for a moment what they have just witnessed. The tomb is empty. The grave clothes which a few days before had been wrapped with spices around the body of Christ are lying exactly where they had so lovingly laid His body and we read ‘they went home.’ ‘They went home.’ Maybe they thought ‘what else can we do?’ Now look at what Mary does – John tells us (v11), she remains at the tomb weeping. Her grief and pain at the loss of her Lord is compounded now by the loss of His body. This was the last place she had seen His broken, dead body and she will not move from it. The loss of His body is the final indignity. Even her grief has been violated and she weeps. The emotional turmoil of the last days overwhelms her and she breaks down and weeps at the sight of the empty tomb. Yet in spite of her grief (v12) she plucks up the courage to look into the tomb for herself and what a sight she is met with. He had died between two thieves and now two angels sit and between them are the empty grave clothes declaring His resurrection. In verse 13 we read that they ask her a simple question: “Woman, why are you crying?” From the perspective of heaven tears at the empty tomb of Christ make no sense at all. From the angels perspective tears of grief on this Easter morn are totally inappropriate but for Mary they are the only way to express her heart’s pain. Verse 13 we read her reply. Through tear stained cheeks and tear strained voice she utters her grief. “They have taken my Lord.” Whoever ‘they” were, they are her enemies now because they have taken ‘her Lord’ from her. Friends learn a simple lesson there – anything that takes the Lord Jesus from your presence is your enemy. “I don’t know where to find Him.” How true Mary but her Lord knows exactly where to find her. John tells us that Mary Magdalene immediately becomes aware of another presence behind her and turning round perceives it to be the gardener. How ironic, the first Adam was to be a gardener (Genesis 2.15) and now the ‘second Adam’ is mistaken for a gardener.
Verse 15 Jesus now asks her the same question as the angels “Why are you crying?” and adds a second question “Who are you looking for?” She is courteous to Him, even in the midst of her grief, and asks where they have taken His body so that she may go and bring it back. How ironic she asks the very person who is responsible for the tomb being empty but at this point she does not recognise Him. She has come to the tomb, the place of the dead, looking for a corpse to anoint and in a moment she will leave having met with the living Lord in the midst of the place of death. How often we find life in the midst of what we thought was death – only because the Living Lord Jesus is there. He utters just one word ‘Mary’ and her eyes are opened to who it is that stands before her now. ‘The good Shepherd calls His sheep by name, they know His voice and heed His call’ – isn’t that what Jesus had said in John 10.3-4. Now here is the practical demonstration of that truth. He simply calls her by name ‘Mary’ and her shattered soul is transformed and her shattered world remade. It was her own name spoken by Jesus which opened her eyes to the truth of the resurrection. When Jesus calls His sheep He always calls them by name. It is always personal with Christ. Mary’s response is to fall at His feet and there then comes a gentle rebuke (v17) from Christ. He tells her not to cling on to Him because He has not yet ascended to the Father. He wants to teach her and the other disciples that He will no longer be known by sight or touch but by faith. This is the beginning of the process of preparing them for His ascension which He connects with His resurrection. His ascension will be dramatic so as to leave them in no doubt that He has ascended and that there will be no more earthly appearances until He comes again. He then instructs Mary to go and tell the disciples what she has seen and heard from her Lord Jesus. She goes immediately to tell them.
So what lessons can you and I learn this morning from Mary Magdalene that will help us in our Christian walk today?
I think we should learn from her devotion to Christ which was driven by her knowledge of what He had freed her from. She knew the reality of life under the powers of darkness and the glorious freedom which is found in Christ alone. That led her to give of her time and her money to serve Christ. Her gratitude and love for Christ was directly proportionate to her perception of her need. She appreciated her freedom because she knew exactly what bondage to demons was like. Maybe the reason so many Christians live so poor spiritual lives is because they have never realised the depths from which they have been saved. Maybe this morning the one lesson we all need to learn from Mary is gratitude to Christ for releasing us from sin and death. Maybe that is why your discipleship is actually so superficial – you do not know the depths from which you have been saved by Christ.
Secondly, I think we need to learn that when grief and pain in the Christian life comes, as it will, then be honest about it. Mary Magdalene cried at the tomb – she was overwhelmed by the thought that His body had been stolen. She did not put on any false face. She did not utter patronising words ‘it will all work for the good.’ Standing outside and empty tomb, with arms full of spices and a broken heart, she utters the truest words in the midst of tears ‘we don’t know where they have taken Him.’ She didn’t know where He was but He knew exactly where she was. She had come to the last place she had left Him – the tomb. She returned to the last place she was in His presence. She remained there, even when everyone else left and she was rewarded with the resurrected Lord calling her by name – “Mary.” Friends, there are some of you in here this morning and you are just like Mary Magdalene – your heart is breaking and you can identify with those words ‘we don’t know where He is.” This morning you really don’t know where Jesus is. This morning you have come here to Holy Trinity and you are not even sure why you are here – but you know you had to come because something in your heart and soul said this is where you will meet with Him. This morning I want to assure you from God’s Word – He is here and He is calling your name. How will you know He is calling your name – because in your heart there will be a restlessness. In your heart and in your head there will be a battle going on – a battle for you soul and for your eternal destiny. Your heart is restless because you know everything you have heard this morning, or on previous mornings, applies to you – it is like there is no one else in this church but you and Jesus. He is calling you by name. Now the response is up to you. Mary fell at His feet in humble adoration – you too must do the same.
Finally there is a challenge to us all as a church this morning. Jesus commanded Mary Magdalene to go and tell the disciples that He had risen from the dead and that she had met with the risen Lord – she went and did what she was commanded. I think as a church there is the lesson we need to follow. We say we have met with the risen Christ. We say He has freed us from sin and death – well who would know? Who have we told? Is it not about time we told those we love? Is it not about time we actually told people this wonderful news?
Mary Magdalene – learn from her devotion to Christ, her honesty in the face of pain, her searching for Jesus and follow her example of telling others that He is risen from the dead. Amen.
