As we go through life, many different people call our name. And it’s amazing to me just how many different messages that can be conveyed to us, depending on just how people call our name:
• When we’re growing up, our parents call our name. Sometimes that is done in a very calm, gentle, loving manner. But other times, especially when they use our full name, it conveys a completely different message. I only know that because my parents often had to do that with my brothers and sister: David James Damiani!…William Scott Damiani!…Sally Elizabeth Damiani! OK, I admit I did hear Richard Patrick Damiani once or twice.
• Then when we go to school, our teachers call our name. And the way they call our name can convey all kinds of emotions – from delight to disgust, from reward to reproof.
• My wife calls my name, too. And the way she calls my name can either let me know she’s in an amorous mood or that I’m in big trouble.
This morning as we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, I want us to look at the very first person Jesus spoke to on that very first Easter morning and how He called her name. I want us to discover what that meant for her, but even more importantly, what it means for us today when Jesus calls our name.
We’re going to read this morning from John’s account of the events of that first Easter morning.
Read John 20:1-18
Isn’t amazing that the very first person that Jesus speaks to on Easter morning is a common woman that we don’t know a whole lot about? We know that Jesus had earlier driven seven demons out of her and that in gratitude for His healing in her life, Mary had chosen to follow Jesus and provide financial support for His ministry. We also know that just hours earlier, Mary was there at the foot of the cross when Jesus spoke to his own mother and the apostle John and that she was there when Jesus’ body was taken from the cross and wrapped and laid in the tomb.
In spite of what the author of The DaVinci Code would like you to believe, there is absolutely no reliable evidence that Mary Magdalene was married to Jesus and that she and Jesus had children together. Those claims originated from several Gnostic documents that were written hundreds of years after the resurrection in order to discredit Christianity.
But in spite of the fact that she was just a common woman who had been devoted to Him, Jesus chose to reveal Himself for the first time after His resurrection to Mary.
Early Sunday morning Mary went to the tomb. The other gospel writers tell us that she had gone there with some other women to properly treat Jesus body with the spices they had brought with them. But when they got there, the stone had been rolled away from the tomb. Mary went back to tell Peter and John and when they returned to the tomb, they saw that Jesus’ body was no longer in the tomb.
The disciples went back to their homes, but Mary was so distraught, she remained at the tomb, sobbing uncontrollably. After two angels spoke to her, she turned to look at Jesus, but in her grief, she didn’t recognize who He was. Maybe she couldn’t see Him clearly through her tears. Maybe His resurrected body had a different appearance. Even when Jesus first spoke to her, she didn’t recognize His voice.
We shouldn’t be all that surprised that Mary didn’t recognize Jesus. After all, it’s quite clear from Scripture that even the disciples still didn’t understand the resurrection. So certainly Mary wasn’t even thinking about the possibility that Jesus had risen from the dead.
But then Jesus called her name. With just one word – “Mary” – everything changed. Mary immediately recognized Jesus and grasped Him. And then she went back to the rest of the disciples to share the good news. When Jesus called her name, it completely changed Mary’s life forever. The good news is that Jesus is still in the business of calling our names. And when he calls my name, it also changes my life forever.
So for just a few moments this morning, I’d like us to think about how Jesus can call my name and what that means for my life.
WHEN JESUS CALLS MY NAME…
1. IT CONFIRMS THE RESURRECTION
When Jesus called Mary’s name, it confirmed the resurrection.
Remember that three days before, Mary was at the foot of the cross. She had watched as Jesus breathed His last, as the soldier pierced His side with the spear, as His body was taken down from the cross and wrapped in the linen cloth and spices. There was no doubt in Mary’s mind that Jesus had actually died a physical death and been placed in the tomb with a large stone rolled across the entrance to the tomb.
So when Jesus called her name, there was only one possibility for Mary – Jesus was alive! And this passage makes it really clear that this was not just the voice of some ghost. Mary grasped on to Jesus so hard and so long that Jesus literally had to tell her to quit clinging to Him.
There is absolutely no doubt from the Scriptures and from historical records that those who knew Jesus best, His disciples, believed in a physical resurrection of Jesus. In fact, every one of the disciples, with the exception of John, died a violent death as a result of holding to their belief that Jesus had in fact been resurrected from the grave. I know a lot of people who are willing to lie, but I sure don’t many, if any that are willing to die for a lie.
The resurrection of Jesus is the most important and pivotal event in human history and what we believe about the resurrection is the most crucial decision we will ever make. In his letter to the church at Corinth, here’s what the apostle Paul had to say about the importance of the resurrection:
For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins.
1 Corinthians 15:16, 17 (NIV)
I the resurrection isn’t true, then Jesus is a liar, because He often spoke about His resurrection as a fact. And if Jesus lied about that, then how can we believe anything else he said? A lot of people want to just accept Jesus as a good man, or a wise teacher, but the Bible teaches that He is the Son of God who died for our sins and rose from the grave to prove his power over death. He is the One who said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
When Jesus calls my name, one of the things he does is to confirm the reality of the resurrection. So exactly how does Jesus do that in my life? Obviously, Jesus doesn’t audibly speak our name like he did with Mary. But I’m convinced that He still speaks our name today. I’m convinced that right now, Jesus is speaking some of your names. He’s doing that through His Word and through this message that explains His Word.
The latest Harris poll found that about 34% of the people in the United States do not believe in the resurrection of Jesus. Maybe you came here this morning as one of those people. But God, through His Holy Spirit, has been working in you to bring you to the place where God in confirming in your mind the reality of the resurrection. That’s Jesus calling your name.
When Jesus calls my name, it confirms the resurrection. And when He calls my name it also…
2. IT CREATES A NEW RELATIONSHIP
When Jesus called Mary’s name He created a whole new relationship.
It’s interesting to me that when Jesus rose from the dead; the very first person to whom He chose to appear was one common woman. I don’t think that’s how I would have done it. If it was me, I would have found the biggest crowd I could have. I’d have gone to the people who yelled “Crucify him” just a few days earlier or maybe to the Jewish religious leaders. Then I could have rubbed it in their faces and said, “See you couldn’t keep me in the grave. I’m alive.”
And if I’d chosen to appear to just one person, certainly it wouldn’t have been Mary. Maybe I would have gone to Caiaphas or Pilate or Herod. Or if I was going to appear to one of my followers, maybe I would have chosen John or Peter. After all, they had just been to the tomb with Mary. But when Jesus chose to appear to Mary, I think He was trying to make a point. When He called Mary’s name, He was saying that every person has worth in His sight, no matter how well known the person is, no matter what his or her background is, no matter whether he or she is male or female. In the eyes of the world, there was nothing significant about Mary. But in the eyes of Jesus, she was significant because she was created to have fellowship with Him.
Many times when I talk to someone about Jesus, they’ll say something like, “I’m not a very religious person.” And I’ll tell them that’s great, because neither was Jesus. Jesus was constantly condemning the religious leaders of His day because they had let their religious rituals and traditions get in the way of their relationships – with God and with others. Jesus often ignored those religious traditions so that He could minister to the needs of others and build relationships. So it’s not surprising that just a few hours before He went to the cross, as Jesus was in the Garden with His disciples, He said these words:
I no longer call you servants, because a master doesn’t confide in his servants. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me.
John 15:15 (NIV)
We know that Mary had a relationship with Jesus prior to His death and resurrection, but His resurrection changed the character of that relationship. I think that’s why Jesus told Mary to let go of Him. He wanted her to understand that the nature of their relationship had changed. No longer would Mary be able to experience the physical presence of Jesus, but she was going to get something far better – a permanent relationship with Jesus and His Father.
When Jesus calls my name, it means that He is calling me to a personal, intimate relationship with Him. Perhaps there are some of you here this morning who have never experienced the abundant life and joy that comes from a personal relationship with the risen Christ. But the resurrection means that Jesus has made it possible for you, like Mary, to have that kind of lasting relationship.
When Jesus calls your name, He confirms the reality of the resurrection and He creates the possibility for a brand new relationship. But that relationship doesn’t just happen automatically. Because when Jesus calls my name…
3. IT CALLS FOR MY RESPONSE
When Jesus called Mary’s name, she had to choose how to respond to Him.
Mary could have chosen to:
• Ignore Jesus
After all, until He called her name, she just figured it was the gardener. So Mary, even when she recognized His voice, could have just ignored Jesus.
• Doubt Jesus
She could have said to herself, “Jesus is dead. There is no way that this can be Jesus. I don’t believe that He could have arisen from the dead.”
• Reject Jesus
She could have chosen to reject Him. Even if she believed that this really was Jesus and that He was alive, she could have just rejected what that meant for her life and just kept living her life without His influence.
But Mary chose to embrace Jesus
Although Mary certainly didn’t understand everything at this point, based on what she knew she made a decision to embrace Jesus and to follow Him. She had to believe that He had indeed been raised from the dead and that His death and resurrection provided her with the ability to have a permanent, intimate relationship with Him.
This morning, Jesus is calling some of your names. He’s confirmed in your heart the reality of the resurrection. He’s calling you to enter into a new relationship with Him. And He’s also calling you to respond to His invitation.
Like Mary, you have several choices this morning. You can choose to ignore Jesus. You can ignore Him as He calls your name and just go on living your life like you never heard His voice. You can choose to doubt Jesus this morning. You can choose not to believe the mountain of Biblical and historical evidence that Jesus rose from the grave that first Easter morning so that you can have a personal relationship with Him. You can even reject Jesus this morning. Even though you believe in the resurrection and you believe that it provides the means to your relationship with God, you just won’t accept God’s offer.
Or this morning, you can choose to embrace Jesus. You can say, “Jesus, I believe in the resurrection. I believe that you have provided the way for me to have a relationship with God. I want to embrace you and accept that gift today.”
Here’s what Jesus had to say about those who embrace Him when He calls their name:
My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.
John 10:27, 28 (NIV)
This morning I want to invite you to listen to the voice of Jesus as He calls your name. I want to invite you to believe in the reality of the resurrection. I want to invite you to enter into a new relationship with God. I want to invite you to respond to His voice and embrace Him this morning.
But before you respond, let me just give you one word of caution. Choosing to embrace Jesus this morning doesn’t mean all your problems are going to go away. Because we live in a world that is full of sin, Jesus promised that we would have problems as long as we’re in the world.
Choosing to embrace Jesus isn’t always easy. It means that you have to be truly sorry for your sins and be willing to change your life so that you don’t constantly repeat those sins. I know that some of you are thinking that means that I might have to give up some things that I like to do. That may very well be true. But let me assure you that is only because God wants you to experience a more joyful, abundant life that is full of hope.
Right now I’m going to ask everyone to close your eyes and bow your head. This morning, if you would like to embrace Jesus, I’m going to ask you to silently repeat a short prayer after me. The words of this prayer aren’t some magic words, but if you really mane them from your heart, then Jesus has promised to give you eternal life – a joyful abundant life for now and for eternity.
Dear God,
Thank you for calling my name. I believe in the reality of the resurrection. I believe that Jesus came to die for my sins and that His resurrection proved His power over death. I confess to you that I am a sinner. I’m sorry for my sins and I ask You to forgive my sins based on what Jesus did on the cross. I am deciding today to embrace Jesus and to make Him my Forgiver and my Master.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
