The Last Word from the Cross: James The Lesser

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The Last Word from the Cross:

James The Lesser

John 20:1-2, Mark 16:1-8, John 20:2-11, John 19:25, Matthew 27:57-61, John

11:1-45, John 8:1-11, John 4:1-42, Luke 7:11-17, Luke 23:39-44, John 20:11-16, Luke 8:1-2, John 10:3-4, Revelation 3:20

James the Lesser received the surprise of his life that first Easter Sunday. And not only James but also all the disciples were surprised at what took place that morning after Passover weekend, and the Saturday Sabbath concluded. God decided the lesser ones needed to experience the surprise of Jesus’ resurrection from the tomb first.

Have you ever really been surprised? Maybe it was somebody sneaking up on you. Perhaps it was a gift that somebody gave you for Christmas or an anniversary that you were not expecting. Or even a surprise birthday party somebody threw for you.

Have you ever been to a surprise party? You get everybody in the house and then turn off all the lights. Everyone is made to be quiet, and then when that honored guest walks through the door you yell what at the top of your lungs? SURPRISE!

One of the personality traits of Jesus that we see in the Bible is that He loves to surprise people. And on that Easter Sunday morning when Jesus came back to life and rose from the grave, He gave a lesser one who had been at the cross and the tomb when they placed His body inside, a surprise that never would be forgotten. No, it was not James the Lesser this time. It was someone who in that day would have been viewed in the public eye as even “lesser” than him. Jesus gave a woman named Mary Magdalene the surprise of her life that morning.

Unusual Witnesses

Think about this surprise from a cultural standpoint in that day and time. God gave the whole resurrection story first to a group of women who were viewed as some of the lesser people in society in the first century. Nobody was expecting that surprise. In the first century, a woman’s words and testimony were not even admissible in court. It was a male-dominated society where women were no threat. They did not carry much weight. And God decides in the most significant moment in history to spring a massive surprise and value women in an extraordinary way.

The massive surprise was how God decided to write women right into the most critical part of the story and give them the shot to tell the rest of the disciples what happened. One of the primary reasons the Easter story is so hard to dismiss as anything but the fact is because it was common knowledge that the women were the ones who told the disciples.

If anybody but God were writing history, they would have re-written it as men who were at the tomb to get this information first; but they couldn’t rewrite history to take the women out of the story. And everybody knows that the ones who write the history books are the victors in history. The winners are the ones who get to write the story.

If it was anybody but God writing this story, they would not have picked the supposedly insignificant group of women whose testimony would not have been admissible in court. Instead, they would have chosen a group of men such as Peter, John, perhaps even James the Lesser to advance the story.

But that’s not how God works; He works through the least expected, the lowly and the seemingly insignificant because they typically are the ones that will give God the most glory.

God chose the women because God values women. Jesus is the greatest advocate for women in all of history. And it was Mary Magdalene whom Jesus had the first encounter with after He rose from the dead that gave her the biggest surprise of all time!

Angels, Mary, and Peter

John chapter 20 records the big surprise Mary Magdalene experienced on the heels of seeing Jesus suffer and die on the cross before being placed in the tomb at sundown on Friday evening just a few days earlier.

“Now on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” John 20:1-2

One question worth asking from this story is: Why did Mary Magdalene run and tell these things to Peter? It’s important to stay curious when we read the Bible. One thing we know is that all four of the Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, each gives an account of what happened at the cross, the tomb and at the resurrection. The reason Mary Magdalene ran and told these things to Peter is tied to the perspective shared in the Gospel of Mark chapter 16.

The reason Mary Magdalene ran and told Peter what she saw inside the tomb on that first Easter Sunday morning is mentioned in these verses from Mark in a way that is not included in the other gospel accounts.

“When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.” And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.” Mark 16:1-8

Look closely again at what the angel told Mary Magdalene and the ladies who were with her at the tomb in verse 7.

“But go, tell his disciples and Peter…” Mark 16:7

Underline those two words that the Angel of the Lord specifically said to Mary Magdalene: “and Peter.”

Those two words are going to be very important when it comes to Jesus surprising more of His followers later that certainly included James the Lesser. The reason we see Mary Magdalene running to Peter and telling Peter and the other disciples what she saw in the empty tomb that first Easter Sunday morning is because the Angel of the Lord told her to do it. He told her to make sure among all the disciples whom she would tell, be sure and tell Peter.

Hold that detail in mind as we continue with the account in John 20 where Mary Magdalene is about to start running with this news of the big surprise.

“So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples went back to their homes.” John 20:2-10

According to the Bible at this point in the story, Peter and the other disciple of whom most scholars believe was John, got the news of Jesus’ resurrection from Mary Magdalene. After hearing the news from her, they went to the tomb to see for themselves. And they seem to walk out scratching their heads not knowing what to think like most guys likely would.

Jesus Rescues us in our deepest moments

At this point, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of emotional “SURPRISE!” coming out of them. But what about Mary Magdalene? What emotion is she feeling right about now? Verse 11 helps answer that question.

“But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept, she stooped to look into the tomb.” John 20:11

This probably was not the first time she had cried that weekend. She undoubtedly cried at the cross. John 19:25 says,

“But standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary, the wife of Clopas and Mary Magdalene.” John 19:25

She likely cried when Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus placed Jesus’ dead body inside the tomb. Matthew 27:57-61 says,

“When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.” Matthew 27:57-61

It is not difficult to picture Mary Magdalene sitting there at the tomb watching the men put Jesus inside and wondering to herself, “What in the world happened? Just a few days ago we were shouting:

‘HOSANNA…BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD’ at the Parade when Jesus

came riding into Jerusalem on the donkey. Now He’s…dead. What in the world is happening to my life?”

God may be about to surprise us with His best when our life feels like it is at its worst.

A man named C.S. Lewis described it like this:

“God often chooses to move more through the windows of pain in our life than at any other time.” C.S. Lewis

And if you are walking through a season of pain in your life right now, even though everybody has on their Easter Sunday best and is smiling on the outside, you may be crying like Mary Magdalene on the inside. Remember that Jesus has been known to surprise people in the middle of life’s deepest valleys.

Jesus shows up and surprises people in their deepest valleys in the Bible in places such as:

John 11:1-45 Jesus raised His friend named Lazarus from the dead…SURPRISE!

John 8:1-11 Jesus forgives a woman caught in adultery…SURPRISE!

John 4:1-42 Jesus helps a woman at a well who has a sinful past and a shady present walk into a brand-new future of hope when she finds out He is the Messiah…SURPRISE!

Luke 7:11-17 Jesus brings back to life the only son of a distraught widow…SURPRISE!

Luke 23:39-44 Jesus assures a dying convict next to Him that as soon as they finish hanging on their crosses, they will “hang out” together in Paradise later that day…SURPRISE!

As it pertains to a weeping Mary Magdalene, watch how Jesus surprises her when He speaks her name. Watch her frown turn upside down when the Messiah whom she loves calls her by name. A man she had watched die earlier in the weekend and now had come to finish His burial preparations is about to get a massive surprise!

He’s Alive!

Let’s pick the story back up in John 20:11.

“But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept, she stooped to look into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 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.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher).” John 20:11-16

Do you know what all of heaven must have screamed out at that moment when Jesus flipped on the lights for Mary to see who it was that was standing alive and well before her?

SURPRISE!!!!

HE’S ALIVE!!!!

What a moment that must have been!

The One Mary loved whom she saw put to death on Friday was alive again on Sunday. And not only did Jesus rise, but also Mary’s love for Jesus came alive at that moment with unrestrained joy and hope. Biblical scholar William Barclay says, “No one ever loved Jesus as much as Mary Magdalene.”

Why?

Maybe it was because Jesus had cast out seven demons from inside her earlier in her life.

“Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out…” Luke 8:1-2

Maybe it was because Jesus was the first man to treat her with dignity and respect.

Maybe it was because Jesus always made time for her and made her feel valuable without wanting anything from her.

Maybe it was because Jesus gave her hope as He spoke and taught with power.

Whatever the reason, Mary Magdalene deeply loved Jesus as a person, as the Messiah, and as her Savior.

When Jesus spoke her name in verse 16: “Mary,” she knew it was Jesus. The reason she knew was because earlier in the Gospel of John when Jesus is describing Himself as the Good Shepherd who takes care of His sheep, He says in John 10:3-4 “My sheep know my voice and they follow me.”

Mary knew the voice of her Good Shepherd named Jesus.

The question for you on this Easter Sunday morning is this:

Would you know it was Jesus if He spoke your name right now?

Earlier you were encouraged to underline the name of someone else that had a huge role in the Easter Sunday Surprise that Jesus wanted to make sure was included. His name was Peter. Peter must have been overcome with emotion when Jesus surprises him because He remembered his name.

When it comes to being surprised by Jesus, in the end, His words found in Revelation 3 summarize what He wants the surprise to lead to in life both now and throughout eternity.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” Revelation 3:20

When was the last time Jesus surprised you? When was the last time He surprised you with hope, with joy, with a fresh start, with a call of your name? He knows your name, and Jesus calls your name today on this Easter Sunday.

How will you respond?