The Power of the Resurrection (John 20:11–18)

Introduction

Welcome to Easter Sunday at Catalyst. Easter is the pinnacle of celebration for Christians. At Christmas we celebrate the son of God who took on human flesh and dwelt among us, but on Easter we celebrate the power of resurrection in a life. Because Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins and rose again from the grave, you and I can be free. There is power and resurrection. Resurrection Sunday is the power of God to resurrect a life.

I was recently in Alabama attending a missionary conference. They had me there as a missionary to California. Did you know that the place that you live in every day is considered a mission field?

They like to ask missionaries about the context of where they're serving. We had missionaries there from Iran, Iraq, and the UK. There were guys there planting churches in the US, one in Vermont, and one in Las Vegas. Each context was a little different.

They asked me to describe the culture of California. Now I came from New York, and in New York people are known there for being rude. In fact, you know, I lived in New York for 33 years of my life. I had moved to San Diego. I was living here for about six months. Flew back. And even just in six months, when I flew back, I was, I was in there going, oh my gosh, that was rude. California rubs off quick on you.

In New York, you speak your mind. But one thing I noticed about the culture of California there is a real fear in California about speech. It feels like in here in our culture that the worst sin someone could commit is to offend somebody. We have Christians in our culture who are literally gripped by a fear that something they say may be considered offensive to someone else.

Here, in this culture, if you offend somebody it's not just that you are being rude. If you offend somebody here you're labeled as a hater. And you don't want to be a hater, do you?

But what do you do with the Christian message in this culture? The Bible says about the cross in 1 Corinthians 1:23 “23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the Gentiles.” The gospel itself is offensive. What do you do with a message that is offensive to people who are afraid of being offended?

Now I'll ask you another question. Is there something worth being offended by? Is there a truth that you need to hear, even if it's offensive to you?

I was sharing this yesterday with somebody else: Imagine if you are a doctor and you know that someone is sick, that someone is dying. There is a disease killing their body, and you know what the medicine is. You know how to cure that disease.

But if you told them they are dying, that might be something that would make them feel bad, and might make them offended. They might get upset. Should I tell them that they're dying?

The Christian message is a message to the dying. proclaiming to them resurrection from the dead. You are dying, and the gospel is the cure. The resurrection is the greatest message mankind has ever received, and whether it's offensive to you or not, you need a resurrection in your life. And that comes through faith and trust in Jesus Christ.

We're going to look today at the resurrection of Jesus through the eyes of a woman named Mary Magdalene. If you have your Bible, open up to John 20:11-18.

Scripture Reading

John 20:11–18 CSB

11 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.” 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.” 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them what he had said to her.

Pray

Now this text brings us into an interaction mainly between a woman named Mary Magdalene and the resurrected Lord.

Who is Mary Magdalene?

Now the Gospels give us several different women named Mary and so. what they do is they try to differentiate between the different ladies, so you know which Mary they are talking about.

This woman is described to us as Mary Magdalene. Now there was a small town maybe village. Now there was a small town on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee named Magdala. And so many scholars believe that she is described in the Gospels as Mary Magdalene because she was from Magdala.

Seven demons

We know several things about Mary Magdalene. Now, Mary Magdalene is described in each one of the four gospels. She shows up in each one. And probably the most shocking thing about Mary Magdalene that we learn is that she is someone who, at one point, had seven demons within her. Take a look at Luke 8:1-2:

Luke 8:1–2 CSB

1 Afterward he was traveling from one town and village to another, preaching and telling the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, 2 and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses: Mary, called Magdalene (seven demons had come out of her);

Now demonic possession is an interesting study in Scripture. If you look in the Old Testament, there is a demonic spiritual realm, but it's not super pronounced. There is, of course, the snake in the garden. The book of Job talks about this interaction between the devil and God. Some places in the prophets.

But a lot of the Old Testament is what we might describe as just life happening. There are incredible miracles. There are different things, but a lot of it is just life. This king did good, this king didn't do good. They came to take over this land. People are struggling with things.

But when you get to the New Testament, particularly the Gospels, it almost feels like there's this demonic explosion that happens when Jesus is around. And the reason for that is obvious. The demons admit it. The demons are trying to hide. But when Jesus is present, when God in the flesh is present, the demons are exposed. There's nowhere for them to hide.

And Mary must have been someone so eternally grateful for the freedom that she had because of Jesus. There's something that comes when you know real spiritual heart and pain and you are set free. Mary was someone who was set free.

Mary at the cross and his burial

We also see Mary Magdalena at key points around the death of resurrection of Jesus. We see Mary at the cross and at his burial. We see her in Matthew 27:55-56:

Matthew 27:55–56 CSB

55 Many women who had followed Jesus from Galilee and looked after him were there, watching from a distance. 56 Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.

That's an interesting description of Mary, isn't it? that she was a follower of Jesus from Galilee and someone who had looked after him.

We also see her at his burial in Mark 15:47:

Mark 15:47 CSB

47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses were watching where he was laid.

So we get this picture of Mary. Mary was a devoted follower of Jesus Christ. She became a follower after an incredible spiritual transformation where the Lord had rescued her from seven demons that indwelt within her. This change caused her to follow Jesus with her life.

She followed him to the cross and watched the Romans drive nails into his hands and feet. She watched as he gave his last breath on the cross. She watched as they had wrapped up his body, his corpse, and they laid it in the tomb, and they rolled the stone over the tomb.

The empty tomb

And there's an unmistakable thing about John 20. As we look at this, there is an unmistakable fact that the tomb is empty. On the third day, when the women came to to visit the tomb, they came to a tomb to where the stone is rolled away.

Now the stone that cover the tomb many archeologists believe scholars believe this is a stone was about 1 1/2 to two tons, which is somewhere around 3000 to 4000 pounds. And the stone that cover the tomb is rolled away, and the tomb is empty.

Every gospel witness, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John tells us that on the third day, the tomb is empty. The empty tomb brings up a question: Where is the body?

Now, Mary watched him die on the cross. She watched his dead body, get wrapped up in linens. She watched the body laid into the tomb, a tomb with a rolled 3000 pound stone in front of it. And in fact, placed a couple Roman soldiers.

And now the third day, the stone has rolled away, and the tomb is empty. Where is the body?

In John 20 that's what Mary is wondering. Where is the body? Now, you can't imagine the kind of pain and turmoil that Mary is going through. Here was a woman freed from seven demons tormenting her life. And that freedom gave her hope in Jesus.

That freedom gave her hope that Jesus is the promise of God to Israel, is the one who can set people free. And there seemed to be nothing that could stop Jesus, until she saw Jesus on the cross. The one that set her free was now dead. It seemed like nothing could stop him. But now it seems like death stopped him.

And the one who had given her hope was now away from her. But on the third day, the tomb is empty. She's struggling to figure out what this means. What does it mean that the tomb is empty? She is crying and she is confused and she just doesn't get this.

She looks inside. and it says she stooped in to take a look. She looks in and there are two spiritual beings, two angels in white in there. And this must be confusing. They ask her woman, Why you crying?

She's just struggling. She just says they've taken away my lord. I don't know where they put him. I saw him lying right there.

And she hears someone coming from behind her. She turns and she sees a man but she doesn't recognize him right away. He says to her woman, why are you crying? Who is it that you're seeking?

Mary, she's struggling, She can't figure this out. She just thinks maybe this is the gardener. I don't know who this is. This is somebody. Maybe he knows.

Where is my Lord? Where is the one who set me free?

Jesus calls her by her name. He says Mary. In that moment, She knows it’s him. She says rabboni, and she runs and clings to him.

The power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ changed her, and I want to look at it in three ways of how the power of the resurrection of Jesus changed her and how it can change you.

First,

The resurrection moves you from confusion to clarity.

When Mary came to the tomb that morning, she had an expectation of what she would find. Everything she's ever learned in her life about dead bodies tells her that a dead person stays dead. In fact, there's only one person she'd ever known who resurrected someone from the dead. Now he was dead.

There was this incredibly large stone in front of the tomb. There's Roman soldiers. The Romans crucified him on the cross. Certainly they would be able to keep him in the grave.

When she gets there, she's expecting to see a covered tomb with a dead body inside. But God is not hampered by your expectations. Mary expected to see a dead Jesus. But she was confronted with an empty tomb.

When she saw the resurrected Jesus Christ and she heard him say her name. My Lord is resurrected from the dead and he knows my name. Her confusion turned to clarity, that Jesus is more powerful than the expectations I put on him.

When you put your faith in the resurrection of Jesus Christ he will open your mind and your heart to the power of his word. The Gospel of Luke tells us a story where the resurrected Jesus Christ appears to his disciples and they are afraid, and he tells them don't doubt. Look, at my hands and my feet. Look, I have flesh and bones. I'm alive!

As you can see, and they're amazed. And he tells them this about the scriptures. See, he told them about his look at this in Luke. 24 44.

And he tells him this in Luke 24:44-45:

Luke 24:44–45 CSB

44 He told them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.

Everything written in this book will point you to. Jesus Christ. God has been pointing humanity to a man who existed for 2000 years ago, lived the perfect life, died on the cross and resurrected from the dead. And says, listen to him.

If you're someone who needs to get confusion out of your life you want to move from confusion to clarity, get to know the resurrected Lord.

When I was in Community College, I had to take a physics course as part of my program there. When I went to take, I didn't know much about what physics was. I found out pretty quickly that it was a bunch of math.

Now I was the guy that I did well in English. I liked to write. But when it came to numbers, it's not my thing. I tell you now, if you ask me about numbers, I'll tell you it’s a book in the Bible.

And all semester, I was confused. I was listening to this physics teacher. I had no idea what he was talking about. I couldn't understand anything in the textbook. I couldn't get this.

And it came time for the final and I was just perplexed. I just needed to get through this course. And I had no idea what I was going to do until the smartest kid in the class led a study group in the library and went to the library. And for some reason, when he explained it, all of a sudden I could understand.

I picture, Mary, on that resurrection morning, like me and the physics class, just not getting what's happening. But the resurrected Lord, when he calls you by your name, you see him for who he is. He will turn your confusion to clarity.

The resurrection moves you from confusion to clarity.

Second,

The resurrection moves you from mourning to mission.

Mary Magdalene went to the tomb that morning. MORNING. as a woman who was grieving, in mourning. MOURNING. There was deep sorrow within her, but her sorrow turned to somebody who was sent. Jesus says in John 20:17:

John 20:17 CSB

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.”

Is an interesting thing? Mary, her life is being turned upside down because the Lord is resurrected and is alive. She came as somebody hopeless and left hopeful.

But what's interesting is that Jesus lets her know this message is not just for her. He loves Mary, he gave his life for her, and he gave his life for his brothers. He says, go tell my brothers. Tell them that I am alive. Tell them that I've conquered death. and that I am ascending to my father.

And this is interesting. Look at this carefully in verse 17. You know what happens when you put your faith in Christ? Jesus says he's my father. and through me he's your father. He's my God. And through me he's your God.

And when you put your faith in Christ you can go from someone who is in mourning to somebody who is on mission. You may have come from a lot of brokenness. You may have come from a lot of pain. But don't let those years behind you define the years that are ahead. Those years in your past don't need to be the years in your future.

God will come in. He'll change your life and he'll send you on mission There is a purpose and a plan that comes when you put your faith in Jesus Christ. Look at how Jesus describes it to the disciples in Acts 1:8:

Acts 1:8 CSB

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Christian, if your faith is in Jesus Christ today, there is power in your life. The Holy Spirit gives you the power to live the Christian life, because you can't live the Christian life on your own. It's impossible. You need the power of God to live a life for Jesus Christ.

You need the power of God to live a life on mission for him. God is calling you to be his witness to the world of the power of his resurrection.

We all carry around these rectangle bricks in our pockets, these smartphones. And when you go home at night, what do you do with your phone? You plug it in, right? Heaven's forbid, you wake up in the morning, and that phone doesn't have power. What are you going to do? How are we going to get around?

In fact, now I have to charge two things. I got to take my watch, put it on that little charger thing and my phone just so that my watch and my phone have enough energy to get through the day.

We understand a need for power. Yet, so many of us go through life trying to do things on our own dead battery. But our battery is so far gone. It's no good. We need a new one. We need a new life

And the the resurrection is the power of God to give you a brand new life. He comes with a new power. He says, are you tired of running around on your own battery? Are you tired of trying to do things on your own power? Why don't you trust in the power of God to change your life?

In your past, there's a lot of sorrow. There's a lot of trauma there. There's a lot of hurt. There's a lot of pain. There's a lot of mourning. Jesus says to you, let my resurrection move you from mourning to mission.

Apply

The resurrection moves you from confusion to clarity.

The resurrection moves you from mourning to mission.

Last,

The resurrection moves you from tears to triumph.

Mary came to that tomb that morning. A woman in pain. She came as a woman with tears. But when Jesus called her name? her tears turned to triumph. Her grief turned to glory. As she left there. This says in John 20:18:

John 20:18 CSB

18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them what he had said to her.

I have seen the Lord. Well, you can say in this life. through faith I have seen the Lord. She saw the resurrected Lord through her physical eyes. But through faith. men and women. can see and know the Lord in their heart.

And all that brokenness and pain and hurting turns from tears to triumph. When you become someone who says, I was lost. I was confused. I was hurting. But I have seen the Lord. And let me tell you now, there is triumph in my life. There is victory in my life, because I have seen the Lord.

The Bible tells us this in Romans 8:37-39:

Romans 8:37–39 CSB

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

God has an incredible love for you in Jesus Christ. He gave his son for you. And it is the power of God through a resurrected life that will give you the power to get through the things you face.

And there is nothing. more powerful. than God. There is nothing so powerful that will separate you from his love. He proved that through his resurrection. Death couldn't hold him.

And he is healing us. God is healing us from the pain. He's healing us from the hurt, the abuse. God is wants you to put your faith in Jesus Christ because he is leading us to a day in Revelation 21:4-5 where it says:

Revelation 21:4–5 CSB

4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away. 5 Then the one seated on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new.” He also said, “Write, because these words are faithful and true.”

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is. the power of God to make. everything new. It starts with making everything new in your heart. Bible says that we are sinners. It says everyone is sinful. Short the glory of God. There is sin in our lives That sin separates us. Our rebellion against God. separates us from him. The Jesus came this. to take on our pain. He came. to take on our hurt. He came. to take on our sin on the cross. He came to make everything new in him.

I am a sinner saved by God's grace. In my 20s I lived a life that there was too much sinning to do. I wanted to have fun. Fun in quotation marks. I was trying to hold on to an old life because if I were to be honest about it, I didn't want to God tell me what to do.

But in 2006, at 29 years old, Jesus. changed my life. He used a series of circumstances to bring me to him. And let me tell you, he changed everything. He changed my heart He changed my marriage. He changed my family He moved me from a man who is hurting a man in mourning to a man on mission.

And I'm on mission. Not because I'm good, because I’m not. I'm on mission because he is good. I'm on mission because I know his power to change a life, because he changed mine. The resurrected Jesus Christ moved me from a person in confusion to clarity.

He moved me from a person in tears to a person in triumph. And I don't preach. to gain my triumph. My triumph came. 2000 years ago. On a cross and at an empty tomb.

And that same triumph. is for you in your life today. Would you move from confusion to clarity? from weeping to witness. from morning to mission from tears to triumph in Jesus Christ. You can do that by putting your faith in him.

Conclusion

Prayer

Last Song

Doxology

Numbers 6:24–26 CSB

24 “May the Lord bless you and protect you; 25 may the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 may the Lord look with favor on you and give you peace.” ’

Jude 24–25 CSB

24 Now to him who is able to protect you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of his glory, without blemish and with great joy, 25 to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority before all time, now and forever. Amen.

You are dismissed. Have a great week in the Lord!