Encountering the Risen Savior (John 20:1-18)

Introduction

Good morning and welcome to all our visitors in attendance. FBC Sunny Hills is in the middle of a transition right now. The church has been praying about its future direction and seeking to follow the Lord’s leadership and it’s been exciting to see God opening up doors at this church.

And I would encourage you, if you don’t have a church home. This is a wonderful time to explore God’s desire for you to unite with this fellowship of people.

My name is Caleb and I’ve been filling in for a few months now and I have loved serving over here, and you will too, if you’re a guest. Okay, let me ask you to take your Bible and turn to John 20. As we know, today is Resurrection Sunday or Easter Sunday and while we celebrate the resurrection regularly, this is the weekend that christians have chosen to celebrate the cross and the empty tomb.

And if you’ve been here over the past several weeks we’ve been in a series called, “Jesus, Lifted Up.” We’ve been in the gospel of John looking at all of the passages when Jesus points to the way he would be lifted up on a cross.

But when Jesus says the word, “Lifted Up,” remember it’s one word in the greek with two meanings.

The first meaning is to lift up, as in Jesus’ death on the cross. He was lifted up for us.

But the second reason has to do with his exaltation. That is, because Jesus was lifted up for us, he is our sinless sacrifice, and his name has been highly exalted and lifted up.

So each week when we gather, we are seeking to just lift up and magnify the name of Jesus. The name above all names.

This morning we are looking at a passage of scripture dealing with the morning of Jesus’ resurrection. And I want to focus on the experience of Mary Magdalene at the empty tomb. Because Mary’s story, is our story.

Let’s read it together.

John 20:1–18 “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.” 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. 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). Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.”

Pray

This morning I want to focus on this topic: The Risen Messiah Knows My Name

Isn’t it amazing that the God of the Universe knows who you are? He knows you, as you sit in this pew this morning. He knows your week, he knows your work, he knows your life, and the fact that you’re here this morning is a testimony of his grace.

Now, don’t be confused. We serve a mighty God.

We serve a God who speaks, and creation obeys.

We serve a God who sees what is hidden and knows what is unspoken. We serve a God who is never early, never late, but always on time. We serve a God who parts seas and stills storms. We serve a God who keeps every promise He has ever made. We serve a God who reigns in heaven and rules over the earth. We serve a God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

We serve a God who entered into our suffering. We serve a God who bore our sin upon the cross. We serve a God who defeated death and rose in victory. We serve a God who intercedes for us even now. We serve a God who prepares a place for His people. We serve a God who will return in glory and make all things new. We serve a God who is worthy of all glory, honor, and praise.

Yet, maybe the most wonderful truth that is so difficult for us to fathom, is that we serve a God who encounters us and knows our name.

Luke 12:7 “Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows.”

Psalm 103:14 “For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.”

Psalm 8 “When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas. O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!”

So, what is the value of a life? Well, to the Lord, our lives are valuable enough for the God of heaven to care about you.

Perhaps there was noone who understood this more than Mary of Magadala. We know her in the scriptures as Mary Magdalene.

The Bible doesn’t go into exhaustive detail about her life. But we do know this about her. We know her story and we know how Jesus saved and changed her. And we also know, that ever since she was saved by Jesus, she was a devoted follower who followed him, even when everyone else ran away INCLUDING Jesus’ disciples.

Luke 8:1–3 “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, and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means.”

What this scripture teaches us is that yes, the twelve disciples were typically with Jesus everywhere he went. But in many of Jesus’ journeys, especially during his traveling ministry and teaching about the kingdom of God, there was a larger band of people that typically were following him as well. And according to these verses, it shows that there were the twelve, but then also there were some women: mary, Joanna, and Susanna, and many others, and they provided for Jesus out of their own means.

I love this! Because it’s just like a woman to always think about providing and taking care the ones they love. And these women had a great love for Jesus we see that in his life, especially by the way they went to the crucifixion and the burial tomb of the Lord.

Not all the disciples could provide their own means - some of them were fisherman by trade and they gave that up to follow Jesus. Leave it to the women to help take care of the men! But deeper than that, we learn something about Mary.

We learn that at the time she met Jesus, Mary was possessed by 7 demons. We don’t know the details about her life. But we know that for some reason, her body was a home to unclean spirits and demons.

By the way, let me say something about demon possession. Demon Possession was a common occurence in the scriptures.

Demon Possession was a condition by which evil spirits take up habitation inside of someone’s mind and soul, and cause unusual behavior that opposes itself to God. We see many cases of this in the scriptures, and perhaps the worst one is in Mark 5 when we learn of a man possessed by many, many demons.

But each time Jesus approaches someone who is possessed by a demon, he commands with his authority that a demon come out of a person, and it was to show that Jesus had decisive victory over the bondage of Satan and his spiritual warfare.

And so, we don’t know the extent of Mary’s suffering from this demonic oppression, but if we draw conclusions from other scriptures, here’s what we know. Mary likely suffered under the oppression of Satan that caused loss of control, behavioral problems, and self-harm. She was most likely attacked in both body and mind, and it probably caused all types of life issues. For someone to be possessed by one demon was difficult, but for someone to be possessed by 7...

We don’t have the story in the Bible of how these demons were cast out of Mary, but we do know that when Mary encountered Jesus, whenever that way, Jesus demonstrated his authority and his love towards her by freeing her completely from this oppression.

Mary was in this larger band of followers that went with Jesus everywhere, but there was something unique about Mary.

That is, that she stayed with Jesus until the very end when everyone else had run away.

Jesus, during his final day with his disciples, predicted to them that when he was arrested, they would all flee. Matthew 26:31–32 “Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.””

And Jesus was correct. All the disciples fled. One of his most passionate followers, Peter, would even deny Jesus three times on the night of Jesus’ interrogation. But in John 19 as we read about the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is it that John notes, that is present at the crucifixion other than himself? John 19:25 “but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.”

And in John 20:1 “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.”

This woman who had been healed by the Lord, who followed the Lord, who loved the Lord, who was present with the Lord, and now who came to honor the body of her Lord, she thought that it was the last time she would see the Lord.

Yet, Mary was in for a surprise. Because we see in this text, is that Mary turned out to be the first eyewitness to the risen Lord. In fact, Mark tells us plainly in Mark 16:9 “[[Now when he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons.”

The reason this is so interesting to me is that in the first century AD, woman were viewed as property. Women were viewed as second-class citizens. But Jesus never turned away women who wanted to follow him, he always treated them with grace and dignity. And he allowed a woman, not one of his disciples, to be the first eyewitness. Amazing.

What this teaches us is that Jesus didn’t care what culture said about certain people. He ate with sinners and tax collectors. Jesus was solely focused on one mission: Luke 19:10 “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

And standing in that garden is a woman who knows exactly what it means to be sought and saved. But now, something even more personal is about to happen— the risen Messiah is about to call her by name. And when Jesus knows your name, it reshapes everything about your life.

Well, as we look into this text this morning, I want draw out three things that happen when Jesus knows your name.

1. You long to be in His presence

We see this in John 20 and in verse 1, and in verses 11-15.

John 20:1 “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.”

John 20:11–15 “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.”

Mary went early in the morning. She could not have gone the previous day with it being the Sabbath, but on the first day of the week, she longed to be with Jesus. She had likely been with him for a majority of Jesus’ ministry in this greater crowd that followed Jesus. We see her waiting outside the tomb. We see her weeping because it seemed to her that someone had taken the body of the Lord. She saw two angels, probably not knowing they were angels. She wept in front of them, and as she turned, she wept to who she thought was the gardener. Even telling the gardener that she needed to know where Jesus’ body was. You see, even in his death, she longed to be with her Lord.

When Jesus knows your name and saves you, there should be a longing in your heart to be with him.

When I first got saved, there was a longing I had in me to be close to the Lord. Everyday I would wake up everyday and my favorite thing to do was open my Bible and sit with him and just read and listen and pray and spend time with him. But after time passes, we get distracted and we forget that he is the true source of our strength and hope. And we find ourselves growing weary.

We don’t recognize that when we distance ourselves from Jesus, everything else in life begins to wane with weariness.

Jesus actually told us about this when he said in John 15:1–5 ““I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.”

We must abide in the Lord Jesus. But what happens is that we begin to grow distant.

I remember when I met the girl who would one day become my wife. I saw her in my New Testament Survey course at the Baptist College of Florida. I would see her in class and long to get to know her. I remember I asked for her number and we began to hang out with friends together and I’ll never forget the first time we went to the Graceville Park to talk alone. And I’ll never forget the first time, after a basketball game, I talked with her in the parking lot and asked her about a relationship and we began dating. I’ll never forget when I proposed to her and several months later we got married and were enjoying life together living in the light of that honeymoon.

And one day, I noticed, “Wow. She sure does like to get on to me a lot about chores around the house. Wow, she really does get upset when I leave the shower curtain open. Wow, why does she like to stay home so much and I love to go out so much.” And overtime, we began to allow sin and disruption into our marriage. And distance began to grow.

And many couples who have gone through a separation separate not because there was some major conflict, but just because over time they began to grow distant and unsatisfied with one another. But when I spend time with my wife, and we hang out together, I’m reminded of how much I love her and cherish her.

Friends, sometimes we treat our relationship with the Lord Jesus like our relationship with a distant friend. Who we only talk to when we need something. Or we feel like a married couple on the verge of divorce.

But the question I always have to ask myself is, “If I feel distant from God, who is it that moved?” Because God doesn’t change. He doesn’t move. And I have to look at the man in the mirror. and when I do that, I am reminded that it was me, who moved.

When the risen Lord knows our name, it should be our ambition to long for his presence.

There is a book written by a monk named Brother Lawrence. It’s a classic book called, “The Practice of the Presence of God,” and in it, he says, “The most holy and necessary practice in our spiritual life is the presence of God… to take delight in and become accustomed to His divine company.”

We see this in the life of Mary. She was present with Jesus everywhere that he went, even up to the cross. And there’s something to be said about enjoying the company of Jesus Christ.

One of my all-time favorite hymns is the song, “In the Garden.” You can find it on page ______ of your hymn book. I used to love that song because I thought it was referring to God walking with Adam in the cool of the day and Adam enjoying his presence with God.

But after researching this week, I’ve come to love that hymn even more, because I found out that the artist who wrote this hymn did so after reading about Mary Magdalene’s encounter with Jesus. Listen to this:

As he meditated on the story of  Jesus and Mary Magdalene in the garden on the morning of the resurrection, song writer C. Austin Miles felt as if he were standing there witnessing the intimate friendship between Mary and her Lord.  Reverently he thought, “This is not an experience limited to a happening almost 2000 years ago but it is the daily companionship with the Saviour that makes up the Christian’s daily walk.”  The words and music he wrote following that experience became one of the most loved Gospel hymns of all time

And if you look in your Bible, you see why Austin Miles wrote this hymn. In John 19:41 “Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid.” This also gives evidence to the fact that Mary thought Jesus was a gardener!

So, Austin Miles wrote “In the Garden” based on this story. And that famous chorus which says, “And he walks with me and he talks with me, and he tells me I am his own. And the joy we share, as we tarry there, none other has ever known.”

Mary had a longing to be with Jesus, and we should, too. When Jesus knows your name, you long to be in his presence.

#2. You love him deeply

1 John 4:19 “We love because he first loved us.”

The more we long for Jesus, the more we love him.

I remember talking to a friend from high school one time about the gospel and I mentioned the fact that I love Jesus, and he told me that he thought that was weird for me, a man, to say that I loved another man. Well let me just tell you something, I believe that the most manly thing that you can do is have a deep love for the Lord Jesus.

We see this deep love and affection for Jesus in the text. John 20:13-17. We first see it in the way that Mary is weeping.

She is weeping because of how much she loves Jesus and needs to know where they had taken his body.

Now one thing I know about weeping, is that you weep, it shows how much you love.

We use rulers and tape measures to measure things for projects, but you can measure love by what makes you weep.

I wept when my mother hugged me after graduation.

I wept when I saw my bride coming down the aisle.

I wept when my father preached my ordination service and prayed over me.

I wept when our children were born.

And what made Mary weep was her love for the Lord Jesus.

When she recognized that it was Jesus, was after Jesus said her name. She declared “Rabboni!” which means “Teacher.”

What we see here is that Mary affectionately recognized the Lord Jesus. And in verse 17 when he then says, “Do not cling to me,” it suggests that one of the things that Mary did upon recognize that it was Jesus was that she clung to him right away!

I believe we also see this in an amazing passage found in Luke 7:40–50 “And Jesus answering said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.” “A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?” Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he said to him, “You have judged rightly.” Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little.”

Friends, Jesus teaches us an important principle that everyone of us ought to take to heart. If you’ve recognized how much you’ve been forgiven, it should cause love to erupt in your heart for the Lord Jesus.

Share my testimony

I always had a desire to be liked

Always had a desire to be valued. Tried to find joy and fulfillment in every area of life. And what I found is that I could only find joy in a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Struggled with addictive sin through high school and college, and when the Lord Jesus got a hold of me, and forgave me of my sin, I came to him with a broken heart, and he healed me and mended me and made me new. And he can do the same thing with every one in the room today.

And here’s what happens when love for Jesus becomes real—it cannot stay silent. Mary doesn’t just recognize Him… she is about to be sent by Him. Because love that is awakened by the voice of Jesus will always lead to the mission of Jesus. And that leads us to the third truth: When Jesus knows your name, you live to declare His resurrection.

You live to proclaim his resurrection

We now see this in verses 17-18

John 20:17–18 “Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.”

What we see now in the text is that when you have an encounter with the risen Lord, you don’t stay silent.

I’m reminded also of when Paul, the apostle, was on the road to Damascus, and he had a personal experience with the Lord, and he immediately begin preaching the gospel in the synogogues.

I’m reminded when the book of Acts opens, we see these disciples filled with the holy spirit, going about and preaching the gospel with boldness because of their experience with Jesus Christ.

When we have an encounter with Jesus, we now live to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ.

First, recognize that she was sent with a message (v.17) she was commissioned by Jesus.

Then, she speaks from a personal encounter, saying, “I have seen the Lord.” Witness flows from what you see and know. You don’t need platform, you just need your testimony.

You proclaim even when others doubt! The disciples did not initially believe here. Luke 24:10–11 “Now it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles, but these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them.”

Mark 16:11 “But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it.”

The truth is that they wouldn’t believe Mary’s words until they had their own encounter with the risen savior!

But when we share the message of the resurrection, it gives great hope.

When Mary said, “I have seen the Lord,” she wasn’t just sharing information—she was announcing hope. Because if Jesus is alive, then death is not the end. If Jesus is alive, then sin does not get the final word. If Jesus is alive, then your past is not your prison. And if Jesus is alive, then there is still a future for you—no matter how broken things may seem right now.

The resurrection is not just a doctrine we believe—it is a declaration that changes everything. It means:

Your sin can be forgiven Your shame can be removed Your life can be made new Your eternity can be secure

That’s why Mary couldn’t stay silent—because when you’ve seen the risen Jesus, you realize: there is hope for anyone.

And here’s the truth this morning— the same Jesus who called Mary by name is still calling people by name today.

He is still: Seeking the lost

Saving sinners Calling people out of darkness into life

And maybe today… He’s calling you.

Maybe you’ve been searching like Mary— looking for something, but not finding it. Maybe you’ve been carrying sin, guilt, or shame. Maybe you feel distant, empty, or unsure.

But hear this clearly: Jesus is not dead. He is alive. And because He is alive, there is hope for you today.

He knows your name. He knows your story. And He is calling you—not to clean yourself up, not to fix everything first— but to come to Him.

Just like Mary turned when she heard her name— today is your moment to turn.

Turn from your sin. Turn from trying to do life on your own. Turn to the risen Savior who gave His life for you and walked out of the grave.

The question is not whether Jesus is alive— the question is: When He calls your name… will you respond?