Redeemed People: Mary Magdalene

Luke 8:1-3

English Standard Version Chapter 8

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, 2 and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, 3 and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means.

John 20:11-18

English Standard Version Chapter 20

11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. 12 And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. 13 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.” 14 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 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.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). 17 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.’ ” 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.

One of the things I've shared with you over the past several weeks is that when I'm studying Scripture, my mind has a strange way of making connections. Sometimes it's another Bible passage. Sometimes it's a song lyric that I can't get out of my head. And sometimes it's something completely unexpected—like a scene from a movie.

This week, as I was preparing, I kept thinking about something I learned years ago while studying filmmaking. We will look at this idea again when we get to Peter.

There's a principle in film making that says this:

Everything that appears in a story should have a closure.

If a writer puts something in the frame—an object, a person, a conversation—that detail should matter later. Good storytellers don't leave loose ends. They bring the story full circle, closure.

One of my favorite examples is from National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.

Some of you already know the movie.

Clark Griswold decides he's going to make sledding faster. So he sprays this experimental lubricant on the bottom of his sled. He takes off down the hill...

(Gesture downhill with your hand.)

...and he doesn't just go down the hill.

He rockets down the hill..

Through the woods.

Across the highway

Across another road.

And eventually disappears into the Walmart parking lot.

Then the next scene, Cousin Eddie is outside emptying the RV into the storm drain...

(Small smile.)

...and beside the garbage pile is Clark's sled.

Bent.

Broken.

Completely destroyed.

It's a tiny scene.

But it gives closure.

You aren't left wondering,

"Whatever happened to that sled?"

The writer quietly answers the question.

Now here's why I bring that up.

I think the greatest Author who has ever written a story is God Himself.

And one of the beautiful things about Scripture is that God never leaves loose ends.

What begins in Genesis finds its fulfillment in Jesus.

Promises become reality.

Questions receive answers.

Broken things are restored.

Everything points somewhere.

Everything matters.

And today's redeemed person doesn't just have a redemption story of her own.

She helps bring the entire story of redemption full circle.

(Pause.)

Today we're going to look at Mary Magdalene.

Now if we're honest, Mary Magdalene is probably one of the most misunderstood people in the Bible.

Over the centuries people have imagined all kinds of things about her that Scripture never actually says.

The Bible doesn't tell us she was a prostitute.

The Bible doesn't tell us much about her background at all.

Instead, Scripture introduces her with one simple statement.

Luke tells us that Jesus had cast seven demons out of her. 

That's her introduction.

Not because that's how Jesus saw her.

But because that's who she used to be.

Jesus changed her story.

From that moment forward she followed Him.

She supported His ministry.

She walked with Him.

She stood near the cross when so many others ran away.

She watched Him die.

She watched where they laid His body.

And before the sun rose on Easter morning...

she was already walking toward the tomb.

(Take two or three slow steps across the platform.)

But here's what Mary doesn't know.

She's about to become part of the greatest full-circle moment in all of history.

Remain center stage. Slow the pace.)

Luke only gives us a few verses about Mary Magdalene, but those few verses tell us everything we really need to know.

Listen again to how Luke introduces her.

"Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out..." 

That's it.

No family background.

No hometown story.

No occupation.

No explanation of how she met Jesus.

Luke simply tells us who she was...

because of what Jesus had done.

(Pause.)

Now let's stop there for a moment.

Seven demons.

We really don't know exactly what that looked like.

Scripture doesn't give us the details, and we should be careful not to invent them.

But one thing is obvious.

Mary's life was completely captive.

She lived under a darkness she could never escape on her own.

People in that culture would have feared her.

Avoided her.

Whispered about her.

Perhaps crossed the street when they saw her coming.

She was the kind of person everyone else had given up on.

(Look around the room.)

Until Jesus.

Isn't that the story we've been telling all summer?

The Samaritan woman...

Until Jesus.

The paralytic...

Until Jesus.

Zacchaeus...

Until Jesus.

Blind Bartimaeus...

Until Jesus.

And now Mary.

Until Jesus.

Brothers and sisters...

that's every Christian's testimony.

There is life...

before Jesus.

And there is life...

after Jesus.

The Chosen captures this in a quote from Mary to Nicodemus. Nicodemus wants to know how she got well and her response is this, “I was one way and now I'm completely different. And the thing that happened in between … was Him.”

(Pause.)

I wonder...

if someone had met Mary before she met Jesus...

would they have ever imagined she'd become one of Jesus' most faithful followers?

Probably not.

Because that's what grace does.

Grace writes stories nobody else expects.

Grace takes the people the world has already labeled...

and gives them a completely new identity.

(Step away from the stand.)

Isn't that exactly what Jesus has done for us?

Some of us were controlled by anger.

Some by addiction.

Some by pride.

Some by fear.

Some by shame.

Our stories are all different...

but the Savior is the same.

Jesus doesn't merely improve people.

He redeems them.

(Pause.)

And Mary never forgot it.

How do we know?

Because after Jesus healed her...

she never left Him.

Luke tells us she traveled with Jesus and the disciples, and that she, along with other women, helped provide for the ministry out of their own resources. 

That may not sound remarkable to us.

But in the first century...

it was extraordinary.

Most rabbis didn't invite women into that kind of discipleship.

Jesus did.

Once again...

Jesus overturned expectations.

He didn't just redeem Mary.

He welcomed her.

He gave her a place.

He gave her dignity.

He gave her purpose.

(Open your hands.)

isn't that what Jesus still does?

He doesn't simply forgive us.

He brings us into His family.

He doesn't merely rescue us from something.

He calls us into something.

He gives us a place in His mission.

(Pause.)

And Mary's devotion becomes even more remarkable when everything begins to fall apart.

The crowds disappear.

The religious leaders celebrate.

The disciples scatter.

Peter denies.

Judas betrays.

Ten disciples flee.

Only John remains near the cross.

But who else is still there?

Mary.

She watched Him suffer.

She watched Him die.

She watched Joseph of Arimathea take His body.

She watched where they laid Him.

And then...

while it was still dark...

she started walking back.

(Begin walking slowly across the platform.)

Can you imagine that walk?

Every step...

heavier than the last.

Every memory...

playing through her mind.

This was the Man who changed everything.

The Man who set her free.

The Man who gave her life back.

And now...

He's gone.

(Slow even more.)

Maybe you've taken a walk like that.

Not to a tomb.

But through grief.

Through disappointment.

Through unanswered questions.

Through a diagnosis.

Through the loss of someone you love.

Through a season where God seemed silent.

You keep walking...

because you don't know what else to do.

That's where Mary is.

She is walking toward the tomb.

But she doesn't realize...

she isn't walking toward death anymore.

She's walking toward the greatest surprise...

the world has ever known.

(Long pause.)

(Continue walking slowly. Don't rush. This entire section should be preached at about 75% of your normal pace.)

Mary finally arrives at the tomb.

She's expecting one thing.

A sealed grave.

A stone.

A body.

One last opportunity to honor the One who had changed her life.

Instead...

the stone is gone.

(Pause.)

Can you imagine your heart sinking?

Someone has taken Him.

First they crucified Him...

and now they have stolen His body.

John tells us she begins to weep.

Not polite tears.

Not quiet tears.

The kind of crying that comes from a heart that thinks it has lost everything.

(Pause.)

She looks into the tomb.

There are two angels sitting where Jesus had been laid.

One at the head.

One at the feet.

Almost like they are guarding the place where death had just been defeated.

They ask,

"Woman, why are you weeping?"

And Mary's answer tells us exactly where her heart is.

"They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him." 

Notice what she doesn't say.

She doesn't say,

"They took a body."

She says,

"My Lord."

Even in her confusion...

her love for Jesus hasn't changed.

(Pause.)

She turns around.

And there's a man standing there.

John tells us something fascinating.

She doesn't recognize Him.

Instead...

she thinks He's...

the gardener.

(Smile slightly.)

Have you ever wondered why John tells us that?

He could have simply said,

"She thought He was another man."

But he doesn't.

He says...

she thought He was the gardener.

Hold onto that thought.

We're coming back to it.

(Pause.)

Jesus asks,

"Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" 

Church...

that's an important question.

Not just for Mary.

For us.

Who...

are...

you...

seeking?

Because every one of us is seeking something.

Peace.

Purpose.

Forgiveness.

Identity.

Acceptance.

Hope.

We all spend our lives looking for something.

Mary thinks she's looking for a dead Savior.

She has no idea...

she's standing in front of a living King.

(Walk a few slow steps toward the congregation.)

She says,

"Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away."

Isn't that beautiful?

She still wants to serve Jesus.

Even if all she has left...

is His body.

Then...

everything changes.

(Stop walking completely.)

Jesus says...

one word.

(Look down for a moment.)

Then look up.

Make eye contact with the congregation.

Softly.

"Mary."

(Don't say another word.)

Count slowly to four in your head.

The Shepherd knows His sheep.

And His sheep...

know His voice.

Isn't that exactly what Jesus promised?

"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me."

She doesn't recognize His face.

She recognizes...

His voice.

The same voice that had once spoken freedom over seven demons...

now speaks her name.

The same voice that called fishermen...

that calmed storms...

that raised Lazarus...

now quietly says...

"Mary."

(Pause.)

Church...

I wonder...

what that sounded like.

Do you think He said it with disappointment?

No.

With frustration?

No.

I think He spoke her name...

the same way He always had.

With love.

With grace.

With joy.

One word.

And darkness became light.

One word.

And grief became joy.

One word.

And hopelessness became hope.

One word...

changed everything.

(Step toward the center of the platform.)

Brothers and sisters...

that's still how Jesus works.

He knows your name.

Not just your face.

Not just your past.

Not just your failures.

He knows...

your...

name.

Isaiah says,

"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine."

Before Mary ever proclaimed,

"I have seen the Lord..."

Jesus first called her...

by name.

(Pause.)

And maybe...

that's exactly what someone here needs to hear today.

You've spent your life believing you're just another face in the crowd.

Another sinner.

Another failure.

Another forgotten person.

Listen to the good news of the Gospel.

The risen Christ...

still knows His people.

And He still calls them...

by name.

(Long pause.)

(Remain still after the "Mary" moment. Don't rush into this. Let everyone exhale.)

Now...

remember something John told us just a few moments ago.

Mary thought Jesus was...

the gardener.

Have you ever stopped and wondered...

why John tells us that?

He could have simply said,

"She thought He was another man."

But under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit...

John chooses a very specific word.

Gardener.

(Pause.)

Now...

I don't think Mary knew exactly what she was saying.

She really thought He worked there.

But isn't it amazing how often people speak better than they know in Scripture?

Caiaphas didn't realize he was prophesying.

Pilate didn't realize the sign above the cross was proclaiming truth.

And now...

Mary doesn't realize...

she's closer to the truth than she could ever imagine.

Because while Jesus wasn't the gardener who cared for Joseph of Arimathea's tomb...

He is the Gardener who has come to restore God's creation.

(Take a slow step to one side.)

Think about where the Bible begins.

It begins...

in a garden.

God creates a world that is good.

Very good.

Adam and Eve walk with God.

There is no sin.

No death.

No shame.

No fear.

No tears.

Everything is exactly as God intended.

Then comes the serpent.

Then comes the tree.

Then comes the choice.

A woman reaches for fruit.

A man willingly follows.

And sin enters the world.

The garden is lost.

(Pause.)

Ever since that day...

every page of Scripture has been asking one question.

How is God going to fix what was broken in the garden?

That's really the story of the whole Bible.

Not just Israel.

Not just the church.

The whole Bible.

How does God restore what sin destroyed?

(Walk slowly back toward center.)

Then we arrive at another garden.

Not the Garden of Eden...

but the garden outside an empty tomb.

Once again...

there is a woman.

Once again...

there is a tree.

Only this time...

it isn't a tree holding forbidden fruit.

It's the tree on which the Son of God willingly hung.

Paul even says in Galatians,

"Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree."

Jesus took the curse that began in Eden...

upon Himself.

(Pause.)

Do you see it?

The first Adam reached for a tree...

and brought death.

The last Adam climbed a tree...

and brought life.

The first Adam hid when God came looking for him.

The last Adam walked out of the tomb...

looking for His people.

The first garden ended with humanity being driven out.

This garden begins with humanity being invited back in.

Church...

that's not an accident.

That's redemption.

(Open your hands.)

Everything that was broken...

Jesus is restoring.

Everything that was lost...

Jesus is reclaiming.

Everything sin destroyed...

Jesus is making new.

That's why Paul calls Him...

the last Adam.

He's doing what the first Adam could never do.

(Pause.)

And I love this.

Who is the very first person to witness this new creation?

Not a king.

Not a governor.

Not one of the religious leaders.

Not even one of the twelve apostles.

A woman...

who once lived under the power of seven demons.

If the world had been writing this story...

Mary never would have been chosen.

But this isn't the world's story.

This is God's story.

And throughout Scripture...

God delights in choosing the people no one else would choose...

so that everyone knows the glory belongs to Him.

(Walk toward the congregation.)

Think about it.

Who gets to give the first Easter sermon?

Mary.

Who gets the first Easter commission?

Mary.

Who becomes the first witness of the resurrection?

Mary.

Why?

Because Jesus delights in using redeemed people...

to tell the story of redemption.

(Pause.)

But I think there's something even bigger happening.

Remember how we started today?

Every good story brings closure.

Every loose end finds its purpose.

Brothers and sisters...

this is God's closure.

The story that began in Genesis...

isn't forgotten.

It isn't abandoned.

It isn't left unfinished.

The Author...

has written the final chapter.

The curse of Eden...

meets the empty tomb.

Death...

meets Life.

Darkness...

meets Light.

The serpent...

meets the risen King.

And Jesus finishes the story.

(Long pause.)

(Walk back to center stage. Stand behind the stand for a moment. Let everyone settle after the Garden section.)

So...

what do we do with all of this?

It's one thing to admire Mary's story.

It's another thing...

to allow it to shape ours.

As I've been preparing this series...

one thing has stood out over and over again.

Think back with me.

The Samaritan woman.

Jesus stopped.

The paralytic.

Jesus stopped teaching.

Zacchaeus.

Jesus stopped beneath the tree.

Blind Bartimaeus.

Jesus stopped on the road leaving Jericho.

Again...

and again...

and again...

Jesus stopped.

Because that's who He is.

He stops for broken people.

(Pause.)

But today...

something is different.

Jesus certainly stopped for Mary.

But Mary had to stop too.

She had to stop crying.

Stop searching.

Stop assuming.

Stop talking.

Long enough...

to hear Him say,

"Mary."

(Pause.)

I wonder...

how many times Jesus has been speaking...

while we've been too busy to listen.

(Look across the congregation.)

Our lives are noisy.

The television is on.

The radio is on.

Our phones are always buzzing.

We're always checking another notification.

Always moving.

Always planning.

Always thinking about what's next.

Even when we're sitting still...

our minds are racing.

And sometimes...

I wonder if we've become so accustomed to noise...

that we've forgotten how to hear the Shepherd's voice.

(Step away from the stand.)

Psalm 46 says,

"Be still, and know that I am God."

I've always loved that verse.

But a few years ago someone taught me something that I've never forgotten.

They said,

"Pray that verse with your breathing."

I want to invite you to do that with me this morning.

Not because breathing exercises save us.

Jesus saves us.

But because sometimes we need to quiet our hearts...

so we can remember who He is.

(Lower your voice.)

Take a slow breath in.

(Pause.)

"Be still...

and know...

that I am God."

Again.

Slowly.

"Be still...

and know...

that I am."

Again.

"Be still...

and know."

Again.

"Be still."

One last time.

"Be."

(Ten-second silence.)

Don't be afraid of the silence.

Some of us haven't experienced ten seconds of silence all week.

Maybe all month.

Maybe all year.

(Softly.)

Church...

what if Jesus has been speaking...

and we've simply been too busy to hear Him?

Mary recognized Jesus...

not because she saw Him first...

but because she finally heard Him.

The Shepherd called.

The sheep recognized His voice.

(Pause.)

I think that's one of the greatest dangers facing Christians today.

It's not persecution.

It's not opposition.

It's distraction.

We become so busy doing things...

even good things...

that we stop spending time with Jesus Himself.

We know about Him.

We work for Him.

We volunteer.

We attend church.

But we forget to simply...

be...

with Him.

(Look around the room.)

Brothers and sisters...

discipleship has never been about doing more.

It's always begun with being with Jesus.

Isn't that what He invited the disciples to do?

"Follow Me."

Not,

"Build Me a ministry."

Not,

"Fix everything."

Not,

"Become impressive."

Just...

follow Me.

Love Me.

Learn from Me.

Live for Me.

(Smile.)

You know...

that's really how I've come to define a disciple.

A disciple is someone who loves Jesus...

learns from Jesus...

and lives for Jesus.

Everything else flows from that.

And maybe this week...

before you worry about all the things you need to do...

the risen Christ is inviting you to do one simple thing.

Stop.

Be still.

Listen.

Because He still calls His people...

by name.

(Walk back toward center.)

You know...

one of the things I've discovered in my own life...

is that God doesn't waste anything.

When I was growing up, my favorite movie was Star Wars: A New Hope.

I think I've told you before...

it actually came out on my first birthday.

I had no idea that years later that movie would inspire me to study filmmaking.

And while studying filmmaking...

I learned about stories.

How every good story has purpose.

How every detail deserves closure.

I had no idea...

that years later...

God would call me into ministry.

I had no idea...

that the way I learned to see stories...

would shape the way I read Scripture.

And I certainly had no idea...

that one day...

He would call me to pastor a church...

called...

New Hope.

(Smile.)

I don't think that's coincidence.

I think that's providence.

Because I've learned something.

God wastes nothing.

Not your joys.

Not your failures.

Not your wounds.

Not your waiting.

Not even your darkest seasons.

When you're following Jesus...

He is always writing a bigger story than the one you can see.

(Pause.)

Mary didn't know that either.

She thought she was walking toward a cemetery.

God was walking her toward the greatest announcement in history.

(Now move into the conclusion.)

that's why I love Mary's story.

Because it isn't ultimately about Mary.

It's about Jesus.

Jesus is the One who defeated sin.

Jesus is the One who defeated death.

Jesus is the One who restored what was broken in Eden.

Jesus is the One who called Mary by name.

Jesus is the One who sent her into the world.

Everything...

is about Jesus.

(Pause.)

John tells us that after Jesus spoke with her...

Mary Magdalene went to the disciples and announced,

"I have seen the Lord."

What a beautiful sentence.

Not...

"I figured everything out."

Not...

"I understand every mystery."

Not...

"I have all the answers."

Simply...

"I have seen the Lord."

(Pause.)

Brothers and sisters...

that's our message too.

Not that we've got life all together.

Not that we've figured everything out.

Not that we're better than anyone else.

Our message is simply this:

We have seen the Lord.

We've seen His grace.

We've seen His forgiveness.

We've seen His faithfulness.

We've seen Him change our lives.

So now...

leave the garden.

Go into your homes.

Go into your workplaces.

Go into your neighborhoods.

Go into Washington County.

Go wherever God sends you...

and tell people...

"I have seen the Lord."

(Long pause.)

Because there are still people walking toward a tomb...

who need to meet...

the risen Gardener.

Amen.