Mary Magalene
Notes
Transcript
Introduction: Turn with me in your Bibles to .
I think that in the world we live in right now, we truly understand what a difference a week can make! For the last few weeks we have seen that everything is changing and things can change fast.
Today we are going to look at the roller coaster of emotions faced by Jesus’ followers in a matter of 8 days. We’ll see that they started with great joy before moving on to unspeakable grief and sadness and then ending with ever greater joy!
Many who have experienced sorrow and grief can identify with the question, will it ever end? Good news for those early followers, and specifically for a woman named Mary Magdalene, their grief would last only 3 days.
The Triumphal Entry:
It all started on a Sunday long ago in the land of Israel. For several thousands years the Jewish people were waiting for a king, who would save them. They thought he would save them from Rome, but the truth is the Messiah would save them from a far greater enemy…their own sin.
We start with the
On what has become known as Palm Sunday, Jesus came riding on a donkey into the City of Jerusalem to shouts of Hosanna, which means save! They waved palm branches showing they were accepting of Jesus as their king.
It was a joyous occasion. But what would happen when these people realized that Jesus wasn’t the king they were expecting? How would they respond?
Within a week, the shouts of Hosanna from fair weather followers turned to “Crucify Him!”
And Jesus was hung on a cross leaving His true followers stricken with a grief that seemed it would never end.
Transition to the Text:
Many who have experienced sorrow and grief can identify with the question, will it ever end? Good news for those early followers, and specifically for a woman named Mary Magdalene, their grief would last only 3 days.
As we read, let’s keep in mind this big idea from this text:
Big Idea: The resurrection turns sorrow into joy.
Big Idea: The resurrection turns sorrow into joy.
Read:
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.
19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”
20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.
John 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.
Repeat:
Big Idea: The resurrection turns sorrow into joy.
Big Idea: The resurrection turns sorrow into joy.
Transition to the Points: Now we know very little about Mary Magdalene for sure. Theories and conjecture go crazy. Many identify her with the sinful, adulterous woman in . Some call her a prostitute. These are both highly unlikely. So what do we know about her?
She had 7 demons cast out of her.
She had 7 demons cast out of her. She was a follower and financial contributor of Jesus’ ministry. She was also present at the resurrection and she was the first person to witness the resurrection.
She was a follower and financial contributor of Jesus’ ministry.
She was also present at the crucifixion.
But what has truly distinguished her is that she was the first person to witness the resurrection.
But she had a deep love for Jesus and His crucifixion had left her broken. And her desire this morning was to honor is life and memory but finishing His proper burial. And in her mind this has been stolen from her because the body is not there.
She is deeply grieved!
which brings us to:
Main Point #1 - Sorrow is rooted in not knowing. (John 20:1-11)
Main Point #1 - Sorrow is rooted in not knowing. (John 20:1-11)
Explanation: By the time we get to this story and the experience of Mary Magdalene, Jesus has already been raised from the dead. In fact, if you think about it, that He has raised is the source of more trauma. Why? Because the tomb is empty and she assumes that the body has been stolen.
Just think about it, Jesus is already alive, but Mary is intensely distressed. Because she doesn’t know. And that’s not her fault. She couldn’t have known because it hadn’t been announced yet. She would be the first.
But the the source of her distress is not knowing that Jesus is alive. She continues in her sadness because she doesn’t know.
Think about all the things in the world that cause us stress because we don’t know.
We worry about people because we don’t know if they are safe.
We fear what tomorrow will bring.
Not knowing can actually steal our joy because the fear of the unknown keeps us locked up in anxiety.
I think many of us can relate to that feeling of not knowing right now.
If only Mary knew that Jesus was alive, how quickly would her sorry turn to joy. But she simply don’t know.
Illustration: Not knowing can often keep us from acting. How often as adults do we say, if I’d known then what I know now, I would have done this differently. Ironically, your parents probably warned you.
I love the story of King George writing in his diary on July 4, 1776. “Nothing of importance happened today.” Now there is some dispute if this is true or not, but it definitely makes you wonder, had King George known what was happening in Philadelphia, how would his day have changed.
Gospel Application: Mary was locked in sorrow because she didn’t yet know that Jesus had risen, but all that would soon change.
As Christians, we now know that Jesus is alive. And our charge from is to declare to an unknowing world what they need to know.
Some don’t know that judgement is coming. We are called to warn people that their sin has earned death.
Some walk around with the feeling of worthlessness and wondering what’s this life for anyway! They don’t know that Jesus provides not just salvation from eternal punishment, but also life, meaning and purpose now!
Some, even if they acknowledge their sin, wonder if God can forgive even them.
Some still think they have to earn their way to heaven through good works. They don’t know that they can never be good enough and they must find their salvation in the finished work of Jesus on the cross. How do we know it was finished because He rose from the dead demonstrating victory over sin and death!
Some don’t know how close they are to the kingdom of God if they would just embrace Jesus.
We must tell the world what they don’t yet know so that their sorrow can become joy.
Mary didn’t know and it caused her sorrow, but it also caused her to jump to the wrong conclusions.
Main Point #2 - Sorrow can cause us to forget what we do know. ()
Main Point #2 - Sorrow can cause us to forget what we do know. ()
Explanation: When Mary comes upon the empty tomb, her sorrow forces her to the conclusion that Jesus’ body must have been stolen. I mean what other explanation is there?
Let’s not forget that Jesus actually said that he would rise from the dead. And the Jewish leaders knew this and that’s why they guarded the tomb.
Look at these passages:
19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
20 The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?”
21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body.
22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.
John 2:19
21 And he strictly charged and commanded them to tell this to no one,
22 saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”
Luke 9:21-
20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”
21 And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.”
19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
20 The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?”
21 But he was speaking about the temple of his body.
22 When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.
20 Then he said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered, “The Christ of God.”
21 And he strictly charged and commanded them to tell this to no one,
22 saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”
Luke 9:
Now many people wrongly assume that Jesus was only with His 12 disciples, but women actually accompanied Jesus as well.
41 When he was in Galilee, they followed him and ministered to him, and there were also many other women who came up with him to Jerusalem.
1 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.
Even these women had followed Jesus and had heard his teaching. They had heard about the resurrection. Even seems to imply that, while they didn’t know everything about the resurrection that they at least knew some things.
And but look at what John says in
9 for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead.
The OT taught that the messiah would suffer. We know that from the Messiah would suffer but at the same time, necessarily implies resurrection. But they did not understand the scriptures.
Mary would have had significant access to the teaching of Jesus. But she forgot what she already knew. She forgot what Jesus had taught about this time.
Illustration: Have you ever forgotten something while still remembering that there was something you were supposed to remember. That is a terrible feeling and you strain your mind trying to remember. And what a relief when you remember. And hopefully you remember with enough time that today is your anniversary or that your spouse asked you to stop and get milk from the store on the way home from work.
We can get in an argument and 20 minutes later she has forgotten. But I have not.
I can
Gospel Application: Even Christians are prone to forget what we know.
We know that Jesus died on the cross for our sins, but we still can live in the guilt and shame of our past.
We know that Jesus gives us joy, peace, purpose and meaning, yet we still struggle with the day to day of living.
We know that God is in control, but we still struggle to trust Him.
We know that we can’t earn good standing with God, yet we still try.
How true is it that by remembering the goodness of God and the amazing things He has done for us, we immediately are given joy.
Mary had forgotten that Jesus said he would raise from the dead. She was in for an amazing reminder.
Main Point #3 - The truth of the resurrection brings joy! (John 20:16-18)
Main Point #3 - The truth of the resurrection brings joy! (John 20:16-18)
Explanation: For 3 days, Mary have lived with unending sorrow. All it took was one word to change Mary’s life and turn her sorrow into joy. And that word was her name. And it was the way that He said it.
Think about this, with everything she saw, the evidence was there:
The empty tomb.
Angels at the head and foot of where Jesus was laid.
Seeing a man, she assumed was the gardener, and asking if He had taken the body.
It wasn’t until Jesus said her name is her grief removed and she is able to see clearly.
And for every person called out of grief and despair, it is a personal call from Jesus to us, to abandon doubt, fear and grief and to embrace the true joy that is found only in Him.
I think this is what Jesus means when he speaks in :
3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
How many times had Jesus said her name to her. In the years that had passed since Jesus rescued her from the entrapment of 7 demons.
Now people may try to tell you that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were more than just friends, but that seems unlikely considering how she responds. She calls him teacher, which is not the 1st century equivalent to “sweetie.”
tells us that she and the women with her worshipped Him.
That’s what he was to all of them. He was their teacher and he was their Lord.
And she is the first person to see Jesus alive. If you are a woman and have ever been made to feel like you are less than a man, just remember that the first person that Jesus revealed Himself to was Mary Magdalene. And again, when she goes to tell the disciples that Jesus is alive, they don’t even believe her.
Jesus entrusted this amazing message of His resurrection not to Peter or James, or Thomas, but to Mary Magdalene.
Illustration: For the last few years, there have been these videos going around of military moms and dads surprising their kids after a long deployment. My favorite is a kid that was throwing out the first pitch at a baseball game and low and behold the catcher behind home plate was his dad.
I saw one where a dad surprised his daughter at her graduation.
There are tears, but there is so much joy in those videos.
Unless you are sadistic, there is something uplifting about seeing the joy on those people’s faces. It makes you tear up as well!
That’s the joy Mary was experiencing in that moment. She was happy. In a moment all the sorrow in the world is gone and only joy remains. No questions about how or why? Just joy.
Gospel Application: I have seen this same joy in the eyes of a new believer who has come to faith in Jesus for the first time. When the pieces fall into place and you believe.
Many times it is remembering what you already know. Remembering a grandfather’s words when you were young. It’s remembering a sermon or a song.
Maybe it’s remember a moment when you knew that Jesus was fully present in your life and that you needed to repent and turn from your sins not to an angry God reluctantly saving you but to a loving saviors who gladly died for your sins. And now later on, you remember, and it’s as if Jesus is calling your name. And all the sorrow of life, melts away and you have joy.
Transition to Conclusion: Now let’s not forget it wouldn’t always be joyful. Jesus tells her, that don’t cling too tightly, His works is not yet done; He still has to go back to heaven.
And the same is true for us, following Jesus is a life filled with sorrow. but in the midst of that is the memory that Jesus died for our sins and rose from the dead. In the midst of even the sorrow of this Corona Virus, we can have joy.
And even today, He calls us by name turning our sorrow into joy.
Summation: So what do we learn from Mary Magadalene?
Sorrow is often rooted in not knowing.
Sorrow can cause us to forget what we do know.
The truth of the resurrection can turn out sorrow into joy.
Response: How will you respond to the resurrection? Will you respond in joy or continue as though it doesn’t matter?
Response: How will you respond to the resurrection? Will you respond in joy or continue as though it doesn’t matter?
Conclusion:
Theory are all over the place about what happened after the resurrection. The most credible account has her accompanying John to Ephesus where she continued to serve Jesus and spread His love to a desperate world.
However, that Jesus appeared first to her, and that the writers of Scripture admitted to it, shows just how loved she was by Jesus.
But let speculation fly
Now take speculation with a grain of salt.
Jesus was about breaking down barriers.
His interactions with different people and different places helps to demonstrate that the gospel was for everyone.
What might Jesus have been trying to convey by appearing first to a woman? Maybe nothing, maybe everything!
But Mary was the first sent one…sent to tell others about what she now knew…that Jesus is raised from the dead.
This should immediately remind us of:
8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim);
9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world.
9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you
But the joy of embracing Jesus can be our joy today. When we hear Jesus call our name out of grief and sorrow into incredible joy.
But wait…there’s more.
Jesus is coming back to finally restore His people and creation. For unbelievers that will be a day of great sadness.
But for believers, it will be just like the videos of kids who see their parents after a long deployment.
Joy!
May Mary’s joy be our joy today! I beg you to embrace the savior and embrace the joy of the resurrection.
If you hear Jesus call your name, don’t wait, turn to Him and find joy.