True Worship is: The Crucified and Risen Christ

Eye Witness Testimony

Matthew 28:8–9 ESV

So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him.

This encounter between Jesus and Mary has a ring of eyewitness testimony to it.The smallest movements that we read—her stooping, her turning (not once but twice), her mistaking Jesus for the gardener—all have the feel of a first-hand story that John has written down. The reality of the resurrection of Jesus is foundational to all of Christian teaching and belief. You may be here today and thinking that the resurrection of Jesus is an inspirational story but can’t really be true, at least not as the Bible actually describes it.If you are curious about this and would like to learn more, I’d like to give you a book called The Case for Easter.It’s absolutely free and you can pick up a copy in the atrium before you leave today.

A Personal Encounter

However, the resurrection of Jesus is far more than an historical event; it is a personal encounter.My desire today is that you would share in this reality and be able to say with Mary, “I have seen the Lord! Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, we need to understand the depth of Mary’s grief. It’s one thing to lose someone you love after a long battle with cancer; it’s another thing to lose someone you love in a tragic accident. I’m sure, for Mary, Jesus’ death seemed like a tragedy he could have avoided. But this story is for more than those who are grieving. It is really for anyone who finds themselves lost or in some kind of mess.Have you ever been lost or in a mess and just wished you were home?Home means different things for different people. Home is more than a place, isn’t it? Home is being at peace and finding satisfaction and contentment. Let’s enter Mary’s story and watch as Jesus gets her home.Whether you share Mary’s situation or not, I want you to share in her confidence and be able to say with her, “I have seen the Lord!”

Jesus entered Mary’s mess.

Mary Magdalene had a personal connection with Jesus.Mark tells us that when Jesus met her, she was possessed by seven demons. If she had walked in here today, most people would be keeping their distance, and someone would probably call the police. But Jesus transformed her life by casting the demons out of her. When Jesus died, Mary thought she lost the one who changed her life. No wonder she was crying.This is not the quiet sniffing; this is chest-heaving, shoulder-shaking sobbing.For those of us guys, this is probably the most uncomfortable part of the story.Most guys I know don’t like to see a woman cry, which is maybe why Peter and John went back home as quick as they did. I want to linger on this part for a minute because it is helpful for us in the midst of the messes of our lives.

For over 25 years, Benjamin Franklin published a popular book of forecasts, household hints, proverbial advice he called Poor Richard’s Almanack. One of his sayings was, “God helps those who help themselves.”

It’s not in the Bible but many people have made that mistake. This attitude is quite common among people, and it sets up another expectation. It’s this: you have to get yourself together if you’re going to come to God, definitely if you’re going to come to church. That might be an American idea, but it’s not a biblical idea.

Look at Mary Magdalene. Jesus comes to meet her at the tomb when she is in the middle of her mess. Notice how Mary seems completely unfazed by the presence of two angels here at the tomb. Throughout the Bible, there are numerous encounters with angels. Every time an angel appears, he brings a message from God. The fact that there are two angels here should have signaled something big.However, Mary seems blinded to this significance. She’s jumping to conclusions and making assumptions. Look at v. 13.

Have you ever been in the grocery store and heard the call, “Clean up on aisle 2”? Your instinct is likely to either avoid aisle 2 or some of you may be curious to go see what broke. Very few people actually run to the mess to roll up their sleeves and get involved.

Yet this is our God.It’s the story of the entire Bible. The history of Israel is a history of God coming to their rescue when they were in a mess and promising to bring them home.God doesn’t wait for us to get our act together. He comes to us in our mess and is there even when we should have known better. Even when we don’t realize it, he is there ready to show himself. Jesus is going to get Mary home by coming to her in her mess, and he’s come to find you in your mess too because he wants to get you home.

Psalm 119:18 ESV

Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.