Why Is Everybody Standing Around?
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Stay- Jackson Brown
Marurice williams and the zodiacs- 1960
sung by 36 plus groups… Ricky Henderson, the 4 seasons, Bruce Springsteen, Boys2 Men, the Hollies.... bikini wipeouts!!!
Tribute (the Load Up) to fans, to roadies, to music.
But when that last guitar's been packed away
You know that I still wanna play
So just make sure you got it all set to go
Before you come for my piano
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.
2 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.”
3 So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb.
4 Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.
5 And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in.
6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there,
7 and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself.
8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed;
9 for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead.
10 Then the disciples went back to their homes.
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.
This was God’s answer to Mary. Jesus is standing there, but she did not recognize 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.
Why, when John and Peter had returned to their homes- why did Mary keep standing outside the tomb? What moved her to stay and not go back with Peter and John? What made Mary’s circumstance dfferent than theirs to the point that she would stay and meet the risen Lord first?
Let’s take a deeper look at a single verse in this passage, John 20:11
11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb.
Mary “stood” outside the tomb. It is true she was weeping and was in grief, but more importantly, Mary was standing there. She didn’t “run” away as she had the first time, she didn’t “return” to her home as John and Peter had… she “stood”. She somehow knew that she needed something more.
One of the hardest times, many times, for families is at the grave following a committal service. It seems to be an abrupt end to a life, or something. Families linger, they talk, they don’e know what to do next. And it’s hard to understand that unless you’ve been there.
Mary wanted One more moment.
One more glimpse of the master.
Mary expected more of God.
Mary expected more of Jesus.
And the crucifixion had slammed the door shut. There was no more to be had.
And the missing body and empty tomb for Mary, was an insult to injury. They’d not only killed him… they were now desecrating him further.
So Mary stood out side the tomb of Jesus.
The greek word that John uses here is “to occupy a place or location”. We all occupy a place or location- even in death you will take up space. But the question is, “why” are you in that location?
Theologically, the word has significance. When you find Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, being told by an angel of the Lord that he would have a son, it reads like this:
11 And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
Don’t miss it. God “stood” or placed that angel at the right side of the altar of incense.
The star that the magi followed at Jesus birth:
9 When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.
There are numerous incidences in the gospels where people and things are set in place, by God… and it begs the question,
“Did Mary “stand” at the tomb- or were Mary’s steps engineered in such a way that she is “standing” at the tomb. Was Mary in the right place at the right time by chance or by providence?
God could have allowed the men, who were his closest disciples, to find the empty tomb and to find the resurrected Christ. But it was given to Mary, and according to the other gospel writers, several other women. What purpose was there in that revelation, and why did god choose to reveal it to Mary and not Peter James, and for that matter John?
Mary “stood”. She took the time to stop and place herself or be placed in that location outside the tomb where Jesus was supposed to be.
but people stand, “occupy locations”, in many circumstances.
Just days before, as Jesus was on trial, Luke records:
10 The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him.
People stand for the purpose of accusing Jesus. they came with purpose to destroy him, and they stood for the duration of his trial to accuse him. Nothing less than death would make them go home- so they stood by, ready to accuse.
After Jesus was placed on the cross, at the ninth hour Matthew tells us that Jesus cried out, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani”, which means “My God, My God, why hafe you forsaken me”?
And Matthew tells us in Matthew 27.47,
47 When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.”
they were standing there… to hear what he would say, to see what would happen There is always a crowd standing around when you find Jesus. Even in His worst moment, there was a crowd.
Actually, on one occasion in Matthew 12.46-47, Jesus was casting out demons and teaching, and his family came concerned for his safety, to try to steal him away…
46 While he was still speaking to the people, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him.
And notice, they “stood” outside.
Jesus told parables where the master of the house closes the door, and his audience is left “standing” outside.
You will remember in the parable of the pharisee and the tax collector, that the tax collector “stood” far off- he was the guy that comes to church and sits in the back seat and doesn’t wnat noticed!
At one point in Matthew, the crowds became so large that Jesus got into a boat… and scripture says the “crowds” stood on the beach to listen to him.
When Jesus entered a village in the gospel of Luke, 10 Lepers stood far off and he healed them.
Luke tells us that the woman with the alabaster box of ointment, “stood” behind Jesus before she wiped his feet with the oil and her hair.
Revelation tells us that in heaven, a great throng from every tribe, nation and tongue will “stand” before the throne of God.
Scripture even tells us that Satan “stood” Jesus on the pinnacle of the temple during His temptation.
But on this day, it is Mary who is standing. And Mary stands outside an empty tomb. And when she turns in her position, John tells us the most amazing thing:
14 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus.
Jesus is “standing” beside her. But she doesn’t know that it was Jesus- standing beside her.
Jesus mattered to Mary Magdalene. Scripture tells us that she was a supporter of Jesus. You may ask why? Well, scripture also tells us that Jesus had cast 7 demons out of her.
Mary had good reason to be a follower of Jesus. 7 demons. Scripture tells us that Mary travelled with Jesus, likely supported the disciples financially, and was also at the foot of the cross when Jesus was crucified and died.
For Mary, the death of Jesus was a tragic event.
We get some understanding of Mary’s ordeal in her own words. She tells the disciple that they had stolen his body. She tells the angels that she doesn’t know where they put Jesus’ body. And she tells Jesus, before she recognizes who He is, that she doesn’t know where they’ve laid him.
For Mary, if there was anything worse than 7 demons possessing her, it would be to lose the one who had the power to deliver her from them. For Mary, if there was anything worse than Jesus being crucified and dying, it was to lose His body. Mary has had her worst day, her very worst day, and now this morning is starting off as bad as it can get.
If you;ve seen “The Passion” movie, you know that Jesus is portrayed as being beaten beyond recognition- and it seems it would have been true when you read the gospel account. But could he have been that unrecognizable in His resurrection that someone who had spent three years of her life with Him did not know that it was He?
And as she stands there in her grief, and as she stands there in her confusion, and as she stands there not knowing where to turn next or who to turn to- Jesus is actually standing next to her but she doesn’t recognize him.
And that brings me to my bottom line:
Standing In The Worst This World Has Done Can Blind Us to The Best That God Can Do.
Standing In The Worst This World Has Done Can Blind Us to The Best That God Can Do.
Mary was blinded by the trial.
Mary was blinded by the crucifixion.
Mary was blinded by the death.
Mary was possessed by all of the negativity, so much so that she couldn’t see a resurrected Jesus.
Sometimes, church, when all we can see is how bad it’s been our eyes are blinded to How good God is.
Sometimes church, when our focus is on the trials we have we can’t see the deliverance He brings.
Sometimes church, when all we see are the nails and the hammers, we miss the stone that’s b een rolled away without explanation.
Sometimes church, we are so wrapped up in the negative that we miss the Positive.
Sometimes church, we can be standing in the presence of the greatest event in all of creation, but we can be blinded by the momentary insignificant trial that is taking all of our attention in our little world.
And when we stand in the worst, we risk missing God’s best.
Standing In The Worst This World Has Done Can Blind Us to The Best That God Can Do.
Church:
We’ve stood too long in relationships that are broken instead of living in the relationship that can heal us.
We’ve stood too long in the sickness of sin instead living in the Joy of the Lord.
We’ve spent too much time standing around waiting for what was instead of looking clearly into what will be.
We’ve spent too much time grieving over sin instead of rejoicing over forgiveness.
We’ve spent too much time rehearsing our failures instead of seeing God’s successes.
Tell me about the pain of division and I’ll tell you about the God that heals us.
Tell me about the pain of parking lot worship and God will tell you about the joy of Easter Sunday that should reside in your heart and not your building, not one day of the year but every moment of your life.
Tell me about the pain of pandemic and God will tell you about His Son that heals you.
We’ve spent so much time standing outside the tomb grieving what was placed in there instead of seeing what just walked out.
When King David had been delivered from the enemies that wanted to overthrow him, he wrote this:
11 You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,
In the gospel of Luke 4:18, Jesus went to Nazareth where he was raised, and he walked into the synagogue (interestingly, Luke says he “stood” up to read) and picked up a scroll- and he read these words:
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
He was reading from Isaiah 61, but he doesn’t read what is next- everyone there would have known what it says, though. Here’s what it says next:
3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, To give unto them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they might be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.
Standing In The Worst This World Has Done Can Blind Us to The Best That God Can Do.
Standing In The Worst This World Has Done Can Blind Us to The Best That God Can Do.