Mary Magdalene: Witness of Jesus John 20:1-18 Dan Brooks, Pastor Sunday Morning, February 7, 2016

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1 Mary Magdalene: Witness of Jesus John 20:1-18 Dan Brooks, Pastor Sunday Morning, February 7, 2016 Introduction: Did Jesus really turn water into wine?... Did He really rise from the dead? John Shelby Spong, 1991: an Episcopal bishop in the US who went on the airwaves and said it in no uncertain terms: Jesus did not physically rise from the dead. This gospel story is vitally important as a myth that expresses the transformational power of love. The miracle stories in the Bible are not to be taken literally or factually. 1 Really? If these stories are not to be taken literally, then what s the point? I. A RESIDENT OF MAGDALA A. Not a special place. B. A place on the Sea of Galilee, perhaps on the west shore (see Map 6, C 2), about five kilometers (three miles) northwest of Tiberias. Jesus and His disciples withdrew to this place after the feeding of the 4, II. A FOLLOWER OF JESUS A. Because He healed her of spiritual bondage and darkness. 1. Lk 8:1 3 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. 2. Demonized people knew physical disability. a. Matt 12:22 blindness b. Mark 9:25 deafness c. Matt 9:32-33 muteness d. Luke 9:38-40 seizures and convulsions e. Luke 13:11a disabling spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. 3. Demonized people knew personal isolation. a. Mark 5:3 he lived among the tombs b. Luke 8:27 he had not lived in a house but among the tombs... 8:29... be driven by the demon into the desert 4. Demonized people knew spiritual agony. a. Mk 5:4 5 4 for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. 5 Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones. b. Lk 11:26Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first. c. Because these demons exert their power, limited as it is, and their influence, fearful as it is, individuals like these need rescue and healing. d. Whatever Mary s particular condition and manifestation of demonization may have been, we can be sure that her life prior to Jesus included disability, isolation, and agony. 5. Jesus Christ healed her of evil spirits Ronald F. Youngblood, F. F. Bruce, and R. K. Harrison, Thomas Nelson Publishers, eds., Nelson s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1995).

2 P a g e 2 III. a. Healed: (θεραπεύω) to relieve, heal, cure b. Mk 5:19And he did not permit him but said to him, Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you. 6. Side note: It is not uncommon in our culture for people to experience demonic forces in their lives. We do not minimize this, but neither do we give it greater place in our lives than it deserves. a. Jesus Christ conquered all powers of darkness. 1) Heb 2: Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. 2) 1 Jn 3:8Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. b. All believers have authority over darkness. *The 12 in Luke 9; the 70 in Luke 10; Philip in Acts 8; Paul in Acts 16. c. We are taught to wrestle against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places by putting on the whole armor of God (Eph 6:10-18). d. James teaches us to resist the devil and he will flee from you (James 4:7). e. Peter teaches us that our adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking some one to devour. Resist him firm in your faith (1 Peter 5:8-9). f. Paul teaches us that in our conflict with hostile spiritual forces,...[we] should not run away in retreat or cower in fear, but should stand their ground boldly, knowing that their weapons and their armor have divine power to destroy strongholds (2 Cor. 10:4; cf. 1 John 5:18). 3 B. Because He gave her a place of honor among His followers. 1. Rabbis were not known for allowing women to follow them. 2. Luke 8:1-3 they were with him, and also some women... who provided from the out of their means. a. Was she single, widowed, divorced? b. It seems likely that Mary did not have family responsibilities, thus she was free to continually follow Jesus and contribute to the ministry needs He encountered. 3. It is obvious that what Jesus did to make room for ordinary women like Mary was out of the ordinary. 4. Point: And Jesus has ample room for you ordinary as you are. A WITNESS OF JESUS CHRIST A. She seeks the body of Jesus to give additional care in His burial. 1. The day before Mary was present as Jesus was crucified. a. Mk 15:40There were also women looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. b. Jn 19:25but standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 2. Mary was present as Jesus was buried. a. Mt 27:61Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb. 3 Wayne A. Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; Zondervan Pub. House, 2004), 429.

3 P a g e 3 b. Mk 15:47Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid. 16:1When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. c. Lk 23: The women who had come with him from Galilee followed and saw the tomb and how his body was laid. 56 Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments. On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment. 3. We do not know where to find Him (2). B. She is the first eye-witness to see the physical evidence of His resurrection. 1. Saw that the stone had been taken away (1) 2. John saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in (5) 3. Peter 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 (6b-7) 4. John saw and believed (8) 5. Point: As yet they did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise from the dead (9) a. These three believe what they are seeing. The empirical evidence is before them, but there is actually a greater witness to this event that they have not understood: the Scripture or the Bible. b. Ps 16:10For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption. c. Ac 2: Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, 31 he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. 32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. d. Lk 24: Then he said to them, These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled. 45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and said to them, Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47 and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. e. An odd response: then the disciples went back to their homes (10). C. She is the first eye-witness to see the risen Lord (11-18). 1. She sees two angels (12) a. Why are you weeping: (κλαίω) To weep, wail, lament, implying not only the shedding of tears, but also every external expression of grief. 4 b. They have taken away my Lord: (κύριόν) Lord, master, owner; a title of respect 1) 1 of 2 x s in John s gospel. Thomas in 20:28 2) Q: Would you not weep if the One who exercised His divine and sovereign power to deliver you from 7 demons had been taken away? Would you not weep if you could no longer be near the One who rescued you, who loved you as no one ever had? 2. She sees Jesus. a. Saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus (14) b. *See Mark 16:9 c. Whom are you seeking? d. Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away (15). e. Mary. 4 Spiros Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2000).

4 P a g e 4 1) Whatever grief and sorrow Mary knew was swallowed up in that glorious moment when the risen Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ spoke her name. 2) Jn 10: he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 3) I know some of you are overwhelmed by your grief. 4) Death has invaded our congregation and this community so frequently of late that our hearts are weary with the sorrow and wrung out with the grief. 5) The Goldstroms, Pagliucas, Bells, Davenports, Biermans, Hornes, family friends of ours the Parhams. 6) When does this parade to the graveside end! 7) Not until Jesus comes again and the last resurrection takes place. 8) But another kind of parade began on that morning. 9) In this garden near Golgotha s crest Jesus Christ rose from that cold slab, shook off the cloths and 75 lbs. of spices Joseph and Nicodemus had used the night before, folded the face cloth, laid it to the side, and walked away from death s cold grip as the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep (1 Cor 15:20). 10) 1 Co 15: For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. 24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 11) What was sown into the grave on Friday was raised imperishable on Sunday. 12) What was laid in the grave in dishonor 3 days earlier was raised in glory. 13) What was buried in weakness the eve of Passover was raised in power on this first Resurrection Morning. 14) Mary, you cannot take away the body of your Lord because He is risen from the dead and will never die again! 3. This is the greatest sign of Christ s divinity and power yet! a. The 1st miraculous sign recorded by John was from Cana at a wedding as Jesus turned water into wine. The 2nd sign was the healing of the nobleman s son who was at the point of death. The 3rd was putting strength into a man s legs who had been invalid for 38 years. The 4th was feeding 5,000 hungry people miraculously multiplying the bread and fish. The 5 th was that He walked on the waters of Galilee. The 6 th that He gave eyesight to a man who had been born blind. The 7 th was that He raised his friend Lazarus from the grave though he had been dead 4 days. b. But on this day, He displays His unparalleled power as He raises Himself from the dead and stands before one of His cherished followers and speaks her name. c. This is why we write hymns and sing them every Sunday about Jesus! d. And we are raised with Him. Death is dead, love has won, Christ has conquered! And we shall reign with Him! For He lives! Christ has risen from the dead. 4. How do you respond to that? D. She is the first to worship the risen Lord (17). 1. A word of affection: Rabboni! Which means [my] Teacher. 2. A gesture of love: Do not cling to me (cf. Matt 28:9) E. She is the first eyewitness to give testimony about the risen Lord (17). 1. Jesus commissions her (17)

5 P a g e 5 IV. 2. Go to my brothers and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God. 3. Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, I have seen the Lord and that he had said these things to her. Application A. Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ? 1. Do you have a story like Mary s of spiritual deliverance? 2. What keeps you from following Jesus? 3. What keeps you from worshiping Him as Lord and Master? B. God calls us to bear witness to the resurrected Christ. 1. You don t have to be a brilliant theologian to be His witness. Jesus chose Mary to be the first eyewitness. Her simple testimony was I have seen the Lord. 2. What if rather than thinking in terms of how to share the gospel as a formula, you just began to think of what Jesus has done for you? 3. How would you describe His work in your life? 4. How would you describe your relationship with Him? 5. Think through how you can share with others in a personal way as Mary did.