Close Encounters

John chapter 20 verses 1 to 18. Early on the first day of the week while it was still dark, Mary Magdalen went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the 1 Jesus loved and said, they've taken the lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they put him. So Peter and the other disciples started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outrun Peter and reached the tomb first.

He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there, but did not go in. Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus' head. The cloth was still lying in this place, separate from the linen. Finally, the other disciple who had reached the team first also went inside.

He saw and believed. They still did not understand from scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead. Then the disciples went back to where they were staying. Now Mary stood outside this, tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw 2 angels in white seated where Jesus's body had been, 1 at the head and the other at the foot.

They asked her, woman, why are you crying? They have taken my lord away, she said, and I don't know where they had put him. At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there. But she did not know she did not realize that it was Jesus. He asked her, woman, why are you crying?

Who is it you are looking for? Thinking he was the gardener, she said, sir, if you've carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go get him. She just said to her. Mary. She turned towards him and cried out in Aramic, Rubonai, which means teacher.

She just said, do not hold on to me. For I have not yet ascended the father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them I am ascending to my father and your father to my god and your god. Mary Mclin went to the disciples with the news. I've seen the lord, she told them that he said these things, sorry, and she told him that he said these things to her.

Father, we, thank you for these resurrection encounters. We thank you for these people who after the lord Jesus had risen from the dead met you and were transformed by you. And, we pray this morning as we have a think about these that you would again show us the greatness of the risen lord Jesus show us the wonderful truthfulness of these accounts and transform us we pray by your spirit. We ask that you would help us to have a big view of you. We know that so many of our problems and so many of the battles that we have arise because we just have a small view of Jesus, a pocket sized view of him, and we pray that you would save us from that.

Show us his greatness. We pray and speak to us this morning in Jesus' name. Oh, man. Where we are, going to have a look over the next few weeks at some of these close encounters, that Jesus had with people after his resurrection from the dead. Before he ascended into heaven, he was on earth for 40 days.

So if we were back in the very first Easter, he would still be around, walking the earth before he went to heaven. And, what we're gonna do is to have a think about some of these really personal interactions that he has with these people. We had a we had a great talk here on Easter morning, about the the so whats of the resurrection, some of the implications of the resurrection and what it means for us today. And this little series over the next few weeks is just designed to compliment that really, and I want us to have a think about the people what happened to them, what happened to the disciples, what happened to the women that Jesus knew after he had risen from the dead and after those Easter events, and we're gonna start with, with Mary Magdalene. And you may have noticed this year that, that Easter Sunday actually coincided with April falls day, than if you notice that.

And, as you can imagine, there were all kinds of very predictable jokes, going round. And, You do you do have to be extra careful on April, falls day, particularly if you're easily taken in by fake news, if that happens to you quite a lot, then on April four's day, especially you have to make sure that you're not deceived into believing and sharing, something that is just absolutely ridiculous and untrue. And, just after Easter, I actually saw a tweet, a message that someone had put up on Twitter, which was celebrating this kind of cautious approach. That people would have had on April, falls day. Let's just have a have a look at it.

I copied it into the, into a slide here. By a chap called Ed Stetzer, he says, so remember back on April the first when everyone was really super careful not to be fooled by internet myths or conspiracy theories, So they checked stuff before they shared it. That was an awesome day. Let's keep doing that. Which I quite liked.

And it might you might think it's a little bit cynical perhaps and it probably is, but you can see you can see the point he's making. It's very easy for us in this age to share stuff without knowing where it comes from or even if it's true. And why is that? Well, a number of reasons, I guess, but 1 of them is because It actually takes quite a long time to authenticate something, time which we we don't really have to give to a bit of internet news. And so if it only takes 1 second to share it and it looks kind of entertaining, then why not why not do it?

And that guy is basically trying to say, actually, as as Christians, we should always be thinking about what we share with people because above everything else, Christians are people of the truth. We fight for truth. We wanna be about truth, believing it and sharing it, not just on April four's day, but every day of the year. And so whatever you think of his particular style, that that is true, isn't it? And probably something we need to keep hearing.

As Christians we're not about fake news. We are about the good news of the gospel. But in order for it to actually be good, it's gotta be true. The promise of forgiveness of our sin and of a relationship with God as our father through the risen Jesus is not good news if it's fake news. It's not worth sharing or believing if it's not actually credible.

And that I think is the wonderful thing about the Bible. When you open up these eyewitness accounts as we've done this morning, they scream authentic. The resurrection of Jesus Christ didn't happen in a kind of spiritual vacuum. It happened in real history, in real places. It was witnessed by real people, and it has really serious implications for us.

We, in fact, we we stand or fall as a church on the truth of these claims. And that's why the gospels are so keen to show us This is no fake news. This is not an April fall. This is this is true news. Worth believing worth sharing.

Have a look at verse 30 of chapter 20. Kind of a summary statement of the whole gospel Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the son of god, and that by believing you may have life in his name. The signs were done in the presence of the disciples. Why tell us that because they were seen They were authenticated by people.

They were written down here as eyewitness testimony that you may believe and that by believing you may find life in his name. Know that these are authentic, he's saying. Here in the story that we've just read, there's details which just which just feel like and fit a real eyewitness testimony. Did you notice that? Why is there so much information about people running in verse 1 to 11?

Apparently, there's more references to people running here than in all of the other gospels combined. Why tell us who won the race between Peter and the disciple Jesus love who we assume is John. That bit of information isn't exactly essential to the progression of the story. Who won the running race to the tomb? Why do we need to know that?

Because it happened. Why tell us that the first person to see Jesus was a lady. In the first century, unfortunately, a woman's testimony would not hold up in court on its own. So why include that? If you were trying to produce a bit of fake news or a nice sounding myth to be shared around Israel and Palestine, you would definitely not include a detail like that because it wouldn't help authenticate the message that you were trying to trying to bring.

Why include that? Because it happened. These are not clever myths designed just to make us feel good. They are eye witness testimony with a big stamp all over them authentic. But here's the thing about them.

This is not just meant to be a cold, historical report true, but ultimately irrelevant. These are the most significant events that have ever taken place with the power to transform the world. And that is the combination that I really want us to look at over the next few weeks. I want us to enjoy how these things fit together. Not only are these eyewitness counts definitely authentic, but they transformed the actual eyewitnesses who saw these very first events.

And I wanna begin with Mary in chapter 20. All of the 3 sessions we'll spend in chapter 20, and we'll begin with her. And the first point I want us to consider this morning is this, a bitter disappointment the tomb was empty. So first thing is a bitter bitter disappointment because the tomb was empty. Now unfortunately, in the gospels, there's loads of Mary and, it's actually kind of confusing.

So it's a bit like being in Cornerstone and meeting somebody called Phil. Or or Tom. But I think it's, you know, I don't know how many fills or toms there are in this church, but, you know, if you're new to us, it might be quite disorientating. And, I think it's a little bit like that with Mary. As you read it, you think, what's Mary we're actually talking about?

There's Mary, the mother of Jesus, obviously. There's Mary and Martha, who were the sisters of Lazarus, that little family in Bethany, meet them in John chapter 11. If you know story. There's Mary, the mother of James. There's another 2 Marys that crop up, 1 in acts and the other at the end of Romans.

And then there's Mary Magdalene. And unfortunately, their surnames are not always put next to them. So it's can't which which Mary am I dealing with here? But this is Mary Magdalen, and if you just turn to Luke chapter 8, this is where we first meet her. Luke chapter 8, This 1.

After this, Jesus traveled about from 1 town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of god, the 12 were with him. And also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases. Mary called Magdalene from whom 7 demons had come out Joanna, the wife of Kusa, the manager of Herrod's household, Susanna, and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means. So this is the kind of first bit of information we have about Mary Magdalene before she met Jesus Christ.

She was in a bad way. She was possessed by 7 demons. In other words, she was totally taken up with possession. Her life was was was dominated by evil until Jesus. When he met her, he saved her from this life of evil, and then we're told that she started supporting the work of the kingdom from her own pocket.

Shut of giving to the work of the kingdom. Amazing, isn't And that obviously had quite a big impression upon the disciples because a number of them actually report that that is what she did. So if you turn now with me to Mark chapter 15, This is the scene at the cross and have a look at verse 40 of mark chapter 15. So just before in verse 37 with a loud cry Jesus breathed his last, shows where we are, then verse 40, some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalen, Mary the mother of James, the younger, and of Joseph, and of salome.

In galilee, these women had followed him and cared for his needs. It's a big bit of information that they tell us. She was a follower of Jesus who cared and supported him. In Matthew 27, we're told that she witnessed the burial of Jesus. So she didn't just witness his death.

She was part of a number, a very small number of people who was there when Jesus was laid into his tomb. She was there with him right at the end. In March 16, we're told that as soon as the Sabbath was over, She was straight back up there so she could anoint his body. So this Mary is mentioned 12 times by name in the gospels that is more than most people. And apart from Luke 8, it is all around the cross.

She was a witness to his life, a supporter of his ministry, a witness of his death, and a witness of his burial. And as we've seen today, she is among the first, if not the first, to see him alive. So that is what we know about her, saved by Jesus, lover of Jesus, supporter of Jesus, with him to the end. But as you can probably you may have picked it up as we were reading. As you can see in this story, and the same with the disciples, is that despite their their kind of obvious affection and love for Jesus, they weren't expecting a resurrection.

Doesn't seem like they were expecting to find him alive. None of the disciples were. They were expecting a body. When Mary saw the tomb, there was only 1 conclusion. Somebody has taken him away.

Either the grave has been robbed, either someone stolen the body. We don't know what it is. But the body's gone, the stone is moved. The lord isn't here. And in verse 8 to 9, you can see that a bit more.

We're told that when John and Peter saw the linen undisturbed, they believed So they saw that and they thought, okay, this can't be a grave robbery, but they didn't believe it on the basis of a scripture. They didn't believe it because of something that Jesus had said. They just put 2 and 2 together with what they saw. So you see from what we can tell, none of them were expecting a resurrection. And that is why Mary is so disappointed.

She's not thinking, yes. Body's gone. He's not here. He's alive. Just as he said he would be.

We know where he is, but he must be. He's risen. Of course he is. That's why the tomb's empty. She's not thinking that.

She assumes the body has been taken. She can't give him the burial rights that he deserves. And worst of all, she can't be with her lord. 4 references are made in this passage to her crying or her weeping. She wants to be with the lord, not just with a friend, Not just with somebody who can throw a few miracles her way in a in a tight spot, she wants to be with the lord.

See, she says it 3 times. Where is the lord, my lord, the lord? That's who she's come for. John actually tells us that she was up before dawn to go there. That locks the time between about 3 and 6 in the morning.

Most people are still fast asleep, but she's not. She's up. And she's going to the tomb. 1 writer says about her, she was last at his cross and first at his grave. She stayed longest there and was soonest there.

She could not rest until she was up to seek him. She sought him while it was yet dark even before she had the light to seek him by. And so if sure all she can do is anoint his body, that would be okay. In life, she reached into her own pocket to support him. And in death, she wants to do the same.

And so when she discovers that there is no body, it's it's it's it's like the final straw The cross was bad enough, but this is just an insult, even her mourning has been violated. And so as she turns up to that tomb, all she sees is an open grave black, like a big empty mouth laughing at her. He is not here. Until verse 11. Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying.

As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw 2 angels in white seated where Jesus' body had been, 1 at the head and the other at the foot. In the other gospels, we're told that these angels were as bright as lightning and their clothes were as white as snow. So can you picture what that must have looked like? You've got this dark, musty, tomb that is suddenly alive. With the most incredible light.

And so they say to her, woman, why are you crying? Which is kinda interesting, isn't it? Because it's probably pretty obvious to them why she's actually crying. But their question is designed to get her thinking much deeper than that, and this is an application for us as well. From the perspective of heaven, sadness at the empty tomb doesn't make sense.

If the body was still there, That would be the time to weep. That would be the time to weep bitterly. That would be the time to be distressed and sad. If she found the body, That would have been a disaster, but from heaven's perspective to find it empty, why would you cry? That's resurrection.

That means new creation. That means victory, death defeated, sin paid for. There is actually no happier place in all the world than the empty tomb of Jesus Christ. But if it didn't happen, then her initial thoughts are correct. Her tea her tears are absolutely right.

If it didn't happen, then Mary's perspective is the 1 we should all adopt. Isn't that right? If Jesus Christ lived and died and was buried and then disappeared from history, we should weep bitterly at his grave. If Jesus didn't rise from the dead and his body was stolen or taken away as part of some terrible hoax, we should have all people been most broken. All we could be is kind of religious pilgrims, who would travel to Jerusalem every now and again to some museum to find the apparent final resting place of Jesus and just a just a mourn there.

That's all that's all we could be is religious pilgrims. If he is still dead, and that is true, then fine. Let us weep. Let us go to Jerusalem or let us give it up. Paul says if Christ is not risen.

If his body has decayed or disappeared, our gospel is a tragedy. It's fake news. It's not to be liked or shared or believed. It is the first and the worst. April fall, and we are to be pitied more than all people.

Mary was not expecting a resurrection. Perhaps she should have been based on what Jesus had said, but her tears are still instructive. Because they show us that Easter without a resurrection is a tragedy. That's the first thing. The bitter disappointment of an empty grave, but secondly, the breathtaking discovery Jesus is alive.

Breath taking discovery after the bitter disappointment. Jesus is alive. Have a look, verse 13. They asked her woman why are you crying? They have taken away my lord, she said, and I don't know where they have put him.

At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. He asked her woman Why are you crying? Who is it that you are looking for? Thinking that he was the gardener. She said, sir, If you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.

Now as I was doing a little bit of research on, on this Mary, I I stumbled across, this rembrandt painting of her. And, normally, I'm not a big fan of this of this kind of style of painting particularly these kind of pictures of Jesus. I think they're, unrealistic sometimes to be to be generous, but I I quite I quite liked this 1, and I thought it was quite interesting. I know Jesus looks a little bit odd, wearing, a kind of sombrero and, and carrying a spade in his in his hand. But I just thought it was kind of interesting and I quite liked the idea that that rembrandt has tried as much as possible to be faithful, to this particular story in, in John.

And, you never know it got me thinking. I wonder, if Jesus was at working away in the garden when all of this was going on. It got me thinking maybe as Peter and John, were sprinting to the tomb to find him. Jesus was kind of working away with his shovel and they ran straight behind his back as they were going. It got me thinking.

I wonder whether he was just working away at a plant listening in to what Mary and the angels were discussing in the tomb. It's kinda interesting, isn't it? To imagine he he might have been there because she thought he was the gardener. And, and so it just kinda helped me to get into this scene a little bit. We don't know in reality if that is true.

But the point of the story is that, several several times after the resurrection the disciples and and, Mary here didn't recognize Jesus. And in 1 sense, that's, that's kind of understandable. Because last time Mary had seen him, he was battered and bleeding and dead on a cross. And on Easter Sunday, he wasn't just reviving or bringing himself out of some kind of coma. He had passed into resurrection glory.

And so there would have been similarities, but also there would have been glorious differences. He would not have looked the same, but there is actually a deeper reason that they couldn't recognize him And that is because Jesus kept them from recognizing him until the proper time. And that is what happens here, isn't it? Verse 14, at this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. He asked her woman why are you crying?

Who is it you are looking for? Thinking that he was the gardener. She said, Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him and I will get him, which which probably would have been tricky. I don't know how she was planning to get him and carry him. But that's just another window into into her heart, I think.

Jesus said to her, Mary, she turned toward him and cried out in Arabic, Raveni, which means teacher. And I wonder if we can just get it back, Steve. I wonder if rembrandt is is is capturing this this moment this exact moment The tomb is dark inside. The tomb there reminds us of death and decay. But behind Jesus, the sun is rising.

It is rising to a new age, a new dawn, an age of resurrection And in that moment, when Jesus says Mary, it's like the light dawns on her face for the first time. What tone did he use? How loud did he say it? What was it about her name? Which revealed the truth to her?

We don't know really. But the point is the good shepherd had spoken and the sheep had recognized his voice. This was no gardener, no angel, this was her teacher, her lord, Jesus Christ. 1, 1 commentator writing about this plays with the idea that Jesus is the new gardener. Adam was the first 1, all the way back in Eden.

He was given charge of the garden. He was charged with looking after it, and he failed in his garden work. But Jesus is described here as the second gardener who takes care of his garden and brings out a new way of resurrection. To an aching world. I just la I love that idea.

And so what we have here is a is a glorious moment. Jesus makes himself known and Mary throws her grateful arms around him. That bitter disappointment turned into this breathtaking discovery. And before we move on just to the last point, all of this reminds us, I think, of 2 things It reminds us firstly that Jesus Christ really is risen from the dead. He has a new glorious resurrection body, but also it shows us that unless Jesus takes the initiative, and makes himself known to people, we will not see his resurrection glory.

Here's how Paul describes that work of Christ or that work without Christ in 2 Corinthians 4. Thanks, Stephen. Probably. Take that off now. 2 Corinthians 4, the god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

For that blindness to be overcome, for us to see the light of the glory of the goth full of the risen Jesus Christ, he must call us. And so for Christians, it's good for us to know the arguments for the resurrection. Over 500 people witnessed him alive. The disciples went on to die for this confession The enemies of Christ couldn't produce the body. That would be the easiest way to squash the gospel within a number of days.

Get the body out of the tomb, show the world he's not dead. He's dead, brother. Those would be the ways to do, and it's good for us to know those arguments. But in the end, if people are going to meet the risen Jesus Christ in power, he must call their name. And so that should be our prayer for ourselves, for our friends, lords, fill my mind with good persuasive arguments, but lord call him, call her, show them show me your resurrection glory just like you did with the very first visitor to your tomb.

There was bitter disappointment followed by a breathtaking discovery. Thirdly, the beautiful declaration, my father and your father. The beautiful declaration that Jesus makes, my father and your father. Have a look at verse 17. Jesus said, do not hold on to me for I have not yet ascended to the father.

In some ways, that is a little bit of a shock, isn't it? It's kind of a it feels like, not a very friendly response. And you you can kind of understand Mary. She's she's already lost him once. She doesn't want to lose him again, and so she grabs hold of him, and it feels natural, doesn't it?

It feels Like that's the right thing to do. Isn't this the time for a great reunion? Isn't this a isn't this a time for that? Well, not quite. Do not hold on to me for I have not yet ascended to the father instead go.

In other words, he's saying, Mary, Mary is me, but I've got a job to do and so have you. You see, when Jesus went back into heaven, it wasn't just a little appendix to the main story. It actually was an essential part of his ministry. Jesus said it is good that I go away so that I can send the spirit to you. In other parts of the new testament, we learn that when Jesus ascended and went back to heaven, he sat down in the place of victory.

As if to say, the work is done, death is dead, sin is paid for, redemption is accomplished I sit on my throne. I reign forever until I come back again. The ascension is like the king returning to his home city after battle. It's like the moment when the king is first seen on the horizon riding back towards his people. And the adoring crowds are ready to meet the victorious king.

That's what it was like when Jesus ascended back into the throne room of heaven. The adoring crowds of a thousand times 10000 times 10000 angels are ready to meet their victor. They're ready to say, welcome King. Take your seat as lord and god of all. It was an essential part of his ministry.

And notice how he talks about it with such authority in verse 17. I am ascending to my father There's no caiaphas here anymore. There's no there's no conscious pilot. He's not in the hands of anyone. All authority on heaven and earth has been given to me, I'm going.

Now, of course, even when he was in the hands of those people, he was still in control, but you you sent something of the risen authority of Christ. And so what does it mean for Mary? Well, it's as if he's saying to her, look, there is a time coming, Mary, when you can cling to me when you can sit at my feet, when we can spend time together, and maybe they did that before he went back to heaven. But he seems to be saying to her, the time for face to face is nearly over. I am soon going to pour out the spirit upon all believers, and then 1 day we will be face to face again.

But now for a season, things will be different. And so for now, what you've gotta do is take a message to my brothers. I've got a job to do. You've got a job to do. I'm going back.

You've got something to share. Verse 17, do not hold on to me. For I have not yet ascended to my father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them I am ascending to my father and your father to my god and your god. Mary Magdal and went to the disciples with the news.

I have seen the lord. Imagine how those disciples must have felt. Do you think there is a clearer way to assure them of their forgiveness than this? Go and tell them. Go and tell the ones who ran away, the ones who left me, the ones who denied me, the ones who were scattered at my cross, go and tell them my father and your father.

My god, and your god. Is there anything better for Mary at 1 time her life was ravaged by evil. She was as dark as the tomb, but now she's adopted into the family of god. The death and the resurrection of Christ secures her place and our place. In the family of god.

And that I think is what I wanna dwell on just in these last few minutes. Just the the reality that the father of the lord Jesus Christ is our father. Jesus is the great eternal son That is that that's true. There's a unique relationship there. But in Christ, we too are god's children.

And that means his father is our father. His family is our family. We can enjoy for the rest of our days communion with god as our father. And so if you are a believer in the lord Jesus here, this is meant as an encouragement to us. We cannot cling to him yet.

We cannot wrap our arms around him, not yet. It is not the season for that. We can't see him face to face, but the spirit of adoption goes with the heart of all disciples, teaching us to say abba father, just as Jesus says, not because it's a nice sentiment, but because it's true. And if you are here and you wouldn't call yourself a Christian and you're still thinking through the Christian claims, this is wonderful news for you because maybe, like Mary, your life has been full of evil. All kinds of darknesses, things that you regret, things that you're aware of, the risen Jesus calls you today.

And if we will repent of our sin and receive him as lord, he says to you, my father will be your father. My god will be your god. He invites you into that relationship. You see, I do I really hope this is this is clear at this church, not just this morning, but every week that we're not just we don't just wanna offer a whole load of religious blessings which are gonna improve your life in some way. The Bible offers us a person it offers us Jesus and the the chance of being united with him.

1 old theologian, says the gospel is Jesus Christ clothed in his gospel. Just love that. The gospel is Jesus Christ and when we come to him, we find that he is wearing as clothes forgiveness and adoption and new life. And all these other blessings. The gospel is Jesus clothed in his gospel.

My father is your father. We can be united to Christ truly by faith. And however good that news is, which it is, the point of this is to say that Mary is not allowed to keep it to herself. And so verse 18, Mary Magdalen went to the disciples with the news I have seen the lord. Amazing progression here, isn't it?

Verse 2, they've taken the lord, verse 13, they've taken my lord verse 18, I have seen the lord. And so if we If you have seen the risen lord Jesus with the eyes of faith, enjoy him, and remind your brothers and sisters of him. Next week, we're gonna look at our mission to the world, but Mary was sent to the disciples She was in many ways the first apostle. She was the apostle to the apostles. And what did she say?

I have seen the lord and guess what he said. My father is your father. My god is your god. Let's bow our heads and pray. Father, we thank you firstly that these accounts are true.

We thank you that this is real authentic history to be trusted and believed. We thank you that these events are not just cold history. They are transforming history. We thank you that your son, Jesus Christ, was risen from the dead, that he is lord and king and god most high. That even now he sits in the throne room of heaven being adored by countless masses for his sacrifice and for his victory.

We thank you that so many of us here have met the risen Jesus that we have been united to him by faith that we have had our sins forgiven. Our lives made new that the spirit has come to make his home in our lives. And we thank you that we can call you father just as Jesus calls you father. We thank you that that is a wonderful blessing that we can be adopted into your family. We pray that just as Mary was sent to the disciples, so we would go to other members of our church to other disciples here in this room and say, His god is our god.

His father is our father, and we would remind ourselves of this wonderful gospel blessing We thank you in Jesus' name, amen.