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Mark 1:21-28 Recognizing the Authority of Jesus

Mark 1:21-28

1:21 They went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught.

1:22 They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

1:23 Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit,

1:24 and he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.”

1:25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!”

1:26 And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him.

1:27 They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, “What is this? A new teaching–with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.”

1:28 At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.

In the context of the first chapter, Jesus is affirmed as the beloved Son of God, sent into the wilderness to be tempted, begins preaching, and begins calling his disciples. It all happens quickly in Mark. Mark uses descriptive phrases like “at once” and “immediately” to show the urgency of hearing and recognizing who Jesus is. Many of the verbs are in present tense in Mark for possibly the same effect.

 

As he enters the synagogue and begins teaching, the people hearing him recognize his teaching is different. He is not speculating about the possible meaning of scripture; he speaks with authority. It would be an easily recognized authority. It would be like the difference between hearing someone give a book report and having a question with the author of the book. The one giving the book report is telling you what he thinks the author was doing. The author is telling you exactly what he thinks. The author explains until you understand exactly what he means.

 

You will hear people talking about the authority of Scripture. That is important for us to understand and embrace. We do order our lives according to the Bible. However, there are many interpretations of the Bible. A healthy way to interpret the Bible is through the lens of the Gospels. The whole of scripture is taken together to understand the revelation of God and his will for humanity and the world. That is all focused and understood through the person who is the focal point of history. Jesus taught the scriptures as one having authority because he is the authority. He has been with the Father from before the world began. He has an intimate relationship with the Father. He, with the Father, inspired the people who wrote scripture. If we want to understand the Bible, it must be understood first and foremost through the teaching and example of Christ. An eye for an eye, is trumped by the teaching of Jesus to turn the other cheek.

 

Just a few verses later in our scripture reading a demon possessed man who happens to be in the synagogue cries out. “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.”

 

There are some things to see here. First, demons are not too uncomfortable in religion. The demon possessed man was there in the synagogue, apparently without much notice. However, when Jesus came in and began teaching with authority, things became uncomfortable for the demon. Religion does not keep demons in check, Jesus does. There were demons in the synagogue. If a church is based on empty, dead religion, there could as easily be demons in a church too. To keep the demons out, you need a place where Jesus is exalted, and alive in the members.

 

Second, I want to point out the glowing statement that the demon made about Jesus. He said, “…I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” That sounds almost like praise. Could that demon be a Christian? Obviously, from the description of the man and what happen to the demon… he was cast out… he was not a Christian demon. Be careful not to invest yourselves too fully into people just because they throw around Christian buzz words. There are many influential people who will wear a cross or mention prayer or say something that sounds like what you would hear a Christian say. However, they are no more of a person committed to Christ than the demon was.

 

After Jesus casts out the demon, his authority is even more obvious. They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, “What is this? A new teaching–with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.”  The casting out of the demon with ease and authority made it obvious that Jesus was someone special. The people went out and began to tell everyone about him and spread his fame “throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.” Through that genuine encounter with Jesus, they knew he was above the other religious teachers and leaders. He was able to teach scriptures as one who knew them as his own words. He was able to cast out demons because he had the authority and power to do so.

 

From the scriptures we also know of many other encounters with Jesus that proved his authority and power. He walked on water. He commanded nature and the winds and waves obeyed him. Jesus healed many people and cast out other demons. He raised people from the dead. Ultimately, he died for our sins, and he himself was raised from the dead three days later. The Holy Spirit has led us and is leading us to encounters with Jesus that confirm his authority in our own lives.

 

Just as he did with the original disciples in this first chapter of Mark, Jesus calls us to follow. He has the exact same authority in our lives that he did in theirs because of who he is. Jesus is the Holy One of God. He can call us to leave our current vocation to follow him. He can call us to head overseas to become missionaries. He can call us to continue where we are proclaiming his fame to our community. Whatever it is, our only acceptable answer to Jesus is “yes Lord” because he is the authority in our lives.

 

Before we close, we would be amiss if we did not recognize the full scope of the authority of Jesus. Jesus is the authority and as such empowered his first disciples and future disciples to make a difference in this world for his Kingdom by giving them his authority. We are called to do the things that Jesus did, and we are given the power and authority to do them by Jesus himself.

 

”Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.“  John 14:12-14 NRSV

 

Jesus is the authority in the world because he is the Holy One of God. Jesus is the authority in our lives because he is the Holy One of God. Our only correct response to Jesus’ call is “yes Lord.” We have also been given authority and power in Jesus to make a difference in the world, so claim your authority in Christ and “accept the freedom and power God gives you to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves.”

Blessing: Go in peace, submitted to the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ in your life, as you embrace the authority and power Christ gives you to change the world. In the name of Jesus, through the power of the Holy Spirit, for the Glory of God our Father. Amen

The Cost of Being a Disciple of Christ

Wednesday, October 13, 2021

Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,

Today I was reading in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 14. In it, I came across these words, “If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.”

I have always had trouble with those words. I believe others have as well. I’ve heard that these words of Jesus are exaggeration. “Vivid hyperbole” is how it is described in the notes of the NASB Study Bible. It seems like Jesus could have as easily said, anyone who doesn’t put me above every other relationship in their life, cannot be my disciple. The idea of hating our closest relationships seems to even go against the rest of the witness of scripture that says to love even our enemies.

These words are followed by carry your own cross. That is not to be confused with our modern notion of wearing our crosses. The idea of carrying your cross Jesus was conveying, is denying yourself even to the point of death if necessary to be a disciple.

In this passage, we also have the exhortation to count the cost of becoming a disciple. It is not something to be entered into lightly. As I think back over a lifetime of hearing alter calls, I don’t remember any that encouraged potential respondents to count the cost.

It is clear from these shocking words of Jesus about hating those who are dearest to us, that he meant to have the place of utmost importance in our lives. We need to daily evaluate the place we give to Christ. Is he above every relationship, and even our very lives, or have we relegated him down to just another part of who we are, like our favorite sports teams?

Grace, peace, and love,

Tim

“If anyone comes to Me, and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.”

Luke 14:26-27 NASB1995

https://bible.com/bible/100/luk.14.26-27.NASB1995

The Good Shepherd

The governor of North Carolina, Roy Cooper, has a plan to get North Carolina going again. Phase one begins on May 8th. Non-essential travel can resume, and non-essential businesses can reopen. Mass gatherings are still limited. The number of people who can be together is still limited to ten and under in phase one. Churches will be allowed to reopen in phase two which is going to be 2 to 3 weeks after phase one, provided we do not have huge spikes in the number of COVID-19 cases. There are a lot of factors in this plan that I am not going to go through. I just want to give you a general overview of a portion of it to give you an idea of when we might be getting back together in person for church.

I have been talking with friends about when we might come back together. Not in any official planning capacities, just as speculation. We have noticed that the voices we hear speaking to how we should be responding to COVID-19 and how soon we can get back to normal or “new normal” are different. It seems at times that they are so far apart in their recommendations they can’t be talking about the same thing. As a result of these divergent views, my friends and I have been talking about bias and worldviews that people operate out of as they respond and react to different situations and problems in our world.

We all have bias. We all have a worldview that we operate out of. These inform and determine how we respond to our world. When we speak, when we write, and when we prepare something for someone else to read, hear, or view our bias comes out. Some people claim to be completely unbiased, but can that really ever be possible with a finite human being?

How totally refreshing it would be to have an unbiased voice that we can listen to for truth and for direction in life.

Our scripture today is John 10:1-10 New International Version (NIV)

The Good Shepherd and His Sheep

10 “Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” 6 Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.

7 Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

This is the word of God for the people of God.

Today we hear John’s presentation of the words of our Lord Jesus Christ. We hear about sheep that are in a fenced area. There are two ways to get to the sheep… through the gate or by climbing over the fence. The gatekeeper lets the shepherd in, but the thief climbs over the fence. It reminds me of a story I’ve read. The Magician’s Nephew, written by C.S. Lewis is part of the Chronicles of Narnia series. In this story there is a similar scene. A boy is sent to retrieve something from a garden. I will not tell you the rest. If you have read the series, you know what I am talking about. If you haven’t, I highly recommend these children’s books for children and adults! We are the sheep. The gatekeeper is God. He has opened the gate and sent Jesus to us to be our shepherd. The devil, Satan has been getting to us too but by climbing over the fence. In this world we hear the voices of many people. They have worldviews and they speak to us out of those worldviews. They persuade us, sometimes subtly and sometimes overtly. They want us to view the world the same way they do. We have worldviews and we speak out of our worldviews. We try to persuade others to see the world as we do, sometimes subtly and sometimes overtly.

I will be the first to admit. I do not know everything that is going on in the world. I do not know the true history of the world. I know what I have been taught. I do not know what the future holds. You may affirm these same things with me. However, we still will recognize that we have a worldview. We have bias. We must. We cannot function without some frame of reference to make decisions from.

In this world, there are other voices too. Our scripture tells us of the voice of Jesus and the voice of the stranger. The stranger, the thief’s voice is foreign to the sheep. It is foreign to us because we have put our hope in the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus tells us what the motivation for the stranger, the thief, the devil to speak to us is. He speaks to us because he wants to take us from God. He wants to kill us, and he wants to destroy us. We never hear it that way because Jesus also tells us in John’s gospel that the devil is the father of lies. So, when he speaks to us it is not truth but lies to accomplish his goals of taking us away from God, killing and destroying us.

We also hear the voice of Jesus. The Spirit of God spoke to us before we ever knew God or about Jesus and told our hearts this was truth. We hear him and we stepped out in faith. We hear the voice of the Lord Jesus Christ calling. We believed in Jesus Christ and his death and resurrection for our sins and we became children of God. God has continued to speak to us through the Holy Spirit living in us. We hear the voice of God speaking to us because we are his.

The voice of our Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, is not like other voices. He is motivated by love… love for God the Father and love for us that he bought with his own blood. He wants the very best for us because he loves us. John’s gospel tells us that Jesus came so we can have life and have life to the fullest!

In a world of voices… mine, yours, other peoples, even the devil and his minions, isn’t if refreshing to have one voice that you can hear without having to worry about motivations. Isn’t it refreshing to know that the voice of Jesus we hear in our spirits only wants life for us and life to the fullest? Isn’t it wonderful to know that Jesus knows? He knows the true history of the world. He knows what our true current reality is. He knows what the future holds. You can trust his voice.

Brothers and sisters, in a world of many voices coming from many worldviews, listen to the voice of our Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ! He loves you and wants you to have life and life to the fullest! To give you these he shed his own blood and rose again! Thanks be to God we can trust our Good Shepherd!

Practice Makes Perfect

Have you ever been told you were a natural at something?

I am naturally inclined to art. I like to draw and create things. As a child I was able to sit down and draw images that were recognizable to others. The more I practiced drawing and artistically creating things, the more they were easily recognizable and even pleasing to look at.

There were some things that seemed unnatural to me at first. For instance, riding a minibike and then later a trail bike. The minibike seemed way too fast the first time I rode it. The trail bike had gears and a clutch. You can imagine how long that took to learn.

Eventually, riding a motorcycle became second nature to me. I changed gears without thinking about it. I instinctively knew when I need to put a foot down to keep from wrecking. I knew how to compensate for when the bike was coming out from under me.

Practice makes perfect.

1 Peter 1:17-23 New International Version (NIV)

17 Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear. 18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 20 He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. 21 Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.

22 Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. 23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.

This is the word of God for the people of God.

There are just a few things that I want to point out from this brief passage of scripture.

First, Peter continues reminding the believers he is writing about how valuable our redemption is. Peter tells us that we were bought by the precious blood of Jesus, not silver or gold or other things that can lose value. Our sins were covered by the blood of our sinless Lord Jesus Christ. He who has not sinned died for us sinners to ransom and redeem us.

Peter compares our faith and hope and eternal life given to us through the resurrection of the Lord Jesus to gold. Although gold can be lost, stolen or devalued, our faith and eternal hope bought by the precious blood of Jesus can never perish or lose value. They are held secure for us by God Almighty. Nothing can separate us from the love of God. The faith and eternal hope God has given us in Jesus will never lose value or disappear.

Next, Peter tells us about the change that was worked in our lives through our faith in the resurrected Jesus Christ. Before we knew Christ, before we had given our lives to him in faith, we followed an “empty way of life handed down to [us] from [our] ancestors.” Our purpose in life was ourselves. Now however, having been redeemed by the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ, our faith and hope are in God. Our purpose is to please God.

We please God by keeping his commands. Jesus said if you love me you will keep my commands. The commands Jesus gave summed up all of the law and prophets. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and love your neighbor as yourself. The Holy Spirit living in us leads us to do both of these. As people of God, this is what we are to be about. This is where we put our energies and efforts. This is our work.

This morning Peter also tells us our work, how well we have followed the direction of the Holy Spirit to love God and love others, will be judged by God one day so we should live our lives in light of that fact. We have a scriptural tension here. We know that God loves us. The Bible also teaches us that God expects us to respond to that love by obediently doing the will of God. We will be judged for how well we obeyed God by following the direction of the Holy Spirit.

Lastly, Peter tells us, now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. This sounds wonderful! The way Peter worded it to his readers makes it sound like a done deal… sort of. He says we have sincere love for each other but then he tells us to love each other deeply from the heart. Those phrases don’t seem to belong together in the same sentence. Here is another scriptural tension.

We have sincere love for each other because it was part of what we received when we were born again in Jesus Christ. However, we need to love each other more and more until it becomes deep love from the heart. We need to practice loving each other.

We used to focus on ourselves… on getting what we want. That was what was handed down to us through our sinful human nature. That came natural to us. We did it without even thinking. Now, however, we have been redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. We are born again. We have been given a new nature whereby we can love God with all that we are and love our neighbor as ourselves. Now, we have a new nature that focuses on God.

We have to practice being the people of God. We have this new nature that focuses on God and the Holy Spirit living in us who prompts us to do the work of God. We have to practice until it becomes natural to us. We are living in a tension. We have been saved, we are being saved and one day we will be completely saved. Right now, the more we yield our wills to the direction of God through the Holy Spirit, the more like Jesus we become and the more we experience the love of God and the more we please God. We also move from having to think about pleasing God to where it becomes natural to us. When it becomes natural to us, we don’t think about it. We are in tune with God and we naturally do his will.

We have to practice loving God and others until it comes deeply from the heart, until it comes natural to us. Early in his ministry, John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Church was having a crisis of faith. He was about to give up preaching because he didn’t think he had faith. He asked a Moravian preacher, Peter Bohler, if he should quit. He wrote about the conversation in his journal. Wesley said, “How can you preach to others, who have not faith yourself?” I asked Bohler, whether he thought I should leave it or not. He answered, “By no mean.” I asked, “But what can I preach?” He said, “Preach faith till you have it; and then, because you have it, you will preach faith.” We must practice love until we have it, until it becomes natural for us and then, because we have it, because loving God and others is our nature, we will love others deeply from the heart.

Friends, we have been redeemed and ransomed by the precious blood of the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ! Have you taken the first step in following the direction of the Holy Spirit? Have you put your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ? Have you repented of your sins? And have you been baptized?

The Holy Spirit living in us actively directs us to love. It may be to support some ministry financially. You may be directed to call and check on someone. You may be directed to pray for someone. Are you responding to the Holy Spirit’s direction in your lives?

Remember, Peter says one day we will all be judged by God, knowing this should cause us to live our lives here in reverent fear of God. Practice sincere love until you have it and then when you have it, you will sincerely love God and others from the heart.

The Value of Genuine Faith

I am an investor. I have exactly 1 share of GoPro. I got it when I installed the Robin Hood app that a friend recommended on Facebook. I have been watching to see how my stock is doing and when I will be able to retire based on its performance. I will not be able to retire any time soon. Seriously, the stock market is a risk. You can make or lose money. In the recession that followed the housing market bubble, many people saw their retirement portfolios disappear. Someone told me she watched $20,000 drop to just over $4,000. In the Epistle 1 Peter, we are given an inside tip. Peter tells us of a guaranteed investment.

We have, in mercy, been given something unbelievably valuable! We were given new birth into a living hope! We have become the family of God through the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are intimately connected to God because we live and move and breathe in the very Spirit of God. In addition, we are family with believers all around the world.

Peter talks about pure gold being perishable. He compares pure gold to the inheritance we will receive as children of God. This inheritance, waiting for us at the end of our days or the Second Coming of Jesus Christ can never perish, spoil or fade, unlike our financial investments that can be stolen or lose value. You can bank on that!

Peter also talks about genuineness of faith. He says our faith is being proven by the trials we experience. The Coronavirus has become a trial for us all. We are concerned about catching and/or spreading COVID-19. Businesses are losing money. People are losing jobs. What will the world look like when this is over?

Don’t let these trials cause you to lose faith. Hold on to God! Peter says the genuineness of our faith revealed through the trials we go through is more valuable that pure gold!

6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 1 Peter 1:6-7 New International Version

Blinded to Resurrection by Grief and Anxiety

Have you ever gone to the cemetery or to the funeral home expecting someone you know died to be alive?

I know that may be a painful question as some of us have recently lost loved ones and the pain of losing them is still fresh. I have been at funerals and wanted to be able to be like Jesus when he brought back to life the son of the widow. Or how wonderful it would have been to see when Jesus called Lazarus out alive from the tomb.

We are not Jesus and though I do not discount the power of God, I must admit I do not look for the living to appear in cemeteries or funeral homes.

Neither did the women who went to the tomb that first resurrection morning so many years ago.

Our scripture focuses on Mary Magdalene and what she felt and saw that morning.

John 20:1-18 New International Version (NIV)

20 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”

3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) 10 Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.

Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene

11 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.

13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”

“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

15 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 have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”

16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).

17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to 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.’”

18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.

This is the Word of God for the people of God… Thanks be to God!

John, in his gospels has a story under a superficial story. If you just skim the text you will get the skimmer’s story but if you look at the details John gives you see so much more.

The Skimmer’s Story

Mary goes to the tomb.

The stone has been moved and Jesus is gone.

She runs back and tells Peter and the beloved disciple, who outruns Peter to the empty tomb.

The beloved disciple, when he goes in, sees and believes.

Neither disciple understood how Jesus was fulfilling scripture by rising from the dead.

They leave Mary there crying.

She encounters angels who ask why she is crying.

She encounters Jesus who asks why she is crying.

Mary mistakes Jesus for the gardener.

Jesus says her name and she realizes it is him.

He sends her to tell the disciples that he is ascending to his Father.

Mary leaves telling the disciples that she has seen the Lord and what he told her to tell them.

The Details Story

The details story is Jesus Christ is risen! John has given you several details that negate any other possible explanations.

The gospels tell us that the Jewish leaders who had Jesus crucified paid the soldiers to say they fell asleep and Jesus’ disciples stole his body. Recently, it has been claimed that Jesus didn’t really die. He was only in a state of shock and in the coolness of the tomb he revived.

The stone was moved. The grave clothes were still there. Those details eliminate the possibility that Jesus wasn’t really dead. That he revived and woke up in the cold tomb and somehow managed in his weakened condition to move the heavy stone covering the tomb and then carefully remove the grave cloths and neatly fold them defies logic.

And if his disciples stole his body why did they take off the grave cloths?

John is showing us that Jesus did indeed rise from the dead. He saw and he believed. He reported what he saw so we could believe.

John shows us a Jesus who is in control. He wasn’t scared or bewildered and rushing out of the horrors of death. Jesus took to time to neatly arrange the cloths he had been buried in.

Then there is Mary.

She is crying. We would do the same.  She is already overcome with grief seeing Jesus die a horrible death of crucifixion. Now his body is gone. This is too much! She breaks down emotionally.

She sees the angels and, in her grief and anxiety, doesn’t recognize they are angels.

They ask why she is crying…

She sees Jesus and, in her grief and anxiety, doesn’t recognize that it is Jesus.

Jesus asks why she is crying.

It is only when Jesus calls Mary’s name that she snaps out of her grief and anxiety.

The moment she hears Jesus calling her, she realizes it’s him! Jesus is alive!

The resurrection of Jesus was wonderful news for Mary. She was moved from bitter weeping and anxiety to joyous excitement. She clung to Jesus, to his real body. This is another of John’s irrefutable proofs that Jesus is alive. He had a real body that Mary was clinging to.

That first, wonderful resurrection of Jesus, the Son of God, the Messiah, has ripple effects. Just as a stone tossed in a body of water causes ripples out and back, so did this first resurrection. The idea of going to a cemetery to be with the living does not sound so strange in the light of resurrection. Jesus is alive! Those we love who have died in faith in Jesus are alive with him! One day, either at his second coming or at our deaths, we will join Jesus and those who have gone before us!

Why are you here? Who are you looking for?

Can you see the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ today?

Or has the grief and anxieties of life blinded your eyes to who is here with you?

Jesus is calling you today… by name… why are you crying? What is wrong?

He stands before you calling your name so you can see him again…

Hear his voice and recognize the resurrected Savior standing before you.

Let your grief and anxieties be turned to joyous exultation!

Recognize again the ripple effects of that first joyous resurrection morning!

Friends, we need to engage the world with joy like Mary, sharing the good news of resurrection and what the ripples of resurrection mean for our world!

Jesus Christ is risen indeed! That is good news for us and it is good news for a world of people who often are blinded with grief and anxieties!

Here is a song by Hillsong Worship to help you celebrate resurrection.