Sunday
Morning Bible Study
May
1, 2011
Introduction
Do people see Jesus? Is the gospel preached? Does it speak to the
broken hearted? Does it build up the church? Milk – Meat – Manna Preach for a
decision
We have made it
past the trials, scourging, and death of Jesus Christ. This is what we looked at last week:
Play “Empty
Tomb” clip (John 20:1-10)
While Peter and John left to go home, Mary wasn’t ready to get up and leave
just yet.
20:11-18 Jesus
appears to Mary
:11 But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped
down and looked into the tomb.
:11 Mary
– this is Mary
Magdalene
This gal was
one of the women from Galilee who followed Jesus along with the other
disciples.
Mary Magdalene
had seven demons cast out of her by Jesus (Luke 8:2).
Mark’s account
says there were other women with Mary (Mr. 16:1)
:11 stooped down
and looked – parakupto – to stoop
to a thing in order to look at it; to look into with the body bent; to look
carefully into, inspect curiously
:12 And she saw
two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where
the body of Jesus had lain.
:12 she saw – theoreo
– to be a spectator, look at, behold; to view attentively, take a view of,
survey
:12 two angels
What did they look like? Did they have wings? Did they just look like two men dressed in white?
Luke records:
(Lk 24:4 NKJV) And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that
behold, two men stood by them in shining garments.
:12 one at the head
and the other at the feet
Warren Wiersbe suggests this might be a hint at an Old Testament picture.
(Ex 25:17–19 NKJV) —17 “You
shall make a mercy seat of pure gold; two and a half cubits shall be its
length and a cubit and a half its width. 18 And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of
hammered work you shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat. 19 Make one cherub at one
end, and the other cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim at the
two ends of it of one piece with the mercy seat.
The mercy seat was the solid gold lid to the Ark of the Covenant. It had two angelic beings molded onto the lid.
Play “Indiana
Jones and the Ark” clip
The mercy seat
and the Ark were to be a picture of God’s throne in heaven.
It was called the “mercy seat” because it was there that blood was
sprinkled once a year to cover the sins of the nation.
It was called a “mercy seat” because it was there that man could find
communion with God.
It’s almost as if Mary is seeing the mercy seat – that it was the death of
Jesus that has made God’s mercy available to mankind.
The writer of Hebrews says:
(Heb 4:16 NKJV) Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may
obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Jesus died so that you could come to God.
:13 Then they
said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “Because they have
taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.”
:13 taken away – airo
– to raise up, elevate, lift up; to take upon one’s self and carry what has
been raised up, to bear
This is also the word used to
describe that Jesus had “risen”
:13 they have taken away my Lord
At this point Mary doesn’t realize yet that Jesus has risen from the
dead. She is thinking that someone has
taken Jesus’ body away.
:14 Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing
there, and did not know that it was Jesus.
:14 saw – theoreo –
to be a spectator, look at, behold; to view attentively, take a view of, survey
:14 did not know
– eido – to see; to know; understand,
perceive
It’s possible that Mary didn’t recognize Jesus because she didn’t expect to
see Him.
It’s possible that she couldn’t see clearly through her tears.
It’s possible that Jesus was able to “disguise” Himself.
The resurrected
body: Disguised at will
On the road to Emmaus, Jesus will walk and talk for a couple of miles with
some of the disciples and they won’t recognize Him until He breaks bread with
them (Luk 24).
:14 she turned
around and saw Jesus
Lesson
Faithful Women
John tells us
that he was the first to “believe” after he saw the empty tomb and the two
piles of graveclothes (John 20:8).
But it was Mary
that actually saw Him while John went away scratching his head.
Some see this
as a mark of the historicity of the gospel account.
No Jewish male author
would come up with such a story – that the first person honored by seeing the
resurrected Christ would be a … WOMAN!
Jesus appeared first to a woman.
She had been at
the cross when He died.
She had been
there when He was buried.
She was with
the group that went to the tomb first on Sunday morning.
She stuck
around just a little longer than the fellows did.
She hung around
to “stoop and look” into the tomb a little further.
Does that say something about perseverance? About faithfulness?
Jesus said,
(Lk 11:9–10
NKJV) —9 “So I
say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock,
and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and he who
seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
In the account of Jesus’ death and resurrection, who fits
the description of the person who is asking, knocking, and seeking? Mary.
A woman. Who does Jesus appear to
first? A woman.
I hate to admit it, but sometimes the women are just a tad more spiritual
than us guys. Just a little.
Dads, don’t forget to encourage your kids to honor their mothers next week
…
Play “Mom’s
Little Helper”
:15 Jesus said
to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” She, supposing Him
to be the gardener, said to Him, “Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me
where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away.”
:15 supposing – dokeo
– to be of opinion, think, suppose
:15 gardener
– kepouros – a keeper of a garden, a
gardener
From kepos, “garden” in 19:41.
We talked last
week that we think the “garden” (19:41) was actually a vineyard because they
have discovered a
winepress at the “Garden Tomb”.
Mary thinks Jesus is there to take care of the vineyard.
Just a few nights earlier Jesus was talking about vineyards, and some think
that they had left the Upper Room by John 15 and
were walking as He talked.
(Jn 15:1–4 NKJV) —1
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear
fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may
bear more fruit. 3 You are
already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in Me, and I in
you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine,
neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
Would it be too much of a stretch to think that Jesus and the disciples
were walking near Joseph of Arimathea’s vineyard on the way to the Garden of
Gethsemane?
The branches cannot bear fruit without the life of the vine flowing through
them. In this garden Jesus would rise from the dead – and
it’s that same resurrection life and power that He offers to us as we abide in
Him.
:15 You have carried – bastazo
– to take up with the hands; to bear, to carry
:15 I will take Him – airo
– to raise up, elevate, lift up
:16 Jesus said
to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him, “Rabboni!” (which is to say,
Teacher).
:16 Rabboni
– rhabboni – master, prince; literally
“My Great One”, “My Rabbi”, or “My Teacher”
It’s when He calls her by name that she recognizes Him.
Play “Mary
Recognizes Jesus” clip
Lesson
He knows my name
In talking about the Good Shepherd, Jesus said,
(Jn 10:3–4 NKJV) —3
To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice; and he calls his own
sheep by name and leads them out. 4 And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and
the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.
I don’t know about you, but there are times when I have a really hard time
thinking that God knows who I am.
I remember how for years one of my life’s goals was to have somebody
important like Chuck Smith know who I was.
But I’ve learned that people like Chuck Smith have way too
much on their plate to keep up with all the people around them
My goodness. I
can’t even remember all of your names, and we are a little church 1/100th
the size of Chuck’s church.
I have since come to find that I have something even more important than Chuck
knowing my name.
God knows my name. Forgive me for
sharing this story again …
Illustration
A few years ago I was in my office. At the time I was
struggling with some of the difficult things that were going on in the church.
My secretary, Laurie, told me I had a phone message, and it was some guy named Chris
from Boynton Beach in Florida. A guy I’ve never met. He said he had been
praying and that my name came to his mind, and that God wanted him to be
praying for me. He didn’t ask me for anything. He didn’t ask me to vote for
anything. He didn’t try to sell me something. He just told me that God wanted
him to be praying for me. I can’t tell you how much that hit me to think that
God cared enough about me to put my name on some stranger’s heart. What blew me
away was the thought that God knew my name.
I think I’ve come
to find that this pitiful longing inside of me to be “known” by somebody
important is actually a longing in my heart to be known by the most important,
powerful, all wise, all loving person in the Universe.
He’s even written my name on His hands.
Here’s a promise to Zion (Jerusalem), but I wonder if there isn’t a
sense in which is applies to us:
(Is 49:15–16 NKJV) —15
“Can a woman forget her nursing child, And not have compassion on the son of
her womb? Surely they may forget, Yet I will not forget you. 16 See, I have
inscribed you on the palms of My hands…
It goes further than this – when I realize that He knows me, I need to
respond and follow Him. I need to
respond with “Rabboni”,
“You are My Teacher”
:17 Jesus said to
her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to
My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and
to My God and your God.’ ”
:17 do not cling – haptomai
– to fasten one’s self to, adhere to, cling to; to touch
The King James
has Jesus saying, “Touch me not”. I don’t think it meant …
This is a word
often associated with Jesus and healing.
The woman with the flow of blood “touched” the hem of His garment and
was healed (Mat. 9:20). Jesus “touched” the blind (Mr. 8:22), the dumb (Mr. 7:33), the leper (Mr. 1:41) and they were healed.
But in each of
these instances the word is an “aorist” tense, meaning a brief touch at a point
in time.
Here the word is a “present” tense, meaning continuous action.
Jesus isn’t asking Mary not to “touch” Him, but not to “cling” to Him. NIV – “hold on to”.
:17 I am ascending
Jesus had told the disciples on Thursday night:
(Jn 16:7 NKJV) Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I
go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I
depart, I will send Him to you.
It is after Jesus ascends to heaven that God will send the Holy Spirit to help the church.
It would be good to be able to have Jesus around and hold on to. Maybe we could all take turns and hold His
hand for a second or two.
But God wants for all of us to experience His power in our lives.
That comes through the Holy Spirit.
Jesus is asking Mary to let go of Him so He can finish His
earthly mission, go back to heaven, and have the Father send the Holy Spirit
for ALL of us.
:17 to My God and
your God
It’s not just “My God”, but “My God and your God”.
Jesus died to
make the way open to God for us.
:18 Mary Magdalene
came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken
these things to her.
:18 told the
disciples
Mark tells us how the disciples responded to Mary’s announcement:
(Mk 16:9–11 NKJV) —9 Now when He rose early on the first day of the week, He
appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom He had cast seven demons. 10 She went and told
those who had been with Him, as they mourned and wept. 11 And when they heard that He was alive
and had been seen by her, they
did not believe.
Lesson
Even the best have doubts
Not to excuse their unbelief, but even the disciples had trouble believing
that Jesus had risen from the dead.
You may have questions too.
Questions are okay.
Illustration
At one point in his journey towards Christ, Nathan Foster (the son of
author Richard Foster) was living “a ragged attempt at discipleship.” He was
afraid to share his honest thoughts about God and his disillusionment with the church, especially
with a father who had given his life to serve God and the church.
But one day as Nathan shared a ride with his dad on a ski lift, he blurted
out, “I hate going to church. It’s nothing against God; I just don’t see the
point.” Richard Foster quietly said, “Sadly, many churches today are simply
organized ways of keeping people from God.”
Surprised by his dad’s response, Nathan launched into “a well-rehearsed,
cynical rant” about the church:
“Okay, so since Jesus paid such great attention to the
poor and disenfranchised, why isn’t the church the world’s epicenter for
racial, social and economic justice? I’ve found more grace and love in worn-out
folks at the local bar than those in the pew … . And instead of allowing our
pastors to be real human beings with real problems, we prefer some sort of
overworked rock stars.”
His dad smiled and said, “Good questions, Nate. Overworked rock stars: that’s
funny. You’ve obviously put some thought into this.” Once again, Nathan was
surprised that his “rant” didn’t faze his dad. “He didn’t blow me off or put me
down.” From that point on Nathan actually looked forward to conversations with
his dad.
It also proved to be a turning point in his spiritual life. By the end of
the winter, Nathan was willing to admit,
“Somewhere amid the wind and snow of the Continental
Divide, I decided that if I’m not willing to be an agent of change [in the
church], my critique is a waste … . Regardless of how it is defined, I was
learning that the church was simply a collection of broken people recklessly
loved by God … . Jesus said he came for the sick, not the healthy, and
certainly our churches reflect that.”
Spurred on by his father’s acceptance and honesty and by his own spiritual
growth, Nathan has continued to ask honest questions, but he has also started
to love and change the church, rather than just criticize it.
Nathan Foster, Wisdom Chaser (IVP Books, 2010), pp. 85-89
If you’re going to ask questions, you have to understand that with
questions about God, there actually ARE answers.
Lesson
It’s time to believe
And at some point, you need to believe.
You need to start trusting God.
Faith is the
“currency” of heaven.
(Heb 11:6 NKJV) But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who
comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently
seek Him.
Faith is what
makes the transaction of forgiveness and eternal life take place.
John wrote at the end of this chapter,
(Jn 20:31 NKJV) but
these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of
God, and that believing you may have life in His name.
Jesus Himself said,
(Jn 3:16 NKJV) For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Is today the day that you start to trust your life to Jesus?