John 20 Early on the first day of the week...

1. John 20Early on the first day of the week...

2. While it was still dark Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance

3. The Empty Tomb 2So 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!” 3So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in.

4. 6Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen. 8Finally 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.)

5. Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene 10Then the disciples went back to their homes, 11but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.  13They 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."

6. 14At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. 15"Woman," he said, "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."16Jesus said to her, "Mary."       She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher).

7. 17Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.' " 18Mary 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.

8. Signpost Minor character in NT but an important one God speaks powerfully to us through her story Feeling what Mary felt Energetic, impulsive and caring Uncomplicated faith who found freedom through her relationship with Jesus Trusting Jesus was more important to her than understanding everything Her love for Jesus was costly—the mark of a true disciple

9. The morning’s events • She ran a lot! • When the two disciples went back to their homes, she hung around the garden crying and weeping • Think about what she was feeling then! • Did she remember all that had happened that weekend? • What kind of a state was she in?

10. Grief does strange things to people Hurting Crazy Devastation Loss Anger Anxiety Turning this way and that "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!"

11. Grief is exhausting! She checks the tomb again Something strange happens Two angels are sitting there in the very place where Jesus had been laid after the crucifixion A cliff hanger story

12. What did happen next? Another person appears “Woman—why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Mary doesn’t recognise this directly spoken man

13. "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.“ Then the figure says to her “Mary!” Again Mary turns and cries, “Rabboni!” (Rabboni—the name by which Jesus was known to his disciples)

14. How does she react when she realises it’s Jesus? There’s gaps in the story that we have to fill in ourselves We can imagine her shock! Did her mouth fall open? Was she glued to the spot? Was her heart filled with joy? Was she laughing or crying even more? Did she run to him, fling her arms around him? No doubt Jesus comforted her? But then, there’s urgency in Jesus next words.

15. Jesus gives Mary the most important job to do that the world has ever known "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.' " The brothers though do not believe her Mark 16: 11 and Luke 24:11 They think she is speaking nonsense

16. This Easter Sunday, how do you react to Mary’s story? Is it true? Is Jesus alive?

17. What does the story have to say to us today? God does not always choose the people we think he ought to choose. In the culture of the day Mary was an unlikely choice--a woman with a questionable history But--so in love with Jesus she remained faithful even when all seemed lost However hard it was for her to tell the disciples a most unlikely story Jesus knew that she would do it When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it. Mark 16: 11

18. Life does not always turn out the way we expect it to Even though the disciples had spent so much time learning from Jesus, (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) 20:9 We can know stuff intellectually but we do not always see the connection between our learning and life round about us. We can be so certain that we know that it blinds us to the truth

19. The power of witness Mary’s story changed the known world forever Christian people witness to the truth of the Gospel because like Mary, they have a real and living relationship with Jesus When Jesus asked Mary to “go and tell my brothers” he told her to say 'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.' " His words to her were deeply personal MY Father and YOUR Father

20. We run until Jesus finds us Without faith, our lives have little meaning or purpose. We search but have no peace We look for answers where we think we can find them but often look in the wrong places We try our best but do not always succeed When the going gets tough, we retreat, hide They went back to their homes

21. BUT Jesus searches for us, longing that we would come to him and know the power of his resurrection love and forgiveness Here I am! I stand at the door and k knock. If anyone hears my voice and o opens the door, I will come in and eat eat with him, and he with me. Rev 3:20

22. Jesus calls each of us by name “Mary!” One at a time—it’s his voice we recognise When we are at rock bottom, he embraces us, forgives us, comforts us, tells us he knows us and loves us in spite of our sins When we let him into our lives, we find a lasting peace A peace that transcends understanding Phil 4:7

23. Then--he gives each of us a job that is just our job No one else can do the job Christ has given YOU No one else can stop you doing the job Christ gave YOU Can maybe slow you down, but God promises to make your path straight Prov 4:11

24. Jesus knows that we fail over and over again and yet he still loves and forgives us Who are you in this story of the resurrection? The one whose whole life has fallen apart? The ones who went home to their own houses? Can you recognise yourself in these three characters? Peter—the rock? Mary Magdalene—the grief stricken woman with a questionable past? John--the one Jesus called “the beloved”

25. This Easter morning, can you hear Jesus calling your name? Will you live by faith or by sight? 2 Cor 5:7