West Park Baptist Church

Easter

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Following the Resurrected King – Pt 1

On resurrection Sunday, Jesus made many appearances.

One has often often perplexed me. Not because of who Jesus appeared to but what He said on that occasion.

Today we’ll focus on the first appearance recorded to Mary Magdalene (John 20:11-18) and learn what Jesus meant when He said, “Don’t cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father.”

John 20:11–18

[11] But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. [12] And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. [13] They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” [14] Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. [15] Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” [16] Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). [17] Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” [18] Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her. (ESV)

What can we learn from this passage?

Mary was a woman from the region called Magdala, and that’s why her name appears as Mary Magdalene. Who was she?

Mary had followed Jesus ever since He had freed her from possession by evil spirits. Luke 8:2 reveals that Mary had been inhabited by seven demons. She had so much gratitude for Jesus that she followed Him with a group of other women who had likewise been delivered from evil spirits and infirmities all the way to the cross and the tomb. People sometimes mix up Mary with a sinful woman mentioned in Luke 7:36-50, but there is no evidence to support that link. Needless to say, Mary was reborn when Jesus saved her, and she truly followed Him as her Savior and Lord.

But what deep sadness she felt renewed when she discovered the empty tomb that Sunday morning. All she could think through her grief is that someone had taken the body of Jesus away. Two angels in bright appearance spoke to her urging her not to despair, but Mary didn’t seemed fazed by their appearance or words. Grief ran deep through her.

She even perceived Jesus Himself who appeared near her by the garden tomb as the gardener. It wasn’t until Jesus spoke her name, “Mary,” that she knew it was the Lord.

It is intriguing that Jesus said to her, “Don’t cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father,” particularly so since Jesus said about a week later to Thomas, “put out your hand and place it in my side” (John 20:27). Why the difference? From what I can understand, it wasn’t because Jesus’s resurrection body couldn’t handle touch. He was not by any means raw or fragile! Mary and Thomas actually had to learn a similar lesson: walk with Jesus by faith. Trust Him and take Him at His word. Mary, by “cling[ing]” to Jesus, tried to grasp onto Jesus with no intent to let Him go! I truly believe Mary was so glad to have Jesus back that she didn’t want to lose her Lord again. That is understandable, and we would all hopefully identify with her right desire. However, no one could have closer access to Jesus than that given by the gift of the Holy Spirit. When Jesus returned to His Father, that’s the promise He said He would fulfill (John 15:26-27).

Application: 

  • Jesus calls each of His beloved people by name. Can you imagine Jesus calling you by your first name? How wonderful it will be for believers to someday hear the voice of their Good Shepherd! Yet, even now He speaks to us by the promises He gave us. Which leads to the next point:
  • Jesus calls on each of us to live by faith in His revealed word. Mary didn’t need to cling to Jesus to try to control what would happen next and guarantee her joy and safety. Friends, you and I don’t need to live trying to control the outcome of our lives. Trust in the promises of Jesus our Lord! Look them up. Perhaps it would do you much good to read through John chapters 14-16 this week.

Prayer:

Our Lord and Savior, we love You and would gladly cling to You! But like You told Mary, it is good for us to know that You are with Your Father now and have sent Your Holy Spirit to us, communicating Your love for us and the truth of Your Word. Help us to live by faith in You today, to live by Your Spirit and live in His power. We long for the day when we can be with You face to face. Amen.

Worship:

He Will Hold Me Fast

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Following the Resurrected King (Introduction)

The resurrection of the Lord Jesus is not just a one day event. Praise God for that!

Have you ever traced the activity of Jesus Christ during the 40 days prior to His ascension to Heaven?

I’ve not but have been challenged to as a follow up to my blog entries last week during Holy Week. The more I dig into the appearance passages, the more I see timeless encouragement for our current circumstances.

Sometimes these passages may seem like puzzle pieces that don’t quite fit together or a timeline that’s just too much trouble to fit into a semblance of order. But that really isn’t the case. As I’ve looked into the passages I can see the timeline, and I’ve gotten helpful backup from other sources. In this blog post I’ll list the order of those appearances and talk briefly about what we can learn from them in general. In subsequent articles I’ll resume a Bible study format to help each of us continue to follow the Lord Jesus.

Here’s the timeline that I offer for your consideration:1

  • Resurrection Sunday
    • Mary Magdalene (John 20:11-18)
    • The other Mary, Salome, Joanna and at least one other woman (Matt. 28:1; Mark 16:1; Luke 24:10)
    • Simon Peter (Luke 24:34; 1 Cor. 15:5)
    • Clopas and companion on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35)
    • The eleven disciples minus Thomas (Luke 24:36-43; John 20:19-25)
  • Eight+ Days after Resurrection
    • The eleven disciples including Thomas (John 19:26-29)
  • Over the Next Few Weeks
    • Seven disciples at the Sea of Tiberias (John 21:1-23)
    • Disciples and a large gathering at a mountain in Galilee (Matt. 28:16-17; 1 Cor. 15:6)
    • James (1 Cor. 15:7)
  • 40th Day
    • Disciples (possibly in Jerusalem before Jesus led them to the Mount of Olives, gave the Great Commission and ascended to Heaven – Luke 24:49-53; Acts 1:3-11)

Today, read what the Apostle Paul says about these appearances:

1 Corinthians 15:3–8

[3] For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, [4] that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, [5] and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. [6] Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. [7] Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. [8] Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. (ESV)

What relevance do these things have for us?

First, Paul says these resurrection appearances are connected back to the Gospel message of our Lord Jesus. Jesus remained on earth for 40 days in order to encourage and empower His discouraged disciples. Those events confirmed the good news of what Jesus accomplished on the cross. Death truly was defeated, the eternal life promised in the gospel was real, and hundreds of people could verify that Jesus is alive!

Second, think about the nature of these appearances. The disciples experienced a different kind of connection to Jesus than they had before His crucifixion. The disciples for one didn’t know when Jesus would appear, but when He did show up it turned their despair into glorious light and joy. Isn’t that a bit like life now? These resurrection appearances help us to see that even though it seems like we are alone down here on planet earth, we really are not. The Lord Jesus is always aware of what we face, and He comes to us in our need. The way He comes today is not the same as He did in those 40 days, but I can see how Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever still ministers to us in quarantine like He did then. When we feel like we’re at the end of our resources, we find that Jesus Christ comes again with His grace.

My parting encouragement today: Read these accounts. Seek the Lord Jesus and ask Him to reveal more of Himself to you. Praise Him that He is alive and at work in our days of quarantine, boredom and fears. Jesus is alive!

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1) For a helpful article with an actual timeline of these events, see this article from Answers in Genesis.

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Following Jesus Through Holy Week – Monday

Join me this week to read the gospel accounts that walk us through the final week of the Lord Jesus.

Here’s a helpful breakdown of what happened1 on Monday:

  • Jesus curses the fig tree (Matt. 21:18-19; Mark 11:12-14)
  • Jesus cleanses the temple (Matt. 21:12-13; Mark 11:15-18; Luke 19:45-46)
  • Jesus returns to Bethany with His disciples (Mark 11:19

Let’s examine today what Mark recorded about these events.

Mark 11:12–19

[12] On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. [13] And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. [14] And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it.

[15] And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. [16] And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. [17] And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” [18] And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and were seeking a way to destroy him, for they feared him, because all the crowd was astonished at his teaching. [19] And when evening came they went out of the city. (ESV)

What must we learn from this text?

Most Bible teachers see the curse on the fig tree and the clearing of the Temple as related events. How do they relate? Consider first that Jesus was hungry and looked for fruit on the fig tree. On first reading this you may think that it’s strange for anyone to look for figs when Mark says it wasn’t the season for figs. However, when Jesus saw the leaves on the tree from a distance, He knew that when fig leaves appear, so too appears the green figs. That’s true of fig trees: the appearance of leaves should be accompanied by the first figs. He curses the tree and travels down the Kidron Valley and up into Jerusalem.

Jesus clears the Temple for the same essential reason that he cursed the fig tree: He finds no fruit among the worshippers. Worship has become a means to get money, not get God. Those charged with leading and shepherding people to God were actually preventing them from God. Jesus says, “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations… but you have made it a den of robbers!”

Here’s what we should consider on this Monday:

  • Jesus expects fruit from His people. He has the right to demand the fruit of worship and prayer from my life.
  • Let each of us consider: am I truly seeking God and helping others do the same? Or am I content with religious activity that centers on man?

Prayer

Lord Jesus, how much You desired to see fruit come from Your people that Passover week so long ago. You are worthy, wonderful King of receiving the gifts of Your people. All they were and had then, and all we are and have now, should be the praise of Your great Name. Forgive us for how we have lived for ourselves. Help us by Your Spirit to bring fruit to You today.

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1. Crossway is currently offering free access to their ESV Study Bible. To access the Harmony of the Holy Week Chart, simply sign up for that resource, and even more, from Crossway.