WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.919 Turn with me in your Bibles to John chapter 20. 00:00:05.100 --> 00:00:09.160 If you are looking in one of the Pew Bibles, it's page 906. 00:00:10.179 --> 00:00:14.220 We will be reading John chapter 20, verses 1 through 18. 00:00:16.179 --> 00:00:21.640 This is one of the gospel narratives of the resurrection of Jesus. 00:00:21.640 --> 00:00:29.960 John chapter 20. 00:00:31.539 --> 00:00:33.399 I'll be reading beginning at verse 1. 00:00:36.859 --> 00:00:43.120 Now on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early while it was still dark 00:00:43.120 --> 00:00:46.620 and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 00:00:47.320 --> 00:00:51.679 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, 00:00:51.739 --> 00:00:56.780 and said to them, they have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they 00:00:56.780 --> 00:00:57.280 have laid him. 00:00:58.140 --> 00:01:01.199 So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. 00:01:01.320 --> 00:01:05.379 Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the 00:01:05.379 --> 00:01:10.859 tomb first, and stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not 00:01:10.859 --> 00:01:11.219 go in. 00:01:12.340 --> 00:01:15.599 Then Simon Peter came following him, and he went into the tomb. 00:01:15.599 --> 00:01:20.699 He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth which had been on Jesus' head, 00:01:21.179 --> 00:01:24.979 not lying with the linen cloths, but folded up in a place by itself. 00:01:26.019 --> 00:01:32.879 Then the other disciple who had reached the tomb also went in, and he saw and believed. 00:01:33.780 --> 00:01:37.599 For as yet they did not understand the scripture that he must rise from the dead. 00:01:38.619 --> 00:01:40.319 Then the disciples went back to their homes. 00:01:40.319 --> 00:01:43.899 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. 00:01:44.839 --> 00:01:47.599 And as she wept, she stooped to look into the tomb. 00:01:48.579 --> 00:01:53.719 And she saw two angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head 00:01:53.719 --> 00:01:54.619 and one at the feet. 00:01:55.500 --> 00:01:58.159 They said to her, woman, why are you weeping? 00:01:59.079 --> 00:02:03.500 She said to them, they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid 00:02:03.500 --> 00:02:03.739 him. 00:02:03.739 --> 00:02:09.759 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it 00:02:09.759 --> 00:02:10.319 was Jesus. 00:02:11.519 --> 00:02:15.699 Jesus said to her, woman, why are you weeping? 00:02:16.599 --> 00:02:17.659 Whom are you seeking? 00:02:18.799 --> 00:02:24.079 Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, sir, if you have carried him away, tell 00:02:24.079 --> 00:02:26.500 me where you have laid him, and I will take him away. 00:02:26.500 --> 00:02:30.939 Jesus said to her, Mary. 00:02:32.099 --> 00:02:37.879 She turned and said to him in Aramaic, Rabboni, which means teacher. 00:02:39.000 --> 00:02:44.300 Jesus said to her, do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. 00:02:44.979 --> 00:02:51.939 But go to my brothers and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to 00:02:51.939 --> 00:02:54.080 my God and your God. 00:02:54.080 --> 00:03:01.160 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, I have seen the Lord, and that he had said 00:03:01.160 --> 00:03:03.300 these things to her. 00:03:05.960 --> 00:03:11.300 Well, some of you may know that this spring, Professor Lori Santos is teaching the most popular 00:03:11.300 --> 00:03:15.540 class ever in Yale College, Psychology and the Good Life. 00:03:16.500 --> 00:03:19.820 Nearly a quarter of undergraduates, about 1,200 students are enrolled. 00:03:19.819 --> 00:03:24.239 Even if you don't go to Yale, you can check out her course online through Coursera. 00:03:25.359 --> 00:03:30.340 One of her stated motivations for teaching the course was that undergraduate students 00:03:30.340 --> 00:03:36.560 are way more unhappy, stressed out, and worried about the future than people often realize. 00:03:37.840 --> 00:03:42.280 So she wrote in her syllabus, the goal, the main goal of this course is to learn the science 00:03:42.280 --> 00:03:46.060 of happiness and to put that science into practice. 00:03:47.259 --> 00:03:53.500 Many things that we think matter for our happiness, wealth, material possessions, even good grades, 00:03:53.620 --> 00:03:54.319 simply don't. 00:03:55.300 --> 00:04:01.400 Our minds have dumb features that lead us astray, psychological biases that make us seek out 00:04:01.400 --> 00:04:03.219 the wrong sorts of things. 00:04:03.219 --> 00:04:10.780 So the course surveys psychology research about what we really should strive for to live a satisfying 00:04:10.780 --> 00:04:11.960 life. 00:04:13.479 --> 00:04:19.240 But it's not only elite college students who are increasingly depressed or discontent and 00:04:19.240 --> 00:04:19.540 driven. 00:04:20.699 --> 00:04:25.000 Andrew Sullivan wrote recently in New York Magazine, more than two million Americans are now hooked 00:04:25.000 --> 00:04:26.720 on some kind of opioid. 00:04:27.759 --> 00:04:33.100 And drug overdoses claimed more American lives last year than were lost in the entire Vietnam War. 00:04:33.220 --> 00:04:39.520 We use an estimated 30 times more opioids than is medically necessary for a population 00:04:39.520 --> 00:04:40.360 our size. 00:04:42.020 --> 00:04:46.720 And he goes on and he says, most of the ways that we come to terms with this, by blaming 00:04:46.720 --> 00:04:51.320 pharmaceutical companies or blaming doctors or political leaders or drug policies or economic 00:04:51.320 --> 00:04:53.900 stress, miss a deeper story. 00:04:54.960 --> 00:04:59.340 It is a story of pain and the search for an end to it. 00:04:59.339 --> 00:05:05.879 Even as we near peak employment and record high median household income, a sense of permanent 00:05:05.879 --> 00:05:10.199 economic insecurity and spiritual emptiness has become widespread. 00:05:10.199 --> 00:05:24.060 He writes, addiction to work, to food, to phones, to TV, to video games, to porn, to news, and to drugs 00:05:24.060 --> 00:05:25.680 is all around us. 00:05:27.259 --> 00:05:32.659 Opioids are just one of the ways Americans are trying to cope with a world where everything 00:05:32.660 --> 00:05:39.100 is flat, where communication is virtual, and where those core elements of human happiness, 00:05:39.939 --> 00:05:44.200 faith, family, community, seem to elude so many. 00:05:47.480 --> 00:05:52.320 Many years ago, after winning his second straight Super Bowl, the Dallas Cowboys quarterback, 00:05:52.400 --> 00:05:53.920 Troy Aikman, said, 00:05:53.920 --> 00:06:00.520 I'll never forget when I was 12, I couldn't wait till the day I turned 16 and I could drive. 00:06:01.220 --> 00:06:03.280 I thought that would be the end of all life's problems. 00:06:04.060 --> 00:06:06.600 And then I turned 16 and realized there were still problems. 00:06:07.740 --> 00:06:11.160 I kind of said the same thing after I won my first Super Bowl. 00:06:12.180 --> 00:06:15.819 You think once you win it, all your problems are solved professionally. 00:06:16.600 --> 00:06:19.879 But I've won two now, and it hasn't solved a thing. 00:06:20.840 --> 00:06:21.560 Not a thing. 00:06:21.560 --> 00:06:21.580 Not a thing. 00:06:23.920 --> 00:06:24.500 What about you? 00:06:26.680 --> 00:06:30.080 Do any of those descriptions resonate? 00:06:32.379 --> 00:06:34.319 The more I have, the more I need to have. 00:06:35.560 --> 00:06:37.720 The more I am loved, the more I need to be loved. 00:06:37.939 --> 00:06:39.879 The more I achieve, the more I need to achieve. 00:06:42.420 --> 00:06:46.340 Don't we feel this restless longing, this intense craving, this… 00:06:46.340 --> 00:06:47.620 And sometimes we deny it. 00:06:48.120 --> 00:06:49.560 And sometimes we dull it. 00:06:50.340 --> 00:06:53.540 And sometimes we taste something that satisfies it for a while. 00:06:53.920 --> 00:06:56.280 And yet it still comes back and haunts us. 00:06:58.140 --> 00:07:02.939 In the passage we read from John's gospel, Jesus asks two questions. 00:07:04.819 --> 00:07:08.980 Simple and straightforward, but at the same time profound and probing. 00:07:08.980 --> 00:07:11.860 He says, why are you weeping? 00:07:14.160 --> 00:07:15.220 And what are you seeking? 00:07:17.720 --> 00:07:23.879 Why are you stressed, anxious, grieving, desperate, dissatisfied with life and longing for more? 00:07:23.960 --> 00:07:24.819 Why are you weeping? 00:07:24.819 --> 00:07:25.819 Why are you searching? 00:07:25.819 --> 00:07:26.819 Why are you searching for? 00:07:26.819 --> 00:07:27.819 Why are you searching for? 00:07:27.819 --> 00:07:28.500 And what drives you? 00:07:29.500 --> 00:07:35.459 What drives you to get out of bed in the morning and do what you do all day and come back where you live at night and do it all over again? 00:07:35.719 --> 00:07:38.540 What or who are you searching for? 00:07:38.540 --> 00:07:42.900 Now, Jesus doesn't ask these questions in a vacuum. 00:07:43.900 --> 00:07:51.040 So I want to begin this morning by looking at these questions in the context of his conversation with Mary Magdalene. 00:07:52.760 --> 00:07:58.220 And then I want to move ahead to asking, what do these questions have to say to us? 00:07:58.220 --> 00:08:09.120 So first, this morning I want to look at Jesus' questions for Mary. 00:08:10.900 --> 00:08:12.240 Now, a little background on Mary. 00:08:12.400 --> 00:08:14.180 This is not Jesus' mother, Mary. 00:08:14.300 --> 00:08:17.560 There are at least three, maybe four Marys who are mentioned in the gospels. 00:08:17.660 --> 00:08:22.540 It was at least as common a name back then as it was in my extended Italian family. 00:08:24.380 --> 00:08:28.200 This is Mary Magdalene, which simply means that she was from a town called Magdala. 00:08:29.120 --> 00:08:33.259 Mary Magdalene had been a devoted follower of Jesus for some time. 00:08:34.379 --> 00:08:41.300 According to Luke chapter 8, verses 1 to 3, she belonged to a group of women who followed Jesus when he was traveling and teaching. 00:08:42.040 --> 00:08:49.960 And many of these women were well-to-do and provided for Jesus and his disciples and some of his other disciples out of their own means. 00:08:49.960 --> 00:08:58.600 And for Mary in particular, Jesus wasn't just a famous person, a well-known teacher that she admired from far off. 00:08:59.800 --> 00:09:05.480 Luke chapter 8, verse 2 says that Jesus had healed many of evil spirits and infirmities. 00:09:05.700 --> 00:09:10.060 And for Mary Magdalene, he mentions that seven demons had gone out of her. 00:09:11.060 --> 00:09:12.680 Now, we aren't told any more details. 00:09:12.679 --> 00:09:16.819 Perhaps she had been plagued by a complex illness. 00:09:17.000 --> 00:09:21.159 Perhaps her life had been characterized by addictive and self-destructive patterns. 00:09:21.359 --> 00:09:24.099 Perhaps she was literally possessed by multiple evil spirits. 00:09:24.179 --> 00:09:25.219 Perhaps all of the above. 00:09:25.579 --> 00:09:33.219 But whatever her background, through encountering Jesus, she had been released from bondage and she had found wholeness and joy. 00:09:33.220 --> 00:09:41.040 And so, she had joined this group of Jesus' women followers who followed him all the way to the cross. 00:09:42.320 --> 00:09:49.340 And even when nearly all of his male disciples deserted him, this group of women remained near him. 00:09:49.960 --> 00:09:53.320 Even while he was crucified, they saw him take his last breath. 00:09:53.660 --> 00:09:55.820 They saw where his body was buried. 00:09:55.940 --> 00:09:57.160 They were loyal to the end. 00:09:57.159 --> 00:10:02.839 And they were also the first ones to witness his resurrection. 00:10:03.059 --> 00:10:06.240 Verse 1, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early. 00:10:06.860 --> 00:10:09.459 While it was still dark, she saw the stone had been taken away. 00:10:10.199 --> 00:10:16.480 And the other gospels make it clear that she was visiting the tomb in order to anoint Jesus' body with spices. 00:10:17.360 --> 00:10:21.279 It was a way of embalming, sort of paying her respects. 00:10:21.279 --> 00:10:27.720 And that's why she became so distraught after she found that his body was gone. 00:10:29.079 --> 00:10:35.980 Now, as a side note, the fact that women feature so prominently in all of the resurrection accounts, 00:10:36.319 --> 00:10:42.439 in all four of the New Testament gospels, is a testimony to the historical authenticity of these accounts. 00:10:43.699 --> 00:10:47.839 Here, Mary is the first one who sees the stone is taken away from the tomb. 00:10:47.840 --> 00:10:51.580 Matthew, Mark, and Luke tell us that there were two or three other women who accompanied her. 00:10:52.200 --> 00:10:55.720 Here we see that Mary was the first one who encountered Jesus personally. 00:10:56.160 --> 00:11:00.320 And she initially delivered the news to the male disciples that he was alive again. 00:11:02.540 --> 00:11:04.519 Now, we might not notice that detail. 00:11:05.320 --> 00:11:10.040 But in the context of the ancient world, that's a very unusual detail. 00:11:10.580 --> 00:11:16.080 Because in the culture of Jesus' time, women were seen as inferior and untrustworthy. 00:11:16.080 --> 00:11:19.300 So, the Jewish historian Josephus wrote, 00:11:19.420 --> 00:11:21.620 Women are inferior to men in every way. 00:11:22.400 --> 00:11:22.700 Period. 00:11:26.180 --> 00:11:29.080 Most Jewish rabbis refused to even teach women. 00:11:29.280 --> 00:11:32.080 Jesus was a notable exception in this regard. 00:11:32.220 --> 00:11:36.360 He had his 12 male disciples, but again, he also had many women followers. 00:11:37.920 --> 00:11:40.360 One other rabbi, Eliezer, said, 00:11:40.460 --> 00:11:43.140 There is no wisdom in women except with the spindle. 00:11:43.139 --> 00:11:46.139 In other words, the only thing a woman is good for is making clothes. 00:11:47.360 --> 00:11:52.399 And in both Jewish and Roman law courts, women were not allowed to be legal witnesses. 00:11:53.699 --> 00:11:56.759 So, if you were a male in the ancient world, 00:11:57.419 --> 00:12:02.779 and if you were writing a narrative to convince people to believe in your Messiah, 00:12:03.559 --> 00:12:08.019 which is exactly what John says the purpose of his book is at the end of chapter 20, 00:12:08.019 --> 00:12:16.019 you would never put forth women as your primary witnesses in that cultural context. 00:12:17.019 --> 00:12:20.659 If you were playing fast and loose with the details, if you were making up a story, 00:12:21.039 --> 00:12:22.500 if you were inventing a legend, 00:12:23.100 --> 00:12:25.779 you would never say that. 00:12:27.840 --> 00:12:29.379 Because you would be laughed off. 00:12:29.379 --> 00:12:34.399 The only reason you would say it is if it really happened. 00:12:36.840 --> 00:12:39.659 This is not the kind of story that someone would simply invent. 00:12:39.720 --> 00:12:40.620 So, let me challenge you. 00:12:40.679 --> 00:12:42.419 If you're not a Christian believer, 00:12:43.679 --> 00:12:48.600 you can't simply assume that the accounts of Jesus' resurrection are legendary fictions 00:12:48.600 --> 00:12:50.240 with no historical basis, 00:12:50.919 --> 00:12:54.720 or mere projections of Jesus' disciples' wishful thinking. 00:12:54.720 --> 00:13:01.220 Now, if you notice, no one in the story hears about the empty tomb, 00:13:01.360 --> 00:13:02.840 or sees the risen Jesus, 00:13:02.980 --> 00:13:03.980 and immediately says, 00:13:04.279 --> 00:13:04.540 Aha! 00:13:05.379 --> 00:13:07.500 That's what we were expecting all along. 00:13:07.820 --> 00:13:09.480 Our dreams have come true. 00:13:11.320 --> 00:13:11.800 No! 00:13:12.920 --> 00:13:15.639 They're all as skeptical as we would rightly be 00:13:15.639 --> 00:13:17.820 of such a claim. 00:13:19.879 --> 00:13:21.000 They're confused. 00:13:22.220 --> 00:13:23.600 They have to be convinced. 00:13:24.720 --> 00:13:27.899 None of them were expecting it. 00:13:29.279 --> 00:13:31.060 Now, maybe you have historical questions 00:13:31.060 --> 00:13:32.320 or philosophical questions. 00:13:32.519 --> 00:13:33.840 Could this ever really happen? 00:13:34.740 --> 00:13:36.379 Is there reason to believe it's true? 00:13:39.120 --> 00:13:42.779 Invite you to stay for the class that's happening downstairs at 1115. 00:13:42.980 --> 00:13:44.980 Peter Almo will be addressing those questions 00:13:44.980 --> 00:13:47.540 after the coffee time in more detail. 00:13:47.800 --> 00:13:50.000 Or take one of the books from the free book table. 00:13:50.480 --> 00:13:53.639 We have plenty of books addressing all kinds of questions about Christianity. 00:13:53.639 --> 00:13:57.080 We'd love for you to take one home with you as our gift to you today. 00:13:58.519 --> 00:14:00.439 But let's get back to Mary in the story, 00:14:00.600 --> 00:14:01.939 and to Jesus' questions for her. 00:14:03.899 --> 00:14:06.220 Mary, one of Jesus' loyal followers, 00:14:06.340 --> 00:14:07.439 had come to the tomb early. 00:14:07.539 --> 00:14:08.879 She saw the stone rolled away. 00:14:08.980 --> 00:14:10.399 Her initial conclusion was, 00:14:10.779 --> 00:14:13.460 they've taken the Lord out of the tomb. 00:14:14.220 --> 00:14:15.620 We don't know where they have laid Him. 00:14:15.659 --> 00:14:16.720 They've moved His body. 00:14:16.840 --> 00:14:17.960 She doesn't say who they are. 00:14:19.240 --> 00:14:19.980 They've done it. 00:14:20.399 --> 00:14:21.159 Somebody did it. 00:14:21.159 --> 00:14:22.480 So she finds Peter and John. 00:14:22.559 --> 00:14:23.319 They check it out. 00:14:23.620 --> 00:14:26.240 They see the burial cloths neatly folded up, 00:14:26.459 --> 00:14:29.699 which would not have been the case if someone had stolen the body. 00:14:29.759 --> 00:14:31.299 The body was wrapped in the cloths. 00:14:32.740 --> 00:14:36.860 They also see the face cloth laying there. 00:14:36.860 --> 00:14:40.879 So they believed, 00:14:41.200 --> 00:14:42.500 but they didn't fully understand. 00:14:43.480 --> 00:14:44.300 And perhaps, 00:14:44.480 --> 00:14:46.120 as it was very early in the morning, 00:14:46.220 --> 00:14:46.940 they went back home, 00:14:47.000 --> 00:14:47.940 and perhaps they went to sleep. 00:14:48.680 --> 00:14:49.600 As many of us would, 00:14:49.759 --> 00:14:51.620 if we were rudely awakened in the middle of the night 00:14:51.620 --> 00:14:52.820 with a disturbing report, 00:14:52.980 --> 00:14:54.080 and we see something, 00:14:54.419 --> 00:14:56.539 and we can't quite put it all back together in our heads, 00:14:56.580 --> 00:14:57.379 and so we go back home. 00:14:58.580 --> 00:14:59.820 But Mary stays there, 00:15:01.159 --> 00:15:02.159 weeping by the tomb. 00:15:02.159 --> 00:15:03.279 And she turns around, 00:15:03.360 --> 00:15:03.980 verse 14, 00:15:04.079 --> 00:15:05.319 she sees Jesus standing, 00:15:05.579 --> 00:15:07.759 but she doesn't immediately recognize Him, 00:15:07.799 --> 00:15:08.299 and He says, 00:15:08.399 --> 00:15:08.620 Woman, 00:15:10.019 --> 00:15:11.059 why are you weeping? 00:15:12.759 --> 00:15:13.779 What are you seeking? 00:15:15.519 --> 00:15:19.299 Now notice that Jesus didn't have to approach Mary this way. 00:15:21.219 --> 00:15:21.600 I mean, 00:15:21.679 --> 00:15:23.719 couldn't He have just simply walked up to her and said, 00:15:24.179 --> 00:15:24.500 Mary, 00:15:24.719 --> 00:15:25.360 it's me. 00:15:25.360 --> 00:15:28.840 I'm alive. 00:15:30.440 --> 00:15:31.259 Don't you see? 00:15:31.620 --> 00:15:32.460 I'm right here. 00:15:34.080 --> 00:15:36.460 But He intentionally began the conversation 00:15:36.460 --> 00:15:38.440 with these two questions. 00:15:40.419 --> 00:15:40.899 You know, 00:15:40.919 --> 00:15:42.899 I think we often underestimate the power 00:15:42.899 --> 00:15:45.419 of asking simple but probing questions. 00:15:47.840 --> 00:15:49.320 If you lead a Bible study, 00:15:49.379 --> 00:15:51.779 or if you teach a discussion section, 00:15:51.879 --> 00:15:53.539 this is one of your most important jobs. 00:15:53.539 --> 00:15:55.939 And it's harder than it seems. 00:15:58.219 --> 00:16:00.599 Your job is not just to make well-argued statements, 00:16:00.759 --> 00:16:02.939 but to ask simple but probing questions 00:16:02.939 --> 00:16:05.419 that help your group dig into the text 00:16:05.419 --> 00:16:07.199 and dig into their own lives 00:16:07.199 --> 00:16:09.019 and connect the text to their lives. 00:16:10.579 --> 00:16:12.419 If you look through the New Testament Gospels, 00:16:12.539 --> 00:16:13.679 Jesus often does this. 00:16:13.679 --> 00:16:15.299 He often asks questions 00:16:15.299 --> 00:16:18.240 that are simple and direct, 00:16:19.079 --> 00:16:21.219 yet also probing and profound. 00:16:23.539 --> 00:16:24.419 Here are a few examples 00:16:24.419 --> 00:16:27.139 of questions Jesus asks. 00:16:28.899 --> 00:16:30.620 What do you want me to do for you? 00:16:33.679 --> 00:16:35.319 Who do you say that I am? 00:16:37.679 --> 00:16:39.179 Why are you so afraid? 00:16:41.159 --> 00:16:42.199 Do you love me? 00:16:44.399 --> 00:16:45.699 What are you looking for? 00:16:46.219 --> 00:16:47.259 Jesus asked this question 00:16:47.259 --> 00:16:48.139 not only to Mary, 00:16:48.480 --> 00:16:49.559 but two other times 00:16:49.559 --> 00:16:50.839 in the Gospel of John. 00:16:50.840 --> 00:16:53.920 In John chapter 5, 00:16:54.000 --> 00:16:55.580 Jesus approaches a paralyzed man. 00:16:56.560 --> 00:16:57.220 And he says, 00:16:57.320 --> 00:16:58.399 Do you want to be healed? 00:17:00.040 --> 00:17:01.060 Now on the surface, 00:17:01.220 --> 00:17:02.379 the answer to such a question 00:17:02.379 --> 00:17:03.460 is painfully obvious. 00:17:03.560 --> 00:17:04.340 Do I want to be healed? 00:17:04.400 --> 00:17:04.920 Of course! 00:17:06.079 --> 00:17:07.660 Of course he would want to be healed. 00:17:10.620 --> 00:17:12.019 Or is it always so obvious? 00:17:13.740 --> 00:17:15.220 I was reading an article recently 00:17:15.220 --> 00:17:16.420 by a man who had been diagnosed 00:17:16.420 --> 00:17:17.100 with depression. 00:17:17.099 --> 00:17:19.599 And in the course of therapy, 00:17:20.099 --> 00:17:21.480 he wrestled with this question. 00:17:22.679 --> 00:17:24.159 Did I really want to get well? 00:17:26.379 --> 00:17:28.359 Was I willing to do the hard work 00:17:28.359 --> 00:17:30.299 of facing painful situations, 00:17:31.279 --> 00:17:32.259 uncovering bitterness, 00:17:33.159 --> 00:17:35.740 and admitting to deep, resentful anger? 00:17:37.339 --> 00:17:38.859 Was I willing to give up 00:17:38.859 --> 00:17:40.099 my stubborn excuses 00:17:40.099 --> 00:17:41.919 that allowed me to stay the same, 00:17:43.099 --> 00:17:44.579 somehow seeing my sickness 00:17:44.579 --> 00:17:46.759 as more secure than my health? 00:17:47.099 --> 00:17:51.759 Some of these questions, 00:17:51.859 --> 00:17:52.919 the answer seems obvious, 00:17:53.079 --> 00:17:54.299 but when you probe a little deeper, 00:17:54.379 --> 00:17:56.459 the answer isn't quite so obvious. 00:17:57.599 --> 00:17:59.539 And Jesus often used probing questions 00:17:59.539 --> 00:18:02.699 to expose our unstated assumptions 00:18:02.699 --> 00:18:05.179 and our hidden motives 00:18:05.179 --> 00:18:07.679 and bring those out. 00:18:09.459 --> 00:18:09.959 And you know, 00:18:10.000 --> 00:18:11.379 it's not just in the life of Jesus 00:18:11.379 --> 00:18:13.719 that we see the power 00:18:13.719 --> 00:18:14.740 of probing questions. 00:18:14.740 --> 00:18:16.019 If you go back to the beginning 00:18:16.019 --> 00:18:16.680 of the Bible 00:18:16.680 --> 00:18:19.539 to the book of Genesis, 00:18:20.839 --> 00:18:22.099 when Adam and Eve 00:18:22.099 --> 00:18:23.700 ate of the tree of knowledge 00:18:23.700 --> 00:18:24.660 of good and evil, 00:18:25.759 --> 00:18:27.400 the tree that God had reserved 00:18:27.400 --> 00:18:28.400 only for Himself, 00:18:30.460 --> 00:18:32.259 and the harmony of creation 00:18:32.259 --> 00:18:32.960 was disrupted, 00:18:33.139 --> 00:18:34.839 and the trust of their intimate marriage 00:18:34.839 --> 00:18:35.440 was broken, 00:18:35.720 --> 00:18:37.639 and they had transgressed God's command, 00:18:37.720 --> 00:18:39.160 and they had betrayed His friendship, 00:18:39.379 --> 00:18:40.519 and God pursued them 00:18:40.519 --> 00:18:42.319 with simple but probing questions. 00:18:42.319 --> 00:18:42.759 He said, 00:18:42.839 --> 00:18:43.779 where are you, 00:18:44.179 --> 00:18:44.419 Adam? 00:18:47.339 --> 00:18:47.819 Eve, 00:18:48.000 --> 00:18:49.740 what is it that you have done? 00:18:52.740 --> 00:18:53.639 And in Genesis, 00:18:53.819 --> 00:18:55.139 God's probing questions 00:18:55.139 --> 00:18:56.720 exposed their guilt 00:18:56.720 --> 00:18:58.059 and their feeble attempts 00:18:58.059 --> 00:18:59.839 at covering it up. 00:18:59.839 --> 00:19:02.359 They were hiding in the trees 00:19:02.359 --> 00:19:04.359 because they had spoiled the garden. 00:19:05.819 --> 00:19:07.519 They had participated effectively 00:19:07.519 --> 00:19:09.299 in a plot to displace the owner, 00:19:09.859 --> 00:19:11.480 and therefore they were no longer 00:19:11.480 --> 00:19:13.179 fit to be managers. 00:19:14.179 --> 00:19:15.339 They were exiled 00:19:15.339 --> 00:19:17.679 to live the rest of their lives 00:19:17.679 --> 00:19:18.459 as wanderers. 00:19:18.460 --> 00:19:21.200 Of course, 00:19:21.259 --> 00:19:22.000 the point of the story 00:19:22.000 --> 00:19:22.500 in Genesis 00:19:22.500 --> 00:19:24.799 is that we all live 00:19:24.799 --> 00:19:25.640 in its aftermath. 00:19:28.299 --> 00:19:29.380 Has not the rest 00:19:29.380 --> 00:19:30.160 of human history 00:19:30.160 --> 00:19:30.840 been marked 00:19:30.840 --> 00:19:33.100 by a lingering unease, 00:19:33.819 --> 00:19:36.180 by a sense of shame, 00:19:37.680 --> 00:19:38.319 a sense that 00:19:38.319 --> 00:19:39.720 all is not right 00:19:39.720 --> 00:19:40.579 between us 00:19:40.579 --> 00:19:41.840 and the universe 00:19:41.840 --> 00:19:42.700 and its maker? 00:19:45.500 --> 00:19:46.900 Is not much of our life 00:19:46.900 --> 00:19:48.079 a restless wandering 00:19:48.079 --> 00:19:50.179 a persistent longing, 00:19:50.339 --> 00:19:51.019 a frustrated 00:19:51.019 --> 00:19:52.720 but unending search 00:19:52.720 --> 00:19:53.399 to find 00:19:53.399 --> 00:19:55.439 that paradise lost? 00:19:59.359 --> 00:20:00.659 But isn't it interesting 00:20:00.659 --> 00:20:02.960 that here 00:20:02.960 --> 00:20:03.939 in another garden 00:20:03.939 --> 00:20:06.359 we see 00:20:06.359 --> 00:20:07.419 the risen Jesus 00:20:07.419 --> 00:20:08.379 approaching Mary 00:20:08.379 --> 00:20:09.859 with two questions. 00:20:11.319 --> 00:20:12.339 And it's not 00:20:12.339 --> 00:20:13.159 where are you 00:20:13.159 --> 00:20:14.240 and what have you done? 00:20:16.559 --> 00:20:17.699 It's not questions 00:20:17.700 --> 00:20:18.319 that expose 00:20:18.319 --> 00:20:19.279 her own guilt 00:20:19.279 --> 00:20:19.900 and shame. 00:20:20.019 --> 00:20:20.500 It's questions 00:20:20.500 --> 00:20:21.519 that are inviting. 00:20:23.019 --> 00:20:24.380 Questions that draw her out 00:20:24.380 --> 00:20:24.980 and invite her 00:20:24.980 --> 00:20:25.660 to respond. 00:20:25.799 --> 00:20:26.819 Why are you weeping? 00:20:27.200 --> 00:20:28.279 What are you seeking? 00:20:33.080 --> 00:20:34.100 And like many of us, 00:20:34.180 --> 00:20:34.680 Mary thinks 00:20:34.680 --> 00:20:35.319 that the answers 00:20:35.319 --> 00:20:36.080 to these questions 00:20:36.080 --> 00:20:37.059 are very obvious. 00:20:38.380 --> 00:20:39.480 Why am I weeping? 00:20:40.160 --> 00:20:41.120 Because my teacher 00:20:41.120 --> 00:20:41.960 just died 00:20:41.960 --> 00:20:43.120 and now his grave 00:20:43.120 --> 00:20:43.920 has been violated 00:20:43.920 --> 00:20:44.640 and his body 00:20:44.640 --> 00:20:45.240 taken away 00:20:45.240 --> 00:20:46.160 by who knows who. 00:20:46.160 --> 00:20:46.680 Besides, 00:20:46.940 --> 00:20:47.800 she might have wondered, 00:20:48.120 --> 00:20:49.700 why are you asking me 00:20:49.700 --> 00:20:50.880 the exact same question 00:20:50.880 --> 00:20:51.519 that the angel 00:20:51.519 --> 00:20:52.360 just asked me 00:20:52.360 --> 00:20:53.779 in verse 13? 00:20:54.420 --> 00:20:55.080 Didn't you hear 00:20:55.080 --> 00:20:55.700 my answer? 00:20:57.960 --> 00:20:59.279 And what am I looking for? 00:20:59.340 --> 00:21:00.740 I'm looking for Jesus' body 00:21:00.740 --> 00:21:01.259 to give it 00:21:01.259 --> 00:21:01.759 a proper 00:21:01.759 --> 00:21:02.920 and dignified burial. 00:21:04.980 --> 00:21:06.259 And then Jesus says, 00:21:07.000 --> 00:21:07.320 Mary. 00:21:07.319 --> 00:21:11.939 And her weeping 00:21:11.939 --> 00:21:12.799 turns to joy 00:21:12.799 --> 00:21:14.759 and amazement 00:21:14.759 --> 00:21:16.759 because the man 00:21:16.759 --> 00:21:17.859 standing before her 00:21:17.859 --> 00:21:19.139 is not 00:21:19.139 --> 00:21:21.319 an unfamiliar gardener. 00:21:22.480 --> 00:21:23.859 He's her very own 00:21:23.859 --> 00:21:24.460 dear teacher. 00:21:26.000 --> 00:21:27.240 He's the good shepherd 00:21:27.240 --> 00:21:28.659 who has called her by name. 00:21:30.099 --> 00:21:31.379 And her search 00:21:31.379 --> 00:21:33.159 has ended in 00:21:33.159 --> 00:21:34.099 finding. 00:21:34.099 --> 00:21:37.179 not the dead body 00:21:37.179 --> 00:21:37.639 of Jesus 00:21:37.639 --> 00:21:39.679 but Jesus alive 00:21:39.679 --> 00:21:41.019 in his resurrected body. 00:21:42.359 --> 00:21:42.799 And so Mary 00:21:42.799 --> 00:21:43.899 embraces Jesus 00:21:43.899 --> 00:21:46.199 and she wants 00:21:46.199 --> 00:21:47.099 to hold on to him 00:21:47.099 --> 00:21:48.199 and never let him go. 00:21:51.259 --> 00:21:52.059 That's why Jesus 00:21:52.059 --> 00:21:52.539 has to say, 00:21:52.740 --> 00:21:53.480 don't cling to me. 00:21:54.059 --> 00:21:54.719 He's not saying 00:21:54.719 --> 00:21:55.480 don't touch me. 00:21:56.919 --> 00:21:57.480 He's saying 00:21:57.480 --> 00:21:58.339 you can't hold on 00:21:58.339 --> 00:21:59.519 to me physically 00:21:59.519 --> 00:22:00.599 and never, 00:22:00.699 --> 00:22:00.819 ever, 00:22:00.879 --> 00:22:01.599 ever let me go. 00:22:01.599 --> 00:22:01.659 No. 00:22:04.099 --> 00:22:05.819 For days and days 00:22:05.819 --> 00:22:06.279 and years, 00:22:06.459 --> 00:22:06.740 right? 00:22:08.799 --> 00:22:09.059 You see, 00:22:09.119 --> 00:22:09.579 the questions 00:22:09.579 --> 00:22:10.579 with which Jesus 00:22:10.579 --> 00:22:11.379 approaches Mary 00:22:11.379 --> 00:22:12.439 are only the beginning. 00:22:13.319 --> 00:22:14.119 And she walks away 00:22:14.119 --> 00:22:14.799 with the assurance 00:22:14.799 --> 00:22:15.740 of a risen Savior 00:22:15.740 --> 00:22:16.719 with the promise 00:22:16.719 --> 00:22:17.439 of a new beginning 00:22:17.439 --> 00:22:18.139 and with a mission 00:22:18.139 --> 00:22:18.839 to carry out. 00:22:21.259 --> 00:22:22.259 But what about us? 00:22:24.639 --> 00:22:25.859 What do these questions 00:22:25.859 --> 00:22:26.719 have to say 00:22:26.719 --> 00:22:28.000 to us? 00:22:28.000 --> 00:22:34.920 over 300 years ago, 00:22:35.000 --> 00:22:35.619 Blaise Pascal, 00:22:36.660 --> 00:22:38.259 the French mathematician 00:22:38.259 --> 00:22:38.920 and philosopher, 00:22:39.059 --> 00:22:39.559 wrote this. 00:22:41.319 --> 00:22:41.920 He said, 00:22:41.980 --> 00:22:43.359 all people seek happiness. 00:22:44.680 --> 00:22:45.859 There are no exceptions. 00:22:47.559 --> 00:22:48.359 However different 00:22:48.359 --> 00:22:49.640 the means they may employ, 00:22:49.720 --> 00:22:50.460 they all strive 00:22:50.460 --> 00:22:51.440 towards this goal. 00:22:51.539 --> 00:22:52.059 The reason why 00:22:52.059 --> 00:22:52.859 some go to war 00:22:52.859 --> 00:22:53.539 and some do not 00:22:53.539 --> 00:22:54.460 is the same desire 00:22:54.460 --> 00:22:54.900 in both 00:22:54.900 --> 00:22:55.559 but interpreted 00:22:55.559 --> 00:22:56.500 two different ways. 00:22:56.500 --> 00:22:59.299 this is the motive 00:22:59.299 --> 00:23:00.259 of every act 00:23:00.259 --> 00:23:01.319 of every person, 00:23:01.960 --> 00:23:02.740 including those 00:23:02.740 --> 00:23:03.599 who hang themselves. 00:23:05.720 --> 00:23:06.619 But Pascal went on 00:23:06.619 --> 00:23:07.019 to say that 00:23:07.019 --> 00:23:08.339 though we all seek happiness, 00:23:09.599 --> 00:23:10.700 very few of us 00:23:10.700 --> 00:23:12.880 ever actually obtain it 00:23:12.880 --> 00:23:14.779 in any lasting way. 00:23:16.220 --> 00:23:18.079 Because he also points out 00:23:18.079 --> 00:23:19.880 all people complain. 00:23:21.920 --> 00:23:22.319 Princes, 00:23:22.480 --> 00:23:22.819 subjects, 00:23:22.960 --> 00:23:23.240 nobles, 00:23:23.359 --> 00:23:23.759 commoners, 00:23:23.839 --> 00:23:24.079 old, 00:23:24.160 --> 00:23:24.380 young, 00:23:24.500 --> 00:23:24.819 strong, 00:23:24.920 --> 00:23:25.119 weak, 00:23:25.220 --> 00:23:25.500 learned, 00:23:25.640 --> 00:23:25.900 ignorant, 00:23:25.900 --> 00:23:26.259 healthy, 00:23:26.380 --> 00:23:26.560 sick, 00:23:26.600 --> 00:23:27.200 in every country 00:23:27.200 --> 00:23:27.820 at every time 00:23:27.820 --> 00:23:28.420 of all ages 00:23:28.420 --> 00:23:29.240 and all conditions. 00:23:29.240 --> 00:23:30.140 This really ought 00:23:30.140 --> 00:23:30.940 to convince us 00:23:30.940 --> 00:23:32.180 that we are incapable 00:23:32.180 --> 00:23:33.240 of attaining the good 00:23:33.240 --> 00:23:34.240 by our own efforts. 00:23:36.000 --> 00:23:37.840 The present never satisfies us 00:23:37.840 --> 00:23:39.440 but experience deceives us 00:23:39.440 --> 00:23:41.200 and leads us on 00:23:41.200 --> 00:23:42.180 from one misfortune 00:23:42.180 --> 00:23:42.880 to another 00:23:42.880 --> 00:23:45.000 until death comes 00:23:45.000 --> 00:23:45.600 as the ultimate 00:23:45.600 --> 00:23:46.720 and eternal climax. 00:23:48.259 --> 00:23:48.900 Pascal says, 00:23:48.980 --> 00:23:49.720 what else does this 00:23:49.720 --> 00:23:50.840 craving for happiness 00:23:50.840 --> 00:23:53.019 and this helplessness 00:23:53.019 --> 00:23:53.720 to obtain it, 00:23:53.720 --> 00:23:56.700 what else does it tell us 00:23:56.700 --> 00:23:58.339 but that there once 00:23:58.339 --> 00:23:59.059 was in man 00:23:59.059 --> 00:23:59.960 a true happiness 00:23:59.960 --> 00:24:01.900 of which all 00:24:01.900 --> 00:24:02.720 that now remains 00:24:02.720 --> 00:24:03.740 is the empty print 00:24:03.740 --> 00:24:04.339 and trace. 00:24:05.640 --> 00:24:07.039 This he tries in vain 00:24:07.039 --> 00:24:07.920 to fill with everything 00:24:07.920 --> 00:24:08.539 around him 00:24:08.539 --> 00:24:09.579 seeking in things 00:24:09.579 --> 00:24:10.600 that are not there 00:24:10.600 --> 00:24:13.140 the help he cannot find 00:24:13.140 --> 00:24:14.059 in those that are 00:24:14.059 --> 00:24:15.600 though none can help 00:24:15.600 --> 00:24:18.420 since this infinite abyss 00:24:18.420 --> 00:24:20.640 can be filled only 00:24:20.640 --> 00:24:21.579 with an infinite 00:24:21.579 --> 00:24:23.659 and unchangeable object 00:24:23.659 --> 00:24:25.159 in other words 00:24:25.159 --> 00:24:26.679 by God himself. 00:24:30.319 --> 00:24:31.000 Pascal says, 00:24:31.079 --> 00:24:31.879 we're all seeking 00:24:31.879 --> 00:24:32.720 for happiness 00:24:32.720 --> 00:24:35.779 and yet the only place 00:24:35.779 --> 00:24:36.819 we can truly find it 00:24:36.819 --> 00:24:39.919 is in an infinite God. 00:24:41.699 --> 00:24:42.659 Now, there are at least 00:24:42.659 --> 00:24:43.279 three ways 00:24:43.279 --> 00:24:44.039 that you might respond 00:24:44.039 --> 00:24:44.699 to that statement. 00:24:48.000 --> 00:24:48.539 You know, 00:24:48.579 --> 00:24:49.659 some of you may be saying 00:24:49.660 --> 00:24:51.779 you've been talking 00:24:51.779 --> 00:24:52.540 all this time 00:24:52.540 --> 00:24:53.279 about longing 00:24:53.279 --> 00:24:54.240 and yearning 00:24:54.240 --> 00:24:56.420 and an infinite abyss 00:24:56.420 --> 00:24:58.240 and I just don't feel it. 00:24:59.500 --> 00:25:00.759 I know some people do 00:25:00.759 --> 00:25:02.220 but I'm not weeping 00:25:02.220 --> 00:25:03.480 and I'm not seeking. 00:25:04.820 --> 00:25:05.580 Most days 00:25:05.580 --> 00:25:06.900 I just try to accept life 00:25:06.900 --> 00:25:07.600 as it comes, 00:25:09.100 --> 00:25:10.100 practice gratitude 00:25:10.100 --> 00:25:10.960 and mindfulness 00:25:10.960 --> 00:25:13.240 and I don't really feel 00:25:13.240 --> 00:25:14.080 any need for God. 00:25:17.380 --> 00:25:18.279 Maybe that's you. 00:25:18.279 --> 00:25:21.500 I think we can all agree 00:25:21.500 --> 00:25:23.579 that there is something good 00:25:23.579 --> 00:25:24.759 about practicing gratitude 00:25:24.759 --> 00:25:25.940 and mindfulness, 00:25:26.440 --> 00:25:27.339 being content 00:25:27.339 --> 00:25:28.980 with our material possessions 00:25:28.980 --> 00:25:29.700 rather than 00:25:29.700 --> 00:25:31.359 always longing for more. 00:25:33.039 --> 00:25:34.259 But let me ask, 00:25:34.779 --> 00:25:36.579 if you don't feel 00:25:36.579 --> 00:25:37.779 any need for God, 00:25:39.039 --> 00:25:41.660 if you are not weeping 00:25:41.660 --> 00:25:42.700 over the pain 00:25:42.700 --> 00:25:43.319 and injustice 00:25:43.319 --> 00:25:44.200 of this world, 00:25:44.200 --> 00:25:47.120 if you're not searching 00:25:47.120 --> 00:25:47.720 for something 00:25:47.720 --> 00:25:48.460 that this world 00:25:48.460 --> 00:25:49.319 can't provide, 00:25:50.380 --> 00:25:51.740 how much have you 00:25:51.740 --> 00:25:52.440 really suffered? 00:25:55.860 --> 00:25:56.799 Have you stood 00:25:56.799 --> 00:25:57.420 at the grave 00:25:57.420 --> 00:25:58.380 of a dear friend 00:25:58.380 --> 00:26:00.920 who lost his life 00:26:00.920 --> 00:26:02.600 at a young age 00:26:02.600 --> 00:26:04.420 in an unjust attack 00:26:04.420 --> 00:26:06.380 and wondered, 00:26:06.620 --> 00:26:08.860 can there ever be 00:26:08.860 --> 00:26:10.779 any healing 00:26:10.779 --> 00:26:11.840 or justice? 00:26:11.839 --> 00:26:15.039 that was exactly 00:26:15.039 --> 00:26:16.379 Mary Magdalene's situation. 00:26:19.959 --> 00:26:20.759 My wife and I 00:26:20.759 --> 00:26:21.179 have been married 00:26:21.179 --> 00:26:22.199 for almost 10 years now. 00:26:23.399 --> 00:26:24.159 The first year 00:26:24.159 --> 00:26:24.679 we were married, 00:26:24.779 --> 00:26:25.740 we attended 10 weddings. 00:26:30.199 --> 00:26:30.959 These days, 00:26:31.079 --> 00:26:32.199 I find that I attend 00:26:32.199 --> 00:26:33.179 roughly the same number 00:26:33.179 --> 00:26:34.339 of weddings as funerals. 00:26:35.939 --> 00:26:36.859 As you get older, 00:26:37.159 --> 00:26:37.619 the proportions 00:26:37.619 --> 00:26:38.659 only shift one way. 00:26:38.660 --> 00:26:42.980 And then you see 00:26:42.980 --> 00:26:43.880 that not all the weddings 00:26:43.880 --> 00:26:45.720 end in happily ever after. 00:26:47.340 --> 00:26:48.720 And not all the funerals 00:26:48.720 --> 00:26:49.180 are people 00:26:49.180 --> 00:26:50.640 who have lived full lives 00:26:50.640 --> 00:26:52.380 and died in peace 00:26:52.380 --> 00:26:53.840 surrounded by loved ones. 00:26:55.920 --> 00:26:57.300 There's a lot of brokenness 00:26:57.300 --> 00:26:57.820 in the world 00:26:57.820 --> 00:27:00.240 that no justice system 00:27:00.240 --> 00:27:01.000 will ever fix. 00:27:04.340 --> 00:27:05.140 Maybe you haven't 00:27:05.140 --> 00:27:06.060 suffered much yourself. 00:27:06.059 --> 00:27:10.139 But through your circumstances, 00:27:10.319 --> 00:27:11.339 your life has become 00:27:11.339 --> 00:27:12.460 intertwined 00:27:12.460 --> 00:27:13.379 with people who have. 00:27:15.079 --> 00:27:16.359 That was Francis Collins' 00:27:16.519 --> 00:27:16.879 experience. 00:27:17.079 --> 00:27:17.519 He grew up 00:27:17.519 --> 00:27:18.940 in a well-educated, 00:27:20.079 --> 00:27:20.859 non-religious, 00:27:21.859 --> 00:27:22.779 well-adjusted, 00:27:23.000 --> 00:27:24.099 happy household. 00:27:25.460 --> 00:27:26.659 He studied physical chemistry 00:27:26.659 --> 00:27:27.259 here at Yale. 00:27:27.700 --> 00:27:28.599 He went to UNC 00:27:28.599 --> 00:27:29.500 for medical school. 00:27:29.639 --> 00:27:30.359 He would later become 00:27:30.359 --> 00:27:30.839 the director 00:27:30.839 --> 00:27:32.059 of the Human Genome Project. 00:27:32.220 --> 00:27:33.700 He's now the director 00:27:33.700 --> 00:27:34.759 of the National Institutes 00:27:34.759 --> 00:27:35.180 of Health. 00:27:37.039 --> 00:27:38.200 He's a very successful 00:27:38.200 --> 00:27:38.720 young man. 00:27:38.799 --> 00:27:40.000 He felt no need for God. 00:27:40.240 --> 00:27:40.879 In his mind, 00:27:40.980 --> 00:27:42.279 religion was sentimentality 00:27:42.279 --> 00:27:43.119 and superstition. 00:27:44.559 --> 00:27:45.379 And then he came 00:27:45.379 --> 00:27:46.019 to his third year 00:27:46.019 --> 00:27:46.779 of medical school 00:27:46.779 --> 00:27:49.460 and started his rotations 00:27:49.460 --> 00:27:50.539 in the hospital. 00:27:52.480 --> 00:27:53.259 And he noticed 00:27:53.259 --> 00:27:54.279 that many of his patients 00:27:54.279 --> 00:27:55.480 with untreatable illnesses 00:27:55.480 --> 00:27:56.279 found peace 00:27:56.279 --> 00:27:57.319 through their faith in God. 00:27:58.680 --> 00:27:59.900 And he started to wonder 00:27:59.900 --> 00:28:03.240 if faith was just 00:28:03.240 --> 00:28:04.600 a psychological crutch, 00:28:05.180 --> 00:28:06.860 it must be very powerful. 00:28:08.400 --> 00:28:09.720 And if it was nothing more 00:28:09.720 --> 00:28:10.759 than a cultural tradition, 00:28:10.920 --> 00:28:11.780 why were these people 00:28:11.780 --> 00:28:12.960 not shaking their fist 00:28:12.960 --> 00:28:13.519 at God 00:28:13.519 --> 00:28:14.759 and demanding 00:28:14.759 --> 00:28:15.440 that their friends 00:28:15.440 --> 00:28:15.920 and family 00:28:15.920 --> 00:28:17.160 stop all this talk 00:28:17.160 --> 00:28:18.019 of a loving, 00:28:18.500 --> 00:28:18.940 benevolent, 00:28:19.060 --> 00:28:19.900 supernatural power? 00:28:21.780 --> 00:28:22.880 And then one day, 00:28:23.080 --> 00:28:24.000 one of his patients 00:28:24.000 --> 00:28:25.140 asked him 00:28:25.140 --> 00:28:26.240 a simple 00:28:26.240 --> 00:28:27.360 but probing 00:28:27.360 --> 00:28:28.060 question. 00:28:28.059 --> 00:28:30.299 She was an older woman. 00:28:31.200 --> 00:28:31.839 She was suffering 00:28:31.839 --> 00:28:32.500 from severe, 00:28:32.679 --> 00:28:33.759 untreatable angina. 00:28:34.700 --> 00:28:35.419 She was a strong 00:28:35.419 --> 00:28:36.099 Christian believer. 00:28:36.599 --> 00:28:37.919 She had expressed 00:28:37.919 --> 00:28:38.759 her faith to him. 00:28:39.919 --> 00:28:40.559 But that day, 00:28:40.599 --> 00:28:41.500 she asked him a question. 00:28:42.519 --> 00:28:42.960 She said, 00:28:43.019 --> 00:28:43.319 Doctor, 00:28:43.599 --> 00:28:45.519 what do you believe? 00:28:48.359 --> 00:28:49.460 And he stammered, 00:28:49.500 --> 00:28:50.500 I'm not really sure. 00:28:51.659 --> 00:28:52.399 And he said, 00:28:52.460 --> 00:28:52.980 that moment, 00:28:53.079 --> 00:28:54.559 that question haunted me 00:28:54.559 --> 00:28:56.339 for several days. 00:28:58.059 --> 00:28:59.619 Didn't I consider myself 00:28:59.619 --> 00:29:00.179 a scientist? 00:29:01.079 --> 00:29:02.000 Does a scientist 00:29:02.000 --> 00:29:02.819 draw conclusions 00:29:02.819 --> 00:29:03.700 without considering 00:29:03.700 --> 00:29:04.159 the data? 00:29:05.259 --> 00:29:05.819 Could there be 00:29:05.819 --> 00:29:06.919 a more important question 00:29:06.919 --> 00:29:08.159 in all of human existence 00:29:08.159 --> 00:29:08.539 than, 00:29:08.639 --> 00:29:09.539 is there a God? 00:29:10.879 --> 00:29:11.279 And yet, 00:29:11.339 --> 00:29:12.440 there I found myself 00:29:12.440 --> 00:29:13.259 having avoided 00:29:13.259 --> 00:29:14.700 any serious consideration 00:29:14.700 --> 00:29:16.220 that God might be 00:29:16.220 --> 00:29:17.220 a real possibility. 00:29:19.599 --> 00:29:20.539 This simple 00:29:20.539 --> 00:29:22.019 but probing question 00:29:22.019 --> 00:29:24.159 from a dying patient 00:29:24.159 --> 00:29:25.859 set him on a journey. 00:29:25.859 --> 00:29:28.199 And eventually, 00:29:28.819 --> 00:29:30.459 that journey led him 00:29:30.459 --> 00:29:32.979 to faith in Jesus Christ. 00:29:34.559 --> 00:29:35.379 So he tells some 00:29:35.379 --> 00:29:35.939 of that story 00:29:35.939 --> 00:29:36.419 in his book 00:29:36.419 --> 00:29:37.319 about science and faith, 00:29:37.439 --> 00:29:38.939 The Language of God. 00:29:39.879 --> 00:29:40.379 There are plenty 00:29:40.379 --> 00:29:41.339 of copies on the book table 00:29:41.339 --> 00:29:41.919 if you're interested 00:29:41.919 --> 00:29:43.399 in his story. 00:29:45.879 --> 00:29:46.779 So that's the first way 00:29:46.779 --> 00:29:48.439 that you might respond. 00:29:50.240 --> 00:29:51.079 But the second way 00:29:51.079 --> 00:29:51.859 you might respond 00:29:51.859 --> 00:29:54.599 is you might say, 00:29:54.599 --> 00:29:55.299 I know exactly 00:29:55.299 --> 00:29:56.299 what you're talking about. 00:29:59.039 --> 00:30:00.159 I look into that 00:30:00.159 --> 00:30:00.819 infinite abyss 00:30:00.819 --> 00:30:01.699 every single day. 00:30:03.500 --> 00:30:04.179 Some days, 00:30:04.240 --> 00:30:05.379 I can't even get myself 00:30:05.379 --> 00:30:06.299 out of bed in the morning 00:30:06.299 --> 00:30:08.399 because I know exactly 00:30:08.399 --> 00:30:09.339 what you're talking about. 00:30:11.759 --> 00:30:12.619 Maybe your life 00:30:12.619 --> 00:30:13.559 is a constant quest 00:30:13.559 --> 00:30:14.119 to fill it 00:30:14.119 --> 00:30:15.259 one way or another. 00:30:15.500 --> 00:30:16.659 Or maybe you've given up 00:30:16.659 --> 00:30:17.599 on ever finding it. 00:30:19.199 --> 00:30:20.480 And you've resigned yourself 00:30:20.480 --> 00:30:23.119 to living the U2 song. 00:30:23.119 --> 00:30:24.919 I still haven't found 00:30:24.919 --> 00:30:25.739 what I'm looking for. 00:30:29.699 --> 00:30:30.679 But if that's you, 00:30:31.439 --> 00:30:33.619 the same Jesus 00:30:33.619 --> 00:30:34.559 who searched out 00:30:34.559 --> 00:30:35.379 Mary Magdalene 00:30:35.379 --> 00:30:37.259 is searching you out today. 00:30:41.439 --> 00:30:42.399 C.S. Lewis wrote, 00:30:42.479 --> 00:30:43.359 Creatures are not born 00:30:43.359 --> 00:30:44.059 with desires 00:30:44.059 --> 00:30:45.179 unless satisfaction 00:30:45.179 --> 00:30:46.599 for desires exists. 00:30:47.219 --> 00:30:48.379 A baby feels hunger? 00:30:48.500 --> 00:30:49.179 Well, there is such 00:30:49.179 --> 00:30:49.839 a thing as food. 00:30:49.839 --> 00:30:52.039 A duckling wants to swim? 00:30:52.179 --> 00:30:52.839 Well, there is such 00:30:52.839 --> 00:30:53.500 a thing as water. 00:30:54.500 --> 00:30:55.939 People feel sexual desire? 00:30:56.099 --> 00:30:56.740 Well, there is such 00:30:56.740 --> 00:30:57.439 a thing as sex. 00:30:58.879 --> 00:31:00.559 If I find in myself 00:31:00.559 --> 00:31:01.259 a desire 00:31:01.259 --> 00:31:02.839 which no experience 00:31:03.379 --> 00:31:04.039 in this world 00:31:04.039 --> 00:31:04.779 can satisfy, 00:31:05.500 --> 00:31:06.699 the most probable 00:31:06.699 --> 00:31:07.859 explanation is that 00:31:07.859 --> 00:31:08.599 I was made 00:31:08.599 --> 00:31:09.500 for another world. 00:31:10.699 --> 00:31:11.579 If none of my 00:31:11.579 --> 00:31:12.279 earthly pleasures 00:31:12.279 --> 00:31:13.000 satisfy it, 00:31:13.059 --> 00:31:14.059 that does not prove 00:31:14.059 --> 00:31:14.699 that the universe 00:31:14.699 --> 00:31:15.539 is a fraud. 00:31:17.339 --> 00:31:18.519 Probably earthly pleasures 00:31:18.519 --> 00:31:19.180 were never meant 00:31:19.180 --> 00:31:20.099 to satisfy it, 00:31:20.680 --> 00:31:22.440 but only to arouse it, 00:31:22.839 --> 00:31:24.259 to suggest the real thing. 00:31:26.900 --> 00:31:27.839 Why are you weeping? 00:31:28.559 --> 00:31:29.379 Why are you seeking? 00:31:30.119 --> 00:31:30.440 You see, 00:31:30.480 --> 00:31:31.639 the message of Easter Sunday 00:31:31.639 --> 00:31:32.759 is that the one 00:31:32.759 --> 00:31:34.000 whom we were made for, 00:31:35.079 --> 00:31:36.200 the one to whom 00:31:36.200 --> 00:31:38.279 all our truest longings 00:31:38.279 --> 00:31:39.420 and all creation 00:31:39.420 --> 00:31:40.619 ultimately points, 00:31:41.220 --> 00:31:43.160 has come to meet us. 00:31:44.220 --> 00:31:45.180 The Son of God 00:31:45.180 --> 00:31:46.720 became a human being. 00:31:46.720 --> 00:31:49.220 He entered into 00:31:49.220 --> 00:31:49.860 our twisted 00:31:49.860 --> 00:31:50.720 and broken world. 00:31:52.380 --> 00:31:53.180 And in His death, 00:31:53.240 --> 00:31:54.220 He entered into 00:31:54.220 --> 00:31:55.920 that infinite abyss. 00:31:58.680 --> 00:32:00.980 The chasm separating 00:32:00.980 --> 00:32:02.900 humanity and God. 00:32:05.339 --> 00:32:06.880 And His resurrection 00:32:06.880 --> 00:32:08.799 proclaims that He has 00:32:08.799 --> 00:32:10.839 bridged that chasm. 00:32:10.839 --> 00:32:13.879 That He has bridged 00:32:13.879 --> 00:32:14.899 the chasm between 00:32:14.899 --> 00:32:16.339 sinful, 00:32:16.779 --> 00:32:17.699 rebellious humanity 00:32:17.699 --> 00:32:18.939 and a perfect 00:32:18.939 --> 00:32:19.919 and holy God. 00:32:21.220 --> 00:32:21.819 And yet, 00:32:21.879 --> 00:32:22.539 in His resurrection, 00:32:22.699 --> 00:32:23.279 He says He has 00:32:23.279 --> 00:32:24.279 triumphed over that. 00:32:24.459 --> 00:32:25.079 He has bridged 00:32:25.079 --> 00:32:26.059 that chasm through. 00:32:26.399 --> 00:32:26.619 Jesus, 00:32:26.759 --> 00:32:27.459 we can draw near 00:32:27.459 --> 00:32:28.539 to God with confidence 00:32:28.539 --> 00:32:29.359 because the curse 00:32:29.359 --> 00:32:30.240 of sin is broken 00:32:30.240 --> 00:32:31.399 and the power 00:32:31.399 --> 00:32:32.379 of death is defeated 00:32:32.379 --> 00:32:33.720 and the Son of God 00:32:33.720 --> 00:32:34.199 is risen 00:32:34.199 --> 00:32:35.720 and a new day 00:32:35.720 --> 00:32:37.220 has dawned. 00:32:37.220 --> 00:32:39.860 in Jesus Christ, 00:32:39.960 --> 00:32:41.180 there is a joy 00:32:41.180 --> 00:32:44.299 that embraces us 00:32:44.299 --> 00:32:45.640 in our weeping 00:32:45.640 --> 00:32:47.039 and there is a peace 00:32:47.039 --> 00:32:48.220 that transcends 00:32:48.220 --> 00:32:49.140 our understanding 00:32:49.140 --> 00:32:50.120 because like Mary, 00:32:50.200 --> 00:32:51.339 we can have the assurance 00:32:51.339 --> 00:32:52.319 that the God 00:32:52.319 --> 00:32:52.920 and Father 00:32:52.920 --> 00:32:54.220 of Jesus Christ 00:32:54.220 --> 00:32:56.240 is now our God 00:32:56.240 --> 00:32:57.839 and our Father. 00:32:58.900 --> 00:33:00.019 That's what Jesus says 00:33:00.019 --> 00:33:00.880 in verse 17. 00:33:01.319 --> 00:33:01.900 I'm ascending 00:33:01.900 --> 00:33:02.799 to my Father 00:33:02.799 --> 00:33:03.900 and your Father, 00:33:04.059 --> 00:33:05.100 to my God 00:33:05.100 --> 00:33:06.380 and your God. 00:33:06.380 --> 00:33:07.100 What that means 00:33:07.100 --> 00:33:07.960 is that through faith 00:33:07.960 --> 00:33:08.340 in Jesus, 00:33:08.460 --> 00:33:09.420 we can be restored 00:33:09.420 --> 00:33:11.080 to a right relationship 00:33:11.080 --> 00:33:11.680 with God. 00:33:12.480 --> 00:33:13.300 We can know 00:33:13.300 --> 00:33:14.100 that our status 00:33:14.100 --> 00:33:14.720 before God 00:33:14.720 --> 00:33:15.680 is now secure. 00:33:16.560 --> 00:33:17.780 We don't have to keep 00:33:17.780 --> 00:33:19.060 running on the 00:33:19.060 --> 00:33:20.000 performance treadmill 00:33:20.000 --> 00:33:21.260 and always trying 00:33:21.260 --> 00:33:22.600 to achieve the next thing 00:33:22.600 --> 00:33:24.340 because we are 00:33:24.340 --> 00:33:25.580 God's beloved children 00:33:25.580 --> 00:33:27.680 and there's nothing 00:33:27.680 --> 00:33:28.340 more important 00:33:28.340 --> 00:33:28.960 in the universe 00:33:28.960 --> 00:33:29.580 than that. 00:33:30.780 --> 00:33:32.000 And He has promised 00:33:32.000 --> 00:33:33.140 to be with us 00:33:33.140 --> 00:33:34.360 our whole life through 00:33:34.360 --> 00:33:35.400 and He has promised 00:33:35.400 --> 00:33:36.160 that we will be 00:33:36.160 --> 00:33:36.600 with Him 00:33:36.600 --> 00:33:37.500 for all eternity 00:33:37.500 --> 00:33:38.060 to come. 00:33:40.100 --> 00:33:40.940 So will you turn 00:33:40.940 --> 00:33:41.500 to Jesus 00:33:41.500 --> 00:33:44.040 and trust Him today 00:33:44.040 --> 00:33:47.080 as your teacher, 00:33:47.460 --> 00:33:48.640 as your Lord, 00:33:49.100 --> 00:33:50.000 as your Savior? 00:33:53.880 --> 00:33:54.840 Third and finally, 00:33:55.800 --> 00:33:57.320 for those of us 00:33:57.320 --> 00:33:57.720 who have come 00:33:57.720 --> 00:33:58.540 to trust in Jesus 00:33:58.540 --> 00:33:59.660 as our Savior 00:33:59.660 --> 00:34:00.180 and Lord. 00:34:02.380 --> 00:34:02.900 You know, 00:34:02.940 --> 00:34:03.540 if you've been following 00:34:03.540 --> 00:34:04.440 Jesus for any length 00:34:04.440 --> 00:34:04.860 of time, 00:34:04.920 --> 00:34:05.480 you know that being 00:34:05.480 --> 00:34:05.900 a Christian 00:34:05.900 --> 00:34:06.980 does not completely 00:34:06.980 --> 00:34:10.119 remove that unfulfilled 00:34:10.119 --> 00:34:11.960 longing and that 00:34:11.960 --> 00:34:12.639 gnawing ache. 00:34:14.139 --> 00:34:15.099 Jesus said to Mary, 00:34:15.179 --> 00:34:16.179 don't cling to me. 00:34:16.960 --> 00:34:18.200 You can't hold on 00:34:18.200 --> 00:34:19.519 to my resurrected body 00:34:19.519 --> 00:34:20.400 forever. 00:34:21.539 --> 00:34:22.700 And in the same way, 00:34:22.780 --> 00:34:23.519 being a Christian 00:34:23.519 --> 00:34:25.099 is not a never-ending 00:34:25.099 --> 00:34:26.860 series of ecstatic 00:34:26.860 --> 00:34:27.700 experiences 00:34:27.699 --> 00:34:29.439 and rapturous joys. 00:34:34.039 --> 00:34:34.599 You see, 00:34:34.659 --> 00:34:35.199 we have tasted 00:34:35.199 --> 00:34:35.799 and seen 00:34:35.799 --> 00:34:37.099 that Jesus is good. 00:34:38.539 --> 00:34:39.359 And we know 00:34:39.359 --> 00:34:40.399 His joy and peace 00:34:40.399 --> 00:34:40.980 through the power 00:34:40.980 --> 00:34:41.559 of His Spirit, 00:34:41.639 --> 00:34:43.000 but we don't yet see Him 00:34:43.000 --> 00:34:44.039 face to face. 00:34:45.659 --> 00:34:46.539 And that's what we're 00:34:46.539 --> 00:34:47.879 waiting and longing for, 00:34:48.259 --> 00:34:49.699 the day when we will. 00:34:51.039 --> 00:34:51.939 We've been washed 00:34:51.939 --> 00:34:52.539 and cleansed 00:34:52.539 --> 00:34:52.980 and forgiven 00:34:52.980 --> 00:34:53.619 of our sins. 00:34:53.739 --> 00:34:54.420 God has promised 00:34:54.420 --> 00:34:55.380 that He has taken 00:34:55.380 --> 00:34:55.960 them away. 00:34:56.179 --> 00:34:57.119 But we're still waiting, 00:34:57.219 --> 00:34:57.679 we're hoping, 00:34:57.799 --> 00:34:58.279 we're longing 00:34:58.279 --> 00:34:59.259 for the full redemption 00:34:59.259 --> 00:34:59.980 of our bodies. 00:35:00.079 --> 00:35:01.440 But today on Easter Sunday, 00:35:01.980 --> 00:35:02.920 if you know Jesus 00:35:02.920 --> 00:35:03.739 as your Savior, 00:35:03.859 --> 00:35:04.819 you can be reminded 00:35:04.819 --> 00:35:05.839 that the object 00:35:05.839 --> 00:35:06.859 of all our longing 00:35:06.859 --> 00:35:07.359 and hoping 00:35:07.359 --> 00:35:07.819 and waiting 00:35:07.819 --> 00:35:08.839 has found us. 00:35:09.579 --> 00:35:10.579 That the Good Shepherd 00:35:10.579 --> 00:35:12.179 has called us by name 00:35:12.179 --> 00:35:12.920 and even through 00:35:12.920 --> 00:35:14.059 the darkest valleys, 00:35:14.359 --> 00:35:15.940 He continues to lead us 00:35:15.940 --> 00:35:16.940 and feed us 00:35:16.940 --> 00:35:18.000 and care for us. 00:35:18.099 --> 00:35:18.819 And one day, 00:35:18.900 --> 00:35:19.779 He will wipe away 00:35:19.779 --> 00:35:20.359 every tear 00:35:20.360 --> 00:35:21.180 from our eyes. 00:35:23.220 --> 00:35:24.300 And in the meantime, 00:35:24.820 --> 00:35:26.660 as we await 00:35:26.660 --> 00:35:27.420 that great day, 00:35:27.480 --> 00:35:27.820 which will be 00:35:27.820 --> 00:35:28.800 even more glorious 00:35:28.800 --> 00:35:29.440 than the first 00:35:29.440 --> 00:35:30.420 Resurrection Sunday, 00:35:31.260 --> 00:35:32.000 we have a mission 00:35:32.000 --> 00:35:32.780 to carry out, 00:35:33.620 --> 00:35:34.480 to proclaim 00:35:34.480 --> 00:35:35.180 with our words 00:35:35.180 --> 00:35:35.880 and to demonstrate 00:35:35.880 --> 00:35:36.700 with our lives 00:35:36.700 --> 00:35:37.120 in the midst 00:35:37.120 --> 00:35:37.720 of a hardened 00:35:37.720 --> 00:35:39.059 and cynical world 00:35:39.059 --> 00:35:40.240 that the Savior 00:35:40.240 --> 00:35:41.000 has risen 00:35:41.000 --> 00:35:41.980 and reigning 00:35:41.980 --> 00:35:42.800 and He is soon 00:35:42.800 --> 00:35:43.240 returning. 00:35:44.440 --> 00:35:45.000 And sometimes 00:35:45.000 --> 00:35:46.200 this mission is hard 00:35:46.200 --> 00:35:47.500 because we battle 00:35:47.500 --> 00:35:48.440 our own fears, 00:35:48.559 --> 00:35:49.740 we battle our own doubts, 00:35:49.739 --> 00:35:51.500 we battle our own cravings 00:35:51.500 --> 00:35:52.659 for lesser things 00:35:52.659 --> 00:35:53.159 that threaten 00:35:53.159 --> 00:35:54.000 to take us over 00:35:54.000 --> 00:35:55.000 and turn us aside. 00:35:56.059 --> 00:35:56.959 But brothers and sisters 00:35:56.959 --> 00:35:57.459 in Christ, 00:35:57.559 --> 00:35:58.419 on Easter Sunday, 00:35:58.579 --> 00:35:59.419 be encouraged. 00:36:00.619 --> 00:36:02.059 Be joyful in hope. 00:36:02.719 --> 00:36:04.119 Be patient in affliction. 00:36:04.279 --> 00:36:05.299 Be faithful in prayer 00:36:05.299 --> 00:36:07.579 because Christ has risen. 00:36:08.079 --> 00:36:08.379 Indeed, 00:36:08.539 --> 00:36:09.979 He has risen. 00:36:11.099 --> 00:36:12.239 Why are you weeping? 00:36:13.299 --> 00:36:14.119 What are you seeking? 00:36:15.479 --> 00:36:17.039 Christ is risen. 00:36:17.039 --> 00:36:17.119 Amen. 00:36:19.579 --> 00:36:20.340 Let's pray. 00:36:22.340 --> 00:36:23.139 O God, 00:36:23.179 --> 00:36:24.480 who by the glorious resurrection 00:36:24.480 --> 00:36:25.219 of your Son, 00:36:25.300 --> 00:36:25.960 Jesus Christ, 00:36:26.059 --> 00:36:27.300 destroyed death 00:36:27.300 --> 00:36:28.460 and brought life 00:36:28.460 --> 00:36:29.380 and immortality 00:36:29.380 --> 00:36:29.940 to light, 00:36:31.000 --> 00:36:31.539 grant that we 00:36:31.539 --> 00:36:32.440 who have been raised 00:36:32.440 --> 00:36:32.940 with Him 00:36:32.940 --> 00:36:34.400 may abide in His presence 00:36:34.400 --> 00:36:35.219 and rejoice 00:36:35.219 --> 00:36:36.000 in the hope 00:36:36.000 --> 00:36:36.900 of eternal glory. 00:36:37.860 --> 00:36:38.739 Through Jesus Christ, 00:36:38.820 --> 00:36:39.320 our Lord, 00:36:39.420 --> 00:36:40.300 to whom with you 00:36:40.300 --> 00:36:41.300 and the Holy Spirit 00:36:41.300 --> 00:36:42.460 be dominion 00:36:42.460 --> 00:36:43.279 and praise 00:36:43.279 --> 00:36:44.480 both now 00:36:44.480 --> 00:36:45.219 and forever. 00:36:46.219 --> 00:36:46.659 Amen. 00:36:48.039 --> 00:36:48.800 Well, 00:36:48.800 --> 00:36:49.860 we're going to close 00:36:49.860 --> 00:36:50.559 by singing 00:36:50.559 --> 00:36:52.699 Crown Him With Many Crowns, 00:36:52.779 --> 00:36:54.480 proclaiming the greatness 00:36:54.480 --> 00:36:56.880 and the reign of Jesus Christ. 00:36:56.880 --> 00:37:26.860 Thank you.