WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:09.820 We're going to be in John chapter 20 this morning. John chapter 20. As we think about 00:00:09.820 --> 00:00:16.160 the resurrection as we have it in John's gospel. We're going to read the first 18 verses. If you've 00:00:16.160 --> 00:00:22.140 got a Bible or a device, you can look at it. If not, the words are on your screen. 00:00:22.140 --> 00:00:31.579 John chapter 20 at verse 1. Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, 00:00:32.380 --> 00:00:37.120 Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 00:00:37.799 --> 00:00:42.540 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, 00:00:43.200 --> 00:00:46.659 they have taken the Lord out of the tomb and we don't know where they have put him. 00:00:46.659 --> 00:00:53.359 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple 00:00:53.359 --> 00:00:59.119 outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying 00:00:59.119 --> 00:01:04.659 there, but did not go in. Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. 00:01:05.199 --> 00:01:10.620 He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus' head. 00:01:10.900 --> 00:01:14.799 The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 00:01:14.799 --> 00:01:22.920 Finally, the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 00:01:23.500 --> 00:01:28.079 They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead. 00:01:28.679 --> 00:01:34.879 Then the disciples went back to where they were staying. Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. 00:01:35.560 --> 00:01:42.239 As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' 00:01:42.239 --> 00:01:47.099 body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. They asked her, 00:01:47.179 --> 00:01:54.079 Woman, why are you crying? They have taken my Lord away, she said, and I don't know where they 00:01:54.079 --> 00:02:00.119 have put him. At this, she turned round and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realise that 00:02:00.119 --> 00:02:06.819 it was Jesus. He asked her, Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for? 00:02:06.819 --> 00:02:14.439 Thinking he was the gardener, she said, Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put 00:02:14.439 --> 00:02:23.519 him, and I will get him. Jesus said to her, Mary. She turned towards him and cried out in Aramaic, 00:02:23.859 --> 00:02:33.400 Rabboni, which means teacher. Jesus said, Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. 00:02:33.400 --> 00:02:41.000 Go instead to my brothers and tell them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, 00:02:41.420 --> 00:02:50.360 to my God and your God. Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news, I have seen the Lord. 00:02:50.920 --> 00:02:59.159 And she told them that he had said these things to her. Amen. This is God's Word. So we're thinking 00:02:59.159 --> 00:03:06.020 about the heart of the risen Lord Jesus today, but we're going to begin thinking about this idea of a 00:03:06.020 --> 00:03:13.639 wonderful reunion. I want to take you, first of all, to, of all places, Buchanan Street bus station 00:03:13.639 --> 00:03:18.900 in Glasgow. If you've ever had the privilege of being there, you might recognise or remember 00:03:18.900 --> 00:03:28.039 the Winchers statue. It's a statue that captures really well that picture of happy reunion. As a couple 00:03:28.039 --> 00:03:34.479 have obviously been parted for some time and they are reunited. For me as a student and then 00:03:34.479 --> 00:03:39.919 living there, I was down there in Buchanan Street, often welcoming friends or welcoming family, 00:03:40.299 --> 00:03:47.319 coming to visit. It's a happy place in some ways. Other times people are departing. But we know about 00:03:47.319 --> 00:03:52.599 reunions. When you think about the emotions that go with them, friends you haven't seen for years. 00:03:52.599 --> 00:03:58.419 And maybe you make time to catch up with old university friends or distant relatives coming 00:03:58.419 --> 00:04:06.400 to town. And the joy that accompanies that. Think about our great hope beyond restrictions. What do we 00:04:06.400 --> 00:04:12.139 want? We want to be able to gather together with our loved ones without feeling disembodied. We want to 00:04:12.139 --> 00:04:20.560 be present with them. I came across a quote from Tyron Edwards, who was a minister in the States in the 19th 00:04:20.560 --> 00:04:28.459 century, who wrote a little dictionary of thoughts. And I like this quote, every parting is a form of 00:04:28.459 --> 00:04:37.120 death, as every reunion is a type of heaven. And I want us to think about that in Mary's story. Here is 00:04:37.120 --> 00:04:45.620 Mary who is now reunited with the Lord Jesus. And when they had parted on Good Friday, there was a death. 00:04:45.620 --> 00:04:52.379 Jesus had been crucified and died. But now in this reunion, as Mary meets the risen Lord Jesus, 00:04:52.759 --> 00:04:58.019 well, the hope of heaven is now given to her. So we're going to think about Mary's story, 00:04:58.740 --> 00:05:05.560 to think about her reunion with the Lord Jesus, and use it to help us to see the continuing heart of 00:05:05.560 --> 00:05:12.040 love that Jesus has for Mary and for his church. So this would be good news for us today, just as it was 00:05:12.040 --> 00:05:20.000 for Mary. First thing I want us to think about is the honor that Mary is given, because she becomes 00:05:20.000 --> 00:05:28.180 the first eyewitness of the resurrection. Start with the basic point that we always make whenever 00:05:28.180 --> 00:05:35.980 we come to the resurrection accounts in the Gospels, simply to say, these are history, they are not myth. 00:05:35.980 --> 00:05:44.580 One of the ways that we see that in John's Gospel is the small details. So we get the time of Mary's 00:05:44.580 --> 00:05:51.800 arrival at the tomb. We get the story of the disciples running. We get where the grave clothes 00:05:51.800 --> 00:05:59.400 are left and they are folded, which incidentally is a sign that Jesus' body hadn't been taken by grave 00:05:59.400 --> 00:06:05.900 robbers. This is far too peaceful a scene for that. So there are lots of details that could only have 00:06:05.899 --> 00:06:12.539 come from eyewitnesses. But it's not just the fact that there are details, there are also embarrassing 00:06:12.539 --> 00:06:19.239 details within this Gospel that help us to realize that the first church hasn't got together and created 00:06:19.239 --> 00:06:26.419 a story, because this isn't how you would tell it unless it was true. So for example, we have Mary Magdalene 00:06:26.419 --> 00:06:33.719 reporting not that Jesus has been risen, but she sees the empty tomb and she presumes the body's been stolen. 00:06:33.720 --> 00:06:41.300 John, who writes our Gospel, is very honest in verse 9 to say that the disciples had not made the 00:06:41.300 --> 00:06:48.400 connection between the Old Testament part of the Bible and Jesus having to die and then the resurrection. 00:06:49.600 --> 00:06:56.740 And then we have the simple fact that the first eyewitness isn't one of the chief disciples, rather 00:06:56.740 --> 00:07:04.639 it's a woman. And in Jesus' day, the testimony of a woman was not respected and listened to in the courts. 00:07:05.220 --> 00:07:14.100 This is not myth, this is history. Now what do we know about Mary? We can go to Luke chapter 8 and verse 2 00:07:14.100 --> 00:07:20.400 for some brief detail. At the beginning of Luke chapter 8 we read this, 00:07:20.399 --> 00:07:50.099 So, 00:07:50.100 --> 00:07:57.220 Mary is someone who was possessed by seven demons and Jesus released her from that. And after that, 00:07:58.080 --> 00:08:04.840 she then travels with Jesus and she supports his ministry. We read the other Gospels and we discover 00:08:04.840 --> 00:08:09.980 that Mary Magdalene is someone who was there at the cross. She was there as Jesus was buried and now 00:08:09.980 --> 00:08:15.980 she is here at the empty tomb. Now the significance that I want us to see in this is that Mary is someone 00:08:15.980 --> 00:08:23.660 who has been honoured by Jesus. Jesus has shown grace and love and kindness to her and her reflex action 00:08:23.660 --> 00:08:30.920 is that she wants to honour her Lord and Saviour Jesus. When faith and grace and love have been received, 00:08:31.700 --> 00:08:39.279 the impulse is towards worship and love and service. And we see a great example of that in Mary. 00:08:39.279 --> 00:08:48.159 Now back to John 20, Mary on this day, as we saw in verse 1, arrives at the empty tomb and presumes 00:08:48.159 --> 00:08:56.959 the grave has been robbed, that the body has been removed. And in verse 11, we see her emotional state. 00:08:56.960 --> 00:09:07.840 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. And as she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb. So she is 00:09:07.840 --> 00:09:16.139 caught up by a sense of grief. What's clear is that up until this moment, she is blind to what's going on. 00:09:16.180 --> 00:09:24.320 So even when she sees the angels in the tomb, those two angels there, evidence that God has been at work. 00:09:24.320 --> 00:09:37.260 Here are these messengers from God. She still doesn't get it. And their question comes to her in the form of a mild rebuke. 00:09:38.080 --> 00:09:50.620 Verse 13, they asked her, woman, why are you crying? Why are you crying? At the tomb of the risen Lord Jesus, 00:09:50.620 --> 00:09:57.980 tears are totally inappropriate. This is the most joyful event that should be celebrated. 00:09:58.720 --> 00:10:04.620 So weeping and grief are inappropriate. Just like we would find it inappropriate for someone to be 00:10:04.620 --> 00:10:12.060 weeping and sobbing with sadness at a wedding or laughing at a funeral, so it is inappropriate for 00:10:12.060 --> 00:10:20.419 Mary to be crying because Jesus is risen and alive. And we see that in the very next verse, because Jesus 00:10:20.419 --> 00:10:28.879 himself comes to her. Verse 14, at this she turned round and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not 00:10:28.879 --> 00:10:37.059 realize that it was Jesus. He asked her, woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for? 00:10:38.419 --> 00:10:42.199 She thinks he's the gardener. Maybe he's helped to remove the body. 00:10:42.200 --> 00:10:49.580 Now, perhaps her eyes have been blurred by her tears, and that's why she can't recognize. 00:10:50.180 --> 00:10:55.960 Perhaps her mind has been blurred by grief and confusion, and that's why she can't recognize Jesus. 00:10:56.900 --> 00:11:01.840 Perhaps there's a different quality to Jesus' resurrection body, because she's not the only 00:11:01.840 --> 00:11:09.620 disciple who fails to recognize Jesus at once. We're not exactly sure, but we do know that she still 00:11:09.620 --> 00:11:14.560 cannot see clearly and make the connection between the empty tomb and the reality of the resurrection. 00:11:15.039 --> 00:11:21.879 So Jesus also has some questions for her. That first question again, why are you crying? Gentle rebuke. 00:11:21.940 --> 00:11:32.139 And the second one, who is it you're looking for? Mary, what kind of Messiah do you expect? 00:11:32.139 --> 00:11:41.740 And she's about to discover that her expectations were too small. Some lessons for us at this stage. 00:11:42.379 --> 00:11:50.100 First of all, a reminder once again, the resurrection is historical. And if you've got any questions about 00:11:50.100 --> 00:11:54.679 that, whether you're at home or here, please do get in touch if you want further reading or to talk 00:11:54.679 --> 00:11:59.980 about that. It's so crucial to our faith, as Paul said in 1 Corinthians, to understand that Christian 00:11:59.980 --> 00:12:06.379 faith rests on facts and not fables. And to understand the implications of that, that we are dealing then 00:12:06.379 --> 00:12:13.840 with a crucified and resurrected Jesus. And to think about that, Jesus who claimed, I am the Son of God. 00:12:14.320 --> 00:12:20.980 I am the Savior of the world. I am the only way to life with God. And then we begin to understand, 00:12:21.340 --> 00:12:26.860 here is someone who is too big. His claims are too big for us simply to ignore or to pass by. 00:12:26.860 --> 00:12:33.259 Because the resurrection is history, we need to deal with Jesus personally. 00:12:35.180 --> 00:12:40.539 I want us all to recognize that Jesus, the risen Lord Jesus, is a gracious King. 00:12:41.879 --> 00:12:47.259 Struck me thinking about it this week. Jesus was in complete control of timing, 00:12:47.919 --> 00:12:54.240 in control of all the events here. So he could easily have appeared first to Peter and John 00:12:54.240 --> 00:13:00.700 as they arrived at the empty tomb. But Jesus deliberately chose to honor Mary. 00:13:01.980 --> 00:13:11.120 And that's so often God's way. God delights to honor the weak. God delights to show favor to those who are 00:13:11.120 --> 00:13:19.259 often overlooked. Our God is a God of grace. And the story of Mary shows that. Francis Schaeffer wrote a 00:13:19.259 --> 00:13:24.779 book called No Little People in God's Eyes. And Mary's story is a wonderful reminder of that. 00:13:24.860 --> 00:13:33.220 Mary's story speaks hope to you and to me. Perhaps sometimes we feel weak or insignificant. We think, 00:13:33.980 --> 00:13:38.139 God in heaven wouldn't be interested in me. Jesus the Savior wouldn't have time for me. 00:13:40.340 --> 00:13:46.700 Our God is a big-hearted God. Jesus is the big-hearted Savior. There are no little people in his eyes. 00:13:46.700 --> 00:13:50.320 And it's also encouragement for us when we think about the people that we care about, 00:13:50.940 --> 00:13:57.000 who don't know and love and follow Jesus. That we don't need to write them off either and to imagine 00:13:57.000 --> 00:14:06.520 that Jesus is not for them. The story of Mary speaks hope to us all in Jesus' desire to honor her. 00:14:07.040 --> 00:14:12.060 So the first thing we can see about Jesus' heart is the honor that he shows to Mary. 00:14:12.059 --> 00:14:20.899 And then I want to think about the theme of friendship. And we'll see that in verse 16. 00:14:22.559 --> 00:14:27.819 This evening, we're finishing off our series on the Beatitudes. And the last Beatitude, 00:14:27.979 --> 00:14:30.699 Jesus is blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, 00:14:31.299 --> 00:14:35.319 for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. So I've been thinking about persecution this week. And so I 00:14:35.320 --> 00:14:42.940 wanted to share a story from the Barnabas Fund. That's an organization that works to support persecuted 00:14:42.940 --> 00:14:49.300 Christians around the world. And there was a story on their website from 2018 of an Egyptian 00:14:49.300 --> 00:14:59.040 female Christian student by the name of Amani. And in 2018, she was abducted from her university. 00:14:59.039 --> 00:15:08.659 She was forced to convert to Islam. And her family had no contact with her and presumed that she was 00:15:08.659 --> 00:15:17.219 either gone forever or she was dead. But then after a month, her dad got a phone call saying, 00:15:17.360 --> 00:15:23.980 I'm coming home. And on the website, there's a wonderful picture of this dad carrying his daughter, 00:15:23.980 --> 00:15:32.720 a manny on his shoulders through this packed part of the town. And there's joy everywhere for family 00:15:32.720 --> 00:15:40.800 and friends. A situation completely transformed because a dad heard his daughter's voice. 00:15:42.420 --> 00:15:50.039 I want us to think about that as a window into Mary's experience. Remember, Jesus hadn't just left. 00:15:50.039 --> 00:15:59.219 And Mary, Jesus had died. And Mary, we find her overwhelmed by grief. But then in verse 16, 00:15:59.980 --> 00:16:09.379 Jesus said to her, Mary. She turned towards him and cried out in Aramaic, Rabboni, which means teacher. 00:16:10.240 --> 00:16:19.579 Just one word. Jesus speaking her name. And light and hope begins to dawn. Now those tears of grief 00:16:19.580 --> 00:16:29.160 become tears of joy. Why is that? Now we thought a few weeks ago about John chapter 10, where Jesus 00:16:29.160 --> 00:16:34.000 speaks of himself as the good shepherd. I want to read a couple of verses from John chapter 10, 00:16:34.460 --> 00:16:35.720 beginning at verse 3. 00:16:37.440 --> 00:16:42.759 The gatekeeper opens the gate for the shepherd and the sheep listen to his voice. 00:16:42.759 --> 00:17:05.460 Mary heard the voice of her good shepherd. That same Jesus who spoke to remove those demons, 00:17:05.460 --> 00:17:13.059 that same Jesus who spoke and invited her into the kingdom of God, is now speaking to her in 00:17:13.059 --> 00:17:20.480 resurrection victory. For Mary, her teacher is back. Her friend is back. Her saviour is back. He's alive. 00:17:21.759 --> 00:17:26.559 And she is discovering that Jesus' heart of love remains the same. 00:17:26.559 --> 00:17:33.599 Mary is invited to continue in loving friendship and fellowship with her saviour. 00:17:34.679 --> 00:17:39.619 And this little verse reminds us that the resurrection isn't just historical. The resurrection is also 00:17:39.619 --> 00:17:45.759 personal. It's not just enough to know the facts about the resurrection of Jesus. 00:17:46.639 --> 00:17:49.539 This isn't just a truth confined to the history books. 00:17:49.539 --> 00:17:57.559 This is something that each of us must know and experience personally. We must know the risen Lord 00:17:57.559 --> 00:18:04.659 Jesus. To know him in the same way as Mary. That we would know Jesus as our teacher. 00:18:05.839 --> 00:18:11.039 Where does Jesus look to teach us? In his word, the Bible. That we would be a people who would 00:18:11.039 --> 00:18:19.379 listen to Jesus and would obey, like Mary, out of love. That like Mary, we would know Jesus as our 00:18:19.380 --> 00:18:25.860 friend. The one who is present with us in all our joys and sorrows. The one whose love remains 00:18:25.860 --> 00:18:33.840 constant when perhaps sometimes we feel all alone. The one who promises that he is sympathetic and he is 00:18:33.840 --> 00:18:40.480 able and willing to help. The one who by his spirit comes to be with and to be in us. 00:18:42.180 --> 00:18:48.180 And that like Mary, we would know him as our saviour. That we could sing with a hymn writer, 00:18:48.180 --> 00:18:54.880 he bore my sin and my sorrow. He made them his very own. He bore my burden to Calvary 00:18:54.880 --> 00:19:01.799 and suffered and died alone. That those great gospel truths would belong to us. And to recognize 00:19:01.799 --> 00:19:09.100 that Jesus is risen in victory for me. That he is ruling as king in heaven for me. This has to make 00:19:09.099 --> 00:19:17.199 a difference. We're invited personally by Jesus to hear his voice, to know him, to love him, to enjoy 00:19:17.199 --> 00:19:27.539 him by turning from sin and by putting our faith and trust in him. One last thing to say about this, 00:19:27.579 --> 00:19:33.059 and there's so much in here again, but I want to think about love and I want to think about mission 00:19:33.059 --> 00:19:41.740 and the reality that Mary has good news to share. We would talk about this first Easter weekend as a 00:19:41.740 --> 00:19:50.139 real emotional roller coaster for Mary, wouldn't we? Her friend, her saviour, died. And with that, her hope 00:19:50.139 --> 00:19:57.720 had died. But now she's seen the Lord again. Everything changed for her that first Easter Sunday. And her 00:19:57.720 --> 00:20:06.339 response is to fall on her knees and to hold on to Jesus' feet. And then we read in verse 17, 00:20:06.500 --> 00:20:15.120 Jesus said, do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers 00:20:15.120 --> 00:20:25.360 and tell them I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God. Jesus says, don't hold 00:20:25.359 --> 00:20:33.539 on to me, Mary. Why? Well, I think in the first instance, we can certainly say, Jesus says, don't 00:20:33.539 --> 00:20:38.000 hold on to me because I'm not leaving just yet. You don't need to be afraid that I'm going to go right 00:20:38.000 --> 00:20:49.799 now. Rather, this is a time of joy. This is good news to share with the disciples. But also, don't hold 00:20:49.799 --> 00:20:56.899 on to me, Mary, because I must leave. So he talks to her of his ascension, his return to glory, to heaven, 00:20:56.980 --> 00:21:03.980 to be at the Father's right hand, to rule as king. And what Jesus has said to his disciples is that that 00:21:03.980 --> 00:21:10.980 is also good news for them and for us. We've been thinking about it as he was preparing his disciples 00:21:10.980 --> 00:21:16.379 for the cross. John chapter 14, I'm going to my Father's house, but there's many rooms and I'm going 00:21:16.380 --> 00:21:23.260 to prepare a place for you. There's comfort. Jesus promises that he won't leave us as orphans. Rather, 00:21:23.340 --> 00:21:32.180 he'd send the Spirit, that he would come to be with us. And ultimately, Jesus said, I'm going to return, 00:21:32.500 --> 00:21:38.460 to return to take you to be with me. Jesus longs to be with his people forever, that we might share 00:21:38.460 --> 00:21:45.520 and enjoy his love forever. So it's good news that Jesus ascends. So Mary's not to hold on, 00:21:45.519 --> 00:21:52.619 because there's more still to come. I think Jesus says to Mary, don't hold on, because this is not a 00:21:52.619 --> 00:21:59.660 return to the way it was. She'd been with Jesus on his mission and moving towards the cross, but he's 00:21:59.660 --> 00:22:04.940 not resuming that former mission. He's been to the cross. He's risen in victory. Now he's moving towards 00:22:04.940 --> 00:22:16.279 his return to glory. Mary may want to freeze time to hold on to this moment. And maybe we know what 00:22:16.279 --> 00:22:20.640 that's like. I know sometimes you feel like your kids are growing up really fast and you wish you 00:22:20.640 --> 00:22:27.259 could just sort of freeze the moment. Mary wants to hold on to this special moment, but Jesus says, 00:22:27.259 --> 00:22:32.940 no, I'm on this journey towards glory and that's for your good. And so don't hold on. But also, 00:22:33.119 --> 00:22:38.099 and I want us to see this, Jesus says, don't hold on to me because I've got a job for you. I've got a 00:22:38.099 --> 00:22:45.019 mission for you. I've got a message for you to share. And as we listen to this message, notice how full of 00:22:45.019 --> 00:22:56.299 grace this is for his disciples. So Jesus said, do not hold on to me, for I've not yet ascended to the 00:22:56.299 --> 00:23:03.720 Father. Go instead to my brothers and give them this news. My brothers, who's he talking about? He's 00:23:03.720 --> 00:23:09.019 talking about the disciples, those disciples who abandoned him at his time of suffering. He's talking 00:23:09.019 --> 00:23:14.579 about Peter who denied three times even knowing him. Those disciples who failed to grasp that Jesus had 00:23:14.579 --> 00:23:21.319 to die and that he would rise. Jesus, our gracious Savior, calls them his brothers. He's not ashamed to 00:23:21.319 --> 00:23:30.619 call us his brothers, despite our many failures. And he goes on, I am ascending to my Father and your 00:23:30.619 --> 00:23:40.359 Father, to my God and your God. And there's the wonderful truth that the cross and the resurrection 00:23:40.359 --> 00:23:48.959 and the ascension of Jesus into glory are all part of that way for disciples, followers of Jesus to be 00:23:48.959 --> 00:23:58.179 adopted into the family of God so that we can call God our Father in heaven as we are united to Jesus by 00:23:58.179 --> 00:24:05.719 faith. And that's that message that Jesus gives to Mary. And Mary in verse 18 went to the disciples with 00:24:05.720 --> 00:24:13.000 the news, I have seen the Lord. And she told them that he had said these things to her. 00:24:14.259 --> 00:24:23.220 Now I want us to recognize that in the mission of Mary, we're also seeing the mission of the church. 00:24:24.500 --> 00:24:31.579 So Mary is speaking, first of all, to encourage the 11 remaining disciples. But those disciples then, 00:24:31.579 --> 00:24:35.440 we read this in the book of Acts and we see it in the church through history, would take the news of 00:24:35.440 --> 00:24:43.180 the risen Lord Jesus, and that would go across the globe. This news of Jesus, the light of the world, 00:24:43.600 --> 00:24:49.920 the one who conquers the darkness. Jesus, the hope of the world, who gives hope despite whatever despair 00:24:49.920 --> 00:24:55.940 we might find ourselves in. Jesus, who invites sinners to come to him and there's forgiveness 00:24:55.940 --> 00:25:02.360 wide enough and deep enough for us, whoever we are, through trusting in what he came to do. 00:25:02.359 --> 00:25:09.859 It's the mission of the church, like Mary, to bring the good news to one another, to encourage each 00:25:09.859 --> 00:25:14.919 other, to keep looking to Jesus, our Lord and Savior, and to bring that message to the world. 00:25:15.859 --> 00:25:21.759 So a reminder, the resurrection isn't just historical or personal, it's also universal in its significance. 00:25:21.879 --> 00:25:27.339 This isn't just for one, this isn't just for Jesus and Mary only. It's not just for some, 00:25:27.339 --> 00:25:33.379 it's not just for the disciples, rather this is good news for all, that Jesus was crucified, 00:25:33.939 --> 00:25:42.299 he has risen, and he is ruling for you. It's a word that demands our personal response, 00:25:43.259 --> 00:25:51.639 a response of turning away from sin and self-reliance and pride, turning to God, to Jesus as Savior. 00:25:51.640 --> 00:26:00.140 Today we were changing our focus. We spent a few weeks thinking about the heart of Jesus 00:26:00.140 --> 00:26:09.840 before the cross. Now we find Jesus after the resurrection. Here in this first Easter Sunday, 00:26:10.460 --> 00:26:16.220 Jesus has now purchased eternal life and glory for himself and the church. He has fulfilled all those 00:26:16.220 --> 00:26:21.440 Old Testament promises of a priest that would come, a true priest, and Jesus is that priest, 00:26:21.480 --> 00:26:28.720 and he offers himself as the sacrifice to atone for sin. And he has come as God's true king to rule 00:26:28.720 --> 00:26:37.539 for and over his church. Jesus has been on a journey. He left glory to become one of us, to become the 00:26:37.539 --> 00:26:43.279 suffering servant. He's gone to his lowest point at the cross, but now he's on a different journey back 00:26:43.279 --> 00:26:50.799 to the glory of heaven. On that new trajectory, the question then is, does the heart of Jesus change? 00:26:51.759 --> 00:26:59.000 Does his love for his disciples change as he's now heading towards glory? And the answer, as we see it 00:26:59.000 --> 00:27:08.720 in Mary's story, is absolutely not. Jesus' love remains the same. Jesus in heaven loves the church. 00:27:08.720 --> 00:27:17.440 What's he doing right now? He's praying for us. He's with us, and he longs that we would be with him 00:27:17.440 --> 00:27:26.640 forever. And that truth was hope for Mary then. May it be hope for you and me today.