5
Jesus Died for Me
Question 1:
When have you had to admit you aren’t as good at something as you’d like to think you are?
THE POINT
Jesus’s death on the cross made forgiveness possible for me.
THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE
The church I grew up in had a choir, and occasionally, one particular lady would sing a solo. The problem was she was not a good vocalist. Even as a kid, I thought someone should tell this lady not to sing because she was embarrassing herself and she didn’t even know it. This was before the days of American Idol, and there was no Simon to tell her the truth about her singing.
We often fool ourselves into thinking we are better at something than we really are. If we enjoy doing something, we assume we are fairly good at it. This doesn’t just apply to hobbies or jobs; we often apply this to the whole of life. We think we are better people than we are. We assume that we are better behaved than most of the people we know. The problem is we aren’t, and the Bible makes that clear: we are sinners. In fact, when we compare ourselves to Jesus, our best is completely inadequate. But through Jesus, we also have hope!
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?
John 19:16-19
16 Then he handed him over to be crucified. Then they took Jesus away. 17 Carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called Place of the Skull, which in Aramaic is called “Golgotha.” 18 There they crucified him and two others with him, one on either side, with Jesus in the middle. 19 Pilate also had a sign made and put on the cross. It said: Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.
The chief priests may have thought they had won when Pilate “handed him over to be crucified.” The Pharisees had wanted to be rid of this man Jesus for some time, and now Pilate had made that possible. They could be rid of Him forever. However, the fact that they took Jesus away doesn’t mean He was unwilling to go or that somehow these leaders had power over Him. Jesus willingly went with them, and they only thought they had won.
For Jesus’s public execution, Pilate added a sign that hung on the cross of Christ that differentiated Him from the two men also being crucified. The sign read “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” This designation dripped with irony. Pilate didn’t believe this statement and the Jewish leaders certainly hadn’t acknowledged Jesus as their King. Pilate wrote it to mock Jesus and spite the Jews, but the irony was that it accurately broadcast the truth: Jesus is the King.
Since Jesus is the King, why did He willingly die? Why did He go to the cross? Jesus was not like the two convicted criminals hanging on either side. They had done wrong, but not Jesus. Jesus was not only innocent of the charges being cast on Him by the religious leaders, but He was also innocent of any sin. Jesus left the throne room of heaven and took on flesh and lived among humanity, yet never sinned—not once.
Question 2:
Which detail about Jesus’s crucifixion stands out to you as you read this passage?
He never disobeyed His Father, broke the law, or lived in any way other than perfection. I can’t make it through a single day without having a dishonoring thought, word, or deed, yet Jesus lived His entire life in perfect submission to the will of the Father. No one else can say this. While it is true that all of us are sinners (Rom. 3:23), there was no sin in Jesus (Heb. 4:15). What makes the cross so important is that it is where our sin was paid for by the One who never sinned. “You know that he was revealed so that he might take away sins, and there is no sin in him” (1 John 3:5). Jesus took our guilt, our sin, and our shame upon Himself on that cross, and He could only do so because He was guiltless before the Father.
John 19:28-30
28 After this, when Jesus knew that everything was now finished that the Scripture might be fulfilled, he said, “I’m thirsty.” 29 A jar full of sour wine was sitting there; so they fixed a sponge full of sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it up to his mouth. 30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished.” Then bowing his head, he gave up his spirit.
When Jesus left heaven and took on flesh, He came with one end in mind: the cross. He knew the cross was the culmination of His earthly ministry. Jesus declared this in John 17:4: “I have glorified you on the earth by completing the work you gave me to do.” Even as He endured the suffering of the cross, He “knew that everything was now finished” (v. 28). He understood what was happening. He was about to die, and when He did, His blood would be the covering for our sin.
Even Jesus’s thirst was a part of what the Father intended for His Son to finish. The psalmist wrote in Psalm 69:21, “Instead, they gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.” By declaring His thirst, Jesus was fulfilling what had been prophesied about the Messiah. Not only are we reminded of Jesus’s humanity during this simple request, but we are assured of His divinity in that He fulfilled the prophecies of Scripture, even in His death.
The phrase “It is finished” is translated from the Greek word tetelestai. It was used in the perfect tense indicating that it was something fully completed. This word would be used by a servant reporting back to his master after his task was completed or when a priest examined an animal that was about to be sacrificed and it was deemed perfect. Jesus said, “It is finished” to indicate the full completion of His work.
Engage
FORGIVEN!
When Jesus died, He took up the burden of all our sins. Use the template below to record a note of thanks to Christ. Then write a prayer of thanks as God leads.
Dear Jesus,
When I think of Your death on the cross, I experience many emotions, including __________ . I know that I was lost in my sins without You, and I had no hope of rescue. Thank You for the gift of Your forgiveness. And thank You for the blessings You have poured into my life, including ____________ .
My Prayer:
“By the cross we know the gravity of sin and the greatness of God’s love toward us.”
His task had been completed and His sacrifice had been deemed perfect.1
My teenage daughter recently got into a small fender-bender on her way to church. Being a minor and not having her license for very long meant she would have to appear in traffic court. She was quite nervous as the day approached, but she was prepared to respond to the inquiry of the judge. When we arrived at the courtroom, the judge asked her a series of questions about the incident. After hearing what happened, the judge dismissed the ticket. The judge dismissed the legal demand upon my daughter to pay for her mistake. This is exactly what Jesus did for us on the cross. We owed a debt, a debt we had compiled for our sin. Jesus paid that debt by going to the cross where He took our debt upon Himself. By paying the penalty for our sin, He canceled the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. “He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us and has taken it away by nailing it to the cross” (Col. 2:14).
Question 3:
How have you been personally impacted by the death of Jesus?
John 19:38-42
38 After this, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus — but secretly because of his fear of the Jews — asked Pilate that he might remove Jesus’s body. Pilate gave him permission; so he came and took his body away. 39 Nicodemus (who had previously come to him at night) also came, bringing a mixture of about seventy-five pounds of myrrh and aloes. 40 They took Jesus’s body and wrapped it in linen cloths with the fragrant spices, according to the burial custom of the Jews. 41 There was a garden in the place where he was crucified. A new tomb was in the garden; no one had yet been placed in it. 42 They placed Jesus there because of the Jewish day of preparation and since the tomb was nearby.
In John 19:38 we meet an eyewitness to the death and burial of Jesus: Joseph of Arimathea. Joseph was a “member of the Sanhedrin” (Luke 23:50), which was the highest council of Jewish leaders. It was this group of religious leaders that had pushed Pilate to crucify Jesus, yet here we find that one of them was secretly a follower. As a member of this group, it is not hard to image the pressure he was under. He saw Jesus for who He truly is, but the circle of power he was in had rejected Jesus as the Messiah. To stand up to this group would have had tremendous consequences.
Question 4:
Why do some Christians wait so long to go public about their relationship with Christ?
No matter why Joseph was silent during the proceedings that led to the crucifixion, he was determined to give Jesus a proper Jewish burial. If he had missed his chance to honor Jesus in His life, he wasn’t going to miss the opportunity to do so in His death. Joseph was not alone in his desire to honor Jesus. Nicodemus, another member of the Sanhedrin and a secret follower of Christ, had similar aspirations. Together these two men wrapped the body of Jesus with spices and linen.
While thousands of people saw Jesus alive, there were many who also saw Him dead. Jesus’s death is vital to the gospel. If Jesus had not died, we are still condemned in our sin, and if Jesus had not been raised, we are still without hope. This is why the apostle John gave us the account of Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea, who saw and knew that Jesus had died.
Question 5:
How have you benefited from someone’s testimony about Jesus?
LIVE IT OUT
Jesus’s death on the cross made forgiveness possible for me. Choose one of the following applications:
A word of thanks. Consider all that Jesus has done for you. He left heaven for you, lived the sinless life that you couldn’t live, and died on a cross for your sin. Take a moment to thank Jesus for His sacrifice. If you are not a believer, confess your sin, repent, and ask Jesus to transform your life through faith. [See the inside cover of this book for help.]
A word of comfort. Both Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus honored Christ at His death. If you know someone in your church or community who has recently lost a loved one, write the person a letter. Encourage them and let them know you are praying for them in their time of grief or loss.
A word of forgiveness. Jesus died to forgive you of your sin. Is there anyone that you need to forgive? Ask God to reveal any grudges or unforgiveness in your heart. Ask Him to help you forgive that person.
Few of us look at ourselves introspectively; instead, we are apt to puff ourselves up and diminish our flaws. Certainly if we spend our time comparing ourselves to others, we are barking up the wrong tree. When we compare ourselves to Christ, we see our great need for a savior, and turn to Him for salvation and strength.
6
Jesus Rose Again to Give Me Life
Question 1:
What’s the most memorable thing you’ve experienced at a funeral?
THE POINT
Jesus’s resurrection offers eternal life for me.
THE BIBLE MEETS LIFE
My wife Candace and I had not been at our current church long when one of our charter members passed away. She was one of the more influential ladies in the church, so her funeral was a pretty big deal. In preparing to attend the service, Candace was helping our oldest son get dressed and ready. As any good mom would do, she was also prepping him as to what to say and do. She told our son about the receiving line and how, when it was their turn to speak to the family, he should say, “I am sorry for your loss.” In a mixture of confusion and frustration, he immediately responded with, “Why should I be sorry? I didn’t kill her.”
We got a good laugh out of his innocent response, but death is no laughing matter. It strikes the young and the old. No one escapes its earthly grip. However, the good news for believers is that it is not the last word. Jesus Christ conquered death, and through faith in Him, we have eternal life.
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?
John 20:1-2
1 On the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark. She saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. 2 So she went running to Simon Peter and to the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said to them, “They’ve taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they’ve put him!”
Over the course of this study, we have looked at encounters with Jesus. Each of them has shown us something powerful and amazing about Jesus. However, the encounter we are studying in this session is perhaps the most amazing. The encounter that Mary Magdalene had with Jesus not only transformed her life, but it can also transform ours.
We are unsure exactly when Mary first encountered Jesus, but both Mark and Luke tell us she was possessed by seven demons, and that Jesus cast them out (Mark 16:9; Luke 8:2). It was clear this early encounter changed her life, for she became a follower of Jesus, often traveling with Him and the disciples in their ministry. Mary had a lot to be thankful for, so it’s no wonder that she felt the need to get to the tomb early on that Sunday morning. When the Sabbath was over and before the sun had even risen, she made her way to the tomb. Other women accompanied Mary to the tomb (Mark 16:1), but the Gospel writer John focused on Mary’s encounter with Jesus—and that encounter began with a discovery that something was out of place. The stone had been rolled away.
Question 2:
What questions come to mind when you consider the empty tomb?
I had a suite mate in college who was extremely particular about the way he kept his room. He didn’t like anyone to go into his room or touch any of his things. If he left for the weekend, he would vacuum the carpet to the door so he could tell if anyone had walked on it. He placed a Hot Wheels® car on his desk, and if anyone opened the drawer, the car would move, and he would know someone had been in his desk. He always knew when something was out of place.
Mary didn’t need a Hot Wheels car at the tomb to know something was out of place. The stone had been moved! John didn’t give us all the details between this discovery and her report back to the disciples, but it’s clear she wasn’t thinking about resurrection. Even though Jesus had told the disciples several times that He would be killed and then rise from the dead, those words seem to have escaped them. Mary’s first thought was that someone had taken the body of Jesus. For her, this was the most realistic understanding of the situation. No one goes to a graveyard expecting to see someone rise from the grave, but that’s exactly what happened.
John 20:11-16
11 But Mary stood outside the tomb, crying. As she was crying, she stooped to look into the tomb. 12 She saw two angels in white sitting where Jesus’s body had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “Because they’ve taken away my Lord,” she told them, “and I don’t know where they’ve put him.” 14 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know it was Jesus. 15 “Woman,” Jesus said to her, “why are you crying? Who is it that you’re seeking?” Supposing he was the gardener, she replied, “Sir, if you’ve carried him away, tell me where you’ve put him, and I will take him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” Turning around, she said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” — which means “Teacher.”
When I read this section of John’s Gospel, Psalm 30:5b always comes to mind. “Weeping may stay overnight, but there is joy in the morning.” Mary was crying over the loss of Jesus’s body, but her weeping was about to turn to joy as she experienced the surprise of her life. Jesus was alive!
In 2016 I was part of a mission trip to a country in Southeast Asia. I had been to both Africa and Europe several times, but I had never had any desire to go to this part of the world. Frankly, I wasn’t too keen on going at all, but I had been asked by a good friend, and I didn’t want to disappoint him. However, when I arrived, no one was there to get me. I managed to get myself to the hotel. Needless to say, the trip didn’t start off well and my attitude was certainly reflective of those challenges. But after training local pastors, my attitude changed. I have been back three times. Everything I thought turned out to be the opposite. This was Mary’s experience. She assumed the worst only to find out the best.
I love the detail John gave about what Mary saw when she looked into the tomb. “She saw two angels in white sitting where Jesus’s body had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet” (v. 12). The angels sitting on both ends of where Jesus lay would have looked similar to the mercy seat on the ark of the covenant. Moses described it this way: “Make two cherubim of gold; make them of hammered work at the two ends of the mercy seat. Make one cherub at one end and one cherub at the other end. At its two ends, make the cherubim of one piece with the mercy seat. The cherubim are to have wings spread out above, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and are to face one another. The faces of the cherubim should be toward the mercy seat” (Ex. 25:18-20).
Just as God’s people would experience His mercy at the temple, we experience the grace of God as we look to the empty grave and the risen Savior. Mary wasn’t sure what to make of what she was seeing. Even when she saw Jesus, she didn’t recognize Him. It wasn’t until He called her by name that she saw Him for who He is. There’s something powerful about being called by your name. The man Mary had seen killed on Friday was now calling her name on Sunday.
Question 3:
When have you had an encounter with God that you didn’t recognize at first?
John 20:17-18
17 “Don’t cling to me,” Jesus told her, “since I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them that 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 she told them what he had said to her.
“Don’t cling to me.” When we find something of great value the natural desire is to hold on to it tightly, to cling to it. It seems from the text that Jesus was rebuking Mary and was coming across as untouchable, but we know from the ministry of Jesus that He was very approachable. Jesus was about to ascend into heaven and would no longer be with her physically. He didn’t want her to rely simply on His physical presence. Mary would now rely on Jesus in a different way as He came to live in her through the presence of His Holy Spirit.
It’s also interesting that Jesus’s next words were for her to go and share the good news of His appearance with others. The gospel is not for us to cling to like a secret message meant only for us. It’s to be shared across the entire world. His glory and power are not in limited supply so that when it’s shared it decreases in portion. In fact, the more we share Christ with others, the more we experience His power and presence in our lives.
Question 4:
What are some ways you’ve heard others respond to the resurrection of Jesus?
Another important part of Jesus’s statement to Mary was that He would be “ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God” (v. 17). The distinction between the use of “my” and “your” is meaningful. Jesus has a unique relationship as the only Son from the Father (John 1:14), and while we are not sons of God in the same way as Jesus, “through faith you are all sons of God in Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:26). We have a relationship with the Father through the Son.
Notice the immediate response of Mary. Jesus instructed her to go and tell, and she went and told! When Jesus calls us to go, we must go. When He calls us to tell, we must tell. God calls all His followers to be His witnesses, but we don’t witness alone. Jesus’s ascension set the stage for the coming of the Holy Spirit. It’s this same Spirit who indwells believers today and empowers us to share the same message that Mary was sent to tell the disciples: Jesus is alive!
Question 5:
What steps can our group take to be better witnesses for Christ?
CAN YOU IMAGINE?
Picture the empty tomb and the way Mary must have felt when she found it. Circle all of the words that describe how you think you would have felt if you were Mary in that moment.
Shocked Overjoyed Doubtful Afraid
Excited Amazed Relieved Confused
Take a few moments to reflect on those feelings, allowing yourself to imagine and feel the full wonder and surprise of witnessing the resurrection. Then write a prayer of praise to God!
My Prayer:
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
ACTS 1:8
LIVE IT OUT
Jesus’s resurrection offers eternal life for me. Choose one of the following applications:
Trust Christ. Knowing the truth of the resurrection of Christ is not enough. Commit to Him, trusting Him by faith. Turn to the inside front cover of this book where you can read the greatest message of hope that has ever been shared. Talk to someone about your desire to follow the resurrected Christ.
Pray and share. Write down the names of three people you know who need to hear the gospel. Pray daily for these three people and ask God for the opportunity to share the gospel with them soon.
Go and tell. Pray for our missionaries and consider the possibility of going on a short-term mission trip. Nothing will increase your fervor for seeing people come to know Jesus more than being a part of a short-term mission trip. If your church is not planning any trips in the near future, visit the International Mission Board (imb.org/go) and review the short-term opportunities listed there.
Death is something we must all face. It’s not easy, especially when it involves someone close to us. But praise God if we and our loved ones know Jesus, we will be reunited. Let’s do our best to make sure we help them know Him!
Teacher Notes:
We often fool
ourselves into thinking we are better at something than we really are. We often
think this about life too. We think we are better people than we are. We assume
that we are better behaved than most of the people we know. The problem is we
aren’t, and the Bible makes that clear: we are sinners.
We are Sinners!
What does that mean to you? Do you even see
this as a big deal?
In our culture, sin is no longer considered an
issue. Although some people might admit to making mistakes or being wrong, few
will actually say, "I have sinned." The Lord, however, takes sin very
seriously. Until we learn to see sin as He does, we will never understand what
happened at the cross or why Jesus died for us.
John 19:16-19
Then he handed him over to be crucified. Then
they took Jesus away. Carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is
called Place of the Skull, which in Aramaic is called “Golgotha.” There they
crucified him and two others with him, one on either side, with Jesus in the
middle. Pilate also had a sign made and put on the cross. It said: Jesus of
Nazareth, the King of the Jews.
28-30
After this, when Jesus knew that everything was
now finished that the Scripture might be fulfilled, he said, “I’m thirsty.” A
jar full of sour wine was sitting there; so they fixed a sponge full of sour
wine on a hyssop branch and held it up to his mouth. When Jesus had received the sour wine, he
said, “It is finished.” Then bowing his head, he gave up his spirit.
38-42
After this, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a
disciple of Jesus — but secretly because of his fear of the Jews — asked Pilate
that he might remove Jesus’s body. Pilate gave him permission; so he came and
took his body away. Nicodemus (who had previously come to him at night) also
came, bringing a mixture of about seventy-five pounds of myrrh and aloes. They
took Jesus’s body and wrapped it in linen cloths with the fragrant spices,
according to the burial custom of the Jews. There was a garden in the place
where he was crucified. A new tomb was in the garden; no one had yet been
placed in it. They placed Jesus there because of the Jewish day of preparation
and since the tomb was nearby.
Why did Jesus have to die this way?
Read
The cross was God's perfect answer to a
terrible dilemma. Because the Lord is holy and just, He hates sin and must
respond to it with punishment and wrath. Yet He also loves sinners and wants to
be reconciled with them. The cross of Christ was the place where God's wrath
and love collided. The only way to rescue us from eternal punishment was to
devise a plan whereby the Lord could forgive sins without compromising His holiness.
There was no way to overlook sin; His wrath had to be poured out -- either on
us or a substitute. But there was only one possible substitute: the perfect Son
of God. So, Jesus came to earth as a man and suffered the Lord's wrath for us
as He hung on the cross. Sin was punished, divine justice was satisfied, and
now God could forgive us without compromising His character. His wrath was
poured out on His Son so that His love and forgiveness could be lavished upon
us.
“Were You There (When They Crucified My Lord)?”
Click Play to Watch
The question our lesson asks is –
What does it mean to you that Jesus died for
you?
Emotionally Intellectually Spiritually
Charles Stanley Devotion
WE ALL KNOW that Jesus walked the road to
Calvary, but did you know that believers also journey to the cross?
We've all been positionally crucified with
Christ, but those who hunger for Him participate in a deeper experience of this
reality. Jesus lovingly takes their hand and leads them to the cross. Even
though this is the last place anyone wants to go, it's the only way to partake
of God's best for our lives.
The trip to the cross is not one you take with
family and friends. It's a lonely journey with - just you and Jesus. He strips
away everyone and everything you've depended on so that you'll learn to rely
only on Him. While we're at the cross, He uncovers layer after layer of
self-deception until we begin to see ourselves as He does. Soon our
self-centeredness, inadequacy, and failures are laid bare.
The cross is a place of brokenness, but it's also
a place of necessity for us to see our need for a Savior.
Jesus’s death on the cross made forgiveness possible for you and me.
This coming Sunday is EASTER, and the church is just having services in the sanctuary – no classes will be held. So, our final lesson in this series is our Easter lesson titled: Jesus Rose Again to Give Me Life
We do all we can to live a long life. Whatever
it takes to add just a few more years to our lives. But despite our best
efforts, we will still die. For many, this is their greatest fear. They see death
as the end when Jesus shows us that it’s only the beginning.
What the caterpillar thinks is the end of the
world ... the butterfly knows is only the beginning.
Read
Our lesson tells the story of a mother telling
her young son how to respond in the funeral line of an influential lady in
their church. Her funeral was a big deal, and it can be awkward for a child. In
preparing to attend the service, the mother was helping the son get dressed and
ready. So, she began to prep him as to what to say and do. She said now when we
go through the receiving line and it’s your turn to speak to the family, just
say, “I am sorry for your loss.” In a mixture of confusion and frustration, the
child immediately responds with, “Why should I be sorry? I didn’t kill her.”
Now, we laugh at such an innocent response, but
death is no laughing matter to adults. It strikes the young and the old. No one
escapes its earthly grip. However, the good news for believers is that it is
not the last word. Jesus Christ conquered death, and through faith in Him, we
have eternal life.
What do you think the disciples and other
followers of Jesus were thinking Friday night – Saturday and Sunday?
For three terrifying, dreadful days, the eleven
surviving apostles and other faithful followers of Jesus grappled with the
events of those days trying to make sense out of them. The reality of Jesus’s
brutal death on the cross clashed with the expectations they had for Him. They
struggled to reconcile the joy they had in being with Him to the new reality of
being without Him. Joseph of Arimathaea and Nicodemus received permission to
remove Jesus’s body from the cross so they might bury Him. Because the Sabbath
was a few short hours away, the two men worked carefully but quickly to prepare
the body for burial and place it in a tomb in a nearby garden. We can assume
that when the task was completed, they trudged home, as emotionally distraught
as the other men and women who had placed such great hope in Jesus. All
indications are that all these followers of Jesus thought the end had come.
They did not realize the end they had just witnessed
was actually the beginning.
John 20:1-2
On the first day of the week Mary Magdalene
came to the tomb early, while it was still dark. She saw that the stone had
been removed from the tomb. So she went running to Simon Peter and to the other
disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said to them, “They’ve taken the Lord out of
the tomb, and we don’t know where they’ve put him!”
John 20:11-16
But Mary stood outside the tomb, crying. As she
was crying, she stooped to look into the tomb. She saw two angels in white
sitting where Jesus’s body had been lying, one at the head and the other at the
feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “Because they’ve taken
away my Lord, she told them, and I don’t know where they’ve put him.” Having
said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know
it was Jesus. “Woman,” Jesus said to her, “why are you crying? Who is it that
you’re seeking?” Supposing he was the gardener, she replied, “Sir, if you’ve
carried him away, tell me where you’ve put him, and I will take him away.” Jesus
said to her, “Mary.” Turning around, she said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” —
which means “Teacher.”
John 20:17-18
“Don’t cling to me,” Jesus told her, “since I
have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them that I
am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” Mary
Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!” And she
told them what he had said to her.
Over the course of this study, we have looked
at encounters with Jesus. Each of them has shown us something powerful and
amazing about Jesus. However, the encounter today is perhaps the most amazing.
The encounter that Mary Magdalene had with Jesus not only transformed her life,
but it can also transform ours.
Why didn’t Mary Magdalene recognize Jesus?
They didn’t Recognize Him
One fact about the resurrection of Jesus has
always fascinated me. Even as a kid, when adults would talk about His
resurrection, I would always be taken back by one detail: His disciples
didn’t recognize Him.
· Mary Magdalene was in the garden area where Jesus’ tomb was,
and she mistook Jesus for a gardener. Even when He spoke to her, she initially
didn’t recognize Him. —John 20:11-18.
· Two of Jesus’ disciples walked all the way to Emmaus with Jesus
without recognizing Him—even after an extensive conversation with Him. —Luke
24:13-31
· When some of the disciples went fishing, they initially did not recognize
Jesus standing on the shore. —John 21:1-4.
They didn’t see Jesus because they weren’t
looking for Him. In spite of all Jesus had said to prepare them, they weren’t expecting Jesus to be alive. So, they
weren’t expecting to see Him.
I’ve done this in other ways. I park, go into
the grocery store for ten minutes, and when I come out, I can’t find my
vehicle. It takes me a moment to remember. I was looking for my red truck, and
not my wife’s blue SUV which was right in front of me. We often don’t see what’s right in front of us
because we’re not looking for it. That’s
the case with me and my wife’s car. And it was the case with a group of
surprised disciples.
I no longer shake my head at the disciples’ failure to recognize Jesus. Even today God is often at work around me, and I miss it because I’m not looking for Him. I’m too focused on the task in front of me, and I miss the subtle way He is at work.
Take a moment, look up and find the color blue.
The color blue was there all along. We don’t notice it until we’re looking for
it.
Our lesson wants us to do the same as you go
through the day, but don’t look for blue. Look
for God. Look for His hand at work. It may be in an
encouraging word someone offers. It may be in a piece of mail. It may be in the
beauty of the sunset. But God is with you, and He is at work in your life — whether
you see it or not.
When have you had an encounter with God that
you didn’t recognize at first?
Conclusion
Death is something we must all face. It’s not
easy, especially when it involves someone close to us. But praise God if we and
our loved ones know Jesus, we will be reunited. Let’s do our best to make sure
we help them know Him!
The heart of the Christian message is that
Jesus lives!
And we will too!
