THE MINISTRY OF HEALING
#763 THE MINISTRY OF HEALING
Scripture Acts 3:1-11, NIV Orig. 11/25/1979
Passage: One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. 2 Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. 3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. 4 Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” 5 So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. 6 Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” 7 Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. 8 He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. 9 When all the people saw him walking and praising God, 10 they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.
Peter Speaks to the Onlookers
11 While the man held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon’s Colonnade.
Purpose: To continue the series from the book of Acts, calling attention to the insights the early church had gained from the teaching of Jesus, and their determined efforts to continue these teachings.
Keywords: Healing Bible Study Faith Ministry
Timeline/Series: Acts
Introduction
Matters related to Christian healing are matters that too many of us had just as soon avoid. In the first place, we do not need it in the 20th century as it was needed in the 1st century. As little as 50 years ago, even the most visionary practitioner of medical science could not foresee the strides that would be taken in medicine in the mid-20th century.
It probably is fair to say, however, that far more remains to be done than has been accomplished. It is most certainly true that diseases are prevalent on the world scene that were totally unknown a century ago. We who live amidst the fair practice of medical skill are not much encouraged to give consideration to healing as it was practiced by Jesus.
There is another reason why this expression of the charismatic gifts has been down-graded in importance. We see it carried on today in the “pin-striped” suit of big business. It is associated almost entirely with fund-raising escapades that are near charlatan level in their intensity. Or, we see it carried on on the level of the mundane. Growing hair on a bald head, or the lengthening of a leg, are not very meaningful expressions of healing when a few minutes away reside the hopeless intractables of the Home for Incurables. One has to make but one visit to any cancer ward of any hospital to discover a need that is overwhelming.
There is one other point for consideration. Jesus healed because He believed absolutely in the power of God to heal. The disciples were able to carry on this healing ministry because they too were able to believe, not only that God did the healing, but that He was the only one who could. It is at this point that our faith generally breaks down.
Great good was done in the early church by experiences of miraculous healing. It would be a shame if it were God’s purpose to bless the church of the 20th century with such a gift, and we were too proud to accept it.
I. First, We Need to Consider the Circumstances as it Was Happening. In Chapter two, we walked with Simon through an opportunity to proclaim the gospel to searching hearts. He reminded them of a new day in human history. He related that new day to the life and ministry of Jesus. He declared the supremacy of that new day of grace over the old of law. He invited them to personally discover its truth.
Now another opportunity has come, and Luke here records how it was used as an opportunity to proclaim the gospel. First, a quick consideration of the Jewish day. For the devout Jew, there were three special hours of prayer. The day began at 6a.m. 3rd—9a/6th—12n/9th—3p. Any hour was a prayer hour, but these three times were special. And if that prayer time [was] spent in the temple, then all the more significant. It is timely for our consideration to note the continuation of habits learned in childhood, held onto through the influence of Jesus.
Now, consideration of the scene as it related to this first recorded healing. The afflicted man: Lame from birth. Ward of public generosity: he did have friends who brought him; or if they failed or if times were bad he had no income. R.W.E. Jones, “If your income doesn’t exceed you outgo, your upkeep is gonna be your downfall.”
It is likely that the disciples have passed this man before but did not see. Suddenly their eyes are opened to a need not seen before.
II. We Have Looked at the Circumstances of this Event—Now Let’s Look at its Character.
Look at the diversity of the Temple and the Beggars. Of white marble in grand design, started by Herod about 20 B.C. No temple ritual was interrupted. The Inner Court, sacred to the priests, was completed by 1,000 of them. Finished in 64 A.D. John 2:20 mentions “46 years” in construction. Amidst all of this beauty lay the beggar. He was there because, obviously, people in a worshipful mood stood to be the ones willing to give.
The beggar did not know who these men were, and was not asking to be healed. The disciples, who had no wealth, had something better. Remember, at this time, the common fund was in operation.
The healing was accomplished in the name of Jesus. “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” In Acts 2:22f great care was made to link the name of Jesus with what Peter was preaching. Again, the same is done.
The miraculous was instantaneous and complete. From a Greek word stereoō “to make firm.” It was another of Luke’s medical terms, though I can not link it with finality to a current medical practice.
III. Next, We Consider the Consequences of this Miracle. First, we have a man who was filled with joy. He did not have the experiences of other believers to compare with his own. How much happier all of us would be if we did not try to work at duplicating the Christian experience. Luke 1:14, Remember the angelic announcement, “Thou shalt have joy and gladness, and many shall rejoice at his birth.” John 15:11, “These things I have spoken unto you that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.”
God received the praise of this man’s outspoken witness of his faith. Luke 2:13, Listen in again on the commotion upon Jesus’ birth. “Suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God.” Hebrews 13:15, Speaking of Jesus, the Hebrew writer puts all of us in the camp with this beggar. “By him, therefore, let us offer the praise to God continually.” Herein may be the one clearly defined determination of healing. Who is the one who stands most ready to lift his voice in praise of the Healer?
Such a scene emerged that a crowd quickly gathered here at the Temple colonnade known as Solomon’s porch. John 10:23, Jesus was in this very place when the Jews questioned [Him] about being the Christ. “The miracles I do in my Father’s name speak for me, but you do not believe.”
This brings about the opening into the last part of the chapter and Simon Peter’s gospel witness.
IV. In Conclusion, Let’s Try to Define Healing from the Mind of Jesus. We discover the compassion of Christ for all hurt things. The Latin word for compassion is a compounding of two other words that mean “to suffer with.” Matthew 8:17, “He took our infirmities and bare our weaknesses.”
Jesus seems clearly to have considered pain and disease as intruders. James S. Stewart calls it to our attention that there is no instance where Jesus turned anyone away saying, “I am sorry, friend, but I can not heal you, because God wants you to suffer.”
The healing potential of Jesus was directly related to His sinlessness, His moral perfection. If we were more like Jesus, perhaps our works would be more like His works. Matthew 17:20, the epileptic boy whom the disciples could not heal. “Because of your lack of faith.” The mighty works of Jesus were the Father’s answer to the faith of His Son. In Jesus, the power of God was present and unimpeded. John 4:34, GNV, “The one whom God has sent speaks God’s words, because God gives him the fulness of His Spirit.”
As Christians, we must relate ourselves to a world, torn, not only by sin, but also by pain and disorder, and disease. Healing of the body must always be a vital ministry of the faith. Such healing portends a larger healing of the broken spirits of people.
Conclusion
A religious magazine recently shared a word of witness of one who remembered hearing a Scottish minister tell of a dream that he had had. “One night he dreamed that he saw a new shop on High Street and, going in, he found an angel behind the counter. What did the shop sell? “Everything your heart desires,” the angel said. “Then I want peace on earth,” cried the minister: “An end to sorrow, famine, and disease.” “Just one moment,” smiled the angel, “You haven’t quite understood. We don’t sell fruits here, only seeds.”
Links/references
Jones: https://www.gram.edu/academics/majors/arts-and-sciences/music/band/history.php
Stewart: https://www.preaching.com/articles/past-masters/james-s-stewart/
PETER’S PENTECOSTAL APOLOGY
#838 PETER’S PENTECOSTAL APOLOGY
Scripture Acts 2:14-40, NIV Orig. Date 11/20/1985
Passage: 14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:
17 “‘In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
18 Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.
19 I will show wonders in the heavens above
and signs on the earth below,
blood and fire and billows of smoke.
20 The sun will be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood
before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.
21 And everyone who calls
on the name of the Lord will be saved.’[a]
22 “Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. 23 This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men,[b] put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 24 But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him. 25 David said about him:
“‘I saw the Lord always before me.
Because he is at my right hand,
I will not be shaken.
26 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest in hope,
27 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
you will not let your holy one see decay.
28 You have made known to me the paths of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence.’[c]
29 “Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. 30 But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. 31 Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay. 32 God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. 33 Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. 34 For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said,
“‘The Lord said to my Lord:
“Sit at my right hand
35 until I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet.”’[d]
36 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”
37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
38 Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.”
Purpose: Continuing a study in Acts, to help my people to get a deeper feel for the early church and her commitment to Christ
Keywords: Lordship of Christ Prophecy Resurrection Decision
Timeline/Series: Acts
Introduction
Although this is the first occasion of a sermon in which Christ is proclaimed, we cannot in any sense perceive of Peter as the one who began the tradition. We know that Jesus preached both to His disciples and to the assembled multitudes, and that He commanded His followers to do so. Unquestionably, preaching as a vehicle for the conveyance of ideas, probably dates to man in pre-history.
Peter was, however, the first Christian apologist. As far as records indicate, he was the first to use preaching as a means to defend what he had learned from another: of course, Jesus. The term, apologist, as used here, is not the idea of making excuses for, but rather, defending. His interest is not in the formulation of his own ideas, but to set down in exacting terms what has been taught by another, and why it is right,
In light of this, preaching has not changed much in these 1900-plus years. If it is true preaching, it is not the formulation of one’s own ideas, but the setting forth of Christological truth. As in Peter’s day, its influence and its power rests on the empathy of the hearer. The one who listens, or hears, must be tuned in.
Rollo May, Christian psychologist, in The Art of Counseling, suggests: “It is in this profound and somewhat mysterious process of empathy that understanding1, influence, and the other significant relations between persons takes place.”
The example of the Old Testament prophets (Numbers 27:18) is clear. When they preached, it was as if God, Himself, were on the podium. Visualize Isaiah, as he proclaimed, “Come now and let us reason together . . . . Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall become as wool.”
We feel some of this same sympathy here in Jerusalem as Peter begins to preach, not from believers only, but from all who are tuned in to this new spiritual dynamism.
I. First Are Incidentals Relative to the Spoken Word. V14, “But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and said to them.”
“Said,” v14, (spoke out) is the same word as “utterance” in v4: It is the Spirit’s work:
· 24 speeches in Acts
· Luke depended on others for texts
· Peter is spokesman for the eleven
· This proclamation as much as “tongues” is the work of the Holy Spirit
· To a totally Jewish audience.
II. Then, There is the Announcement of the “Day of the Lord.” V16f, “But this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel: ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy . . . .’”
There is a defense of Pentecostal integrity. Believers are wrongly accused. “They are full of new wine.” The Spirit gives “utterance” to Peter.
Take a moment to imagine the scene at Jerusalem. Hardly 9:00 in the a.m., people were just beginning to stir, then the Word begins to spread in excitement at the Temple. People were hungry then as now for excitement. Some were late arriving. Others were not empathetic. Thus, the charge of “drunkenness.”
Peter cites the Joel prophecy to impact this event with scripture. Joel 2:28-32. It expresses a time when God will pour out His Spirit on His people. Not on a few exceptional individuals. See Numbers 14:25. Gideon—Judges 6:34. Saul—I Samuel 10:10. But on all His people. Pentecost was for all. Verses 19-21 speak of cosmic disturbances and seem to have no direct link to Pentecost. But Joel affirms this as an end-time event. Peter substituted “in the last days” for Joel’s “afterward.”
The early church would live out its mission in the arena of expectation of Christ’s return. Circumstance of end time are apparent. The Kingdom of God already exists. The victorious Christ rules. Whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Victorious faith in this 20th Century, as well, must exploit this expectation of return.
III. Next, Peter’s Sermon Contains Affirmations of the Basic Facts of Jesus Life. V22f, “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves know.”
His Hebrew connection is clearly established. A worker of miracles. By His birth linked to miraculous. Jesus’ ministry not only declared the work of God, but became the newsworthy event in the land. In the “determined counsel” of God, He was born, lived, died.
Now to deal with the “scandal” of the cross. V23, “by lawless hands have crucified.” His death was clearly the will of God. It was death by crucifixion (a disgrace). Plate with 3-year old in corner with forlorn puppy looking back. Disgraced. (Rockwell?)
The agent for that death was the stubborn resistance of God’s own people. They who had suffered for their sins under the hands of others, looked for a Messiah to deliver from suffering. A suffering Messiah was unacceptable. Recount the disciples when Jesus foretold of His death. Matthew 16:21-23.
The crucifixion demoralized them. Psalm 2 was their text. V6, “I have set my king on my holy hill of Zion.” But Isaiah 52/53 (53:3) and Zechariah 9: “He is despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, And we hid, as it were, our faces from him.”
Peter goes on to make it very clear that this Jesus, whom they have killed, is not dead, but alive. Alive at the direct intervention of God. Alive because death could not control His destiny. Alive because it was not possible for Jesus to be other than as God’s sovereignty had planned.
Let no doubt persist, the early church looked upon the crucifixion, not as the cruel, unjust judicious matter that it was, but as a part of the plan of God. They had heard Jesus on this very subject: “You are so foolish, so slow of heart to believe. Ought not Christ to have suffered these things and to have entered his glory?” Luke 24:25-27.
IV. Again, the Sermon Authenticates the Superiority of Christ Over the Law. V29, “Men and Brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.” Review his declaration to them. V14, “Men of Judea,” of the nation. V22, “Men of Israel,” of the chosen people.
With the link to prophets (Joel), now is a link to their illustrious King David. V25/28. There is the superiority of living hope over dead tradition. Christ lives. David does not. Psalm 16 is a breakthrough of faith, but David is not its fulfillment.
V10, “Nor will you allow your holy one to see corruption.” Till David’s time, the people believed in a shadowy, half-life in a place known as “Sheol.” “Hades” is the Greek form (2:27), this is not Hell. David was convinced that he would not be “abandoned.”
Jesus is the One through whom such deliverance to life is made possible.
The resurrection, then, is that which proves Jesus to be the Messiah. Up to now, He was “Jesus,” and “Jesus of Nazareth.” He now begins to be called, “The Christ.” Not a title. Greek or Hebrew for Messiah. Peter used in Mark 8:29 without understanding.
Up to now, Jesus had forbade the use of the term. In Mark 8, Jesus healed a blind man at Bethsaida, “Instructs him not to tell” (v26). V29 Peter “’Thou art the Christ.’ He charged them to tell no one.” (Mark 9:9) Transfiguration. “Tell no man till the son of man were risen.” All Rome had to do to stay the hand of believers in Christ, all the Sanhedrin had to do to silence the voice of Christian witness, was to produce the body of Jesus. A day, a week, a month, a year later they could not. Jesus is alive.
V. One Thing More Remained for this Keynote Message of the Christian Era: To Call People to Decision. V21, “Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” V35, “Let all the house Israel know . . . [he is] both Lord and Christ.” V38, “Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.”
Let all people know the vitality and the integrity of the preached word, standing unchanged but not unchallenged. The initial burden is on the preacher. But the hearer had best not toy around with a faithful spokesman of the Word.
To jeopardize the ministry of one who preaches the wholeness of the word is to be guilty.
When one usurps his place with words of rebuke or offense, be prepared to assume his burden. Your concerned counsel he covets. Your love and prayer he requires. Your support he treasures.
Every born again Christian has a responsibility to work with their pastor to encourage responses to the invitation to faith.
Closing
Many remember news reports out of Germany during World War II. There were thronged multitudes. We heard fanatical “Sieg Heil!” And the response came in menacing unison, “Sieg Heil!”
But let us remember that there is a louder chorus to be heard; and no words from time immemorial are more menacing to the powers of darkness in the world. It is the call to faith, the mandate of the church, “Christ is Risen!” And the response “He is risen, indeed, Hallelujah!”
Links and references
1May, R. (1967). The Art of Counseling. Abingdon Press.
https://www.amazon.com/Art-Counseling-Rollo-May/dp/0898761565
Illustration filed with sermon #838, source unknown.
(1) The Spirit indwelled some of God’s people, but not all of them. This was a selective indwelling. The Spirit especially indwelled those who were religious leaders. For instance, the Spirit came upon Gideon (Judges 6:34) and David (I Samuel 16:13).
(2) The Spirit came to give special powers to these selected leaders. These powers were seen in the natural realm, but they were supernatural in the sense that they were gifts of God. The Spirit came upon Gideon (Judges 6:34), and he led a protest against idolatry. Following that, he led the Israelites to a great victory over the Midianites (Judges 11:29-33). Samson received extraordinary human strength because of the coming of the Spirit of God. Bezaleel, Aholiab, and others were given wisdom by the Spirit to design and work on the tabernacle (Exodus 31:1-6). Some have seen significance in the fact that different words are used in the Old Testament to describe the relationship of the Holy Spirit to individuals. For instance, in some places it is said that the Holy Spirit came upon individuals such as Gideon (Judges 6:34). In other places it is said that the Spirit dwelt in some persons such as Joshua (Numbers 27:18) and Daniel (Daniel 5:11-14). In Exodus 31:3 Bezaleel is described as one who is filled with the Spirit. A comparison of these passages and the powers given to the individuals makes it seem unlikely that any sharp distinction is to be drawn between the use of these terms.
(3) The Spirit often was given to persons for limited periods of time. He could be withdrawn if persons acted in a way unworthy of the Spirit of God. Saul sinned against God, and the Spirit of the Lord departed from him (I Samuel 16:14). David sinned against God and then pleaded with God not to take the Holy Spirit from him (Psalm 51:11).
THE DAWNING OF THE AGE OF EASTER
#372 THE DAWNING OF THE AGE OF EASTER
Scripture John 20:11-18, NIV Orig. Date 3-26-1967
Rewr. Dates 3-1978, 3-19-1989
Passage: 11 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.
13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.”
14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. 15 He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”
16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”). 17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”
18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.
Purpose: To share an Easter message exemplifying the hope that is in our Christ.
Keywords: Christ, Saviour Easter Hope Resurrection Special Day, Easter
Introduction
There have been times over the years when I was the first to leave the scene of someone’s darkest hour. Other times I have lingered at the grave-site following a committal service. Occasionally, I have even returned with the family to the family home.
I have watched bereaved and broken-hearted people shuffling away from some flower-bedecked grave. The flowers, for all their beauty, did not change in one iota, all that that grave represented. I have seen men and women leaning heavily on the stronger arms of some other loved one because the grief had sapped all strength.
“Oh, ‘tis the pang severest
That human hearts can know,
To lay what we hold dearest
Thus, in the dust below.”--unknown
A painting pictures Mary Magdalene in such an hour as this. It is called The Return from Calvary. Mary Magdalene and another woman, Mary (Zebedee’s wife), Salome, Joanna, we are not told which. Grief is etched on Mary Magdalene’s face. Despondency is her destination.. Against the horizon, in the background of the picture can be seen the three crosses of Calvary. When first mentioned (Luke 8:2f) she is identified as one “out of whom went seven devils.” Jesus had occupied such a special place in her life. Now what?
As another has written that it was she:
“Who while apostles shrank, could dangers brave
Last at His cross, and earliest at His grave.”—Eaton Standard Barrett, 1786-1820
Those who went out on that first Easter morning did not know what Easter was. Too many still are not so certain of the meaning, of the “dawning of the age of Easter.”
I. The Dawning of Easter Confirms the Lordship of Christ. V16 “Jesus saith unto her, ‘Mary.’ She turned herself and saith unto him, ‘Rabboni.’” Other passages confuse us in the failure of disciples to recognize Jesus. Was it the semi-darkness of first light? Did tears distort her first look? Were their recollections altered by what they had seen of Him on the cross?
Make no mistake, this is the One who had lived among them as the Son of God. V17 “I ascend to my Father, . . . and to my God.” What Mary doesn’t need, and Jesus doesn’t impart is some well-intentioned philosophy. We have mentioned her “seven devils.” They could be medically derived. She could have been a social outcast. Likely, the problem was sin. I heard Dennie Duron tell about the conversion of a former team-mate during surgery for a self-inflicted gun-shot wound.
Whatever else it means, here is a woman of checkered past into whose life Jesus came.
Now Jesus is dead. What is left? No words will still the torrent in her breast. Times Picayune (3-23-1978): Killed cancer-stricken wife, then himself. Note: “I had rather spend eternity in hell, than see her spend another day in her hell.”
She waits for some hope that is equal to her grief. Uncle Tom had been sold and was on his way to Simon Lagree’s death farm. Reading scripture to a slave who could not read. Matthew 11:28 “Come unto me, all.” Slave: “Them’s good words, but who sez ‘em?”
Only God’s Son and Consort would dare to brig such outcasts into the Father’s presence. V17 (again) “I ascend unto . . . your Father, . . . and your God.” The One He called Father, He identified as her Father, also. Thus is the ascension of Christ surety for the believer.
II. The Dawning of Easter Declares Jesus Alive. V12 “Two angels in white sitting . . . where the body of Jesus had lain.” You see, we are not merely left an empty tomb. As important as burial places are. The tomb of Abraham has been a revered place among Hebrews for 4,000 years. Mohammed’s shrine has been marked in Medina since June 8, 632 A.D. Lenin’s tomb bears the inscription “He was the saviour.” But the empty tomb of Jesus brought no comfort to Mary Magdalene.
By His appearance to the disciples, Jesus showed Himself alive. What an impact those appearances had on the disciples. Cleopas: “Was not our heart burning within us, while he spake?” (Luke 24;32). “The disciples therefore were glad, when they saw the Lord” John 20:20. “Peter cast himself into the sea” John 21:7.
John 21:24 “This is the disciple which beareth witness of these things: and we know that his witness is true.”
Picture, then, what his sudden appearance would mean to Mary Magdalene. V15 “Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?” Tears of sincere remorse and conviction do not go unnoticed. Revival for most churches, believers, awaits such contrition. Every pastor’s burden is, “Is it something I lack?” It was to comfort such grief that Christ came. V15 “Tell me where thou has laid him and I will take him away.” The empty tomb has not assuaged. An unknown Jesus has not comforted.
In speaking her name, she at once sees. V16 “Mary!” “Rabboni! which is to say ‘Master.’” The flush of recognition pierces her broken spirit. So poignant the sound of her own name that the cobwebs are driven from her brain.
It is the intent of Christ, through his Holy Spirit to verify Lordship, Life today. V17 “Go to the brethren. Tell them I ascend to my Father, and your Father.” See v23.
III. The Dawning of Easter Evokes His Purpose—Provides the Resurrection. V17 “Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended unto the Father.” Up to now, they had been able to love Him as one whose physical presence was known. Mary reaches out to touch Him as she has done before. In the dark defile the shepherd does not lead, but accompanies the sheep. The staff is the extension of his hand.
It is for reason other than rebuke that Jesus denies her touch. Remember, the first Easter service was not to Peter and John. They had been there but are now returned to their homes (v10). It is to Mary Magdalene that He has made His presence known. Mark 16:9 “He appeared first to Mary Magdalene.” Faith in one’s living Lord must be paramount. Touch is not necessary.
The Holy Spirit’s ministry throughout the ages has been to manifest a living Lord. To this end, Jesus lived His life with the cross ever before Him. His ministry was among the people with whom He lived. The Holy Spirit would broaden that outreach to touch all ages. John 16:7 “. . . it is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.”
Conclusion
A story is told of a wealthy merchant whose friend and acquaintance of many years had come to a destitute condition. The merchant was moved with pity at the plight of his friend and determined to do what he could to help. He chose a trusted servant and sent him to the man’s home with gifts, and with a sealed envelope.
The man was out, himself seeking some relief from his dire circumstance. His wife received the offerings of friendship. The gifts were applied to household needs of which there were many. The envelope she placed among her husband’s private papers. At the merchant’s death she inquired. Found: a blank check, the account now closed. Have we acted on God’s benevolence?