SAVIOR, HEALER, FRIEND.

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1 WHO IS IT YOU RE LOOKING FOR? Passage: John 20:11-16 [15 Who is it you are looking for? ] Introduction: I. On Friday afternoon Jesus breathed His last & the earth shook violently. John 19:38-42 Joseph of Arimathea & Nicodemus gained permission to care for Jesus body. By Jewish burial custom: washed & wrapped his body in linen cloth, including large amounts of spice Joseph even made the sacrifice of giving him his own new tomb hewn out of rock. Watching nearby as the stone was rolled in place before sundown was Mary Magdalene (Matt.27:61). You had to have known who Jesus was to her: SAVIOR, HEALER, FRIEND. Matt.27:62-66 at the demand of the chief priests & Pharisees, the sepulcher was sealed and guarded. (1) Early on the first day of the week while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb She was not alone (Lk.24:1); urgently they carried spices, not to preserve the body, but to honor it. (1b-2)... and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple,, They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don t know where they have put him! John s focus was upon Mary her anguish her pain she left them & ran to get help. (3-7) Then Simon Peter came along behind him He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. That the grave clothes were left & orderly arranged hardly spoke of a grave robbery! (8-10) Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)... Though they didn t understand the meaning they knew that something powerful had happened. II. (11) Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. Overwhelmed w. anguish consumed w. grief as the men had left she decided to see for herself. (11b-12) As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. The supernatural was not new to her & holy beings were welcomed but she seems unfazed! (13) They asked her, Woman, why are you crying? God prefers honesty! They have taken my Lord away, she said, and I don t know where they have put him. No thought of a miracle she expected foul play and why not given the events & treatment! Imagine what she had seen > torture, excruciating death, now desecration who could have been so cruel! (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? same question the angels asked, but Jesus adds: 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. Perhaps her eyes swollen with tears perhaps her emotional state perhaps denial. At that time in the morning, who else would have been there? If anyone knew, he would. One thing for sure > in her pain, she didn t give a straight answer. Instead, her response is irrational tell me... I will get him... but how & where?!!! 1 Pastor Tom Keinath Easter, March 27 th, 2016

2 III. (16) Jesus said to her, Mary. She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, Rabboni Like time stood still no sparing emotions here! Greek tense indicates that she grasped him. You see everything changes when Jesus speaks your name!!! He was alive this wasn t about a movement, a religious experience > the relationship was alive! Who it is you are looking for? Mary s pain speaks for all of us before our faith becomes sight! Sometimes we are so overcome with grief, anxieties, and tears that we loose sight. Endless questions Who will role away the stone? Where have they put him? But Jesus question in return also speaks to us this morning! In fact the answer to our searching & longing is found the same way Mary found it. WHO are you looking for? Not the What of empty religion, not the Why of endless philosophy. WHO IS FOUND IN A LIVING RELATIONSHIP Someone to forgive you & heal you & love you. The Questions of our searching hearts & minds are answered in a living relationship with Jesus: Our SAVIOR, Our HEALER, Our FRIEND. If you re looking for a SAVIOR, there is no other like the Risen Jesus! A. Of the six different Marys spoken of in the NT, only Jesus mother is mentioned more. She s called Mary Magdalene because of her prominence in Magdala on the west coast of Galilee. But it s the rest of what we know that s most notorious > possessed not of one, but seven demons (Mk.16:9). The view of religious tradition & the Hollywood version of Mary makes her out to be a harlot... But though there is no backing for this in the Bible, demons are demons > foul and dirty. And what a radical transformation it had been! Instead of aligning with the kingdom of darkness, she was now part of a group of ladies who traveled & gave resources to support Christ s ministry; while others fled, these stayed faithful through it all. All four Gospel writers find Mary along with Jesus mother at the foot of the cross. And all four see her coming to the tomb to honor His body faithful in life, faithful in death. And there at the tomb, instead of being plagued by demons she was now comforted by holy angels. And instead of being disregarded & disrespected as women were generally treated in that day She was first to see & witness the Resurrected Jesus (later called apostle to the apostles ) B. Before & After commercials come in all kinds weight loss, hair growth, pimples But there s a product like none other: sent straight from Heaven costing God everything, free to all who call upon Him the power of God to change lives for ever & guaranteed with His own life blood. C. In the heart of every human being is a God-shaped vacuum > a need to know our God... But the Bible reveals a sad truth: Y our sins have separated you from your God. (Isa.59:2) 2

3 ... (59:10) We grope like the blind along a wall, feeling our way like people without eyes. Even at brightest noontime, we stumble as though it were dark. Among the living, we are like the dead. It was there Mary first met Jesus her spirit invaded by darkness her mind consumed with twisted confusion her body captive to her own corruption SPIRITUALLY DEAD! Until the LIFE-GIVING Jesus spoke her name > hell retreated; chains fell off & she was never the same again! Are you looking for a Savior? He will do the same for you! 3 Pastor Tom Keinath Easter, March 27 th, 2016

4 If you re looking for a HEALER, there is no other like the Risen Jesus! A. Brokenness has been written across this planet from the day sin first entered this world. Bodies fearfully and wonderfully made have become crippled and diseased. Minds created to receive His peace and wisdom > consumed with fear and confusion. The Bible says to this day, the whole creation has been groaning (Rom.8:22). B. Though we don t know the condition of Mary s body before she met Jesus, we know the M.O. of demons. That there were seven demons indicates an extreme and violent form of possession. Many times we re told demons not only troubled their victims spiritually, but mentally & physically. But whether spiritual or natural in source, no disease or affliction has ever been too much for Jesus. Matthew summarizes Christ s ministry: (9:35) Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. C. I am thankful for those doctors & nurses who work so hard to serve their patients Who have studied for years to understand the wonders & complexities of these human bodies... Who have humbly dedicated their skills & who know that where their touch ends, God s is just beginning! D. Are you looking longing for your healing? Jesus is here, speaking your name. To those who long for His healing touch Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. To those who are in need of a miracle With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. To all who are looking for His healing touch, His Word still speaks: Rom. 8:11 If the spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies... If you re looking for a FRIEND, there is no other like the Risen Jesus! After His resurrection, the people Jesus revealed himself to FIRST > needed His friendship MOST! The first to see the resurrected Lord was Mary Magdalene once rejected, now embraced Then there was Peter who denied even knowing his Friend. Then the rest of the disciples who had walked out on Him in His darkest hour. But this kind of friendship should ve come as no surprise to any of Christ s followers: Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for His friends. I no longer call you servants not a degrading word, but still one of obligation > cp. 13:16 But now Jesus elevated our relationship with Him Instead, I have called you friend, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. (15:15) because a servant does not know his master's business made to feel like an outsider 4

5 I have called you friends [ PHILOI > family love, natural and mutual with privilege and confidences) for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. To those who belong to Jesus, spiritual mysteries are not hidden from us, they re hidden for us... and the more of Him we desire, the more of Himself He reveals to us. Each year I am asked to complete reference forms Acquaintance? Casual friend? Close friend? In fact you & I relate to many some acquaintances some casual friends some more personal. If you re looking for a Friend, I d like to introduce you to my very best Friend of all. I have looked & found a friend who listens, when others don t want to hear it. I have looked & found a friend who carries me through my highs & lows/ups & downs. I have looked & found a friend who never leaves me, never forsakes me FRIENDS FOREVER! Miles can t separate us because He lives in my heart. Trials can t separate us because He has already conquered this world. Death can t separate us because He conquered that too! Conclusion: So I ask you again the question Jesus first asked Mary: Who is it you are looking for? 5 Pastor Tom Keinath Easter, March 27 th, 2016

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