Have you ever questioned if Jesus really did rise from the dead? When I had a break between semesters in seminary, a friend of mine had me read a book that caused me to question what I believed. This is a time that I felt a hopelessness that I have not felt since then. I spent several weeks working through the facts of Jesus' death and resurrection.
One encounter with the Savior that helped me to solidify my belief was found in John 20. It and the other three gospels provide us with the "pictures" of the last week of Jesus' life. For each of us we must decide if the evidence: from fulfilled Old Testament prophecies to eyewitness accounts of the happenings, to historical reports are enough to compel us to believe in the risen Savior. Pastor Arch introduced us to The Minimal Facts Approach to prove that Jesus did rise from the dead. The basic idea of the minimal facts approach is like building a brick wall. You begin with one brick, lay it, put mortar down, and so on until you have a brick wall. In the same way, one looks at a number of facts that, if true, come together to be a very strong case that Jesus did, in fact, rise from the grave over 2,000 years ago.
One such eyewitness account comes from a woman whose life had been changed by knowing Jesus. Mary Magdalene was a woman from whom Jesus cast out seven demons (Luke 8:2), leading to her following Him. This proof would be explained as the criterion of embarrassment.
One encounter with the Savior that helped me to solidify my belief was found in John 20. It and the other three gospels provide us with the "pictures" of the last week of Jesus' life. For each of us we must decide if the evidence: from fulfilled Old Testament prophecies to eyewitness accounts of the happenings, to historical reports are enough to compel us to believe in the risen Savior. Pastor Arch introduced us to The Minimal Facts Approach to prove that Jesus did rise from the dead. The basic idea of the minimal facts approach is like building a brick wall. You begin with one brick, lay it, put mortar down, and so on until you have a brick wall. In the same way, one looks at a number of facts that, if true, come together to be a very strong case that Jesus did, in fact, rise from the grave over 2,000 years ago.
One such eyewitness account comes from a woman whose life had been changed by knowing Jesus. Mary Magdalene was a woman from whom Jesus cast out seven demons (Luke 8:2), leading to her following Him. This proof would be explained as the criterion of embarrassment.
“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 ran to Simon Peter and to the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said to them, ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put Him!’”
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Mary, not only saw the empty tomb first but even more importantly she saw the resurrected Savior, Jesus, first.
“But Mary stood outside facing the tomb, crying. As she was crying, she stooped to look into the tomb. She saw two angels in white sitting there, one at the head and one at the feet, where Jesus’ body had been lying. 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, though she did not know it was Jesus.
‘Woman,’ Jesus said to her, ‘why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?’
Supposing He was the gardener, she replied, ‘Sir, if you’ve removed Him, tell me where you’ve put Him, and I will take Him away.’
Jesus said, ‘Mary.’
Turning around, she said to Him in Hebrew, ‘Rabbouni!’ which means ‘Teacher.’
‘Don’t cling to Me,’ Jesus told her, ‘for 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.”
‘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, though she did not know it was Jesus.
‘Woman,’ Jesus said to her, ‘why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?’
Supposing He was the gardener, she replied, ‘Sir, if you’ve removed Him, tell me where you’ve put Him, and I will take Him away.’
Jesus said, ‘Mary.’
Turning around, she said to Him in Hebrew, ‘Rabbouni!’ which means ‘Teacher.’
‘Don’t cling to Me,’ Jesus told her, ‘for 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.”
– John 20:11-18
Jesus spoke her name! In my mind, I can see Mary’s surprised and astonished expression at that very moment. Jesus let her know that He knew her. She was important to Him. She was valued by the risen Savior who had conquered death. Even now, as I think about this, I get teary-eyed because just as He called Mary by name, He calls me and you by our name. He knows us and desires to forgive our sins and be in a personal relationship with us.
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Posted in Devotional
Posted in path of victory, easter, Jesus, devotional, God, resurrection, salvation
Posted in path of victory, easter, Jesus, devotional, God, resurrection, salvation
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