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by Sandy Shaw
We are in John Chapter 20 reading of John’s accounts of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It has been quite a morning, following an exhausting and demanding ten days or so in Jerusalem. Mary was there at first light, and the massive stone had been moved, to allow the women folks to look in and see.
Peter and John rushed over from that Upper Room. It has been an emotional few days for everyone.
Mary and the others had seen the evidence of the empty tomb – well empty in as much as there was no body of Jesus, but the unmoved cloths are lying on the slab.
And, Mary experiences a personal encounter with the risen Christ.
Jesus has to transfer her feelings and emotions in obedience.
There is nothing wrong with emotion. How could it be otherwise in scenes like these?
Real lasting enduring faith requires that emotions be stirred, and the mind informed, and the will submitted to the Word of God and the Will of God.
It is never enough to have our emotions stirred. That is relatively easy to do given certain situations and surroundings – and the facts, although vitally important, can be cold and go no further than head knowledge – but our wills need to be bent into the ways of Jesus Christ.
We require all three aspects to be involved. Anything less is dangerous and spiritually inadequate.
Mary did not know who this figure was to begin with, and Jesus reassures her and gives her a sure sound knowledge.
She had been weeping, because she is not sure of what is happening in that Garden. What is this all about? Can you blame her at that specific moment?
A great deal of our sorrow is due to ignorance. If only we knew the truth we might not be so sad.
Mary, not knowing exactly what to believe, receives this revelation from the Living Lord Jesus Christ – “Miriam”. How did He say that? O to have heard the local homely dialect being used by the Risen Son of God.
Remember again – all of this is totally knew, and so unexpected, and what Mary is really thinking is reflected by what she does and it is this – “I am not going to let you out of my sight.”
We hear that type of thing said frequently when someone is lost and is found.
Jesus ministers to her so graciously to transform her from her feelings and emotions to faith.
“Mary, this is not the way to hold on to Me.” “Mary, this is not the way to keep Me, now.” “Mary, things have changed. Don’t detain Me. Don’t hold on to Me physically. Don’t cling to Me.”
She has to go and tell others. Go and share it.”
When Jesus asked these questions ‘Why’ and ‘Who’ in verse 15, Mary was so determined. I will carry him back to His Grave, if only you will tell me where they have laid Him!
Jesus does not want us to carry around a dead Christ. God wants us to tell people that Jesus Christ is Risen and Alive. There are so many people who do not know that this really happened. It is not just that they don’t believe. They have never had it all explained to them by people who know it to be true.
Alexander 'Sandy' Shaw is pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship in Nairn, Scotland. Nairn is 17 miles east of Inverness - on the Moray Firth Coast - not far from the Loch Ness Monster!
Gifted as a Biblical teacher, Sandy is firmly committed to making sure that his teachings are firmly grounded in the Word.
Sandy has a weekly radio talk which can be heard via the Internet on Saturday at 11:40am, New Orleans time, at wsho.com.
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