The Word Made Plain

Guest (Male): Welcome to the Word Made Playing with senior pastor Tony Clark of Calvary Chapel Newport News in Virginia. Currently, pastor Tony is teaching in the book of John. Please open your Bible to John chapter 20 verses 11 through 18.

Tony Clark: All right, let's dive into the word of God. Turn with me in your Bibles to John chapter 20. We're going to be looking at verses 11 through 18 as we continue to go verse by verse, chapter by chapter through the Gospel of John. And as you can see, we are getting close to wrapping this book up, and we will move right into the book of Acts. And you as you know on Wednesdays, we're in the book of Deuteronomy, and we're going through the Old Testament on Wednesdays and just there's nothing like going through the word of God.

And Father, thank you so much that you have given us your word and and dear God, we just pray that your word will speak into our hearts a timely word that we need to hear today. Lord, we need to hear from you. We're in desperate hours, desperate times, and we need to hear from you today in Jesus' name. Amen. John 20 looking at verses 11 through 18. The title of this message is no more tears. No more tears. Now, life is filled with disappointing things that bring us to tears. The loss of a job and the possibility of financial collapse, the breakup of a marriage and the possibility or thought of being alone.

The loss of a loved one in death is a big one and the despair never seeing that person on the earth again. Well, Mary was in uh uh the same kind of situation that we find uh in these particular verses. And so Mary and some of the other women came to the tomb in verse one and saw that it was empty. Uh and she runs and tells Peter and John in verse two this information, and they run back to the tomb to verify this news according to verse four. And when they saw that it was true, they went back home to see what would happen next in verse 10.

But Mary, verse 11 says, stood outside by the tomb weeping. And as she wept, she stooped down and looked into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white sitting one at the head and the other at the feet where the body of Jesus had lain. Now, the conjunction but that starts verse 11 is contrasting what was said in verse 10. And so in in verse 10, the disciples referring to Peter and John went away again to their own homes. But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping. Oh, that Greek word for weeping is klaio, and it indicates a loud lamentation rather than quiet tears.

Oh, the same Greek word is used to describe the professional wailing at the tomb of Lazarus according to John 11 in verse 33. And as she was wailing, verse 11 goes on to say that as she wept, she stooped down and looked into the tomb, perhaps thinking that someone brought the body back or perhaps that she had mistaken she was mistaken and the body was really there and she missed it the first time. Oh, remember she came to the tomb while it was still dark according to verse one. And now that it was light outside, she wanted to double check the tomb one more time.

And this time when she stoops down and looked into the tomb, verse 12 says that she sees two angels in white. Oh, these two angels are the same two men that the other women encountered according to Luke 24 and verse four. John calls them angels while Luke calls them men because these angels took on the human form of man. And the women thought that they were just ordinary men, but later on uh in Luke 24 and verse 23 uh they found out that they were really angels because it said that they went back and told the disciples that they had an encounter or vision of angels who said that Jesus was alive.

And I want to bring to your attention the position of these angels in verse 12. One was at the head and the other at the feet. Or some scholars see this as a beautiful picture of the Ark of the Covenant in 3D. On top of the Ark was two angels who faced one another with their their wings touching and the mercy seat in the center according to Exodus 25 and verse 20. So here are these two angels. Did they have anything to say? Oh, sure they did. Look at verse 13. Then they said to her, woman, why are you weeping?

She said to them, because they have taken away my Lord and I do not know where they have laid him. Now, the angels said to Mary, woman, why are you weeping? Now, whether you believe it or not, this was a subtle rebuke because the angels were saying the time of mourning and weeping was over. The sorrow that death brought was over with the glorious resurrection of Jesus. So why are you still weeping? Oh, something else I want you to see is that Mary was not fascinated uh by these angels. She doesn't take out her cell phone and start taking selfies with the angels or start to interview uh with them so she can write her book later on, my encounter with angels, looking to get on the New York Times bestseller list or something.

Or nor does she take the pictures and upload them to social media so they can go viral. No, you we don't see her do any of this because she was so wrapped up with Jesus. Nothing else mattered to her. Oh, what are you wrapped up in today? Some relationship that you're pursuing, some job that you have worked all of your life to obtain, some weight loss goal. Now, all you have to do is look at the things you're pursuing daily. And that is what you are wrapped up in, no matter how much you will love to say as you're sitting here today that you're wrapped up with Jesus.

All we have to do is look at your daily agenda and we can really see what you wrapped up in. If I were to go around and ask everyone, who what are you wrapped up in? You sitting in here, you would say, I'm wrapped up with Jesus. But if I were to follow you every day of your life and every day this week, oh, we would see what you really wrapped up in. Oh, you give Jesus the nod right now. But if we followed you daily and see the things you're pursuing, the things that you're after, will we conclude by the end of the week that you're wrapped up with Jesus?

I pray that one day we really can be so wrapped up with Jesus that nothing else matters to us. Not how many things we can accumulate here on this earth. Notice how Mary used the possessive pronoun my. He is my Lord. They have taken away my Lord and I do not know where they have laid him. Oh, David understood this concept in Psalm 23 in verse one. The Lord is my shepherd, and because he is my shepherd, I shall not want or lack in my life. Oh, look at what happens next. Look at verse 14.

It says now when she has said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there and did not know that it was Jesus. Now, what would prompt Mary to suddenly turn from the angels to see what was behind her? Oh, maybe the angels turned their attention from Mary and started looking at Jesus behind her and she became curious as to what they were looking at. Now, the next question is why is it that she didn't know that it was Jesus? Or could it be that she still had tears in her eyes? Oh, maybe. Or even though it was light out, there was not enough light outside to make out that it was Jesus, maybe.

Or I lean toward the first answer that she didn't recognize Jesus because she was still weeping and still had tears in her eyes. And we will see Jesus confirm what I'm saying that Mary had tears in her eyes in verse 15. Look what it says there. Jesus said to her, woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking? And she supposing him to be the gardener said to him, sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him and I will take him away. Now, notice how Jesus repeats the same question to Mary that the angels did in verse 13.

Woman, why are you weeping? Showing that she was still crying and had tears in her eyes, and this could be the reason why she didn't recognize him. And notice how Jesus loves to come to us when we're weeping and when tears are in our eyes, when things and circumstances have broken our hearts. It is during these times that Jesus loves to show up in our lives. And the real question is, will we recognize him when he comes to us? Oh, Mary thought that Jesus was a gardener. Seeing that this tomb was in a garden according to John 19 and verse 41.

The real question is, when you're weeping, when things have broken your heart, will you recognize him coming to you? When tears are running down your face, will you recognize him? Because Jesus will come to us every single time things or circumstances or life storms have blown in our lives and broken our hearts, he will come to us. But will you recognize him? In Matthew 14 and verses 25 and 26, Jesus came to his disciples who were in in the midst of a storm on the Sea of Galilee. Walking on the water, he came to them and they thought that he was a ghost.

And this shows us that in storms and in the midst of life circumstances that brings tears to our eyes, we can miss Jesus coming to comfort us. We would think that Jesus is just a gardener, someone is common as a coworker or someone who works for us. We can dismiss them being sent from the Lord because they are someone common like a gardener. Or we can miss Jesus coming to us because we mistake him as a ghost. Someone unknown and we're afraid to open up and talk to them because we don't know them like that.

So talking to someone unknown to us can be a scary or frightening experience so we can miss Jesus coming to us. And so Mary responds to Jesus and says, sir, watch this. If you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him and I will take him away. Oh, I draw your attention to the three times him is mentioned by Mary. Oh, it is worth noting that at this moment she had no room for anything or anyone else but him referring to Jesus. Now, why did she feel this way? Because 1 Corinthians 13 verse seven says love bears all things.

It didn't matter where she thought that the gardener placed the body of Jesus. She was willing to go get it and bring it back to the tomb by herself because love bears all things. Look at the love and devotion of Mary. She was consumed with him and not with stuff, the things of this life that are temporary. It was all about him. It was all about Jesus and she was willing to bear all things if it meant that she could be close to him just one more time. Where is our devotion to Jesus today? Are we willing to bear all things in order to be close to him?

What if that means that you have to leave that second and third job so you can be at church more often to draw closer to him? What if it means waking up early in the morning or staying up late at night in order to draw close to him just one more time? Are you willing to bear all things? Oh, most people are not. Most people are just, you know, if it's convenient for us, then, you know, if I don't have anything else pressing, if I don't have anything else more to do in my life, if there's not some event the kids got got going on, if there's not some extra thing at the job or some thing going on in my life in the neighborhood, if I my favorite show or or team is not playing, oh, I don't have I I don't want to bear those things.

I don't want to give up those things. And if those things are more pressing, that will get our attention then to be with Jesus just one more time, sense his presence one more time here, his voice just one more time. We're not willing to bear all things. Mary, it was all about him. She was so into him that nothing or no one else mattered. Oh, that is not the the thought process of Christians today. It's all about everything else except him. And we see this just looking at our daily lives. This was the heart of Mary.

And she shows shows it by the three times she says him because it was all about him. Look at verse 16. Says Jesus said to her, Mary. She turned and said to him, which is to say teacher. This is one of the most tender encounters in the Bible. Jesus says one word, Mary. Just at the sound of her name from the lips of Jesus brought joy to our heart. Oh, it is believed that Jesus had a special way he said each of their names because there were at least four Marys that followed Jesus. And it was a way he said their name and he said her name in that way and immediately she knew who it was.

Remember how I said if you want Jesus to show up in your life, you must seek him early like Mary did according to verse one. And because she came to the tomb early, she was the first one to see the resurrected Lord. When Mary heard her name come from the lips of Jesus, oh, she turned to him and said which is to say teacher. Oh, this Hebrew expression Rabboni is a strengthened form of the word rabbi. It was used to express great honor and supreme reverence according to Mark 10 in verse 51. Oh, you remember blind Bartimaeus used it as he told Jesus that he wanted to receive his sight.

So what happened next? Look at verse 17. Jesus said to her, do not cling to me for I have not yet ascended to my father, but go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my father and your father, to my God and your God. Here is Mary, overcome with joy and relief that she fell down at the feet of Jesus clinging to him. Oh, this prompted Jesus to say, do not cling to me. Mary had a death grip on him as if to say, you got away from me before you not getting away from me again.

Oh, I long to have a relationship with Jesus like Mary Magdalene where I have a death grip on him clinging to Jesus and the things of God instead of the things of this world. She was saying, Jesus, you are my everything. You're not getting away from me again. Oh, I am ashamed at how easily we are willing to let Jesus get away. We encountered Jesus at church and we so easily let him get away as we rush off to get something to eat or to watch TV or to go to some sporting event that we spend hours there and enduring the the weather and the heat and the the rain and the elements.

And we so easy let Jesus get away. We encountered Jesus in the morning in our Bible study and Bible reading and we're so quick to allow him to get away and allow him to leave as we rush off to a job that we constantly complain about or to the gym. And this was not the heart of Mary. She had a death grip on Jesus where he had to tell her, don't cling to me for I have not yet ascended to my father. In other words, Mary, let me go. I will have to ascend to my father, but you are trying to keep me here on the earth.

Then Jesus said, Mary, I have something for you to do and that is go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my father and your father and to my God and your God. So here is Mary, Mary Magdalene from the city of Magdala. The last one at the cross and the first one at the tomb. And because she saw Jesus early, she was the first one to see the Lord and the first one entrusted to with taking the message that Jesus was alive to the world according to verse 18. Oh, Mary Magdalene is a beautiful example of what God can do with those of us who love him, who seek him early and cling to him.

He will entrust us to do mighty things for his kingdom. Oh, I bring this up because many people wonder why God is not using them. It is because these beautiful qualities we see in Mary aren't seen in many people's lives today. I'm amazed at this. These beautiful qualities. You know, another thing is that Mary was used. You know why Mary was used? It's it's really simple because she was there. Where were the other disciples? They were they were hiding out somewhere out of fear that they were going to be crucified next. So they were hiding out in fear and Mary didn't care.

Mary was at the tomb and God used her because she was there. And many people said, well, God's not using me. It's because you're not here. Yeah, you might show up once every six weeks. You wonder why God is not using you? You're not here. Mary was used because she was there. She happened to be there. She was the first one to see the Lord and God said, okay, I got something for you to do. Go tell my brethren, I'm alive. You remember the other disciples went to their own homes in verse 10. They went back to the house.

Peter and and and John, they went back to the house. Mary stood around weeping. She stood around. And because she was there, Jesus used her. Or can Jesus use you? Are you here enough for Jesus to use you? Or do you just come in whenever there's sorrow filling your heart or tears in your eyes? And then when he wipes those tears away, then you off to do you again. And then when sorrow fills your heart again, then we see you. And it ends up being once every six weeks or so. And you wonder why God isn't using you, you're not here.

Mary was used because she was here. And we'll pick things up in verse 19 God's will next time. Let me conclude with this. No more tears. In these verses we saw how Jesus showed up when Mary's eyes were filled with tears. He comes to us when our hearts are broken. But the real question is, will we recognize him when he comes to us? Will we mistake him as the gardener? Will we think that he is a ghost? Someone to scare us? Jesus comes to us when sorrow fills our hearts. And here's the thing, he uses people.

So don't be so quick to dismiss the person God sends to you to draw your tears. Oh, finally I just have to just give us this small little warning here. Watch out during these times because just like God uses people, Satan does too. And he will send someone to you from the opposite sex to dry your tears, but really they want to get you in the bedroom. You know why I say that? Because we're most vulnerable when tears fill our eyes. We're most vulnerable when we're emotional, when things have broken our hearts. We're most vulnerable during those times and Satan sees that and says, ah I got somebody that's going to comfort you.

Old boyfriend calling up. Old girlfriend said, oh, I I it was so good seeing you the other day. Oh, you look like you had something going on. You want me to come over? Oh, they're ready to dry your tears all right. And something else as well. So beware. I'm just telling you to beware. Beware. So draw closer to Jesus and he will wipe away every tear from your eyes. We we're going to close in in prayer at this time. This is an opportunity for you to search your heart. There's going to be some people available to pray uh with you.

The worship team is going to come back up. And they're going to sing a song that's going to definitely be very applicable to the message that we uh that I just gave. And this is your opportunity to get things right with the Lord. Let him dry your tears, let him dry your eyes. Despite the things that's going on in our country, please do not think that this thing is a racial political issue. This is a spiritual problem. Our country is imploding right before our eyes. This country, what you're seeing now is life without God. They don't want God.

They kick God out of everything possible. And they say, you know what, we really don't like you meeting in church, but we'll let you meet. You just stay within those four walls and you better not come out talking about that name. And therefore, this is the society. This is the world without God. A hot mess. And so don't think it's political. Please don't think it's racial. Please don't. Your eyes are on the wrong thing if you it's spiritual. This is a spiritual problem. We have to fight it with spiritual means, which is prayer. Last time I checked, righteousness still exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to every person and every people.

Stay focused. The things that are breaking your heart. The worship team's going to come up and sing about that. And there's going to be people to pray with you about those things that is breaking your heart today. So let's pray. Father, thank you so much for this time you've given us. Lord, help us to keep our eyes on you. Help us to look to you. Lord, we need you so desperately, Lord. So Lord, we cry upon you. We cry we call upon you right now. Draw your people to you today in Jesus' name. Amen.

Guest (Male): If the Word Made Playing has been a source of inspiration and encouragement to you, why not consider becoming a Word Made Playing giving partner to keep this listener supported program on the air? As a giving partner, you join forces with Calvary Chapel Newport News' Kingdom Vision of spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. You can make your tax deductible gift online at calvarynn.org or send your gift of any amount to 15553 Warwick Boulevard, Newport News, Virginia 23608 and receive a gift from Calvary Chapel Newport News as our thank you. In addition to your financial support, we ask that you pray for the Word Made Playing broadcast that it touches hearts and generates change in the lives of people around the world.

We pray you've been blessed by God's word today and hope you'll tune in next time to hear the Word Made Playing.