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Why Are
You Weeping? Scripture 11But Mary was standing
outside the tomb weeping; and so, as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb; 12and she
saw* two angels in white sitting, one at the head and one at the
feet, where the body of Jesus had been lying. 13And 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.” 14When
she had said this, she turned around and saw* Jesus standing there,
and did not know that it was Jesus. 15Jesus said* to
her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you
seeking?” Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said* to
Him, “Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and
I will take Him away.” 16Jesus said* to her, “Mary!” She turned and said* to Him in
Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (which
means, Teacher). 17Jesus said* to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the
Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and
your Father, and My God and your God.’” 18Mary Magdalene
came*, announcing to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and that
He had said these things to her. Introduction: A. Sunday - The 1.
Jesus is resurrected physically from the dead. a)
There is a great earthquake. b)
The angel of the Lord descends from heaven. (1)His appearance is as
lightning. (2)His raiment is as snow. (3)He rolls the stone away
and sits upon it. c)
The guards tremble, become as dead men, and finally flee in
terror. 2.
Mary Magdalene arrives at the garden to aid in the planned
anointing of his body (John 20:1, 2). a)
She sees the stone has been removed. b)
She runs and reports to Peter and John: “They took away the
Lord from the tomb, and we know not where they laid him.” 3.
Peter and John arrive at the garden (Luke 24:12; a)
John outruns Peter and, looking into the tomb, sees the linen
cloths. b)
Peter arrives and, entering into the tomb, sees the head
napkin separated from the linen cloths. 4.
Mary Magdalene returns to the garden alone (John 20:11-18). a)
She stands outside the tomb weeping. B. From Tears to Triumph on Easter Morning 1.
This is one of the most precious events in history. a)
It was our Lord’s first appearance after His resurrection. b)
It was the appearance to Mary Magdalene, one who loved Jesus
with the deepest of loves because of what He had done for her. 2.
Mary Was Crying at an Empty Grave a)
Many have wept at graves throughout the centuries (1)Jesus wept at the grave
of Lazarus (John 11:25) (2)We weep—not because our
believing loved ones have gone to heaven—but because they have left us and we miss them. b)
But the Cross and its tears were past (1)Mary and the other women
had found the grave empty (2)Christ had risen from the
dead (3)This should have been a
time of triumph . . . not of tears 3.
Seeing Peter and John enter the tomb gave her courage to
finally stoop down and look in. a)
What Mary began to experience would totally change her life.
She could not ask for more. b)
Two things can revolutionize a person’s life. (1)Lingering at the empty
tomb of Jesus. Too many rush by His tomb, never
thinking, never giving any thought to its meaning. (2)Seeking the truth of the
empty tomb, what it means to life and to the world in all its corruption and
need. 4.
The Two angels (v.12-13) a)
The two angels were sitting right where Jesus’ body had been
lying. (1)Angels are messengers of
God; they are the ministering spirits of God, servants sent from heaven to
carry out His will. (2)On this occasion, they
were sent to comfort Mary in her grief. (3)They had been sent to her
in particular, because they were not seen in the tomb when Peter and John
looked in. b)
They were clothed in white. Matthew added... (1)like “lightning” (visible,
quick, startling, striking, frightening, brilliant). (2)like “snow” (white, pure,
glistening). 5.
One of the angel's asked Mary a question: “Why are you
weeping?” (v. 13) I.
Mary Wept Because She
Believed the Worst (v. 13) A. 1.
When we think of Mary Magdalene lingering alone in the
garden, recall 2.
Mary loved her Lord and came early to the garden to express
that love. B. She doubted the promise of the Lord 1.
Jesus had promised He would rise from the dead (John 2:19) 2.
When we doubt God's promises, we are overcome by anxiety 3.
Mary had come to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus a)
Even the empty tomb hadn't convinced her Christ was alive b)
Now Mary believed the body of Jesus had been stolen c)
Mary believed her enemies were more powerful than Jesus d)
We need to doubt our doubts and believe our beliefs II. Mary Wept Because She Thought She Was Alone (v. 13) A. Loneliness 1.
Mary doubted the presence of the Lord a)
“They have taken away my Lord” b)
“I know not where they have laid him” 2.
Loneliness is hard to bear a)
No wonder Mary was weeping that first Easter morning b)
Jesus was there, but Mary didn't realize it 3.
Christians are never alone (Hebrews 13:5) a)
No one can take our Lord away (Matthew 28:20) b)
No one can take us away from our Lord (Romans 8:38‑39) B. Jesus Himself (v.14-16) 1.
While Mary was still speaking to the angels, she sensed
another presence behind her. a)
She immediately turned around and saw Jesus standing there,
but she did not know that it was Jesus. b)
“Why are you weeping? Whom do you seek?” 2.
It is encouraging to us to know that “Jesus knows all about
our sorrows.” a)
The Savior knew that Mary’s heart was broken and that her
mind was confused. b)
He did not rebuke her; tenderly, He revealed Himself to her. 3.
Mary recognized Jesus not by sight, but by His voice and the word
spoken by Him. a)
He simply speaks her name and Mary immediately recognized
Him. b)
There is a message here for everyone. c)
We need to fix our eyes upon Jesus and listen to His voice
calling our name. d)
Jesus called Mary by name; because she was one of His sheep. e)
He knows His sheep by name and His sheep know the sound of
His voice. – III. Mary Wept Because She Thought Her Life Was Over (vv. 13‑14) A. Purpose in Life 1.
She now doubted the purpose of the Lord for her life a)
Everything had been different since she met Jesus b)
She had found a purpose for living at last c)
Now that He was gone she thought her life was over 2.
But Jesus was there all the time a)
He was there when Mary doubted b)
He was there when Mary despaired 3.
Jesus is here today to speak to your doubts and despair a)
Jesus Spoke to Mary and Dispelled Her Fears (vv. 15‑17) b)
Jesus Knows About Your Tears and Fears c)
The Living Christ Wants to Give You Peace and a Purpose for
Living B. The New Commission (v.17-18) 1.
Apparently Mary was so full of joy and excitement that she
just reached out and embraced Jesus. 2.
Immediately Jesus said “stop clinging to me”. a)
Mary’s great love seemingly had one flaw. b)
She wanted to revel in her love for the Lord and in the
fellowship that that love brought her. c)
She was reaching out to cling to His body. d)
This was a natural gesture: now that she had found Him, she
did not want to lose Him. e)
But she did not understand: f)
Jesus was no longer just her Rabboni,
her Master, He was her Lord and God (John 20:28). 3.
Jesus permitted the other women to hold His feet (Matthew
28:9), and He did not forbid them. a)
Why did He say to Mary, “Do not cling to Me”?
b)
One reason was that she would see Him again because He had
not yet ascended to the Father. c)
A second reason is that she had a job to do—to go tell His
brethren that He was alive and would ascend to the Father. 4.
It would have been selfish and disobedient for Mary to have
kept Jesus to herself. a)
She arose and went to where the disciples were gathered and
gave them the good news that she had seen Jesus alive. b)
“I have seen the Lord!” c)
Mark reports that these believers were mourning and
weeping—and that they would not believe her! (Mark
16:9-11) d)
Mary herself had been weeping, and Jesus had turned her
sorrow into joy. e)
If they had believed, their sorrow would also have turned to
joy. 5.
Mary not only shared the fact of His resurrection and that
she had seen Him personally, but she also reported the words that He had
spoken to her. a)
Again, we see the importance of the Word of God. b)
Mary could not transfer her experience over to them, but she
could share the Word; and it is the Word that generates faith (Romans 10:17).
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