The Empty Tomb & Rising Hope

I find myself week after week being encouraged by the singing here, especially when we're singing about our Savior and what He accomplished for us in the cross.

He gives power to us through His Spirit and through His Word.

And He gives that to us. He invites us in. He welcomes us to participate in fellowship with Him that will lead us to power.

Well, this morning as we are making our way, continue to make our way through the Gospel of John, we come to this next narrative, this next event in the series, in the story.

Last week we saw that the empty tomb leads to rising faith.

However inadequate it is in the moment, it's still faith that God begins to initiate in the hearts of His people.

And this morning we're going to see that the empty tomb leads to rising hope.

Do you need hope this morning?

Are there difficulties in your life? Are there pressures that are weighing down on you today?

Are there sins in your life that would lead you to lose hope in the wonder of Christ's ability to meet you where you are and to help to move you to the place where you want to be?

Maybe you're tired just for yourself in knowing the sin in your life and you're just frustrated with yourself.

And if you're frustrated with yourself, how could God ever love you when you can't even love yourself?

Is there hope for you today?

I want you to know through this story, the story of Mary, there is hope for you today.

I think one of the difficulties in coming to this story is that any of us who've grown up in the church,

we're reminded of the great heroes of the faith.

We love the children's stories that we get in Awana, we get in Sunday school, we get in church time,

and now we have on our little phone apps, and any of you who watch Veggie Tales with your kids and Bible stories,

just the accessibility of the Bible stories, and it's a wonderful thing.

But the common theme that comes to light in all of these stories are men and women of extraordinary faith,

men and women who seem to have it all together,

men and women who are doing the amazing in the power of God,

men and women who never seem to falter,

men and women who just shine in moments of darkness and difficulty.

We think of the story of Noah and his boys in building the ark.

Great story of faith.

Or we think about the story of Abraham and his willingness to offer his son Isaac.

We think about the story of Joseph and his brothers,

and there he is being elevated to the second position in all of the land of Egypt.

Or the story of David and Goliath.

Or the story of Daniel and his friends facing the lions and facing the fire, the fiery furnace.

Those are the stories that come to the forefront.

And maybe it's not necessarily because our teachers have done a bad job

at trying to develop the scene of the scripture for us and help us see the good and the bad.

But as children, what we grab onto are the heroes of the faith that never seem to falter.

And so we carry these concepts with us.

And we begin to wonder,

if we're not like David,

or if we're not like Abraham,

then is there really hope for me?

Is it really worth me trying to run this race

because I always seem to fall flat on my face?

Is there any hope?

And so we import into the rest of the scripture

these ideas that we have as children.

And we begin to wonder,

if there really is any intersection points in the word

that it can really deal with the issues of life.

Can it really meet me where I'm at?

Can it really help me overcome the crisis that I face?

And I want you to know this morning

that one of the joys of verse-by-verse teaching

is we come not only to the mountain peaks of the scripture,

but we also hit the valleys.

And this morning we'll get a chance to look at some valleys

for this woman, Mary Magdalene.

Enter her story

and see how Christ met her where she was.

And as we look at the story of Mary,

we can see Mary was a real person.

Mary can identify with me.

I can identify with Mary.

And because of what Christ accomplished in her life,

Christ can do the same for me.

There is hope this morning because of the empty tomb.

So if you need hope today,

this is the story for you.

So look with me, if you would,

at John chapter 20.

John 20 · chapter mention

Let's pray before we start

because I have way too many notes,

as you probably are very familiar with at this point.

And so that we can move through this,

we just need the help of the Lord

so I can ignore the things that are secondary

and focus on the things that are really primary today.

So let me pray for us.

Lord, as we look into your word,

we want to meet with you.

We don't want just an intellectual,

scholastic, information dump.

This morning we want to meet Jesus.

We know you make yourself available to us.

You say,

come,

all who are weary and heavy laden,

and I will give you rest for your soul.

Lord, this morning there are those today

who need refreshment.

There are those this morning who need rest for their soul.

They're weary.

They're hurting.

Their emotions are raw.

They're struggling.

They're wondering if there's any hope today.

And Lord, I pray that through the teaching of the scripture,

they could know.

As we come face to face with Mary's story,

there is hope.

Not hope in personal discipline.

Not hope in pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps.

Not hope in putting our own pieces together,

but hope in surrendering the brokenness of our life

to the handiwork of our almighty Savior,

who can put those pieces together,

and who can create wholeness and life

out of death and brokenness.

So meet with us today through your word.

Minister to us as only you can.

We pray in Jesus' name.

Amen.

John 20, verse 11.

John 20:11

I want to read just the opening phrase

so that we can begin to understand where Mary was.

And I want you to recognize,

as we look at Mary's life,

we're going to look at some progression of her life.

First, we're going to look at her former condition.

I want to spend some time there

looking at her former condition.

And let me begin with just this opening phrase

in John 20, verse 11.

John 20:11

It says,

But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb.

Mary stood weeping outside the tomb.

Now, if you were not with us last week,

let me catch you up to where we are in the story.

Mary came early with a number of her friends,

and she comes the day after the Sabbath in order to anoint the body of Christ.

He had been dead now for, this is the third morning.

And she comes with her friends to do honor to Christ's body,

to anoint it with spices,

to prepare it in the way it should be prepared.

And upon coming to the tomb,

she recognizes along with her friends

that the tomb is actually open.

The stone that had been there

to kind of keep out any grave robbers

had been actually rolled back,

and the body was no longer there.

And to Mary's dismay,

she takes off and runs

for where she knows the disciples are.

She meets John and Peter,

and they come running to the tomb.

They inspect it for themselves.

They see that in actuality,

Mary is right.

The tomb is open.

The grave clothes are lying there.

They're not torn.

They're not ripped.

There's no apparent mishandling of the body.

And they see the face cloth

that's actually in a different spot,

and they realize that something significant

has taken place.

And at this point,

Peter and John,

recognizing there was really nothing else

they could do,

turn around and head back

to their own homes,

to the places where they were staying.

After all, what could they do?

They couldn't appeal to Pilate

because Pilate was the one

who actually put Jesus on the cross.

They couldn't report

to the Jewish authorities

because the Jewish authorities

were just as happy

about Jesus' death

as Pilate was.

Who else could they appeal to?

So they turn around

and they walk back

to the places

where they've been staying.

But Mary now finds her way

back to the tomb.

And there's no indication

that Mary has actually

crossed paths again

with Peter and John

to hear their report.

But here she is.

She's standing outside the tomb,

perhaps longing

to have that feeling

of closeness

that she could have,

knowing the place

where Jesus had been

and hoping that just being

in proximity

with where he was,

there would be a sense

of that fellowship

that she so greatly

longed to have.

We find Mary weeping here

at the very front

of verse 11.

And then in the next phrase,

and as she wept,

she stooped

to look into the tomb.

Now when the gospel writer

is using this word,

weep,

he doesn't mean

that there were just

some tears in her eyes.

But it is meant

to express anguish

and lament,

this loud wailing

that was so typical

during that day.

Every form of external

emotional response

that she could have,

she was putting on display.

She was, in a sense,

out of control.

Overcome by her grief.

So much so that

as we'll look into

this passage,

we'll see that the question

of the angels to Mary is,

Woman, why are you weeping?

And then of Christ,

who she thinks is the gardener,

asks the same question,

Woman, why are you weeping?

This continuing emotional response

of grief continues

to cloud her thinking

and to cloud her understanding.

And she is overcome

by grief.

But why?

Why would Mary be so gripped

by sorrow?

And I think a look

at her former condition

will help give us

a sense of why

this was so significant

for her.

I want to look first

at her bondage.

I want you to recognize

where Mary came from.

So we can appreciate

a little bit

why this was so significant

for her.

Her bondage.

And much of what

I am going to take

in this particular section

is from John MacArthur's book,

Twelve Extraordinary Women.

I would commend it to you.

It is a great character sketch.

And I would just encourage you

to pick it up.

It provides just some fullness

of history

and the breadth of Scripture

that it helps to bring to bear

in the lives of individuals

we find in the Word.

But we find from

Mark chapter 16, verse 9,

Mark 16:9

and Luke chapter 8, verse 2,

Luke 8:2

we'll go there in a moment,

but we find that Mary

was not just a disciple of Christ,

but Mary had formerly

been inhabited by seven demons.

It was significant for her.

She was a woman under bondage.

And her name, Mary Magdalene,

is not because that was her surname,

like Andrew Scheer.

Scheer is my surname.

But just to distinguish her

from so many of the other Marys

that we find in close vicinity

in this narrative.

Mary, the mother of Jesus.

Mary, the mother of James.

Mary, the mother of Joseph,

the lesser.

And so many other Marys

that are part of this.

Mary of Bethany.

It was to distinguish her

as an individual.

And she's often placed

at the front of the line

in describing her

because she was a prominent figure

in this band of women disciples.

This band of followers.

If I can have the next slide here,

you can see where Magdalene was.

Maybe it's not as clear

as I'd like it to be,

but you can see it's about

three miles north of Tiberias

and about five miles south of Capernaum.

Right there on the Sea of Galilee.

And you would know

that Jesus spent

the bulk of his first two years

of ministry in Galilee

right in this area.

Crisscrossing his way

across this region.

Spending time in the synagogues.

Teaching by the Sea of Galilee.

Ministering there

right on the lake itself.

And participating

and going to people's homes.

Eating meals with them.

Healing entire villages

of people of their infirmities.

But especially

in this particular region,

healing multitudes of those

who were demon-possessed.

Mary Magdalene being one

of those women.

This sort of happened early on

in Jesus' ministry.

So why don't you keep your finger here

in John chapter 20.

John 20 · chapter mention

And I want to turn

back to Luke chapter 8

Luke 8 · chapter mention

for a moment.

And I want to look at this together.

together.

In Luke chapter 8

Luke 8:1–3

verses 1 to 3.

Luke chapter 8

Luke 8:1–3

verses 1 to 3.

It says,

Soon afterward,

he went on through

the cities and villages

proclaiming and bringing

the good news

of the kingdom of God.

And the twelve

who were with him

and also some of the women

who had been healed

of evil spirits

and infirmities.

Mary called Magdalene

from whom

seven demons

had gone out.

There her name

pops up in this list

at the very onset

of Jesus' ministry

in Galilee

because of his ministry

of healing individuals

and casting out demons.

Well, the Bible says

a little about

those who were

who were under bondage

to demons.

We get a taste

of what they experienced.

there was a sense

of infliction.

There was

loneliness

as they were

driven outside

of the community.

They were

set apart

and isolated

from everyone

they had

previously loved.

There's only

a couple of accounts

in the scripture

of devoted family members

that stayed true

to those

who were demon-possessed.

But the rest

of the occurrences

they were driven

from society

because of their

inability

to control themselves.

They were a menace

to community.

They would have been

in perpetual

agony

always

friendless.

There was

a sense

of restlessness

in their

heart and life

the inability

to escape

the bondage

that they were in.

They were joyless

because everything

for them

had become

darkness.

And they were

hopeless

because every

earthly remedy

was insufficient

and inadequate

to deal

with their

deepest condition.

Christ had

delivered her

from all

of that

and Luke

and Mark

give us

some understanding

of the fact

that Jesus

had done this

to demonstrate

that he has

power.

power

to conquer

power

to deliver.

One of the

really interesting

facts

as you

look at

Jesus'

healing

of those

who were

demon-possessed

through the

gospel narrative

you would find

that there

is never

an instance

in which

demon-possessed

individuals

came to

Jesus

to be delivered.

They were

either

brought to

Jesus

or he

went to

them

and on

certain

occasions

Jesus

showed up

and the

demons

were

actually

surprised

and horrified

at his

presence.

But the

evil spirits

never voluntarily

entered the

presence of

Christ.

They always

distanced

themselves from

him and his

authority and

from the truth.

Any of the

comfort that

Jesus might have

provided these

individuals,

demons made

sure that they

never had

contact to

him or

anyone who

would minister

comfort to

them.

But we

also find in

the scripture

that their

deliverance,

when Jesus

delivered them

from demons,

it was always

instantaneous and

it was always

complete.

Such was

Mary's plight

and such

was Mary's

deliverance.

No wonder

why she

was gripped

with grief

in this

moment.

And there's

no wonder

why Mary's

bondage led

her to

devotion.

That's what

we'll find

next, her

devotion to

Christ.

We find

examples of

her devotion

in a number

of instances,

but here in

Luke chapter

Luke 8 · chapter mention

8, as you're

already there,

look down now

to verse 3.

What did

these women

do?

It says

that many

others who

provided for

them out of

their own

means.

Now, Mary

Magdalene was

probably a

widow or

she was a

single lady.

There's no

indication from

the scripture

that she was

young.

She was likely

old, maybe

had inherited

some property.

Likely her

parents were

no longer

around so she

didn't have

that obligation

to them and

could travel

along with

Jesus.

We find that

here in Luke

Luke 8 · chapter mention

chapter 8

at the end

of verse 1.

it says,

and the

twelve were

with him

and also

some women.

So, the

disciples were

spending time

with Jesus

and right

along with

them was

this company

of women

who were

following close

by Jesus

and financing

his ministry.

Supporting him

in the work,

making sure

that all their

needs were

met.

Making sure

that Jesus

could do

what he had

come to do

and that was

to proclaim

the kingdom

and not

have to

worry about

the earthly

things like

food and

lodging and

those kinds

of things.

Mary and

all of these

other ladies

were helping

to finance

Jesus'

ministry.

They were

also devoted

to him

in coming

to Jerusalem

during this

Passover week.

Turn with

me to

Matthew

Matthew 27 · chapter mention

chapter 27.

We can

see that

in that

account.

Matthew

Matthew 27 · chapter mention

chapter 27

beginning

in verse

55.

It says,

this is the

scene of the

cross.

It says,

there were

also many

women there

looking on

from a

distance who

had followed

Jesus from

Galilee,

ministering

to him,

among whom

were Mary

Magdalene

and Mary

the mother

of James

and Joseph

and the

mother of

the sons

of Zebedee.

Here they

were coming

with the

company of

Jesus and

all of his

followers,

parading from

Galilee,

now coming

to Jerusalem,

ministering to

him through

the week and

his disciples.

They were

devoted followers

of Christ.

And we see

their devotion

to the very

end.

They were

among those

who were at

the cross.

Those Mary

Magdalene,

we find that

she was at

least one of

the individuals

who was there

with Mary,

the mother of

Jesus,

standing at

the foot of

the cross.

But as time

wore on and

as the

difficulties and

cruelty and

abuse to

Christ continued,

we find that

they're moving

now to the

back,

maybe elbowed

to the back

and looking on

from a distance.

The gruesome

scene,

the brutality

that Jesus was

experiencing

caused them to

shrink back.

But they're

still there

watching

because they

could not

bear to

leave.

They remained

until the

bitter end,

watching the

full story of

Jesus play out

before their

eyes.

And once

Jesus died,

they were of

the few

disciples,

the few

followers of

Christ who

actually followed

secretly Joseph

of Arimathea

and Nicodemus

as they escorted

the body of

Jesus to this

tomb.

Had it not

been for

Mary, the

disciples likely

would not have

known where

Jesus was

buried.

There she is,

her devotion

to the end,

recognizing and

loving her

Savior.

She was a

woman of

devotion.

One of the

great truths we

see from Mary's

life is that

there are no

barriers to

the power of

God's ability

to work in

your life.

Whatever baggage

you bring to

this service

today, whatever

your history,

whatever your

sins, whatever

your failures,

whatever they

are, they

cannot outdo

Mary.

Hallelujah!

You have

never been

demonized, not

just by one,

but by seven

demons.

repentance.

And if there

was hope for

Mary through

the power of

Christ, there

is hope for

you today.

What a

wonderful truth

that we find

from her life.

And just as

the deliverance

of Mary's

bondage led

to devotion

for her, it

is the kind

of devotion

that should

also be true

in your own

life.

If you've

experienced the

deliverance of

Christ,

Christ, reminded

of the verse

in Romans

Romans 5:20

chapter 5,

verse 20,

where sin

abounded, grace

abounded all

the more.

Grace desires

to show up

in your life

regardless of

where you've

been.

But, in a

way, Mary

is in bondage

again.

Having been

bound by demons

before, now we

find that there's

a sense of

bondage that

trickles into

blindness.

We find that

here in verses

12 to 15.

Mary's current

blindness, or

Mary's immediate

blindness might be

another way to

put it.

That's point

number two,

Joey, if you

can help me

with that.

Mary's current

blindness.

Let me read

verses 12 to

15.

We're back in

John chapter

John 20 · chapter mention

20.

Here's what it

says, beginning

in verse 12.

And she saw

two angels in

white, sitting

where the body

of Jesus had

lain, one at

the head and

one at the

feet.

They said to

her, woman,

why are you

weeping?

She said to

them, they have

taken away my

Lord, and I do

not know where

they have laid

him.

Having said

this, she

turned around

and saw Jesus

standing, but

she did not

know that it

was Jesus.

Jesus 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.

Mary has an

encounter with

two individuals,

an encounter

first with

angels that

we'll see

here in a

moment, and

then an

encounter with

Christ.

Neither

encounter, at

least in the

present condition,

was able to

do for Mary

what she

needed.

Even an

announcement

from an

angel was

unable to

lead her to

faith.

So if you

are here this

morning and

you say, if

I only had

an angel show

up in my

life, then

everything would

be different.

Mary would

give testimony

to you today

that an

angel will

not cut

it.

And as

a matter

of fact,

without Jesus'

intervention in

Mary's life,

even Jesus

himself would

not cut it.

Mary needed

Jesus to

open her

eyes to

faith.

We'll see

that in a

second.

But let me

look for a

moment here,

her encounter

with angels.

She's overcome

by grief, and

she looks into

the tomb.

she knew

that Jesus

had been

there before.

Like many

of us who

have lost a

loved one, and

we can remember

where they

sat, and

often times

when we go

to visit

their home,

we'll sit

in the place

where they

sat, we'll

look out the

window that

they looked

out of, we'll

read their

Bible and

see their

notes, and

anything that

we can do

to have that

sense of

intimacy and

closeness.

I think that

maybe a little

bit of what

Mary is doing

here.

She wants

to be near

her Lord, and

this is the

nearest she

can be.

So she

goes to the

place where

Jesus had

been, and

she looks in

and she sees

the angels

who are

sitting there,

and they

ask her the

question, why

are you

weeping?

Now, I

don't know if

you are as

amazed that I

am at what

comes next.

there is

something that

is missing.

Like, I

would expect

Mary looks

in and

startled by

the angels

all of a

sudden in

this tomb,

right?

Or she

looks in and

she's like

perplexed or

startled or

in amazement

or wonder.

But you

don't read

those words

there.

And I

don't think

you read

those words

there because

Mary has

already had an

encounter with

angels earlier

in the day.

We find that

from Matthew

and Mark

and Luke.

She already

saw the

angels and

they already

spoke to

her.

That's what

got them all

lit up so

they would

run back

to the

disciples to

tell them

what had

just happened.

But for

some reason,

Mary is

going through

these mountain

peak experiences

in valleys

of faith

and no

faith and

hope and

confusion are

playing ping

pong with

her emotions

at this

point.

And when

you read

the account

you're like

how can

this happen?

How is

this possible?

She couldn't

possibly have

seen the

angels before

because it

was clear she

was a person

who believed

before.

But now all

of a sudden

she's like

oblivious.

but if

we're honest

with ourselves

we understand,

right?

Like there

are moments

in your life

where you

are on the

mountaintop

and you

believe in

God and

nothing can

shake your

faith and

it seems

like almost

just like a

week or two

later there

is the deep

dark valleys

and crisis

of faith and

you wonder

where God

is.

You ever

been there?

That's what's

happening to

Mary.

She looks

into this

tomb and

she's staring

at a gift

of God's

grace and

she misses

it.

The grace

gift of

these angels

who are

sitting there.

How often

do we miss

the gifts

of grace

in moments

of crisis

because we

are blinded

by grief.

We're

blinded by

our own

condition,

by our

own

circumstances

and we

miss the

fact that

God has

us there

so that we

can encounter

him.

That's why

God introduces

difficulties in

your life and

hardship is so

that you can

meet him

there.

But we

miss it

because we

allow the

adversity of

our life to

just drown

out any

of the

grace that

God has

available to

us in

those moments.

And that's

the case for

Mary.

She sees

the angels

likely in

blazing

white.

But she

doesn't

really see

them.

She doesn't

really get

it.

It's not

going to

help her

blindness at

this point,

her blindness

of faith.

she has an

encounter with

Christ which

should have

sealed the

deal.

Notice

again this

account,

Jesus, she

turns around,

she's face

to face with

Jesus.

He speaks

to her, he

asks her the

same question,

woman, why

are you

weeping?

Jesus, she

sees him,

she speaks

to him,

and she

misses him

in this

moment.

Think of

this.

Her

personal

experience of

deliverance,

years of

observing the

power of

God, working

through the

handiwork of

Christ.

She heard his

words and

watched his

life and

through this

week saw the

unfolding

promises of

Christ show

up in his

crucifixion, in

being handed

over to the

Jews and

Gentiles, and

in now this

empty tomb, and

she misses it.

She hears the

announcement of

the angels, she

even speaks with

Jesus, and she

misses faith.

in this moment.

What will it

take for

Mary?

Well, it'll

take for

her the same

thing it will

take for you.

The same

thing that

it will

take for

every one

of us.

Jesus must

open our

eyes.

You may

not just

meet Jesus,

you have to

encounter him.

You have to

see him for

who he is.

Jesus wants

that for you

today.

And now

two times we

see the

compassion of

heaven.

The compassion

of heaven on

those who

mourn.

And the

words of

Christ should

echo in our

minds.

Blessed are

those who

mourn, for

they shall be

comforted.

Blessed are

the pure in

heart, for

they shall

see God.

Mary's

pure heart

has led her

to the

tomb.

Mary is a

seeker.

She's gone

to the

tomb and

she sees

God.

He shows

up for

her.

There is

no direct

rebuke.

There is

no condescending

glare.

There is

no disapproval.

There is

only

compassion.

We do

not have a

high priest

who cannot

be touched

by the

feelings of

our

infirmities.

He can

sympathize.

Can you

understand the

highs and

lows of

faith?

Have you

been there?

Are you

there today?

those

mountaintops

and valleys

of life?

You feel

frazzled?

You feel

raw?

You feel

discouraged and

in despair

today?

I think of

the story of

Job's life.

He did so

well at the

beginning.

The Lord

gives.

The Lord

takes away.

Blessed be the

name of the

Lord.

And then

just a few

chapters later,

Job says,

I hate

my life.

Why did

you bring

me out of

the womb?

Would that

I had died

before any

eye had

seen me

and as

though I

had not

been carried

from the

womb to

the grave.

That would

have been

better,

says Job.

But there

is hope.

Angel

announcements

are not

going to

save you.

It's only

what we

see next

in this

account

that will

bring

deliverance

to your

life.

It will

bring hope

to you.

Mary's

continuing

hope.

That's

what we

find next.

Mary's

continuing

hope.

I want

us to

see and

look

briefly

just in

the next

few

moments

her

awakening

and her

assignment.

Her

awakening

and her

assignment.

Notice

here,

beginning

in verse

16.

Jesus

said to

her,

Mary,

she

turned

and said

to him

in

Aramaic,

Rabboni,

which means

teacher.

What was

it about

that

word?

It was

her name.

Spoken

in the

way that

she had

always

remembered

Jesus

speaking

her name.

There

was

familiarity

in the

name.

it

harkens

back

to

what

Jesus

had

told

the

scribes

in

John

John 10 · chapter mention

chapter

10.

He

says,

he who

enters

by the

door

is a

shepherd

of the

sheep.

To

him

the

gatekeeper

opens.

The

sheep

hear

his

voice

and

he

calls

his

own

sheep

by

name

and

leads

them

out.

He

goes

before

them

and

the

sheep

follow

him

for

they

know

his

voice.

I

am

the

good

shepherd.

I

know

my

own

and

my

own

know

me.

Jesus

knew

her

name

and

Mary

in a

flash

of

recollection

recalls

Jesus

her

savior.

There

he

is.

Life

in

clarity

erases

the

doubt

and

blindness

of

grief

of

her

life.

There

is

an

awakening

in

her

heart.

Her

eyes

are

open

now

to

faith.

As

Jesus

would

do

for

his

disciples

on

the

road

to

Emmaus.

As

Jesus

would

do

for

his

disciples

in

the

upper

room.

Jesus

does

for

Mary.

And

with

the

word

blindness

turns

to

sight.

It's

amazing

to

consider

Mary

is

the

first

to

see

the

resurrected

savior.

That's

significant.

And it

was

significant

that

Jesus

was

only

clear

about

his

the

fact

that

he

was

Yahweh

to

a

woman

in

Samaria

to

reinforce

that

whatever

stigma

the

culture

places

on

you

Christ

wants

to

raise

you

up.

he'll

give

you

significance

through

himself.

He

reaffirms

himself

to

women

who

are

the

lowest

parts

of

that

society.

He

shows

up

to

them.

He

affirms

them.

He

speaks

to

them.

Some

of

the

most

significant

statements

in all

of

scripture

Jesus

gives

are

given

to

women.

Astounding

how

Christ

deliberately

affirms

the

significance

of

people.

And

when

she

sees

him

she

worships.

We

find

that

in

the

account

of

Matthew.

It

says

she

falls

at

his

feet.

Actually

it

says

they

fall

at

his

feet

meaning

that

there

were

other

women

who

were

part

of

this.

That

Mary

was

probably

not

alone

in

this

encounter

but

with

the

other

women

fall

at

Jesus'

feet

and

she

worships

and

she's

clinging

to

him

I'm

not

going

to

let

you

go

you're

not

going

to

leave

me

again.

So

Jesus

now

has to

give her

an

assignment.

Do

not

cling

to

me

for

I

have

not

yet

ascended

to

the

father