Jesus appearing to Mary after His resurrection (Quality: Very good, quiet)

[0:00] As the Lord should be pleased to help this morning, we would direct your prayerful attention to the Gospel according to Mark, in the 16th chapter, verses 9 to 11.

[0:23] The Gospel according to Mark, chapter 16, verses 9 to 11.

[0:37] Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.

[0:53] And she went and told them that had been with him, as they mourned and wept. And they, when they had heard that he was alive and had been seen of her, believed not.

[1:07] How many in our day and age do not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ or his resurrection.

[1:22] But what a mercy if you and I have been given that faith to believe and to realise that nothing is impossible with our God.

[1:33] Oh, we were reading in Matthew's Gospel of how man tried in vain to secure the tomb.

[1:47] Oh, what man will do to try to thwart God's purposes. Do you remember that we were reading just now, that they said to Pilate, sir, we remember that that deceiver said, that's how they looked upon him, as a deceiver.

[2:12] But if you and I have faith in Christ, he is far from being a deceiver. He is the one who is the almighty God and who will never deceive anyone.

[2:31] But that's how they looked upon him, as a deceiver. And they said that he said, while he was yet alive, after three days I will rise again.

[2:42] They had heard him say this. His disciples had heard it. But how often they did forget what Jesus said. And so, these enemies of his, having heard what he said, they said this, command that the sepulcher be made sure unto the third day, lest his disciples come by night and steal him away, and say unto the people he is risen from the dead, so the last error shall be worse than the first.

[3:16] And Pilate, of course, accepted what they said. And he simply said to them, you have a watch, go your way, make it as sure as you can.

[3:28] And this very fact, friends, shows us more than ever what power the Lord has. For they went and made the sepulcher sure, sealing the stone and setting a watch.

[3:47] Did all they could to keep the Lord Jesus Christ in that sepulcher. But nothing could keep him.

[3:58] Oh no, man cannot do anything to thwart the purposes of God. And the purpose of God was that not only should Christ suffer, bleed and die on the cross, but that he should rise again the third day.

[4:20] And our text says, now when Jesus was. It's wonderful in the scriptures, you know, to see these words which show the certainty of these things.

[4:37] When Jesus was risen early the first other week. And that is another thought we ought to just mention, that this resurrection was not on the Sabbath, the Jewish Sabbath, but on the first day.

[4:59] Which, of course, coincides with our Lord's day. And what a mercy when we can say with John, when we come into the century, I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day.

[5:15] Because if we're in the Spirit, he will guide us into all truth. Oh, what a word then we have before us now.

[5:27] When Jesus was risen early the first day of the week. There's no doubt about it. I like that word, you know, of the apostles very much.

[5:42] When he comes to write to the resurrection of Christ. In writing to the church at Corinth. And he puts it so clearly before the people.

[5:55] That we cannot but see the certainty of it. When he says this. But now is Christ risen from the dead.

[6:09] And become the first fruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.

[6:21] Oh, the certainty of it. The certainty of this glorious resurrection. Now, when Jesus was risen early. And it was early.

[6:34] As we shall see in a moment. When we consider this person here that is named. Early the first day of the week he appeared first.

[6:47] First. This woman who was named here. Out of whom he had cast seven devils. To think that he should appear to this person first.

[7:01] But this is how it was. As we have read of it. In that portion. In John's gospel. Oh, it was to this dear woman that he appeared.

[7:17] And may we feel a little like she did. When he spoke that one word to her. Mary.

[7:29] But to see. What leads up to that. We turn to this account that we read of. As we consider these words before us.

[7:41] When Jesus was risen early the first day of the week. He appeared first. To Mary Magdalene. We read then this. The first day of the week cometh.

[7:53] Mary Magdalene early. And it adds something here. When it was yet dark. So that it must have been very early that she came.

[8:05] Before it got light. She was there. There was a love here friends. In this woman's heart. To her saviour. Have we the same love?

[8:16] Have we the same love that Mary had to Christ? Have we that same love to his word?

[8:28] To his house? To his people? Oh, if it's real friends. It won't be too early in the morning. To arise.

[8:40] Oh, I often think of those in the Old Testament that are spoken of. Abraham, you know. When he was told to offer up his son. He didn't delay.

[8:50] He got up early in the morning. And went to the place. Of which God had told him. And he saw there in the mount.

[9:01] A wonderful type of Christ. When that ram was caught in the thicket by his horn. But Mary Magdalene comes. To the sepulcher.

[9:15] Very early. And when she arrives. At the sepulcher. She sees something. Which must have been astonishing to her.

[9:28] Because we read. He sees the stone taken away. It was a massive stone. We understand. And you will remember.

[9:40] That in another gospel narrative. It says. That they were saying. One to the other. Who shall roll us away the stone? And this is. Often so in our lives.

[9:51] You know. We have these problems that come. And we say. Perhaps like they did. Who shall roll us away this stone? Who shall. Perform that which.

[10:03] We need to be performed. But you see. When they. Actually came to it. It was already done. This is the Lord's doing.

[10:15] Marvelous in our eyes. He can take away all obstacles. And all things. That are in the way. She seeth the stone.

[10:27] Taken away. From the door of the sepulcher. Oh everything. Is. Made plain. Eventually.

[10:37] To this woman. But by degrees. And that's how it is with us. Very often. But when she saw that. Stone.

[10:49] Taken away. Then she begins. Running. She ran. To where. These two. Disciples were.

[11:00] Peter. And John. And. When she arrives. At the place. Where they are. And it's. One of them.

[11:11] You know. Mentioned often. Isn't it. In this way. The one who. Jesus loved. And that was John. Dear John. Oh.

[11:22] That we might. That we might. Have the same love. That John had. That Peter had. Because you know. What he said.

[11:33] When the Lord. Questioned him. Three times. In the next chapter. Twenty one. Lovest thou me. Thou knowest. That I love thee. Oh.

[11:43] To have the same love. That these. Three had. For Mary Magdalene. Had it. And. If we have it. Friends. It's a proof.

[11:53] That he has loved us. For John. Writes. In his epistle. We love him. Because. He first loved us. Oh yes.

[12:04] The Lord. Loved. These three. That are now. Met together. And what. Does she say. To these two. Then. That she meets with.

[12:15] They have. Taken away. The Lord. Out of the sepulcher. This is. How she felt. She saw. The stone.

[12:26] Gone. She saw. The empty sepulcher. And the first. Thought. Is that. Someone's. Taken them away. Oh.

[12:36] How often. It is so. With us. Friends. We. Have. All kinds. Of imaginations. In our minds. Oh. How. This poor sinner.

[12:47] Can say to you. This morning. Friends. That's been. One of our. Greatest trials. Like the hymn writer. Speaks of it. In one of our hymns. When he's.

[12:58] Speaking about. Imagination. Oh. We can imagine. All kinds. Of things. And this is what. This dear woman. Was imagining.

[13:11] She was supposing. And this is our trouble. So often. We suppose this. And suppose. Something else. And this is her supposition.

[13:23] They've taken him away. Someone's taken him. The one she loved. Someone's taken him. But.

[13:35] Oh. Friends. In the end. You see. This woman. Was. To see the truth. And to see the certainty.

[13:46] Of his resurrection. But. There were these things. That led up to it. When that dear woman. Had spoken this.

[13:57] To these two. And. This supposition. She had in her mind. It prompted them. To go. And. Go to the sepulcher.

[14:08] Peter. Went forth. And that other disciple. And came to the sepulcher. And they ran. Both together. And. We believe.

[14:19] That. John. Was. Possibly. Younger than Peter. And he did outrun. His brother. Peter. Then came first. To the sepulcher.

[14:31] And he was. So different. To John. You know. And we have these. Characteristics. Still. In the. Church of God. Some.

[14:42] That are more timid. Than others. And. Peter. Was one. Who. Showed. That he was. Always.

[14:52] In the front. As it were. And he had this. Disposition. And it comes out here. John. When he arrives.

[15:02] Before Peter. Is just stooping down. And looking into it. Looking at the linen clothes. Lying. He doesn't go in. He's afraid.

[15:15] He's timid. God. God. But. When. Simon Peter. Comes. On the scene. He goes. Into the sepulcher. Oh.

[15:27] The boldness. Of Peter. And how it comes out. not of course when he denied his Lord he was a different man altogether then when he said to a maid I know not the man he was weak as any other man but on the day of Pentecost friends this boldness comes out when the spirit came to him on the day of Pentecost he was as bold as a lion and he could speak and preach the gospel with such boldness and clarity and so here this man Peter when he comes he goes straight in to the sepulchre and he sees the linen clothes lying and the napkin that was about his head not lying with the linen clothes but wrapped together in a place by itself everything in order the Lord left everything in order in that sepulchre and when one you know ventures how it encourages another one to venture

[16:39] I can say this out of my own experience here this morning that when the Lord put it into my heart to follow Christ in the ordinance of his house then it encouraged the one that is now my wife to follow also and I can remember my father preaching from those words this morning friends as clear as anything so they went both of them together oh what a wonderful thing when one believer will encourage another one to go forward in the things of God and this is of course what happened here when Peter went in then went in also that other disciple which came first to the sepulchre and he saw and believed he saw and believed oh John was given such faith we don't read here that Peter believed but we do read that

[17:53] John saw and believed and we also read this which is astonishing isn't it as yet they knew not the scripture that he must rise again from the dead he told them many a time that he would suffer and rise again from the dead but how they had forgotten it and not as it were clung to it as they should have done then the disciples went away again to their own home these two went off but you know Mary couldn't leave that sepulchre Mary couldn't leave the place there was an attraction here in this woman's heart and if we are attracted to the Lord Jesus Christ friends we shall want to find him today as she wanted to find him if you are attracted to

[18:54] Jesus Christ you will want often to find him in the sanctuary you will say as one has reminded us this morning what is the house of God to me unless the master there I see you'll want to feel his presence you'll want to find him to the joy and the rejoicing of your heart well this woman eventually found him but before we find Christ there is often a time of weeping a time of mourning a time of darkness a time of questioning Mary stood without at the sepulcher weeping and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the sepulcher no doubt she'd seen these other two men go in you know but she herself didn't go in she just stooped down and looked into it and then she saw something again that must have astonished her for she sees two angels in white sitting one at the head and the other at the feet where the body of

[20:16] Jesus had laid and these two angels speak they said to her woman why weepest thou what a question friends what a question for us here this morning we know what it is to weep sometimes and you know what it's brought me to think of this subject this morning it's brought me to that verse in the psalm weeping may endure for a night but joy cometh in the morning we have to go through these weeping times sometimes in our experience in order to come to that morning of joy oh how much weeping there is in this world friends because of sin oh the sorrow oh we hear of it day by day the sorrow as loved ones are taken away oh the weeping and if you're a real believer in Christ friends there will be these times of weeping if not outwardly within she stood without at the sepulchre weeping and then when these two angels had spoken to her as they did woman why weepest thou she again speaks like she had done to those two disciples before but there's a difference have you ever noticed a difference the first time when she's speaking to those two she says they have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre this time when she speaks to these two angels it's this they have she says unto them because they have taken away my Lord they have taken away my Lord and I know not where they have laid him she still had this same supposition and this imagination but she shows to us by the very fact that she says my Lord that she was joined to him and he to her and she loved him she says my

[23:04] Lord she's saying what Thomas said a little later on when the Lord told him to reach his finger and put it into the print of the nails and thrust his hand into his side my Lord and my God what a favour friends when we can call him ours but she hasn't yet found him as she wants to do she still thinks that someone has taken him away and then we have this when she had thus said she turned herself back she had been looking down into the sepulcher and the angels had been speaking to her and then she turns herself back and she sees someone standing she sees a person standing and so often like we friends it says she knew not that it was Jesus just like those two on the

[24:14] Emmaus road isn't it they thought he was a stranger walking with them they said that to him aren't they were only a stranger in Jerusalem they were the same but oh when he began to say what our friend Mr. Hyde brought before us Friday evening ought not Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into his glory and he began Moses in the Old Testament and all the prophets and expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself all their hearts began to warm and they realized afterwards when he broke that bread in their house this was Jesus did not our heart burn within us even on the road while he talked with us and while he opened to us the scriptures well friends

[25:24] Mary Magdalene was just like those two oh she was not able to behold him even when he was standing before her no she has another supposition he's spoken of one he's saying they've taken him away someone's taken him now here's a second supposition a second imagination Jesus speaks but she still doesn't hear and understand his voice when he says this to her woman why weepest thou whom seekest thou and what that question friend not only the why weepest thou but whom seekest thou must have brought into her mind again the very one she was seeking for now this second supposition she supposing him to be the god that's who she thought he was she says to him sir if thou have borne him hence this is another supposition that this gardener had taken him away she thinks if thou have borne him hence tell me where thou hast laid him and

[27:04] I will take him away oh friends she is so attracted to this person that if only she can find him she says I will take him away myself ah friends there was a love here in this woman oh there was a love here in Mary Magdalene when Jesus was written the first day of the week he appeared first to Mary Magdalene and here's the record of it this is how he appeared first to Mary Magdalene and this is the point friends we come to now where he reveals himself oh that he might reveal himself to us this morning in his word he speaks again but friends it was a voice that she now recognized and it was a name that she knew well because it was her own name oh how it reminds us of that word doesn't it in the tent of

[28:24] John that the Lord speaks concerning his own people oh he says he called his own sheep by name and leaded them out has he ever spoken to us in this way calling us by her own name oh Jesus said unto her Mary Mary one word friends was sufficient and we feel this that one word from the lips of our Lord and Master Jesus Christ is sufficient in the sanctuary friends if he would speak one word with power we shall feel like Mary Magdalene did this was to show to her that relationship that he had he calls his own sheep by name she was one of his sheep and he calls her by name and when he called her by name she turns herself it seems as though she's turned her back on him but she turns herself and she says

[29:45] Rabboni Master oh there is this response she feels such a love now flowing out and such a change all the suppositions have gone all the imaginations gone and now there's a reality in it he's here before her oh she recognizes him and she says Master and then the Lord because I feel this there was such love in this woman that she wanted to embrace him but the Lord says touch me not he has now a glorified body touch me not I am not yet ascended to my father but go to my brethren and say unto them

[30:51] I ascend and now this friends again is a setting forth of our relationship to our God I ascend to my father and your father and we can only call God our father by Jesus Christ if we are united to him if we are one with him we can only say our father or my father as we are united to the Lord Jesus Christ and have him as our savior I ascend unto my father and your father if you and I friends can feel this relationship this morning it will be a blessed time because if we know we have a father in heaven oh I was speaking a little while ago from that word in Matthew the fifth chapter where the

[31:55] Lord Jesus Christ in the sermon on the mount said to those around him something concerning the father he said your father knoweth what things you have need of before you ask him well friends he does know and if we can feel this morning that he is our father because we have Christ as our elder brother and our savior what a wonderful thing it will be and I always remember one minister when he was troubled about something he just simply said this to my father he said I'll take it to father well he knew what he meant he was going to take it to his father in heaven if you have this God as your father friends what a wonderful thing because you can take everything to him everything be careful for nothing says the apostle

[33:02] Paul in the Philippians but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known unto God this heavenly father who knows what we need before even we ask him I ascend unto my father and your father to my God and your God oh yes my Lord says Thomas my God oh if we can only feel this relationship today friends with the Lord we shall indeed be favored well what did this dear woman do she came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord she testifies of this great blessing she had to speak of it to those the Lord had sent her to and if we are like her we should be like that woman at the well you know she left her water pot and went away into the city and said to the men come see a man that told me all things that ever

[34:10] I did we shall want others to hear of him we shall want to speak of him this dear woman then was the first one that he saw after his resurrection when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week he appeared first to Mary Magdalene out of whom he had cast seven devils and she went as we've seen she went and told them that had been with him as they mourned and wept but what does the last verse of our text say and how solemn it is they when they had heard that he was alive and had been seen of her believe not believe not oh friends the unbelief that's in all of us by nature surely we have to say with that father lord I believe help bear mine unbelief there's so much of it in each one of us but may the lord grant us a little faith today in this risen saviour and hear him speaking to us as he spoke to

[35:20] Mary Magdalene the lord had his blessing amen he he no of he too b your thank you have a hey who are or they have the enemy or