I Have Seen the Lord! Have You?

Lesson #328

We need to finish up John 20:17: “Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”” Jesus gave Mary the instruction to tell the disciples, now referred to as his brothers, where he was going.

At the darkest time in the life of Jesus, he calls out from the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). This was the only time Jesus did not refer to God as his Father, but now on the other side of the resurrection, Jesus again refers to God as his Father, but he doesn’t say our Father and our God because he needs to distinguish what God is to him and to us. The Father is his God only in the connection of Jesus with us and our God only in out connection with him. The Father and the Son are one in essence, but Jesus steps in between us and God in his relationship with us.

In obedience, “Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her” (John 20:18 ESV). I am sure Mary would like to have stayed there and have conversation with Jesus (I know I would have), but with a willing and excited heart, she needed to share the good news. When we come to know Jesus for who he is, do we get excited like Mary and want to go and tell others or is Jesus just another friend to us?

Mary goes, knowing that Jesus has risen from the dead, not because the angels said so, but because she actually had conversation with him. She has firsthand experience and a firm belief that has given her confidence, assurance, pleasure and great joy. Mary was deeply emotionally connected to Jesus and stayed with him through the crucifixion and for her faithfulness, she was rewarded by being the first to see him alive and gets the opportunity to report to the disciples that what Jesus said about rising from the dead is true and they are considered as brothers of Jesus.

Mary is filled with excitement, but what about the disciples? “On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” (John 20:19 ESV). This event occurred on the same day that Mary met Jesus alive at the tomb (John 20:1). The resurrection of Jesus from the dead establishes Sunday, the day following the Sabbath, as the most important day of the week and thus the first day of the week from that point on. This is seen in Acts 20:7 (NLT): “On the first day of the week, we gathered with the local believers to share in the Lord’s Supper. Paul was preaching to them, and since he was leaving the next day, he kept talking until midnight.” Sunday is the day we are to come together for worship, in celebration of our Lord’s resurrection and to learn from the word.

John seems to make it clear that the doors were closed and also locked to prevent entry of others. Because of what the Jews did to Jesus, they probably feared that they may be next on their list. Jesus comes and appears in the room with them. If Moses and Elijah were able to appear on the Mount of Transfiguration with Jesus, Peter, James and John, and if Philip, after baptizing the eunuch, was carried away by the Spirit, then why would anyone question how Jesus got into the room with the disciples hiding behind locked doors. I can imagine when Jesus appeared and said, “Peace be with you.” the disciples were probably speechless not knowing what to say.

Prayer

Father, we found Mary at the empty tomb, wanting to honor Jesus with a proper burial, but the disciples were hiding behind locked doors in fear for their lives. What a contrast in faithfulness between the two. Mary was out having conversation with angels and with Jesus and the disciples were living in fear because of their relationship with Jesus. How true that is today. Some are willing to give their lives to remain faithful to Jesus and others sit behind closed doors in soft chairs, afraid to share the message Mary was told to share with the disciples. Father, have mercy on us!