139 John 20:11-18 THE APPEARANCE OF JESUS TO MARY MAGDALENE Introduction: In our text Jesus make His first appearance after His resurrection. He appeared to Mary Magdalen, Mark 16:9. I. The setting for our text Mary Magdalene and several other women had gone to the tomb of Jesus to anoint His body with spices. Mary Magdalene had apparently rushed ahead of the others and had arrived at the tomb of Jesus earlier than the others. She had found that the rock which closed the entrance of the tomb had been rolled away and the tomb was open. This was alarming to Mary. What made the matter even more alarming was that the tomb was empty. The body of Jesus was gone. Mary ran back in an apparent effort to find the other women and report to them that the body was missing. She did not find the other women, but she did find Simon Peter and John. They may have also been on their way to the tomb. Mary informs Peter and John that the body of Jesus is missing and they immediately take off running toward the tomb. Mary follows behind them, but at a much slower pace. By the time Mary arrives at the tomb, there is nobody else around. The other women have come and gone. Peter and John have also come and gone. There is nobody else around. II. Mary Magdalene back at the tomb of Jesus V. 11-12, "But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre, and seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain." Mary stood alone at the tomb. There was no other human being present at that time. She wept bitterly. She wept not only because Jesus had been crucified and but because the body of Jesus was gone. She may have assumed that the owner of the property did not want the body of Jesus in a tomb that belonged to him and his family. She must have feared that the enemies of Jesus had come in and taken the body of Jesus, perhaps to mutilate it some way or perhaps to dump it on the fires at the city dump. As she wept, Mary stooped down so that she could see deeper into the tomb. What she saw was a great surprise to her. She saw two angels sitting in the tomb on the shelf where the body of Jesus had lain. The angels spoke to her and asked her why she was weekping and who it was that she sought. V. 13, "And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him." Mary replied that she wept because the body of her Lord was taken away and that she did not know where it had been taken. Supprisingly Mary did not say that she was weeping because Jesus had been crucified, but because she could not find His body. III. The appearance of Jesus to Mary V. 14, "And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus." About this time Mary turned slightly away from the tomb and could see someone out of the corner of her eye standing somewhat behind her. She either could not see Him well or did not look closely at His face or perhaps He withheld His identity to her, because she did not realize that it was Jesus. V. 15, "Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seeketh thou?..." She still did not recognize that it was Jesus who spoke to her. She did not recognize His voice. She just supposed that He was a gardener who was an employee of the owner of the property. Therefore, she assumed that he was the one who had moved the body of Jesus. (V. 15), She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away." Now Mary surely could not have meant that she alone would carry the body. But she did mean, at least, that she would see to it that His body was moved out of their way so that it would not be a bother to him and his master. What she wanted to do was to make sure that the body of Jesus was treated with great respect and would not come to further harm. She was confident that she could get the help that she would need in relocating a suitable place for the body of Jesus. V. 16, "Jesus saith unto her, Mary..." Mary must have been astonished. We sometimes say, "I can hardly believe my eyes." She could hardly believe her ears! She now recognized the voice as being that of Jesus. She snapped her head around so that she could get a better look at Him and truly it was Jesus. There He was standing right before her. She could still hardly believe it. His body had lain in the grave for three days and three nights. She could hardly believe that He was now alive, but He was. His body had not been moved by a gardener nor anybody else. He was still standing there before her. He had talked to her and called her by name. He was alive! Halleluah, Jesus was alive! (V. 16), "...She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master." She had already partially turned toward Him. Now she did a double-take. She exclaimed, "Rabboni!" This is a word whose basic meaning is "master" or "teacher." It means "master" in the sense of "teacher." To this basic meaning there is a suffix which gives it the meaning of "My master, my teacher." This was a term of endearment which all of the disciples frequently used with reference to Jesus. IV. A puzzle: Mary told not to touch Jesus Mary must have made some move toward Jesus because Jesus stopped her and told her not to touch Him. V. 17-18, "Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God. V. 18, "Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her." He told her that the reason she was not to touch Him was because He had not yet ascended to His Father. This statement has been a puzzle to Bible students. The ascension of Jesus as described in Acts chapter one would be yet forty days in the future. Yet on the very same day that Jesus made this statement to Mary Magdalene He would allow the other women to touch Him. The would hold Him by the feet. Still later in the day He would appear in the midst of the disciples and invite them to touch Him. One week from this day, He would invite Thomas to thrust his hand up into the side of Jesus. All of this was prior to His ascension from Mt. Olives which would take place forty days from this time. Why would He tell Mary Magdalene not to touch Him because He had not yet ascended and yet would allow others to touch Him and even invite some to touch Him all prior to His ascension which would take place forty days from this time? V. The answer to the puzzle The answer to the puzzle is found in the Old Testament plus the Book of Hebrews. The Old Testament speaks of the high priest of Israel officiationg in the offering on the Day of Atonement. The high priest would bathe before slaying the blood sacrifice. Then he was not to be touched by anyone or anything that was ceremonially unclean until he had taken the blood of the atonement sacrifice into the Holy of Holies and sprinkled the blood on the Mercy Seat of God. The Book of Hebrews declares that Jesus is our High Priest. On the cross He had shed His own blood as an atonement sacrifice for the sins of man. At the time that He spoke to Mary He had not yet appeared in the Holy of Holies in heaven to sprinkle His atoning blood at the throne of God, which is the real Mercy Seat of God. Yet just a short while later on that same morning He would allow the other women who had gone to His tomb to hold Him by His feet. The answer is apparent. Between the time that He told Mary not to touch Him and the time that He allowed the women to touch Him He had already gone bodily into the throne room of God and had sprinkled His own blood from His own wounded hands upon the Mercy Seat of God. There could be no other explanation. Just as the high priest of Israel would go into the Holy of Holies and then return back out to the people, even so Jesus made His entrance into the Holy of Holies in heaven and then returned back to the people. At all appearances after that point of time, the people would be free to touch Him. Jesus Christ, the very Son of God is our High Priest. As our High Priest He has made the one and only sacrifice which is capable of taking away our sins. As our High Priest He has also appeared before the throne of God the Father in heaven and has sprinkled His atoning blood on the Mercy Seat of God. He has made a way for all mankind to be saved. Conclusion: Many years ago in Pensacola, Florida I trusted Jesus Christ and He saved my soul. Many of you have had a similar experience. Some of you may not yet be saved. Won't you come and trust Jesus today? If you are saved, are you ready to surrender your life to Jesus? If so, please come and do so.