from the desk of . . .
Rande Wayne Smith
D.Min., Th.M., M.Div.
My sermon series during Lent dealt with the 7 words/statements that Jesus made while on the cross.
“Forgive them, Father! They don’t know what they are doing.” (Luke 23:34)
“I promise you that today you will be in Paradise with me.” (Luke 23:43)
“He is your son. … She is your mother.” (John 19:26-27)
“My God, my God, why did you abandon me?” (Matthew 27:46)
“I am thirsty.” (John 19:28)
“It is finished!” (John 19:30)
“Father! In your hands I place my spirit!” (Luke 23:46)
These words are familiar to all of us.
And over the years I have preached on each of them numerous times & have
heard countless sermons on them. And every time, without exception, I get
some new insights to ponder. Which was the case when Roy preached on the
2nd word at the Good Friday service at St. Agnes 10 days ago.
I love the richness & depth of Scripture.
So anyway, as I was preparing my 7 Lenten messages on Jesus’ 7 “last”
words, I started wondering about His “1 st ” words following His resurrection.
So, I turned to John’s Gospel & discovered that there were 7 words/sayings
that Jesus spoke on that 1st Easter.
So, I would like us to look this morning at “The 1 st 7 Words Of The
Risen Savior”. They explain what the resurrection has done for us,
& then practically, what it has to offer us.
Listen now to Good News, as recorded by John, to us as we’ve gathered here
for worship. Within our hearing comes the Word of the Lord …
Mary stood crying outside the tomb. While she was still crying, she
bent over and looked in the tomb and saw two angels there dressed in white,
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sitting where the body of Jesus had been, one at the head and the other at
the feet. “Woman, why are you crying?” they asked her.
She answered, “They have taken my Lord away, and I do not know
where they have put him!”
Then she turned around and saw Jesus standing there; but she did not
know that it was Jesus. “Woman, why are you crying?” Jesus asked her.
“Who is it that you are looking for?”
She thought he was the gardener, so she said to him, “If you took him
away, sir, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and get him.”
Jesus said to her, “Mary!”
She turned toward him and said in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (This means
“Teacher.”)
“Do not hold on to me,” Jesus told her, “because I have not yet gone
back up to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them that I am
returning to him who is my Father and their Father, my God and their God.”
So Mary Magdalene went and told the disciples that she had seen the
Lord and related to them what he told her.
It was late that Sunday evening, and the disciples were gathered
together behind locked doors, because they were afraid of the Jewish
authorities. Then Jesus came and stood among them. “Peace be with you,”
he said. After saying this, he showed them his hands and his side. The
disciples were filled with joy at seeing the Lord. Jesus said to them again,
“Peace be with you. As the Father sent me, so I send you.” Then he
breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive people’s
sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (called the Twin), was not with
them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the
Lord!”
Thomas said to them, “Unless I see the scars of the nails in his hands
and put my finger on those scars and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”
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A week later the disciples were together again indoors, and Thomas
was with them. The doors were locked, but Jesus came and stood among
them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger
here, and look at my hands; then reach out your hand and put it in my side.
Stop your doubting, and believe!”
Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”
Jesus said to him, “Do you believe because you see me? How happy are
those who believe without seeing me!” (John 20:11-29)
Jesus said, “Heaven & earth will pass away,
but my words will never pass away.” (Mark 13:31)
May the Lord grant that we may engage in contemplating the mysteries of His Heavenly
wisdom with really increasing devotion, to His glory and to our edification. Amen
Jesus’ 7 words from the cross provide a message from God to the
entire world. The 1 st 7 words of the risen Savior present a message from
God to the Church … to His people.
In John Masefield’s book, “The Trial Of Jesus,” there’s a haunting
passage in which the Roman centurion, in command of the soldiers at the
cross, comes back to Pilate to hand in his account of the day’s work. After
the report is given, Pilate’s wife beckons to the centurion & begs him to tell
her how the Prisoner died. Upon relating to her everything that had
happened, she suddenly asks, “Do you think He is dead?”
“No, lady,” answers the centurion, “I don’t.”
“Well then, where is He?”
To which the Roman replies …
“Let loose in the world, lady, where … no one can stop His truth.”
So, let’s look at these 1 st 7 “words” that Jesus spoke
& try to make some applications to our own lives.
“Woman, why are you crying?” (Jesus is talking to Mary Magdalene.)
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“Who is it that you are looking for?”
So, the very 1 st words of Jesus, following His resurrection,
are to a woman in a garden. … That’s kind of interesting to think about.
It was in the 1 st Garden that God questioned another woman, (Genesis 3:13), after
sin had entered into the world. (Romans 5:12)
And here, in our Gospel lesson, we find Mary crying in a Garden.
I suspect that all of us have cried, as adults, at some point over the years …
a few of us much more than others.
(I cry reading stories or during sentimental movies & TV shows.)
But most of our tears are due to pain, sorrow, or sadness.
Think about how many tears Mary must have cried during the
preceding 3 days. She stood faithfully at the cross, (John 19:25), & watched
Jesus suffer & die. She followed Joseph of Arimathea & Nicodemus to the
tomb. (Luke 23:55) She spent 3 days & nights in anguish, waiting to return early
Sunday morning to anoint Jesus’ dead body. (Luke 24:1) I’m sure she’d been
crying the whole time; it’s kind of amazing that she had any tears left at this
point. But there were some. And it’s right here that we hear Jesus’ 1 st
resurrected words … “Woman, why are you crying?”
At 1 st that seems like kind of a no-brainer question, doesn’t it? …
“I’m crying because my Jesus is dead.”
Think of the strain that this woman was under.
She had seen the Person she loved most in the entire world taken from her
& brutally executed. And for 3 days she had planned to perform some last
rites on His body (Mark 16:1) … but now, it seems that even this final gesture of
affection had been taken away from her.
Already that morning she’s made several trips back & forth from the
city to the tomb. Now she stands there alone; Peter & John & the other
women are gone. Mary’s exhausted physically, emotionally, spiritually.
And she breaks down & begins to sob. “Woman, why are you crying?”
Now for some reason, Mary didn’t recognize Jesus.
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It’s foolish to attempt to figure out why.
Maybe His appearance had changed. Maybe her tears had caused her
vision to become cloudy. Whatever the reason, certainly the last person she
expected to see standing there & talking to her, was Jesus. Even though she
had heard His claim repeatedly that He would rise from the dead, (Mark 10:34)
… she wasn’t really expecting a resurrection.
“Who is it that you are looking for?”
Mary’s answer has got to be one of the most touching sentences ever
recorded in all of literature. “If you took him away, sir,
tell me where you have put him, & I will go & get him.”
Can’t you just hear the love in her voice? … Obviously, she was thinking
in terms of a dead body. So, Mary, assuming that Jesus was the gardener,
turned her back to Him. She wasn’t interested in talking to anyone …
her attention was completely focused on the empty tomb. And it’s here that
we listen to Jesus’ 2 nd word. He calls her by name … “Mary!”
Imagine the scene! … In that moment Mary experienced her own
“resurrection.” Her faith had died … but now it appeared again in the
comforting word from her Lord. This is certainly one of my favorite
passages. And here’s what these words teach me … Jesus knows us by name.
This surely is one of the most comforting truths found in Scripture.
In our times of sorrow, Jesus comes to us & calls us by name. Jesus said,
“My sheep listen to my voice: I know them, & they follow me.” (John 10:27)
But there’s an additional truth here if we want to dig a little deeper.
Those who love the Lord the most get the greater blessings.
Peter & John ran to the tomb, saw that it was empty, but then the
Scriptures record …“the disciples went back home.” (John 20:10) They loved …
but it seems by her actions that Mary loved more, & as a result, had the
blessing of seeing Jesus 1 st . Mary was the 1 st to witness His resurrection.
Once again that shows us the grace & openness of the Gospel. Jesus didn’t
show Himself to Peter & John … but 1 st spoke to Mary … a woman!
But it’s not the “who” that’s the essential thing here … but the “what” …
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the resurrection is the key. Jesus’ resurrection is what our faith is founded
upon. Because of His resurrection we have hope beyond the grave.
(1 Corinthians 15:19)
Christianity is essentially a religion of resurrection. Right?
I mean, if Jesus remained in the tomb, what are we doing here?
It’s the resurrection that gives us hope. Preaching is useful or useless,
worthwhile or worthless, based on the truthfulness of Jesus’ resurrection.
Paul was correct … “If Christ has not been raised from death,
then we have nothing to preach & you have nothing to believe.” (1 Corinthians 15:13)
Mary had a message for the disciples … & then they had a message for
the world. (Matthew 28:19-20) We have a message … & we’re commanded to tell it.
“Jesus Christ has risen” … (He has risen indeed!)
Jesus then speaks His 3 rd word. He tells Mary … “Do not hold on to me.”
Once again, imagine this scene … Mary is at her lowest ebb.
She believed Jesus to be dead. She didn’t expect to see Him ever again.
And then, suddenly, there He was … standing in front of her …
calling her by name! She did, just what you & I would do.
She grabbed hold of Him … hanging on for dear life. She was so excited …
& didn’t want to lose Him again.
And ever so gently Jesus tells her, “Do not hold on to me.”
The words really mean … “don’t cling to me.” “Mary, you & I both have a lot
to do today. And I need you to go & tell my brothers that you’ve seen me.
My ministry is not over … actually, it’s just beginning!”
And did you notice what Jesus called them … they’re no longer “my
disciples;” now they’re, “my brothers.” Jesus expresses an even deeper
identification with humanity than ever before … we’re now family. (Romans 8:15)
Jesus‘ 4 th word … “Peace be with you,” is directed to those gathered in
the Upper Room. This was actually a very common greeting. The word was
Shalom, (Εἰρήνη), & it was used the way that we say the word, “hello.”
However, it was never used in a flippant manner. It didn’t mean simply, “hi.”
It was a serious greeting, like us saying to someone …
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“God bless you.” Shalom.
When we think of “peace” today, we’re usually referring to a situation
between countries, peace between Ukraine & Russia …
or possibly harmony in personal relationships.
But Jesus meant something far deeper. Jesus was offering peace with God.
Scripture teaches that we are at war with Him. This is important …
you & I are at war with God. That’s what sin does. But Jesus has defeated
sin through the cross, & as a result, made peace with humanity …
made peace with us. The resurrected Jesus brings peace.
He didn’t bring blame, or faultfinding, or rebuke. He brought peace.
Jesus said, “Peace is what I leave with you;
it is my own peace that I give you. I do not give it as the world does.
Do not be worried & upset; do not be afraid.” (John 14:27)
How comforting this must have been to the disciples. They had just
gone through the most traumatic week of their lives. For 3 years they had
followed Jesus in & out of 100’s of situations, & had come to know Him,
& trust Him, & love Him. They had watched Him do miracles. They had
heard Him teach. They knew that hostility was growing against Him on the
part of the Jewish rulers. (John 11:16) They had heard His prophetic words.
(Matthew 16:21) Still, they were unprepared for what happened.
Suddenly, there was His arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane … & they
all scattered. (Matthew 27:56) And the next thing they heard was Jesus had been
tried & crucified. And while they were trying to wrap their minds around all
of that … word came of an empty tomb. If ever there was a confused group,
it was this small, fearful band in the Upper Room. But then Jesus came!
One moment they were alone. The next moment He was there,
& He calmed their troubled spirits … “Shalom! Peace be with you.”
It’s what Paul writes to the Romans about …
“Now that we have been put right with God through faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 5:1)
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Moving on to the 5 th word … “As the Father sent me, so I send you. …
Receive the Holy Spirit.”
Here is the call to service & the power to serve. Jesus prayed,
“I sent them into the world, just as you sent me into the world.” (John 17:18)
Jesus was sent to earth to talk about God’s love.
He didn’t have to do that. (Matthew 26:39) He could have just ignored us.
Or if He wanted to tell us about God’s love, He could have shouted it from
Heaven. He could have provided us with a book to read about it. But no,
He came “into the world.” He became one of us, so we could see, & hear,
& understand. “The Word became a human being &, full of grace & truth,
lived among us.” (John 1:14) And since Jesus came “into the world” …
we are to go “into the world.” So, how are we doing? …
Sadly, most of us are guilty at precisely this point.
We’ve retreated “from” the world to where it’s safe & cozy. Am I right? ...
Some of us have never talked with anyone about Jesus … outside of the
Church. We’re hiding in our “Upper Room.” When we’re with non-believers
we never let on about the faith that is in us. And by doing so we’re actually
saying that the world can “go to Hell.” … Shame on us!
We expect missionaries to tell the Good News to “lost” people,
but we won’t even talk to our own neighbors, because it’s kind of threatening.
“Let somebody else do it.” (Exodus 3:11)
I’m guilty too. None of us are doing all that we should be doing in
telling others about Jesus. And none of us can do this effectively on our
own … so Jesus sent us The Holy Spirit. And just as Jesus was empowered
by the Spirit to do His work, so we will be empowered by the Spirit. Jesus
taught us that when to comes to witnessing, that we’re not to “worry about
what we are going to say or how we will say it; when the times comes, we will
be given what we will say. For the words we will speak will not be ours;
they will come from the Spirit.” (Matthew 10:19-20)
Finally, Jesus has “a word” to Thomas.
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We have a special descriptive term for him. Thomas is known as “(doubting)
Thomas” … because he had to actually see the risen Jesus to believe.
Let me point out something about Thomas. He wasn’t with the rest of
the disciples that 1 st Easter evening. We don’t know where he was, but
because he wasn’t there … he missed seeing the Lord! Jim, I remember you
telling me, probably 2 years ago now, that if you weren’t here on a Sunday
morning you felt like you were missing something.
That is a good way to interpret this passage. … “You snooze, you lose.”
Don’t miss worship at Bear Creek Church.
But notice how kind & merciful God. When a person doubts after
proper evidence, God calls it foolishness. (The Psalms 14:1)
But to the sincere doubter, the Lord says … “stop your doubting, & believe!”
So, Thomas didn’t miss the next meeting. And Jesus showed up …
& Thomas confessed his faith. And Jesus responded, “Do you believe
because you see me? How happy are those who believe without seeing me!”
Who’s Jesus talking about? … This is a word to us today.
Jesus is talking about us! Jesus was looking beyond the people in that Upper
Room, & He see the faces of believers who will come after them.
He sees your face & mine! “Thomas, you believe because you see me,
but blessed/happy are those who have not seen & yet believe.”
I had a friend who was a medical Dr. back in PA, Chester Kauffman.
He told the story of a man leaving his office one day. “Dr., I’m afraid to die.
Tell me what lies on the other side.” Chester replied, “I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?
You, a Christian man, do not know what is on the other side?”
Dr. Kauffman was holding the handle of the door.
On the other side came the sound of scratching & whining.
As he opened the door, a dog sprang into the room & leaped on him with an
eager show of gladness & affection, wagging his tail.
Turning to his patient, Dr. Kauffman said, “Do you notice my dog?
He’s never been in this room before. He didn’t know what was inside.
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He knew nothing except that his master was here … & when the door opened,
he sprang in without fear. I know little of what is on the other side of death
… but I do know one thing … I know my Master is there … & that is enough.”
My friends, even though we can’t touch the physical evidence of the
resurrection with our fingers like Thomas … we haven’t seen like Mary …
we’ve heard the testimony … Jesus is alive! …
& if you believe … you are blessed!
MARANA THA
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