Alleluia! He Has Risen And He Calls My Name!

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READ JOHN 20:1-18

MEDITATION: Alleluia! He Has Risen And He Calls My Name!  Isn’t amazing that the very first person that Jesus speaks to on Easter morning is a common woman that we don’t know a whole lot about? We know that Jesus had earlier driven seven demons out of her and that in gratitude for His healing in her life, Mary had chosen to follow Jesus and provide financial support for His ministry. We also know that just hours earlier, Mary was there at the foot of the cross when Jesus spoke to his own mother and the apostle John and that she was there when Jesus’ body was taken from the cross and wrapped and laid in the tomb. But in spite of the fact that she was just a common woman who had been devoted to Him, Jesus chose to reveal Himself for the first time after His resurrection to Mary.

Early Sunday morning Mary went to the tomb. The other gospel writers tell us that she had gone there with some other women to properly treat Jesus body with the spices they had brought with them. But when they got there, the stone had been rolled away from the tomb. Mary went back to tell Peter and John and when they returned to the tomb, they saw that Jesus’ body was no longer in the tomb.

Mary was so distraught, she remained at the tomb, sobbing uncontrollably. After two angels spoke to her, she turned to look at Jesus, but in her grief, she didn’t recognize who He was. Maybe she couldn’t see Him clearly through her tears. Maybe His resurrected body had a different appearance. Even when Jesus first spoke to her, she didn’t recognize His voice. We shouldn’t be all that surprised that Mary didn’t recognize Jesus. After all, it’s quite clear from Scripture that even the disciples still didn’t understand the resurrection. So certainly Mary wasn’t even thinking about the possibility that Jesus had risen from the dead.

But then Jesus called her name. With just one word – “Mary” – everything changed. Mary immediately recognized Jesus and grasped Him. And then she went back to the rest of the disciples to share the good news. When Jesus called her name, it completely changed Mary’s life forever. The good news is that Jesus is still in the business of calling our names. And when he calls my name, it also changes my life forever. WHEN JESUS CALLS MY NAME…

1. IT CONFIRMS THE RESURRECTION: When Jesus called Mary’s name, it confirmed the resurrection. Remember that three days before, there was no doubt in Mary’s mind that Jesus had actually died a physical death and been placed in the tomb with a large stone rolled across the entrance to the tomb. So when Jesus called her name, there was only one possibility for Mary – Jesus was alive! And this passage makes it really clear that this was not just the voice of some ghost. Mary grasped on to Jesus so hard and so long that Jesus literally had to tell her to quit clinging to Him.

There is absolutely no doubt from the Scriptures and from historical records that those who knew Jesus best, His disciples, believed in a physical resurrection of Jesus. In fact, every one of the disciples, with the exception of John, died a violent death as a result of holding to their belief that Jesus had in fact been resurrected from the grave. I know a lot of people who are willing to lie, but I sure don’t many, if any that are willing to die for a lie.

When Jesus calls my name, one of the things he does is to confirm the reality of the resurrection. So exactly how does Jesus do that in my life? Obviously, Jesus doesn’t audibly speak our name like he did with Mary. But I’m convinced that He still speaks our name today. I’m convinced that right now, Jesus is speaking some of your names. He’s doing that through His Word and through this message that explains His Word.

2. IT CREATES A NEW RELATIONSHIP: When Jesus called Mary’s name He created a whole new relationship. It’s interesting to me that when Jesus rose from the dead; the very first person to whom He chose to appear was one common woman. I don’t think that’s how I would have done it. If it was me, I would have found the biggest crowd I could have. I’d have gone to the people who yelled “Crucify him” just a few days earlier or maybe to the Jewish religious leaders. Then I could have rubbed it in their faces and said, “See you couldn’t keep me in the grave. I’m alive!”

And if I’d chosen to appear to just one person, certainly it wouldn’t have been Mary. Maybe I would have gone to Caiaphas or Pilate or Herod. Or if I was going to appear to one of my followers, maybe I would have chosen John or Peter. After all, they had just been to the tomb with Mary. But when Jesus chose to appear to Mary, I think He was trying to make a point. When He called Mary’s name, He was saying that every person has worth in His sight, no matter how well known the person is, no matter what his or her background is, no matter whether he or she is male or female. In the eyes of the world, there was nothing significant about Mary. But in the eyes of Jesus, she was significant because she was created to have fellowship with Him.

When Jesus calls my name, it means that He is calling me to a personal, intimate relationship with Him. Perhaps there are some of you here this morning who have never experienced the abundant life and joy that comes from a personal relationship with the risen Christ. But the resurrection means that Jesus has made it possible for you, like Mary, to have that kind of lasting relationship.

3. IT CALLS FOR MY RESPONSE: When Jesus called Mary’s name, she had to choose how to respond to Him. Mary could have chosen to:

• Ignore Jesus. After all, until He called her name, she just figured it was the gardener. So Mary, even when she recognized His voice, could have just ignored Jesus.

• Doubt Jesus. She could have said to herself, “Jesus is dead. There is no way that this can be Jesus. I don’t believe that He could have arisen from the dead.”

• Reject Jesus. She could have chosen to reject Him. Even if she believed that this really was Jesus and that He was alive, she could have just rejected what that meant for her life and just kept living her life without His influence. But Mary chose to embrace Jesus.

Today, Jesus is calling some of your names. He’s confirmed in your heart the reality of the resurrection. He’s calling you to enter into a new relationship with Him. And He’s also calling you to respond to His invitation. Like Mary, we have several choices. You can choose to ignore Jesus. You can ignore Him as He calls your name and just go on living your life like you never heard His voice. You can choose to doubt Jesus. You can choose not to believe the mountain of Biblical and historical evidence that Jesus rose from the grave that first Easter morning so that you can have a personal relationship with Him. You can even reject Jesus today. Even though you believe in the resurrection and you believe that it provides the means to your relationship with God, you just won’t accept God’s offer. What will your response be?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWI1B7fxtHw

ACTION: For today, you can choose to embrace Jesus. You can say, “Jesus, I believe in the resurrection. I believe that you have provided the way for me to have a relationship with God. I want to embrace you and accept that gift today.”

PRAYER: Dear God, thank you for calling my name. I believe in the reality of the resurrection. I believe that Jesus came to die for my sins and that His resurrection proved His power over death. I confess to you that I am a sinner. I’m sorry for my sins and I ask You to forgive my sins based on what Jesus did on the cross. I am deciding today to embrace Jesus and to make Him my Forgiver and my Master. AMEN