Meeting the Gardener (Mary meets the resurrected Jesus)

1 Amens

Amen

INTRO – In the Garden of Eden!  Multi-level John.  Theology CSI details à That the story would end in the Garden – as does the book of Revelation written by John, complete with the tree of Life! Life/Death 10 Then the disciples went back to their homes. 11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. 12 And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. 13 They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him." 14 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away." 16 Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned and said to him in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher). 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.'" 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord"- and that he had said these things to her. 1. The Place: A Garden-Eden à The place of communion, and banishment-Restored Israel à judgment passages of a destroyed garden àWC-Gethsemane à Fav. Retreat of JC-Graveyard à Garden tomb, Church of Holy Sepulcher 2. The Setting: An investigation à NT reading, great details of burial practices, but no one is concluding resurrection!!  -Mary’s observation à Grave Robbers, he is burried in a wealthy man’s…-John & Peter’s observation à Only John believes when he sees the grave clothes à What is the best natural explanation here? 3. The decision-To go home v.10-To stay and weep v.11 4. The Angels (2 of them)-Witnesses-Banishing & Welcoming à Eden-Worshipping & Proclaiming à Sat atop the Ark of the Covenant 5. Mary’s take: Where is the body?-He’s been taken v.13-Where have they put him? v.13 his body must still be around somewhere-Talking to the Gardner = v.15-(Does she know they were angels?)-I will take him! v.15 6. Jesus said to her…v.16 7. Rabboni (earlier, “lord” v.13) = not a hubby 8. Do not, me, cling = .17Jesus has received anointing from women, and worship from women, but here at this moment, Mary cannot hold on to Jesus forever, his mission has not been completed yet.  But as her instructor, he commissions her to tell the good news to the disciples.  He is teaching her something about teaching – it must be embraced by more people than just herself; and he is teaching her something about Him – He too must belong to others.  This resurrection moment is instruction about a future oriented way of life, it teaches us to not dwell on the past – past joys, past injustices, past times --- we could spend the rest of our life living in the past, but Jesus wants us to move forward!  We now live with the anticipation of a resurrected hope despite the agony of pain and loss.  We are not even allowed to hang on to past joys and security – but to long for a future event that will never be lost, and will never end, a time that we will forever enjoy the presence of our God and marvel at his wondrous works!MARY, you cannot cling to the hope that Jesus will take you back to the way it was. You must set your gaze beyond these tears and focus on the God who has conquered darkness and knows you by name! -Tell the brothers-You Father, your God 9. Mary tells! (But not in 1 Co. 15!)v.18 10. “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” John 12:24 ESV John 2:23 Now when he was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he was doing.ESV John 2:24 But Jesus on his part did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all peopleESV John 2:25 and needed no one to bear witness about man, for he himself knew what was in man.  Meeting the gardner = a stark juxtaposition from the triumphal entry just a week ago. Let us recall the crowds cheering, singing, waving palm branches in adoration of Jesus – but this is not how Jesus wanted to be received with all the expectations of a crowd who wanted some worldly need to be met.   After his awful death, there are no more crowds, just a women who first arrives on the scene in order to inform the disciples of an empty grave. And why was she there?  A dead man could not offer her anything.  (there is still a longing for a person’s presence, even if dead; but to be at the place where memories can flourish and a sense of connection can happen, to be quiet and to appreciate some sensation of communion. In an incredible meeting, she meets a man who is not bloody, beaten and scarred in appearance, but a man who has the work of the day upon his countenance. He reminds us of the first man who bore the image of God and was placed in a garden – a place of perfection, and reflection! Of how God longs to provide for His people.  So in a poetic way, we are transported to the true garden of God, the place where sadness and death will not reign, a place where angels do not wield swords to keep us away, but they invite us to enter and wonder why we cry – we do not know what they know!  But they direct us to the Gardner, the one who was planted in the ground as a seed and is now raised to bear much fruit – the fruit of the tree of life!  Mary will meet the Gardner of the Garden of God, and he will restore everything that the first Gardner, Adam, subjected to death and decay.  This new gardener, this risen Jesus, will tend an eternal paradise for the people who long to hear his voice, who long to view his face, who long to hold him as their father and their God.
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