Sermon Cloud

 1.The first day of the week would be what we call Sunday.  Because of the Sabbath the women had to wait another day before they could tend to Jesus body.  Mary Magdelene is mentioned one other time in scripture as the woman that Jesus had cast out seven demons.  Most believe she was involved in serious prostitution. Jesus gave her back her dignity and showed her he valued her soul.  Jesus would be the first male to treat her right and not treat her as sexual property. Mary was the first one to the tomb sight and the synoptic gospels record others following her. When she got there she noticed the stone was removed by violent force from the tomb.  This Mary is the first person to whom the Lord is going to reveal himself to.  You would think he’d start with the big theology guns but no His priortities are often times not our priorities. I believe Jesus made Mary his priority because it’s obvious Jesus was Mary’s priority.  James 4:8 says, “draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” Prov. 8:17 I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me.  This promise is for all of us.  Maybe it’s been awhile since You have seen the Lord and been in His presence.

2. The wording here indicates that she had to track down Peter who was still wrestling with his failure and then went to John.  Then Peter and John joined up.  It was not a rare thing in their day that grave robbers would steal bodies who were violently murdered in order to use the bodies in various forms of witchcraft.  It is more likely that Mary is referring “they” to the Jewish authorities. She probably feared in order to further slander the Lord they would allow something horrible to be done to His body.

3-6.  John here discreetly wants all the world to know he outran Peter to the tomb.Spontaneous Running when your older requires something to stir up your emotions. Like grown men on a slippery slide. I don’t think I’ve ever see any of you in this church run.  I think they were feeling angry like something very dear to them was encroached upon.  Running is my least favorite thing in the whole world to do.  I have to run at baseball practice and I just keep reminding myself it’s for the Lord.  John stops at the entrance and sort of peeps in.  Peter gets there huffing and puffing and just goes straight in.  It’s comforting to see the different personalities and ages of these 2 men yet they live their lives together.  I like to see John’s submission as he waits for Peter their leader to make it to the scene. 1Tim. 5:1 Never administer a sharp reprimand to a man older than yourself; but entreat him as if he were your father, and the younger men as brothers;

1Tim. 5:2 the elder women too as mothers, and the younger women as sisters, with perfect modesty.

Paul wants Timothy to realize that the body needs each other beyond age and sex. 

I visited with Shaun Garman of Red Sea Church in Portland.  Shaun said it’s so important that we in our home groups don’t go to home groups looking for ourselves so that we feel perfectly comfortable.  Mix it up.  I encourage the older ones here in the congregation to hang out with the younger and vice versa.  It’s biblical and healthy for the body. 

7. Now this would be very odd because it would be weird for someone to rob his grave and take off his clothes and lay them down so it wouldl look like he just rose out of them. They would not expect to find his grave clothes. 
8. When John finally entered he was so struck by the way the grave clothes were that he believed he rose from the dead apart from understanding the scripture prophecies. 

9-10This separating to go to their own homes can be explained by their fear to disband with the believers knowing that repercussions will inevitably be in order and that Peter and John could now be suspects if anyone had seen them near the vicinity.  That didn’t stop Mary though.

11. The two angels the blood spattered garments between would resemble the mercy seat of the ark of the covenant. Notice how Mary does not write a book about angels. Why because her focus in rightly on the Lord. 

Ex. 25:22 And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel. 1Sam. 6:19 ¶ And he smote the men of Bethshemesh, because they had looked into the ark of the LORD, even he smote of the people fifty thousand and threescore and ten men: and the people lamented, because the LORD had smitten many of the people with a great slaughter.

18. It seems like Mary has a relentless longing to be in his presence again. Mary is the one who is weeping for the presence of Christ.  What do I typically weep over? 1Cor. 1:27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;