Encounters with Jesus: Mary and the Gardener

Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him." So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples went back to their homes. But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. 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." Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 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." Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned and said to him in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher). 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.'"  Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord"—and that he had said these things to her. - John 20:1‭-‬18 ESV

Rev. Dwight Yoo

It's reliability (the resurrection)

All credible historians agree that a man Jesus lived and was crucified. But this is where the disagreement begins. Many believe that Jesus was dead and buried and that was it.

The Greeks believed in a resurrection of the spirit. The spirit left the body and that was it. There was no bodily resurrection.

Mary thought that the body was stolen. Grave robbery was commonplace. The disciples were confused about what happened. Until they met the resurrected Christ...

Women were the first to see the resurrected Christ. Consider this, women's testimony was inadmissible in court. No one would try to make up a credible story using women's testimony. How about grave robbers? Then what about the body wraps? They were left behind and not only that, but some was nearly wrapped. What robber leaves things neatly behind them?? It doesn't happen. The Jewish and Roman authorities wanted to put down this "cult" of Jesus followers. They would have left no stone unturned in trying to get the body. They would have paid good money for someone to produce the body. And nothing, no body.

It's result (the resurrection)

Mary was freed from demons by Jesus. She is so distraught that she does not recognize the angels or Jesus. She thinks this man is a gardener. So Jesus asks, "why are you crying"? What is the meaning of this? It is a gentle rebuke. Jesus has won.

Death had been defeated. Not only physical death, but spiritual death was defeated. Jesus has won for us the breaking of the spiritual death that is separation from God. He is victorious over hell. Mary was weeping as one without hope. But for those in Christ, there is hope, even in death. We weep at the separation, but we know this is temporary. We will meet again.

The disciples were hopeless. They had just watched Jesus die upon the cross. It all appeared meaningless. But there is a God and there was a reason for this pain. The suffering is not without meaning. In heaven, we will find more fulfillment and satisfaction in Jesus. The suffering and loss will make heaven the more sweeter. The suffering in this life will add to your joy rather than subtracting.

The right response

Jesus asks who Mary is looking for. She was looking for a kind caring teacher. Jesus is God. He is not simply a good moral teacher. He wants us to give Him control over our lives. He deserves to be Lord over our lives. But he is trustworthy and He did it first. He submitted to God, even to the cross, for us, his enemies. We can submit without concern. He had led by example.

So what is the right response? Jesus calls Mary to share with the rest of the disciples. So it is with us, we are called to proclaim. Tell others that Jesus has risen. Mary thought Jesus was the gardener and in a way she was right. Jesus is the cosmic gardener. He is clearing the thorns and thistles. He is planting seeds that will sprout and bring forth vibrant life and beauty. The entire world is His garden and it will be restored to it's former glory.

Encounters with Jesus: The Sought-out Seeker

He entered Jericho and was passing through. And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was small in stature. So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was about to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today."  So he hurried and came down and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all grumbled, "He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner." And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, "Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold." And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham.  For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost."- 19:1‭-‬10 ESV

The search

Zacchaeus was a short man. He wanted to see this Jesus. Rich, powerful men of this time wore long robes. They did not run, it was deemed undignified. But Zacchaeus did not only that, he climbed a tree. This is an utterly ridiculous scene. This tax collector was utterly despised by the people. Climbing a tree would have been like painting a target on his back. He must've been driven by something strong to endure that embarrassment and ridicule.

We don't know what drove him to go to such lengths. But we can speculate that perhaps he was lonely, felt the emptiness of riches, and heard about this man who befriended sinners. A man who had a former tax collector in his inner circle, a disciple.

Jesus was passing through Jericho. But he did not meet this tax collector by chance. He walked up to that tree and called this man by name. No introductions needed. Jesus knew this man and he knew why he was there. We may see that this tax collector was seeking Jesus. But Jesus was seeking him. Jesus seeks the lost.

The lostness is not being clueless. It doesn't mean that sinners are clueless. It means that they are without a home. They do not have a heavenly home. They are without a restored relationship with their heavenly father. That is what it means that people are lost.

The invitation

Zacchaeus does not invite Jesus. Jesus invites himself over. This is simply not done. What does this mean? To go over to someone's house and eat with them means that you accept them and commit yourself to deep relationship with them.

Why is this important? Zacchaeus was living a despicable life. He was a thief and not even considered human by society. Jesus invites himself into his life before anything has happened before any life change has occurred. We don't need to come to Jesus after we clean up our lives.    This is the gospel.

What does this mean to us? It is understanding who Jesus is and accepting Him joyfully. He is Lord. When we receive Him, we give him the master key to our lives. He now can command us in every area of our lives. We need bring nothing to this.

The church are those who are saved. So if Jesus is about seeking the lost, can we not seek them as well? Alternatively, are we like the crowd? Do we grumble and obstruct those seeking to get a glimpse of Jesus? Church, are we making it hard to see Jesus? Do we force people to climb trees to get a glimpse of Jesus?

How do we make things hard? Here's some possibilities... Do we hide our sin and our weaknesses? How does it affect those who seek Jesus? Two ways, they can feel that they must clean up their lives to meet Jesus. They have to be holy to find God. Or they can see through the act, the hypocrisy, and be repulsed. They want nothing to do with the hypocrites.

The declaration

Zacchaeus was extorting the people. Justice, in that day, would call for restitution of 120%. But he goes above and beyond, he would give back 400%. Why? This man chased riches. So what happened? The explosive effect of new affections... Jesus became his new affection. He found deep satisfaction in Jesus rather than earthly riches. He no longer needed earthly wealth in light of his riches through Jesus.

Encounters with Jesus: the religious reborn

Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him." Jesus answered him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God."  Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'  The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."  Nicodemus said to him, "How can these things be?" Jesus answered him, "Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things?  Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony.  If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?  No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.  And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,  that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.  "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.  And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.  For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.  But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God."John 3:1‭-‬21 ESV

Necessity of new birth

Pharisees were seen as not just spiritual men. They were seen as the pillars of society. Nicodemus came to investigate Jesus. There was many miracles and life changing sermons. He and other teachers came to find out the truth of this man, Jesus. Was he a cult leader? Was a prophet of God? They came to get to the bottom of this affair, but Jesus flips this agenda on its head. Jesus digs to the heart of Nicodemus. Jesus tells Nicodemus that he does not belong to the kingdom of God. This is utterly shocking. The Jews assumed that the kingdom was theirs by right of their birth. Nicodemus was a leader among the religious leaders. He knew the scriptures and taught others how to follow them. Jesus told this man that he had no share in the kingdom of God. Regardless of his knowledge of the law of God, his racial background, and his personal obedience of God's law as he understood them... It did not give him any standing before God. He needed to be born again. To Nicodemus, it was completely inconceivable that he was not in the kingdom of God. So here is the take away, are we in Nicodemus' shoes? Are we naively assuming that we are in the kingdom? This idea if being born again is not new. It was an idea written in the scriptures before Jesus was born.

"I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules." - Ezekiel 36:25‭-‬27 ESV

How does this happen

It happens by the work of the Holy Spirit. Birth is not chosen by the baby. They don't pick their birthdays. Additionally, we are spiritually dead. They cannot bring themselves to life. So God brings us back to life. So how then are we reborn? The Holy Spirit brings our dead hearts to life to see our need for Jesus.

How does it work?

People coming to faith is a mystery. Back in those times, there wasn't a weather man giving meteorological forecasts. They have no idea when and how the winds will blow. So it is how this works in salvation, we cannot force this to happen in our timeline and with our own power. We cannot see the wind, but we can see it's effects.

Those who are born again have two big changes. Self-exposure & desires.

They speak of their own sins the most. They will speak of their own sins rather than the sins of others. They walk into the light and expose their sins, so they can walk rightly before God.

They change not only their actions, but their desires are changed. They are active in serving because they want to please God. The reborn love worship because it shows how they treasure Jesus. They don't love it because it makes them look good, or they can play music, or they like the music... That is the desire of those who are not born again. We see this in Nicodemus after Jesus' death. He demanded the body of Jesus. He wrapped it himself rather than allowing women to do it, as the norm. He did this because Jesus was no longer just some awesome rabbi, He was Nicodemus' treasure.

The first and the last Adam

Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned— for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come. But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous. Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.- Romans 5:12‭-‬21 ESV

Rev. Dwight Yoo

Our solidarity with Adam

Adam is a real historical person. He is not a metaphorical concept. He was created by God, not evolved. Why a historical Adam? First, all human beings descended from him. This means that all humans are equal; we all are family. There is no racial superiority. It also points to why we need to be saved in the first place. There is this ripple effect. From the sin of one man, there is the spread of death throughout creation. Adam is the representative head of mankind. How does this work? David fights Goliath and defeats him. But Israel won. When Trump and Kim Jong-Un, they meet not as just interesting personalities, but as the leaders of two nations who are armed to the teeth.

Consider the children of infamous people. Larry Nassar has kids. They bear the consequences of his actions. They may not have done anything wong, but they are his children. Osama bin laden has kids. Consider the way people will treat them because of their father's actions.

Not only that, but we are not innocent. We inherit the twisted nature of our fathers. So it is with Adam. His sin comes down into his descendants. It is in our genes.

But there is another representative head. Jesus also plays the same role for all of humanity. There are only two who have a headship role for all of humanity. At the final judgement, we will be represented by Jesus or by Adam.

The Superiority of the last Adam

Even though they played the same role, Jesus is much, much greater. There work of Jesus is much greater than the work of Adam. The saving work of Jesus is not tit for tat. Jesus doesn't just cover Adam's sin. It covers not just the trespass of Adam and all the sins of the saints, day after day, hour after hour, minute after minute. It takes us from enemies of God to being princess and princes of God's kingdom.

The Super Abounding grace of God

Jesus' obedience covers the sins of many and justifies the sinner as well. But what about the law? The Jews held the law to high regard. Paul says that the law came to increase sin. The law came so that we could see our sins more clearly. The law of God shows the beauty of God. But this same law shows us how ugly our hearts are. If we judge ourselves by "being a good person", we feel like we are good. But loving our neighbor as ourselves? That's goodness. Then we realize that we are not good. Our hearts are wicked.

But not only that. The law of God incites us to rebel. We push back against authority, not God in particular, but that is our nature. That is our sin nature. But God is not like that. Even though our constant offense and pushing away of God, He desires to pull us close. He is our Father and He wants us to come home. Parents want their black sheep to come home. So it is with God, even more so than any earthly parent.

Counted Righteous

What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness." Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: "Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin." Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised. - Romans 4:1‭-‬12 ESV

Rev Dwight Yoo

Case studies

Abraham was looked as an example. There were extra-biblical Jewish texts that made Abraham appear to be perfectly obedient. If this was so, then Abraham would have grounds to boast. But even so, his obedience would not be up to God's standard. So Paul points to an interaction between God and Abraham,
"Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness." Abraham had no inherent righteousness. He could not have been obedient to the law. The codified Jewish law starting with the ten commandments was not yet written.

David was seen as the ultimate king. But as the king, he committed both adultery and murder. He says it himself, "Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin."

We are counted righteous. It is a declaration. Much like a court judgement, to be declared guilty and not guilty. It does not mean a person is innocent. It means that they are treated by the government and the court as innocent. We know of guilty parties declared not guilty. So it is with the Christian. We are sinners, flawed and twisted beyond measure. But we are judged righteous. We are simultaneously sinner and saint. We are credited with the righteousness of Christ and he pays for the penalty of our sin.

Communal impact

Circumcision does not save. It is an outward sign of salvation. Much like baptism, it symbolizes the inward work of God. It almost looks like faith saves. But it is not a work, faith is not what saves. The object of our faith is what saves. It also changes the nature of Abraham. The Jews saw him as the great divider between the people of God and the gentiles. We see him as the father of those who place their faith in God and Jesus. We are united as a family regardless of race/ethic group, culture, socio-economic, or other things that divide in this world. We are all one family in Christ.

The Righteousness of God

But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law. - Romans 3:21‭-‬31 ESV

Rev. Dwight Yoo

Luther calls this passage as the center of this epistle and the main point of the bible. This is what is needed to be a Christian. But not only that, we need it to impact us more and more in our daily lives.

We are saved by faith alone, Christ alone, for God's glory alone.

How can I be right with God?

All the major religions attempt to answer this. The fine details differ between each religion. But outside of Christianity, they all say basically the same thing. There are things we must do to earn God's favor. Paul dismantles this method. We cannot gain God's approval by our performance.

If we depend on our performance, then we are continually insecure. Our performance will plague us. We must prove ourselves worthy time and time again.

Christianity says we are saved by faith. But we must understand what faith is. It is more than intellectual assent & agreement. We must throw in our lot with Jesus such that he becomes our only hope. But faith must be more than certainty, we must reach out and grasp it. It is not a strong faith that we need. A weak faith in a solid foundation is more sure than a strong faith in a weak foundation. God does not approve of us by the strength of our faith, but rather because of the object of our faith, Jesus. The resurrection power that worked in Jesus is what saves us;not the strength of our faith.

Christ is our propitiation

We seek redemption for our sin. That is our propitiation. In the old testament, the people sacrificed animals for their sins. But can this truly cover over our sins? No, it cannot. It is a foreshadow of the death of Jesus on our behalf.

Redemption

In the author's time, there were no bankruptcy laws. If someone got into debt and could not repay, they would go into slavery. Often, their families became slaves as well. If they had a rich relative, this relative could redeem them. They would go to the temple and pay their debts. Jesus is our redemption. We are slaves to sin and Jesus pays the price of our sin.

Judgment

A sin against God is more ultimate. Assault against a head of state is much more than assault against a citizen. The just punishment of a sin against an infinite God is infinite punishment. So Jesus, a person of infinite worth, absorbs the infinite punishment on our behalf.

Not only that, but Jesus also gives us the credit of a perfectly lived life. Not only are our sins wiped clean, but Jesus lived the perfect life for us as well.

We add nothing to Jesus' work on our behalf. If we added anything to this work, we would not be receiving a gift, but a paycheck. So we bring nothing to the transaction but our need. We have no grounds to boast whatsoever. The Gospel gives us no room to do so.

Boasting is good indicator of the understand of the gospel and how it grasps us. Not just proud behavior, but less obvious things. Do we compare ourselves with others? Do we look at things that set us above other people? We are seeking self worth. Road rage. Pride in our parenting. A Christian's worth comes as a gift from God through Jesus. And it results in a heart that makes much of God and boasts of Jesus, the one worthy of all glory and all honor.

Case Closed

Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the value of circumcision? Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God. What if some were unfaithful? Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God? By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar, as it is written, "That you may be justified in your words, and prevail when you are judged." But if our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God, what shall we say? That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us? (I speak in a human way.) By no means! For then how could God judge the world? But if through my lie God's truth abounds to his glory, why am I still being condemned as a sinner? And why not do evil that good may come?—as some people slanderously charge us with saying. Their condemnation is just. What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written: "None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one." "Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive." "The venom of asps is under their lips." "Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness." "Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known." "There is no fear of God before their eyes." Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.- Romans 3:1‭-‬20 ESV

Rev. Dwight Yoo

All mankind is justly deserving of God's wrath. Regardless of whether we are religious or irreligious, we all deserve wrath.

Case closed: mouths closed

Paul is trying to make a case that both Jews and gentiles were guilty. He wants to address anyone who would make any excuse. He addresses the Jews and the the law and the circumcision. These advantages do not save us from our guilt before God. Man is under the dominion of sin. It is not just things that we do. Because of this dominion, all our desires are twisted and turned from God. We should have a reverent love for God. Rather we want to run away.

Open hands, open hearts

We are justified by nothing other than Jesus and our faith in Him. It is only the grace of God that saves. We only need to acknowledge our need for salvation and turn to Jesus. The only thing that stands in the way is our "good works", our self delusion.