A Faithful Disciple by Min. Nicholas C. Christian, M. Div

A Faithful Disciple

John 20:10-18 NRSV 

Triumph Baptist Church 

1648 W. Hunting Park Ave.

The Sacred Desk

February 18, 2021

Minister Nicholas C. Christian, M. Div

 

“¹¹But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; ¹²and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. ¹³They 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.” ¹⁴When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. ¹⁵Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” 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.” ¹⁶Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). ¹⁷Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to Me, because 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.’” ¹⁸Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said these things to her.”

 

 

Throughout my life, many different experiences and even experiments have taught me that it is always easier to “do” something than it is to “be” someone. We know how or can quickly learn how to do most things to accomplish our individual goals. It is February and we are still in the first quarter of the new year. Many persons have set new year's resolutions that may include achieving a specific weight goal or appearing in a particular physique. As a result, running, lifting weights, and dieting become something that we do. We go to the gym, go for a run, do a lifting session, or perhaps do a diet where we cut out carbs and red meat because we are attempting to achieve an individual goal. At the beginning of the year, the gym is always packed because of these New Year's resolutions. However, avid and consistent gym-goers know that the gym being packed, and these big crowds will go away over time because doing those activities occasionally is far easier than being the athlete who participates in these activities as a lifestyle. It's easier to do a run at the gym than to be a runner for a lifetime. It's easier to lift a weight than to commit to the work, pain, and consistency it takes to be a weightlifter. It's easier to do a diet where you skip carbs or cut out red meat, but it's much harder to be a healthy eater for a lifetime. It costs you so much more to “be.” So, for the most part, we settle on knowing how to “do,” and are subsequently good at the act of "doing." However, most struggle to bridge the gap between doing something and being someone.

Our struggles continue when we consider what it means to “be” faithful. As believers in Christ, all of us have performed or done an act of faith. To tithe, which is to bring God ten percent of your gross income, is an act of faith. To focus only on today and to trust God with tomorrow is an act of faith. We have all gone before the throne of Grace that we might obtain mercy and grace to help in the time of need; and prayer is an act of faith.

         All of us, while we are navigating the treacherous terrains of life, have at least for a moment decided to put our faith and trust in Jesus. And the good news of our Savior is that when we did, we found out that the God of our weary years, and the God of our silent tears, and the God who has brought us this far along the way, late in the midnight hour, can take what the enemy meant for evil and work it out for our good and His glory. During this journey called life, we have prayed and put our faith in God, who is the Author and Finisher of our faith. In doing so, we’ve learned that God is our refuge and strength, and a very present help in the time of trouble. He hides us in His pavilion – in the secret place of His tabernacle, and He sets us upon a rock. That is the kind of God that we serve. As believers, we have done or know how to “do” an act of faith. But the question we must wrestle with is, do we know how to “be” faithful? When we look down the corridors of time, can we say we have been faithful disciples in a world where faithlessness is so much easier? When we come to the end of our journey in this life, will be able to say like Paul, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful.” 2 Timothy 4:7 (NLT)

But, before you answer too quickly, and before you hang your hat on the certainty of “being” a faithful disciple, Mary gives us two examples in this text concerning being faithful.

The first thing we glean from Mary's example shows up in verse 11 of our text. John tells us that after the disciples have left the empty tomb where Jesus's body was laid, Mary refuses to leave. We must recognize the magnitude of what is happening here at the beginning of our text. Mary has every reason to abandon following Jesus. We must understand that Mary woke up early that morning, before daybreak, and headed to the tomb to apply spices to Jesus's body. On her way to the tomb, she had no idea how she would move the stone from in front of Jesus's grave, but instead of using that as an excuse to abandon Christ, she goes anyway (Mark 16:1-4). When Mary arrives, the stone that had covered Jesus's tomb had already been moved, but Jesus's body that she came to anoint appears (in her mind) to have been stolen. So, consider this … it would reason that after she journeys to Jesus's grave, and finds it empty, she had reason to quit following Christ. However, unlike the disciples who left after realizing Jesus's body was gone (John 20:3-10), Mary stayed and began weeping at the tomb, refusing to leave.

Mary had a made-up mind. She decided that she wasn’t going to just “do” the faithful act of anointing Jesus’s body, or even simply “do” the act of supporting Jesus's ministry financially. Mary decided she was going to “be” a faithful disciple. That included staying committed to following Jesus even when it proved to be a road rife with uncertainty and ending in what felt like heartbreak. Mary had already counted the cost of following Jesus. Moreover, at the onset of this text, Mary teaches us that if we are to be faithful disciples, we must first recognize that following Jesus will not always be miracles, money, sunny days, and clear skies. Sometimes faithfulness is traveling a journey without knowing how far we have to go, how long it will take, or knowing how it will end. Her example as she weeps at the doorway of an empty tomb teaches us that sometimes, following Jesus means enduring the storms, rain, disappointments, heartache, and pain. We learn from Mary that if we are going to be faithful disciples, you and I must first count the cost (Luke 14:25-33).

Additionally, what we glean from Mary's example shows up in Jesus’s command to her after He reveals His identity. John tells us that Mary does not recognize Jesus at first. However, when she does recognize Him, Jesus tells her, “Do not hold on to me, because 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 recognizes Jesus and you can almost feel her joy in the text. While Mary’s desire was to embrace her Savior, He gently but firmly warns her not to touch Him. He was still the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the whole world, but He had not yet ascended to put His perfect blood on the mercy seat in heaven to atone for the sins of the people. Had Mary touched Him then, it would have tainted His perfect sacrifice. Yet, before Jesus let this resurrection encounter with Mary, His faithful disciple end, He gave a mandate to her “to go to my brothers and say to them …” We must not overlook the significance here. Jesus leaves all of eternity past and future hanging in the balance so that He can have this conversation with one of His faithful disciples. In this, Mary’s most significant encounter with Jesus of her life, He commissions her as an evangelist. He gives her the mandate to go tell that the Savior has risen from the dead.

My brothers and my sisters, if we are going to be faithful disciples, we too, must do as Jesus commanded Mary. We must go and tell our brothers and sisters of the Good News of a man named Jesus. We must not get caught up in fear of not knowing all the Bible, living the way people think we should, or being rejected. Mary took what the Lord had revealed to her, and went and told the Good News. She was the first evangelist. Mary didn't quote the Old Testament or give a testimony of a perfect life lived. She testified to what Jesus had done for her. She revealed to others that Jesus was resurrected, which is the mandate of Jesus to every faithful disciple.

In closing, faithfulness isn’t easy or for the faint of heart. It requires desire and discipline, of which both can be fleeting. However, you and I must know that faithfulness is not a one-time action; it is a lifestyle of picking up our cross and following Jesus. It is a journey of faith-filled steps that sometimes follow a fall or failure. But, it also is with the knowledge of God's forgiveness, grace, and mercy. Let us all leverage Mary’s life and witness, in our attempt and commitment to be faithful disciples as well.