A Whole hearted devotion to the Lord
John 20:11-17 ~ Terry Phillips
January 27, 2018
A Whole Hearted Devotion to the Lord
As you recall, last time we contemplated the importance of the bodily resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. We also considered a number of proofs that God has so graciously provided, proofs that confirm Christ putting an end to the agony of death. Do you remember what Luke said at the beginning of Acts, that there were many convincing proofs? And this really highlights the significance that God places on the physical resurrection of His beloved Son. This morning we want to continue in John’s gospel, and we will cover the first appearance of Christ after His resurrection.
John 20:1-17
1Now on the first dayof the week Mary Magdalene came early to the tomb, while it was still dark, and saw the stone alreadytaken away from the tomb. 2So she ran and came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.” 3So Peter and the other disciple went forth, and they were going to the tomb. 4The two were running together; and the other disciple ran ahead faster than Peter and came to the tomb first; 5and stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings lying there;but he did not go in. 6And so Simon Peter also came, following him, and entered the tomb; and he saw the linen wrappings lying there,7and the face-cloth which had been on His head, not lying with the linen wrappings, but rolled up in a place by itself. 8So the other disciple who had first come to the tomb then also entered, and he saw and believed. 9For as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. 10So the disciples went away again to their own homes.
11But Mary was standing outside the tomb weeping; and so, as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb; 12and she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been lying. 13And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “Because 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,and did not know that it was Jesus. 15Jesus 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.” 16Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (which means, Teacher). 17Jesus said to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.’”
It’s an interesting fact that the first appearance of our risen Lord is to Mary Magnalene. We are introduced to her in the 8thchap of Luke’s gospel, where the 2ndverse speaks of some women who had been healed of sicknesses and evil spirits. Mary Magdalene had seven demons cast out. The Lord had healed this woman in a miraculous way, and we find her earlier on in the record in John’s gospel, in verse 19:25:
But standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wifeof Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.
So there were three Marys at the foot of the cross. We see her mentioned as one who had been healed by the Lord and then one of the few people who were standing there at the foot of the cross when the Lord was crucified. There are some important lessons for us to learn from this faithful follower of the Lord Jesus. Mary Magnalene exemplifies some critical aspects of what it means to be wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord. And I think that is something very important for us to consider. It should be obvious to us from this account that Mary was not a secret or passive follow of the Lord Jesus. This was a woman who loved the Lord deeply. As we mentioned last time, Mary and the other women set out to visit the tomb in the morning. Somehow or another, perhaps due to her own impatience, she ran ahead of the others, she came to the tomb first, she observed what was taking place, and she went back to get Peter and John. In the meantime, the other women had come to the tomb and had left and Peter and John came to the tomb and now Mary Magnalene returns to the tomb by herself, and we see her here in verse 11. She’s stood outside the tomb weeping, and then she stooped and looked into the tomb. I would like to draw some lessons from this dear woman in this brief account of her meeting the risen Lord.
The first thing I want us to notice about whole hearted devotion as exemplified in this woman is that whole hearted devotion endures all things. This is one of the first characteristics of genuine love, that it endures all things. Is wholehearted devotion anything less than genuine love, as we see it here? It is love in enduring action. Genuine love perseveres, doesn’t fail, as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12. What we see in Mary and her devotion to the Lord is best described as a love that will not let go. I think that’s a good definition of whole hearted devotion. Love that will not let go. This woman would not let go of Christ. Here she is weeping at the tomb. She doesn’t know what to make of what’s going on. But this is a woman who is in great difficulty. She is in emotional pain. And this is one of the things that is important to acknowledge, and it can be a very encouraging thing in this matter of wholehearted devotion. Whole hearted devotion dos not exist in a pristine spiritual vacuum. It isn’t always pretty. Whole hearted devotion can get quite unpleasant at times, which is something we need to be aware of. It’s not always easy to be whole heartedly devoted to the Lord. What Mary’s going through in these verses is not an easy thing to go through. She’s miserable in many respects as she’s weeping at the tomb. Whole hearted devotion isn’t always as knowledgeable as it ought it be, it can be plagued with confusion, disappointment, and even despair. This is a woman who is confused, disappointed, and in grief over the death of the Lord Jesus. But you notice one thing that’s on her mind in all this, and you noticed it even as we read earlier. And when Jesus asks her the first question, before she realizes it’s Jesus, she says “sir if you’ve carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him and I will take Him away”. What's foremost on this woman's mind as she has come to realize that the tomb is empty and the body of Jesus isn't there? It's her concern for the honor of Christ that His body even in death not be desecrated, that there might not come to be dishonor upon the Lord Jesus. That's what's on her mind, that’s what’s on her on her heart. Someone has taken His body and that's not right. You know to the Jews especially much more so than to us, this matter of what was done with somebody's body when they were dead was very important, very significant. If you really wanted to show dishonor to somebody, you could do that in the way you treated someone's body after they had died and you see that many times in the Old Testament. The converse is true as well. Wholehearted devotion is not always pretty, sometimes is demonstrated in the thick of disappointment and disillusionment, but it endures. It’s a love that will not let go. It endures all things. I want to point out several things in this respect. How does it endure all things? How does it continue on unabated even when everything around you is militating against it, as it were? There are a couple things that I want to point out to you. It requires this matter of devotion and love that will not let go.
The second thing is a single minded simplicity. You recall what the apostle Paul says to the Saints at Corinth in his second letter to them in regards to this and, of course, in the context he's talking about the dangers of false teachers. In 2 Corinthians chapter 11 verse three, he says,
but I am afraid lest as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds should be led astray from what from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.
A single minded simplicity is necessary for us to be whole heartedly devoted to the Lord. So what does that mean? That means it endures, no matter what other people or even other believers may be thinking or saying. Those things don't matter. Just a single minded simplicity and devotion to Christ. Mary isn't worried about what the disciples are doing or what the other women are doing. Mary's at the tomb and she's worried about the body of Christ, that He would not be dishonored. She doesn't care what others might say about or what they may think about it. She's not worried about the possible criticism. She isn't worried about the fact that people might say this woman is an idiot or she's foolish. Mary's there, and she's very persistent isn’t she? It doesn't matter who is doing what, when it comes to our devotion to the Lord. There needs to be a single minded simplicity. It doesn't matter how insignificant my act of love for the Lord may seem. Someone may say “well it doesn't matter at this point, Jesus is risen. Why the waste here of her energy?” There is a demonstration in this woman's actions of her enduring love for Christ. In spite of the fact that as it turns out there wasn't anything she could do. How many times do we waiver in our devotion to the Lord because we can't seem to find anything that we think is important to do for the Lord? How many times do we waver or hesitate in our devotion to the Lord because of what someone else might say are because of what someone else is doing? We need a single minded simplicity if we are going to have a love and devotion that endures.
A second thing that this requires is the discipline of ignoring distractions. This too can be very difficult for us. Have you ever noticed how easily we all get distracted? We can see it many times in children. They’re doing one thing and some glittering thing comes along and immediately they are led away, completely distracted from what they had begun to do. When we as adults do the same thing it’s not quite as cute. Another passage from his first letter to the Saints at Corinth in the seventh chapter of first Corinthians and the 35th verse he says
This I say for your own benefit; not to put a restraint upon you, but to promote what is appropriate and to secure undistracted devotion to the Lord.
Wholehearted devotion endures all things and one of the ways it does this is that it very carefully protects, cultivates and maintains a single minded simplicity and the discipline of ignoring distractions. We live in a time and a place in history where distractions are worse than ever before. Look at all the angles from which we can be distracted today. There’s no point even beginning to rattle them off. All of us really recognize that it’s very easy to get distracted. Wholehearted devotion endures all things. There is a singleness of mind and a simplicity that you see evidenced in this dear woman. She's come to the tomb, she's weeping, she's upset, her devotion isn't pretty. She doesn't even understand what's going on, but her heart is set on Christ. She has a love that won’t let go.
A second thing that we can learn about her wholehearted devotion is that it leads to a fuller understanding. As we already mentioned, Mary was woefully lacking in her understanding at this point in time, but of course we could also say that most of the Lord's followers were in the same boat as well. It’s not like she was the only one who didn't understand, but she definitely did not understand. We’re told in this passage that John saw and believed. We don't know the extent to which he understood because the very next verse says as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. They most likely had more understanding than Mary, but it doesn't matter -- she's devoted to the Lord. She has a love that will not let go.
Wholehearted devotion may indeed be lacking in understanding but there is something else that’s important to see and that is this: wholehearted devotion is not blind. Wholehearted devotion is real love but it's not blind love. We say love is blind sometimes right? That is, I'm I've fallen so far in love, I don't even notice some of the most obvious things in front of me. Mary's devotion is real, but it's not blind. That is to say, it is committed to the truth and it is hopeful. That's what Paul says about love in first Corinthians 12:13. Rather, love rejoices in the truth, endures all things, it bears all things, and it hopes all things. One of the things that as I was pondering this just really struck me. It’s common for us to admire passion and zeal, apart from a reverential and loving respect for the truth. Or maybe to say it this way, we tend to elevate zeal above knowledge. That tends to be the way we are. I would say wholehearted devotion is open to and rejoices in the truth and fuller understanding. You recall what Paul says about the sons of Israel there in Romans. He says they have a seal for God, but it's not according to knowledge, and in the context that's a fatal flaw there. Zeal in that case is not only worthless, it's dangerous. Mary doesn't hesitate at all to recognize that this is the risen Christ. She doesn't stop and question; she's not like Thomas later on. Although when he comes face-to-face with the Lord, it’s a different story. But there's no hesitation here in this woman. A genuine devotion to Christ always leads to fuller understanding. I’m convinced of that. I think it's a principle we see often times in the Scripture. It leads to a fuller understanding and openness to the truth, in a heartfelt rejoicing in the truth. I want to give you a couple of examples of this because I do think this is important. Again, as I said, I think we live in a time where we elevate zeal to the point where we literally say ‘well it doesn't matter...’. I need to be careful here. There may be minor things where we're not going to agree with another brother or sister in Christ. That doesn't mean that they that their zeal is not pure before the Lord. We’re talking about major difficulties and discrepancies in terms of understanding the truth as it is in Christ. Let me bring to your attention a man in the Acts of the Apostles in the 10th chapter beginning with the first verse:
Now there wasa man at Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian cohort, 2a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, and gave many alms to the Jewishpeople and prayed to God continually.
But this man did not know Christ. He did not understand the way of salvation, but this man demonstrates a wholehearted devotion and God goes to great lengths to send Peter to his house. Do you recall the story? Peter wants no part of going into a Gentiles house, but the Lord through that vision lowering all those unclean animals in a sheet in front of Peter makes it clear to him that's exactly what he's going to do, he needs to do. And Peter goes to this man's house and proclaims to him the truth as it is in Christ, and this man receives it with open arms. Wholehearted devotion always leads to fuller understanding. There is not a resistance that you see on his part to receive that. I remind you of another instance in the Acts of the Apostles. These are several that came to my mind as I was thinking about this principle. What about Apollos in chapter 18 verse 24?
24Now a Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by birth, an eloquent man, came to Ephesus; and he was mighty in the Scriptures. 25This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he was speaking and teaching accurately the things concerning Jesus, being acquainted only with the baptism of John; 26and he began to speak out boldly in the synagogue. But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.
How did all Apollos respond to that, except that he received it? Look at what we see after that.
27And when he wanted to go across to Achaia, the brethren encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him; and when he had arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace, 28for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, demonstrating by the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.
Wholehearted devotion leads to fuller understanding. We could look at other examples, but we will stop at with that.
The third thing that I want to point out from this woman's devotion to the Lord is that wholehearted devotion is an act of worship. In fact, it is impossible to separate wholehearted devotion from true worship in one since they are one and the same thing. Wholehearted devotion, because it is in fact an act of worship, is something that's going to be demonstrated. It's not something we can keep secret. As we said, this woman was not secretive in any way shape or form. Here she is, standing outside of the tomb, for any passerby to see, weeping, crying, trying to find the body of her Lord. The extent to which she loved and honored Christ was being demonstrated in what she was doing. And by the way, she could've endured a lot, and maybe did. We don't know, but it’s something that's demonstrated because it is an act of true worship.
How do you and I demonstrate wholehearted devotion to the Lord? I’ll give you a few general principles, if you will. One category would be priorities. We demonstrate the extent to which we have a love that will not let go, by exhibiting, by living out, Christ centered priorities in our lives day-to-day. That means what we do from the time we get up until the time we go to sleep every single day. What comes first? There are always things that come into our lives, and some things are the kinds of things that bump everything else out of the way. Every day priorities are one of the ways we exhibit, we demonstrate wholehearted devotion to the Lord.
Another way that we demonstrate wholehearted devotion to the Lord is in holy living, purity, the pursuit of sanctification.
Another way wholehearted devotion makes itself known is in the assembling of ourselves together, as we've done here this morning and every time we come together as God's people. Be it Sunday, be it Wednesday be, Saturday morning, whenever. Devotion to prayer is a demonstration of wholehearted devotion. It's an act of worship, singing praises, even as we've done this morning. Do you ever find yourself singing and not really even thinking about the word you're singing? It's not really an act of praise unless we are actively thinking about it. I'm so thankful for the songs that we can sing, the praise that we can sing to the Lord. That’s one of the ways that we demonstrate worship or devotion to God. We rejoice in the truth, we’re growing in the truth. I was reminded of two of Judah’s good kings, Hezekiah and Josiah in two passages, 2 Chronicles 32:32 and 2 Chronicles 35:36. Both of these men in both cases, we have a reference to their deeds of devotion. There was action. This is love in action.
Wholehearted devotion is an act of worship. And I remind you this morning that it must come from the heart. It is not a matter of just going through motions, is it? I went to church this week, so I worship God. That’s not really the way it works is it? You could go to church every Sunday of your whole life and not know the Lord. You could go to church every Sunday of every year even as a believer and not really be worshiping as you should, if your heart isn't engaged. What is Jesus saying about worship? God is looking for true worshipers, those who worship in spirit and truth. You can't tell me as you read Mary's response to the Lord Jesus here when He identifies Himself as her Lord that this is anything but genuine, from the heart worship. She worships Christ. Rabboni, is a word of great respect as she bows before him. We’re told of the other women grabbing hold of His feet, and it appears that she did the same thing when He says “stop clinging to me”. When we worship the Lord, no matter what form it's taking in our lives, it's to be something that comes from the heart. There is a sense in which worship and wholehearted devotion emanates from a delight in the Lord. We delight in Him, who He really is. He really is good. He's holy, He's righteous, He's faithful, He's merciful. We’re delighting in what He's done; His purposes, His plan of redemption. We delight in what is revealed, His promises and what He is doing right now, what He's going to do, what He promised to do. We’re delighting in all of those things. It's not just a question of rehearsing them and from rote memory, declaring what they are. It's a question of actually thinking them through and really delighting. What a thing this is that God has done. What a God we serve! What a being He is! Mary is overwhelmed with an opportunity to worship Christ. Here He is again in the flesh. He's not dead, He's risen. I can't imagine the emotional turn that took place in this woman's heart, in her soul, in that moment when Jesus identifies Himself to her for joy. Wholehearted devotion is an act of true worship.
There is one last observation from this example before us this morning, and that is this - that single minded devotion, wholehearted devotion culminates in close fellowship. I want to direct your attention to the Lord's words to Mary in verse 17.
Jesus said to her, "Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, 'I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.'"
Do you notice anything in those words? My brethren, My Father and your Father. Does fellowship get any closer than that? Jesus declares something in His first appearance to this woman, this humble woman who loved Him dearly. He reveals something that is absolutely amazing. So much of the New Testament epistles go on to elaborate, the Spirit of God elaborates on this marvelous truth, that you and I, when we turn from our sin and put our faith and our trust in Christ, we become a new creation; we’re born from above. We are now in Christ. Christ is in us. We become partakers of Christ, as the writer of Hebrews puts it. This is the most amazing thing that Jesus speaks of - His Father and your Father. As Mary listens to what Jesus is saying and processes this, He's saying that His father is her Father. Is there anything more desirable in all of human experience than to enjoy close fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ? Is there anything? Now, there are many things that pretend to be, that tempt us to think they are more important, more satisfying, but there's nothing, nothing like it. And the question we need to ask ourselves this morning is why are we not so often enjoying close fellowship? The question that comes to my mind is simply this, are we whole heartedly devoted to the Lord? Do we follow the example of Mary here? Is there a single minded simplicity in our devotion to Christ? Is there the discipline to say ‘I will not be distracted’. I won't let go of my love for Christ, No matter what gets in the way, no matter how hard it gets and no matter how bad it looks for me or no matter how much criticism I get, or no matter how painful it may be. Sometimes being devoted to Christ means we're going find ourselves in situations where we are very frustrated and where we're even confused. In spite of the understanding and the knowledge that we have in Christ, there’re going to be those times. Because there are things that happened that God allows to happen in this world that lead us to that point where we are either going to simply trust Him or we are going to waiver, we are going to start to trust ourselves, we are going to begin to doubt and allow our minds to go in all kinds of absurd circles, rather than simply and single-mindedly loving the Lord, trusting him, even I don't understand what's going on. Mary didn't understand when she went to the tomb. She had no idea what was to happen. She had completely misjudged what was going on, but her devotion wouldn't let go. It culminates in a close fellowship. It's amazing to me that these words are spoken to her first. Go to my brethren say to them I ascend to My Father and your Father.He isn’t saying this to Peter, James or John. He says this first of all to Mary. My Father, your Father, My God, your God. It seems to me that we are unwittingly hesitant, maybe even afraid at times of close fellowship with the Lord. We have by the riches of God's mercy become partakers of Christ. As the writer of Hebrews says, we’ve become partakers of the heavenly calling, partakers of grace. Peter says in 2 Peter 1:4 that we’re partakers of the divine nature. Paul speaks of this fact that we’re fellow heirs with Christ, there in Romans 8:17, but he also talks about our sharing in the sufferings of Christ. To be a partaker of Christ, to have close fellowship with Him, is to understand that there's going to be some suffering involved. Paul is longing for and looking for the fellowship of his sufferings. He looks forward to that, as it puts Him in close communion with the Son of God, with the Lord of glory. We’re fellow heirs with Christ, and so we’re fellow partakers of His suffering. We are also partakers of divine and loving discipline so that we might share in His holiness, and ultimately Paul says to the saints at Thessalonica in 2 Thessalonians 2:14:
And it was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
What a wonderful thing it is through wholehearted devotion to draw closer to the Lord in fellowship. To really understand, that His Father is my Father.
Behold what of love the Father has bestowed upon us that we should be called the children of God.
I’m reminded of passage in Hebrews chapter 2:
9But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely,Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.
10For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings. 11For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father;for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren,
12saying,
“I WILL PROCLAIMYOUR NAME TOMY BRETHREN,
This is the very term Jesus uses in speaking to Mary. What wonderful fellowship you and I can have in Christ, and it seems to me one of the lessons we can learn from this passage is that this fellowship, a close fellowship, is a direct result of a wholehearted devotion to Christ, of a love for Him that will not let go.
As you recall, last time we contemplated the importance of the bodily resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. We also considered a number of proofs that God has so graciously provided, proofs that confirm Christ putting an end to the agony of death. Do you remember what Luke said at the beginning of Acts, that there were many convincing proofs? And this really highlights the significance that God places on the physical resurrection of His beloved Son. This morning we want to continue in John’s gospel, and we will cover the first appearance of Christ after His resurrection.
John 20:1-17
1Now on the first dayof the week Mary Magdalene came early to the tomb, while it was still dark, and saw the stone alreadytaken away from the tomb. 2So she ran and came to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.” 3So Peter and the other disciple went forth, and they were going to the tomb. 4The two were running together; and the other disciple ran ahead faster than Peter and came to the tomb first; 5and stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings lying there;but he did not go in. 6And so Simon Peter also came, following him, and entered the tomb; and he saw the linen wrappings lying there,7and the face-cloth which had been on His head, not lying with the linen wrappings, but rolled up in a place by itself. 8So the other disciple who had first come to the tomb then also entered, and he saw and believed. 9For as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. 10So the disciples went away again to their own homes.
11But Mary was standing outside the tomb weeping; and so, as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb; 12and she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been lying. 13And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “Because 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,and did not know that it was Jesus. 15Jesus 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.” 16Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (which means, Teacher). 17Jesus said to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.’”
It’s an interesting fact that the first appearance of our risen Lord is to Mary Magnalene. We are introduced to her in the 8thchap of Luke’s gospel, where the 2ndverse speaks of some women who had been healed of sicknesses and evil spirits. Mary Magdalene had seven demons cast out. The Lord had healed this woman in a miraculous way, and we find her earlier on in the record in John’s gospel, in verse 19:25:
But standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wifeof Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.
So there were three Marys at the foot of the cross. We see her mentioned as one who had been healed by the Lord and then one of the few people who were standing there at the foot of the cross when the Lord was crucified. There are some important lessons for us to learn from this faithful follower of the Lord Jesus. Mary Magnalene exemplifies some critical aspects of what it means to be wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord. And I think that is something very important for us to consider. It should be obvious to us from this account that Mary was not a secret or passive follow of the Lord Jesus. This was a woman who loved the Lord deeply. As we mentioned last time, Mary and the other women set out to visit the tomb in the morning. Somehow or another, perhaps due to her own impatience, she ran ahead of the others, she came to the tomb first, she observed what was taking place, and she went back to get Peter and John. In the meantime, the other women had come to the tomb and had left and Peter and John came to the tomb and now Mary Magnalene returns to the tomb by herself, and we see her here in verse 11. She’s stood outside the tomb weeping, and then she stooped and looked into the tomb. I would like to draw some lessons from this dear woman in this brief account of her meeting the risen Lord.
The first thing I want us to notice about whole hearted devotion as exemplified in this woman is that whole hearted devotion endures all things. This is one of the first characteristics of genuine love, that it endures all things. Is wholehearted devotion anything less than genuine love, as we see it here? It is love in enduring action. Genuine love perseveres, doesn’t fail, as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 12. What we see in Mary and her devotion to the Lord is best described as a love that will not let go. I think that’s a good definition of whole hearted devotion. Love that will not let go. This woman would not let go of Christ. Here she is weeping at the tomb. She doesn’t know what to make of what’s going on. But this is a woman who is in great difficulty. She is in emotional pain. And this is one of the things that is important to acknowledge, and it can be a very encouraging thing in this matter of wholehearted devotion. Whole hearted devotion dos not exist in a pristine spiritual vacuum. It isn’t always pretty. Whole hearted devotion can get quite unpleasant at times, which is something we need to be aware of. It’s not always easy to be whole heartedly devoted to the Lord. What Mary’s going through in these verses is not an easy thing to go through. She’s miserable in many respects as she’s weeping at the tomb. Whole hearted devotion isn’t always as knowledgeable as it ought it be, it can be plagued with confusion, disappointment, and even despair. This is a woman who is confused, disappointed, and in grief over the death of the Lord Jesus. But you notice one thing that’s on her mind in all this, and you noticed it even as we read earlier. And when Jesus asks her the first question, before she realizes it’s Jesus, she says “sir if you’ve carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him and I will take Him away”. What's foremost on this woman's mind as she has come to realize that the tomb is empty and the body of Jesus isn't there? It's her concern for the honor of Christ that His body even in death not be desecrated, that there might not come to be dishonor upon the Lord Jesus. That's what's on her mind, that’s what’s on her on her heart. Someone has taken His body and that's not right. You know to the Jews especially much more so than to us, this matter of what was done with somebody's body when they were dead was very important, very significant. If you really wanted to show dishonor to somebody, you could do that in the way you treated someone's body after they had died and you see that many times in the Old Testament. The converse is true as well. Wholehearted devotion is not always pretty, sometimes is demonstrated in the thick of disappointment and disillusionment, but it endures. It’s a love that will not let go. It endures all things. I want to point out several things in this respect. How does it endure all things? How does it continue on unabated even when everything around you is militating against it, as it were? There are a couple things that I want to point out to you. It requires this matter of devotion and love that will not let go.
The second thing is a single minded simplicity. You recall what the apostle Paul says to the Saints at Corinth in his second letter to them in regards to this and, of course, in the context he's talking about the dangers of false teachers. In 2 Corinthians chapter 11 verse three, he says,
but I am afraid lest as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds should be led astray from what from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.
A single minded simplicity is necessary for us to be whole heartedly devoted to the Lord. So what does that mean? That means it endures, no matter what other people or even other believers may be thinking or saying. Those things don't matter. Just a single minded simplicity and devotion to Christ. Mary isn't worried about what the disciples are doing or what the other women are doing. Mary's at the tomb and she's worried about the body of Christ, that He would not be dishonored. She doesn't care what others might say about or what they may think about it. She's not worried about the possible criticism. She isn't worried about the fact that people might say this woman is an idiot or she's foolish. Mary's there, and she's very persistent isn’t she? It doesn't matter who is doing what, when it comes to our devotion to the Lord. There needs to be a single minded simplicity. It doesn't matter how insignificant my act of love for the Lord may seem. Someone may say “well it doesn't matter at this point, Jesus is risen. Why the waste here of her energy?” There is a demonstration in this woman's actions of her enduring love for Christ. In spite of the fact that as it turns out there wasn't anything she could do. How many times do we waiver in our devotion to the Lord because we can't seem to find anything that we think is important to do for the Lord? How many times do we waver or hesitate in our devotion to the Lord because of what someone else might say are because of what someone else is doing? We need a single minded simplicity if we are going to have a love and devotion that endures.
A second thing that this requires is the discipline of ignoring distractions. This too can be very difficult for us. Have you ever noticed how easily we all get distracted? We can see it many times in children. They’re doing one thing and some glittering thing comes along and immediately they are led away, completely distracted from what they had begun to do. When we as adults do the same thing it’s not quite as cute. Another passage from his first letter to the Saints at Corinth in the seventh chapter of first Corinthians and the 35th verse he says
This I say for your own benefit; not to put a restraint upon you, but to promote what is appropriate and to secure undistracted devotion to the Lord.
Wholehearted devotion endures all things and one of the ways it does this is that it very carefully protects, cultivates and maintains a single minded simplicity and the discipline of ignoring distractions. We live in a time and a place in history where distractions are worse than ever before. Look at all the angles from which we can be distracted today. There’s no point even beginning to rattle them off. All of us really recognize that it’s very easy to get distracted. Wholehearted devotion endures all things. There is a singleness of mind and a simplicity that you see evidenced in this dear woman. She's come to the tomb, she's weeping, she's upset, her devotion isn't pretty. She doesn't even understand what's going on, but her heart is set on Christ. She has a love that won’t let go.
A second thing that we can learn about her wholehearted devotion is that it leads to a fuller understanding. As we already mentioned, Mary was woefully lacking in her understanding at this point in time, but of course we could also say that most of the Lord's followers were in the same boat as well. It’s not like she was the only one who didn't understand, but she definitely did not understand. We’re told in this passage that John saw and believed. We don't know the extent to which he understood because the very next verse says as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. They most likely had more understanding than Mary, but it doesn't matter -- she's devoted to the Lord. She has a love that will not let go.
Wholehearted devotion may indeed be lacking in understanding but there is something else that’s important to see and that is this: wholehearted devotion is not blind. Wholehearted devotion is real love but it's not blind love. We say love is blind sometimes right? That is, I'm I've fallen so far in love, I don't even notice some of the most obvious things in front of me. Mary's devotion is real, but it's not blind. That is to say, it is committed to the truth and it is hopeful. That's what Paul says about love in first Corinthians 12:13. Rather, love rejoices in the truth, endures all things, it bears all things, and it hopes all things. One of the things that as I was pondering this just really struck me. It’s common for us to admire passion and zeal, apart from a reverential and loving respect for the truth. Or maybe to say it this way, we tend to elevate zeal above knowledge. That tends to be the way we are. I would say wholehearted devotion is open to and rejoices in the truth and fuller understanding. You recall what Paul says about the sons of Israel there in Romans. He says they have a seal for God, but it's not according to knowledge, and in the context that's a fatal flaw there. Zeal in that case is not only worthless, it's dangerous. Mary doesn't hesitate at all to recognize that this is the risen Christ. She doesn't stop and question; she's not like Thomas later on. Although when he comes face-to-face with the Lord, it’s a different story. But there's no hesitation here in this woman. A genuine devotion to Christ always leads to fuller understanding. I’m convinced of that. I think it's a principle we see often times in the Scripture. It leads to a fuller understanding and openness to the truth, in a heartfelt rejoicing in the truth. I want to give you a couple of examples of this because I do think this is important. Again, as I said, I think we live in a time where we elevate zeal to the point where we literally say ‘well it doesn't matter...’. I need to be careful here. There may be minor things where we're not going to agree with another brother or sister in Christ. That doesn't mean that they that their zeal is not pure before the Lord. We’re talking about major difficulties and discrepancies in terms of understanding the truth as it is in Christ. Let me bring to your attention a man in the Acts of the Apostles in the 10th chapter beginning with the first verse:
Now there wasa man at Caesarea named Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian cohort, 2a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, and gave many alms to the Jewishpeople and prayed to God continually.
But this man did not know Christ. He did not understand the way of salvation, but this man demonstrates a wholehearted devotion and God goes to great lengths to send Peter to his house. Do you recall the story? Peter wants no part of going into a Gentiles house, but the Lord through that vision lowering all those unclean animals in a sheet in front of Peter makes it clear to him that's exactly what he's going to do, he needs to do. And Peter goes to this man's house and proclaims to him the truth as it is in Christ, and this man receives it with open arms. Wholehearted devotion always leads to fuller understanding. There is not a resistance that you see on his part to receive that. I remind you of another instance in the Acts of the Apostles. These are several that came to my mind as I was thinking about this principle. What about Apollos in chapter 18 verse 24?
24Now a Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by birth, an eloquent man, came to Ephesus; and he was mighty in the Scriptures. 25This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he was speaking and teaching accurately the things concerning Jesus, being acquainted only with the baptism of John; 26and he began to speak out boldly in the synagogue. But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.
How did all Apollos respond to that, except that he received it? Look at what we see after that.
27And when he wanted to go across to Achaia, the brethren encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him; and when he had arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace, 28for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, demonstrating by the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.
Wholehearted devotion leads to fuller understanding. We could look at other examples, but we will stop at with that.
The third thing that I want to point out from this woman's devotion to the Lord is that wholehearted devotion is an act of worship. In fact, it is impossible to separate wholehearted devotion from true worship in one since they are one and the same thing. Wholehearted devotion, because it is in fact an act of worship, is something that's going to be demonstrated. It's not something we can keep secret. As we said, this woman was not secretive in any way shape or form. Here she is, standing outside of the tomb, for any passerby to see, weeping, crying, trying to find the body of her Lord. The extent to which she loved and honored Christ was being demonstrated in what she was doing. And by the way, she could've endured a lot, and maybe did. We don't know, but it’s something that's demonstrated because it is an act of true worship.
How do you and I demonstrate wholehearted devotion to the Lord? I’ll give you a few general principles, if you will. One category would be priorities. We demonstrate the extent to which we have a love that will not let go, by exhibiting, by living out, Christ centered priorities in our lives day-to-day. That means what we do from the time we get up until the time we go to sleep every single day. What comes first? There are always things that come into our lives, and some things are the kinds of things that bump everything else out of the way. Every day priorities are one of the ways we exhibit, we demonstrate wholehearted devotion to the Lord.
Another way that we demonstrate wholehearted devotion to the Lord is in holy living, purity, the pursuit of sanctification.
Another way wholehearted devotion makes itself known is in the assembling of ourselves together, as we've done here this morning and every time we come together as God's people. Be it Sunday, be it Wednesday be, Saturday morning, whenever. Devotion to prayer is a demonstration of wholehearted devotion. It's an act of worship, singing praises, even as we've done this morning. Do you ever find yourself singing and not really even thinking about the word you're singing? It's not really an act of praise unless we are actively thinking about it. I'm so thankful for the songs that we can sing, the praise that we can sing to the Lord. That’s one of the ways that we demonstrate worship or devotion to God. We rejoice in the truth, we’re growing in the truth. I was reminded of two of Judah’s good kings, Hezekiah and Josiah in two passages, 2 Chronicles 32:32 and 2 Chronicles 35:36. Both of these men in both cases, we have a reference to their deeds of devotion. There was action. This is love in action.
Wholehearted devotion is an act of worship. And I remind you this morning that it must come from the heart. It is not a matter of just going through motions, is it? I went to church this week, so I worship God. That’s not really the way it works is it? You could go to church every Sunday of your whole life and not know the Lord. You could go to church every Sunday of every year even as a believer and not really be worshiping as you should, if your heart isn't engaged. What is Jesus saying about worship? God is looking for true worshipers, those who worship in spirit and truth. You can't tell me as you read Mary's response to the Lord Jesus here when He identifies Himself as her Lord that this is anything but genuine, from the heart worship. She worships Christ. Rabboni, is a word of great respect as she bows before him. We’re told of the other women grabbing hold of His feet, and it appears that she did the same thing when He says “stop clinging to me”. When we worship the Lord, no matter what form it's taking in our lives, it's to be something that comes from the heart. There is a sense in which worship and wholehearted devotion emanates from a delight in the Lord. We delight in Him, who He really is. He really is good. He's holy, He's righteous, He's faithful, He's merciful. We’re delighting in what He's done; His purposes, His plan of redemption. We delight in what is revealed, His promises and what He is doing right now, what He's going to do, what He promised to do. We’re delighting in all of those things. It's not just a question of rehearsing them and from rote memory, declaring what they are. It's a question of actually thinking them through and really delighting. What a thing this is that God has done. What a God we serve! What a being He is! Mary is overwhelmed with an opportunity to worship Christ. Here He is again in the flesh. He's not dead, He's risen. I can't imagine the emotional turn that took place in this woman's heart, in her soul, in that moment when Jesus identifies Himself to her for joy. Wholehearted devotion is an act of true worship.
There is one last observation from this example before us this morning, and that is this - that single minded devotion, wholehearted devotion culminates in close fellowship. I want to direct your attention to the Lord's words to Mary in verse 17.
Jesus said to her, "Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, 'I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.'"
Do you notice anything in those words? My brethren, My Father and your Father. Does fellowship get any closer than that? Jesus declares something in His first appearance to this woman, this humble woman who loved Him dearly. He reveals something that is absolutely amazing. So much of the New Testament epistles go on to elaborate, the Spirit of God elaborates on this marvelous truth, that you and I, when we turn from our sin and put our faith and our trust in Christ, we become a new creation; we’re born from above. We are now in Christ. Christ is in us. We become partakers of Christ, as the writer of Hebrews puts it. This is the most amazing thing that Jesus speaks of - His Father and your Father. As Mary listens to what Jesus is saying and processes this, He's saying that His father is her Father. Is there anything more desirable in all of human experience than to enjoy close fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ? Is there anything? Now, there are many things that pretend to be, that tempt us to think they are more important, more satisfying, but there's nothing, nothing like it. And the question we need to ask ourselves this morning is why are we not so often enjoying close fellowship? The question that comes to my mind is simply this, are we whole heartedly devoted to the Lord? Do we follow the example of Mary here? Is there a single minded simplicity in our devotion to Christ? Is there the discipline to say ‘I will not be distracted’. I won't let go of my love for Christ, No matter what gets in the way, no matter how hard it gets and no matter how bad it looks for me or no matter how much criticism I get, or no matter how painful it may be. Sometimes being devoted to Christ means we're going find ourselves in situations where we are very frustrated and where we're even confused. In spite of the understanding and the knowledge that we have in Christ, there’re going to be those times. Because there are things that happened that God allows to happen in this world that lead us to that point where we are either going to simply trust Him or we are going to waiver, we are going to start to trust ourselves, we are going to begin to doubt and allow our minds to go in all kinds of absurd circles, rather than simply and single-mindedly loving the Lord, trusting him, even I don't understand what's going on. Mary didn't understand when she went to the tomb. She had no idea what was to happen. She had completely misjudged what was going on, but her devotion wouldn't let go. It culminates in a close fellowship. It's amazing to me that these words are spoken to her first. Go to my brethren say to them I ascend to My Father and your Father.He isn’t saying this to Peter, James or John. He says this first of all to Mary. My Father, your Father, My God, your God. It seems to me that we are unwittingly hesitant, maybe even afraid at times of close fellowship with the Lord. We have by the riches of God's mercy become partakers of Christ. As the writer of Hebrews says, we’ve become partakers of the heavenly calling, partakers of grace. Peter says in 2 Peter 1:4 that we’re partakers of the divine nature. Paul speaks of this fact that we’re fellow heirs with Christ, there in Romans 8:17, but he also talks about our sharing in the sufferings of Christ. To be a partaker of Christ, to have close fellowship with Him, is to understand that there's going to be some suffering involved. Paul is longing for and looking for the fellowship of his sufferings. He looks forward to that, as it puts Him in close communion with the Son of God, with the Lord of glory. We’re fellow heirs with Christ, and so we’re fellow partakers of His suffering. We are also partakers of divine and loving discipline so that we might share in His holiness, and ultimately Paul says to the saints at Thessalonica in 2 Thessalonians 2:14:
And it was for this He called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
What a wonderful thing it is through wholehearted devotion to draw closer to the Lord in fellowship. To really understand, that His Father is my Father.
Behold what of love the Father has bestowed upon us that we should be called the children of God.
I’m reminded of passage in Hebrews chapter 2:
9But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely,Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.
10For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings. 11For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father;for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren,
12saying,
“I WILL PROCLAIMYOUR NAME TOMY BRETHREN,
This is the very term Jesus uses in speaking to Mary. What wonderful fellowship you and I can have in Christ, and it seems to me one of the lessons we can learn from this passage is that this fellowship, a close fellowship, is a direct result of a wholehearted devotion to Christ, of a love for Him that will not let go.
