The Love of God: Mary Magdalene (John 20) – Part 1

Now, brothers and sisters, when you get to talking about the finished work of Jesus Christ, you have just marched right out into space. I want to say tonight that the finished work of Jesus Christ has got to go. As far as that goes tonight, just about everything’s got to go. All of it. Everything. I have a point to make. I may not make it, but I have to make it, whether I make it or not.

Okay, He was crucified on what night? Friday evening. Who put Him in the tomb? Mary, Joseph, and Nicodemus. Well, I think that Nicodemus became a believer in Jesus Christ. If I asked you to prove that Nicodemus became a believer in Jesus Christ, and to prove it scripturally, could you do it? Anyone here who could raise their hand and say, I can do it. I can prove that he became a believer. I think somebody in here can. I believe he bought some really expensive oil. He bought expensive oil and embalmed the Lord. He helped Joseph to put His body in a new rock-hewn tomb.

Can you prove he was a believer? He was a seeker, but prove to me he became a believer. Someone here should be able to. It’s really simple. Yes? Only two people were present when Jesus Christ talked to Nicodemus, and it got into the New Testament. Jesus didn’t tell the story. Who told it? It had to be Nicodemus. I believe he’s a brother. He handled Jesus Christ’s body.

Okay, He had some sort of robe on, we assume. Then they wrapped His body in grave clothing, put many oils and spices on Him, and wrapped the cloth around Him. Then they put another cloth, a separate cloth, upon His head and wrapped it around His head. They laid Him in the tomb. I’m not going to go into this, but the Greek implies more than that: a giant stone was rolled against the door. It was either a big, cartwheel-like affair that rolled this way, or a huge, natural round stone that rolled this way. Probably it was a cartwheel kind of thing that rolled this way. Very big. Very heavy. Far more than even three or four or five people could move, probably. They pushed it there, against the door. It was sealed for all time.

Saturday passed. It has to be the blackest day in all history. God is there. Where are the disciples? Scattered everywhere. Now, who was the last person who ever believed in the Lord Jesus Christ? The thief on the cross was His last convert. The last? Maybe the only believer that day. Probably the only one who believed in Him that day. Probably he didn’t say it. Probably that’s not what he said. He probably said, “Oh, there is ‘a’ son of God.” Not the son of God. A son of God, speaking of a holy man. I don’t know, brother. No one knows about this soldier.

Now, brothers and sisters, on Saturday, did the Lord Jesus Christ have any followers? Let’s say, more or less, He had no followers. He was dead, and yet that’s not exactly true. Now we come to the real point.

It’s about 3 a.m., and a story begins to unfold, the like of which…there’s no other story like it in all of history. This is THE love story.

Early, early in the morning, long before five; long before four, while it is still pitch black and there’s not another human being up in all of Jerusalem, someone gets out of bed and gets up. Who is it? Mary who? Mary Magdalene. She goes over and picks up some oil and spices she bought late Saturday night from the stores open after the Sabbath.

Where is Jesus Christ? Where is He? Tell me. And what is His state? He is dead. Utterly. Totally dead.

This young girl, this maiden, this little girl…may I call her that? This little girl gets up, dresses, gets the spices and the oils; these embalming materials. She heads for the tomb. What is this? Do you know what this is? This is unprecedented. What is this? A follower of whom? Of Jesus Christ. But He is dead. Is she really still following Him? Yes, but He’s dead. That doesn’t matter to her a bit. Alive or dead, she loved Him. Alive or dead, He is her Lord.

Now, is He God? Is He dead? Is she still His disciple? Then I ask you a question – “Is that love?” That’s love—someone who will follow Jesus Christ, dead or alive. Someone who will believe in God, believe in the Lord as the Son of God, even though He has died. Did He have any other disciple like that? Never. Nobody.

Let me ask you a question. Has God ever died for you? Wait a minute, I don’t mean died for your sin. Has your God ever died? Have you ever lost your God? I have to say…yes. What? My Lord just plain died. You mean, years ago? No, I mean He died. I could not find Him. He was utterly, and I mean that literally, it was just as though He had died. Have you ever had God be that far gone? I know that some of you perhaps have not. Do you have the heart of a Mary Magdalene? Can you love Him dead? Hold on to that. Someday the Lord may ask you that question Himself. Can you love Me when I disappear? Can you love Me dead? She loved Him…dead.