Resurrection Sunday: The Resurrection Reimagined
John 20:1-18
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As the culmination of Easter week comes before us, we meet Mary Magdalene at the tomb of Jesus on the first day of the week in John 20. The glorious story that is the GOSPEL eloquently depicts the prophecy fulfilled. Jesus had been born. Jesus has lived. Jesus has died. Jesus has risen and because of His atoning sacrifice we ALL are reconciled to our Creator, GOD. Year after year, we celebrate what Jesus did, sparking hope and renewing our faith. Congregations assemble with members convening in the sanctuary dressed in their finest pastels. Children spend countless hours memorizing haikus, poems, and speeches that artistically display that Jesus is ALIVE! Minstrels strike glorious chords while psalmists harmonize their vocal cords to exclaim, “Come see where He lay!” Preachers creatively retell the story that has been told for over two millennia in such a way that peaks a refreshed interest, causing listeners to shout, “PREACH PREACHER!”
However, it has been my experience, and maybe yours as well, that very little is said about what Jesus ACTUALLY said during this pivotal moment in time, the moment that has marked how we monitor time and catalog history itself. Walk with me through the first 18 verses of John 20 as we look at what Jesus said, what his words reveal about his character, what they reveal about our relationship, and ultimately what we should do because of this revelation.
At the beginning of the chapter, we find Mary Magdalene, a WOMAN who Jesus had healed of 7 demonic spirits. Mary, a disciple, follower of Jesus who supported the ministry with her “own means” (Luke 8:3, NIV)… Mary, who stood with Jesus’s mother as an eyewitness to his death… Mary, tasked with caring for Jesus post mortem. This Mary we find at her healer’s, her leader’s, her friend’s tomb, only to discover that His body was not there. Believing that it had been taken, she runs to report her findings to Peter and John. The men enter the tomb to survey its contents while Mary, overwhelmed with grief, simply wept. As she looks in the tomb again, two angels ask her why she is crying. “They have taken my Lord away…and I don’t know where they have put him.” (John 20:13, NIV). What she would hear next (not what she had seen) would change the course of her life yet again.
Verses 14 and 15 describe Jesus in a way that Mary Magdalene did not recognize her Lord, our Lord. Mistaking Him for a gardener, she did not know it was Jesus speaking directly to her, asking, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” (John 20:15, NIV) The sum of these two questions carry much more weight than the total of their twelve words. By asking these questions, unbeknownst to Mary Magdalene, Jesus was showing his deep concern and care for her emotional and mental well-being. Jesus wanted to know why she was crying. Jesus was also expressing his desire to know her thoughts. Jesus wanted to know who she was looking for.
What Jesus says next is astonishing to his female disciple. After she responds to him as if He were the grave attendant, requesting that he tell her where Jesus’s body was so she could attend to him, Jesus simply says, “Mary.” (John 20:16). He calls her by name. He, through one word, tells her that He knows her personally. Through one word, he explains that He is in a relationship with her intimately. By saying her name, Mary Magdalene recognizes who HE is.
After turning her physical attention to him and with excitement acknowledging who HE was, Jesus gave her some instructions, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” (John 20:17, NIV). Jesus says to Mary Magdalene, don’t just keep me for yourself, go and share the good news. Jesus also confirms reconciliation by acknowledging that His Father and God is now Mary’s Father and God. Verse 18 ends with Mary doing exactly what Jesus had requested.
What do Jesus’s words to Mary Magdalene say about His character? What does that reveal about his relationship with us? What should we be compelled to do because of this knowledge?
Jesus cares so much about our emotional and mental well-being that he is willing to ask us about them. The questions presented in those verses are the embodiment of “cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7, NIV) This new knowledge should compel us to share our entire selves with the Lord, not only spiritually and physically but also emotionally and mentally.
Jesus knows exactly who we are. He knows our names and will call us exactly as He sees us. Behind the mask of task or emotion, Jesus knows EXACTLY who we are. Calling us by our names calls forth not only His knowledge of us, but the nature of our relationship, the level of closeness and intimacy. By Jesus revealing ourselves to us, He ultimately reveals HIMSELF to us. Jesus calling us into His presence not only shows us that He knows who we are, but it also reveals WHO HE IS and who He is to us! We should want to stay in God’s presence to learn more about God and ultimately learn more about ourselves.
Finally, Jesus does not desire for us to gatekeep. Instead, He instructs us to share the good news. The good news is that Jesus’s Father is our Father, and Jesus’s God is our God. The good news is that reconciliation has manifested. The good news is that Jesus embodies Romans 8:17.
This Resurrection Sunday, let’s celebrate what Jesus did indeed! The life that Jesus modeled here on earth serves as a standard of living, the epitome of how God’s words become flesh. The work on the cross paid a debt we accumulated but cannot afford to repay. The resurrection reminds us that hope, faith, and new life are also our portion. However, let us not forget about the words of the AFTERwards. Through John 20, we celebrate knowing that we can bring our ENTIRE selves before God. He knows EXACTLY who we are, and HE reveals who God is through revealing us to ourselves. God will then command us to communicate who HE is and what HE has said by sharing our experience with HIM with others.
Minister Jamila Carney
Jamila Carney is a multi-faceted minister of movement, inspiration and joy. From
dance, yoga, public speaking and teaching, Jamila is able to curate an energy that is indescribable and infectious for audiences that range from youth and adults in schools, churches, events and most importantly, the streets. Jamila is uniquely called to deliver a message with this Jesus fueled mantra of “I don’t belong to the church. I belong to the streets.”
Jamila is the owner of Agape Yogastry, a peculiar ministry that uses the unique movement art of yoga to go beyond the breath to give honor to God, the giver of the breath. Jamila uses her body in a way that that develops and nurtures creative energy in herself and others through dance and yoga classes, as well as choreography and consultation services. She also curates beautiful dance experiences for special events.
Jamila is an inspiring wordsmith that can move the crowd through preaching, presenting, teaching and hosting. She gives a new meaning to the “hostess that does the mostest” bringing a dynamic element that livens up any space. Jamila will soon launch Jamila Carney St(reet) Ministries where she combines sound teaching and secular knowledge with sanctified imagination. It’s mission is to call truth to power by lifting Jesus in a way that is real, relevant and relatable “out here in these streets.”
Jamila holds several advanced degrees from multiple institutions of higher learning as well as several professional certifications. Jamila resides in Milwaukee, WI with her most distinguished accomplishments: her husband Theo and sons Rashahn, Keenan, Adrian and nephew-son Usher.