Life with Jesus
The Pull of Heaven
I came across a story of a young man who worked in a local grocery. His first day on the job, a woman came up to him and asked if she could buy half a grape fruit. He wasn’t sure but that he would go to his manager to find out. So, he took the grapefruit and walked to the back of the store and into the manager’s office. He said to the manager, “Sir, I’m sorry to bother you but some silly woman out here wants to buy half a grape fruit.” Just then, the young man sensed the presence of someone standing behind him. He turned around to see that the woman had followed him into the manager’s office and heard him say that some silly lady wants to buy half a grapefruit. But quickly, the young man rose to the occasion and said, “And, this nice lady wants to buy the other half!”
Well, they sold half of the grapefruit to the woman and she went happily on her way. Then the manager turned to the young man and said, “Son, I know what just happened here. You got yourself out of a jam and you did so beautifully. I’m impressed. By the way, where are you from?” The young man replied, “I’m from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. You’ve probably never heard of it. It’s famous for hockey teams and eccentric women.” The manager replied, “My wife is from Lancaster, Pennsylvania.” To which the young man replied, “Is she? And, which hockey team did she play for?”
Some people really know how to rise to the occasion, which is the reason Christians the world over gather today. We gather this morning to celebrate the One who rose from the grave. Now, mind you, I do not believe the resurrection is just a good metaphor for victorious living. The resurrection is not just another way to talk about victory being snatched from the jaws of defeat. I believe that Jesus truly died on Good Friday AND his body (his human) body was resurrected on Easter Sunday. I believe in the resurrection of Jesus because I have experienced myself the resurrecting power of Jesus. I’m not alone. The disciples also believed Jesus came back from the dead. The disciples believed in the resurrection of Jesus because they, too, had experienced the resurrection for themselves.
Verses 14 through 17 describe Mary’s encounter with Jesus. After speaking with two angels at the empty tomb, Mary came face-to-face with Jesus even though she failed to recognize him at first. It sounds rather strange that Mary didn’t know the man whom she had followed for nearly three years. Perhaps Mary didn’t recognize Jesus because the last time she saw him, Jesus’ face was beaten to a bloodied pulp. Maybe Mary didn’t recognize Jesus because the Scriptures claim that those who are resurrected receive a new body, hence a new face. (By the way, I hope you’ll look me up once you get to heaven. If we are indeed given a new body, I’m going to ask for one that is six foot three and 175 pounds with a full head of hair.)
For whatever reason, Mary initially did not recognize Jesus. Only when Mary heard Jesus call her name did Mary realize who he was. For those who do not believe in the living presence of Christ, Mary’s testimony defies the idea that seeing is believing. For Mary, Jesus’ resurrection wasn’t real until she heard his voice. In Mary’s case, hearing was believing. I personally have never seen Jesus but I know in my heart that he speaks to me. His voice is all I need to authenticate his presence in my life. For me, the presence of the living Christ has changed the course of my life. Likewise for Mary, Jesus’ resurrection changed everything. Three days earlier on Good Friday, Mary’s world was turned upside down. On Easter Sunday, everything for Mary and for the world was turned upside right. Watch and hear for yourselves this video portrayal of Mary’s testimony.
[The Skit Guys Video: “Who Do You Say that I Am?: Mary Magdalene (Easter Morning)]
The resurrection changes everything for those who experience it. In light of the resurrection, death no longer has the final word. Death is nothing more than a new beginning. In light of the resurrection, failure is no longer fatal. Failure is simply a stepping stone to new opportunities rather than a stumbling block. In light of the resurrection, one’s life need no longer be futile. One’s sense of meaninglessness is exchanged for a greater sense of purpose. By way of summary, the resurrection makes everything new, again.
Such is the promise Jesus makes in the book of Revelation. Some of you may recall a scene from Mel Gibson’s film, The Passion of the Christ. Jesus had fallen to the ground while carrying an enormous wooden beam upon which he would be crucified. With blood spilling from his body and his lips barely able to open, Jesus turned to his mother and said, “Look Mother, I make all things new.” These words are a direct quote from the final book of the Bible. Jesus claims that by virtue of his resurrection, guilt and sin will be transformed into peace and goodness. God will wipe all the tears from your painful memories. The wounds you have sustained from days long ago will be cleansed and healed.
Now, I pray you won’t hear what I’m not saying. I am not suggesting that the resurrection of Jesus simply eliminates the problems you have and will experience in this life. The promise of a better by-and-by will not dismiss the trials of the here-and-now. The resurrection doesn’t rid us of the suffering we face today. Yet our present sufferings serve as a necessary reminder of one critical truth. This world is not our true home. Romans 8:18 declares that “…our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” (NIV). To be certain, we haven’t arrived just yet. We remain in a world with its prostate problems, memory lapses, hearing loss, coronary failure, moral failure, cancer, and the like. As pastor and author Max Lucado writes, “Aging is no fun. But it is God’s idea because it’s one of the ways that keeps us headed homeward. It’s all part of the plan to move us toward our home in heaven.”
Frankly, I’m a homebody. I get homesick rather easily. I don’t enjoy being apart from my loved ones for extended lengths of time. I’ve often wondered if King David, the writer of the 23rd Psalm, had similar feelings. After describing a life filled with ups and downs, mountaintop experiences and travels through dark valleys, David wrote of heaven in the final verse of Psalm 23. With an abiding sense of homesickness, David hopefully declared, “I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (Psalm 23:6, KJV). For most of us, home is a place of enduring love. Home is the place of endearing relationships. Home is the ultimate expression of togetherness. But to gain entry into a home that is not yours, you must have permission from the homeowner.
Harry Denman, a Methodist layperson, once told this story while speaking in London. A pastor was in his office one day when a call came from a rundown, old boarding house. A prostitute, who was dying, had asked for a Methodist minister. The pastor asked Dr. Denman to go with him. When they arrived, the pastor asked Denman to minister to the dying woman. Harry entered the room and introduced himself. Then he simply said, “Tell me your story.” Her name was Mary. She was alone in the world, no family, no true friends. For too many years and in too many ways, her life had taken wrong turns. In fits of depression, she had turned to alcohol and then to drugs and then to prostitution to pay for her addictions. But the true payment was the total collapse of her health. Her body couldn’t take the punishment any longer. She said, “I need someone to talk to God for me. I don’t believe God will listen to a person like me.” Harry Denman knelt beside her bed, bowed his head, and prayed silently. When he finished he held Mary’s hand in his and said, “Mary, I just talked to Papa. Papa says he loves you and that it’s all right to come home.”
That was God’s word to Mary. And that’s God’s word to you and me. Papa says “It is all right to come home.” Your final destination is not a hospital. Your final destination is not a divorce court. Your final destination is not an unemployment line. Your final destination is not even a drug rehabilitation center. Your final destination is Papa’s home. Therefore, it matters not the past behind you. What matters is the one before you telling you it’s alright to come home. So today, claim your heart’s truest desire. Hear the voice of Jesus who calls you by name. Take the hand of the One whom God sent to bring you home.
Hear the words of Alan Jackson:
Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling, calling for you and for me.
See, on the portals, he’s waiting and watching; watching for you and for me.
Come home, come home, ye who are weary come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling; calling, “O sinner, come home!”