Turning Points: “When Hope Speaks Your Name”

 Turning Points

Opening Introduction:

Good morning friends and family. Welcome to Eastern Shore Baptist Church. My name is Stuart Davidson. If I don’t know you, you can simply call me Stuart. If you are visiting with us, we are overjoyed that you are spending your Sunday with the Eastern Shore Baptist Church family. We are a family by the way. If you are watching online, we welcome you. 

Today, we are in the tenth week of a series entitled “Turning Points”. We all have turning points in our lives. A turning point is that event where you are presented with a choice, and option, a decision. That choice that sometimes you must make in a split decision can change the course of your life. It is a decision that you will most certainly remember. An event that you will never forget. A turning point can be that moment when your wife walks into the room and says “I’m pregnant”. Those two words changed your life. It was time to grow up, put aside childish things, and lead as God commanded. A turning point is that moment when you turned around to find your boyfriend down on one knee. 

“Will you marry me?”

In that moment you chose to give your heart, your fidelity, and your helpfulness to this man. You choose to be his partner, his forever friend. 

This morning we are looking at one of the greatest turning points in all the Bible. We are going to examine Mary Magdalene’s worst and best day. For the record, Mary’s worst and best day were the same day. How can that be? I will explain in a few moments. 

Today’s message is entitled “When Hope Speaks Your Name”. 

Today’s Message:

“When Hope Speaks Your Name”

Jesus is known by many names. Prince of Peace. Wonderful Counselor. The Alpha and the Omega. He calls Himself the "resurrection and the life". He states that He is the "bread of life" and "living water". He is known to His followers as Rabbi, Teacher, Master, and Lord. Mary Magdalene, on the worst day of her life, went to the tomb of Jesus Christ. He was dead. He died a criminal's death. Executed on a cross. The only man who had ever shown her true kindness and real love was gone. She came to the tomb to prepare His body for final burial. When she arrived at the tomb, something unexpected happened. The guards had fled. The stone at the entrance had been moved. The contents of the grave were gone! She had been crying all night but when she found the tomb empty, she figured that robbers had come. Maybe Rome had raided the grave as a final insult. Maybe the Pharisees had disposed of the body as a final last cruel joke. Scripture records that Mary began to weep. The Greek word for “weep” is κλαίω (klaió). It means to weep, wail, or lament, often expressing deep sorrow or mourning. Imagine and unconsolable, uncontrollable, woman crying and carrying on in a tomb ridden graveyard. It was a sad site for sure. This was the worst day of her life. 

Then, suddenly, angels appeared. 

"Why are you crying?" They asked. 

Mary explains that Jesus is missing. His body is gone. Her heart was as broken as that stone that once guarded the entrance to the tomb. 

In that moment, Jesus appears. Alive. Risen. Resurrected. 

“Mary”, was all He had to say. 

Jesus is known by many names. Savior. Redeemer. 

What name would you give to Jesus? The name that I would give Him is “Hope”. Because of Jesus we have hope! 

Hope has a name and His name is Jesus!

You see, the reason I call Him Hope is because when I had nothing, He was my Provider!

When I was guilty, He was my Advocate!

When I was broken, He was my Healer!

When I was sinking, He was my Rock!

And when I was lost, He was my Savior!

HOPE IS NOT DEAD! HOPE IS ALIVE!

Do me a favor this morning, fill in the blanks under “Today’s Thought”. Jesus turns our tears into triumphs, our trials into testimonies, and our tragedies into turnarounds. Boy is this ever true in the life of Mary Magdalene. 

Today’s Thought:

Jesus Turns Our Tears Into Triumphs, Our Trials Into Testimonies, 

And Our Tragedies Into Turnarounds!

John Ortberg is one of my all time favorite writers. In his book entitled “Who Is This Man”, John talks about the hope that Jesus brought to Mary and the hope that He brings to all of us. Listen to this quote!

“When Jesus calls Mary by name, sorrow turns to joy, and despair gives way to hope. Her tears clear, and she sees—not just Jesus, but the truth. Death has lost. Love has won. But He doesn’t just restore her; He sends her. ‘Go and tell my brothers,’ He says. She came in mourning, but she leaves on mission. That’s what Jesus does—He turns grief into grace and the broken into bearers of His message.” 

-John Ortberg’s “Who Is This Man?”

This morning we are reading from John’s Gospel, chapter 20, verses eleven through eighteen. I think you know where we are this morning. Jesus has given up His spirit. He has suffered unto death. He has taken the full wrath of His Father. He has drank from the cup of suffering. That all happened on Friday. His body was removed from the cross. The 3 year movement that Jesus began after His baptism had come to a sudden, catastrophic and cataclysmic end. If you are looking for a visual, think of a car speeding down a test track. That car then slams into an immovable, impenetrable, wall. That car meets that wall so sudden, so fast that it practically vaporizes. That is what Jesus’ ministry and His mission look like on that Friday. His followers have scattered. All that is left is Mary, the mother of our Lord. John, HIs beloved follower. Mary Magdalene and another Mary. Mary the wife of Clopas who was likely a relative to Mary, Jesus’ mother. We also know that James and John’s mother, Mrs. Zebedee if you will, was also at the cross of Christ. Her name was Salome. Jesus’ ministry, which at one point had thousands of followers was whittled down to about a half a dozen brave faithful individuals. Jesus body is taken by these women and a few other followers. The body is taken to a borrowed grave where it is placed. It was late in the day and the Sabbath was coming quickly. The followers of Jesus did not have time to prepare His body so that left it in the tomb. They would return at sunup on Sunday when the Sabbath was over. Saturday was the darkest day in human history. 

Then Sunday came! That is where we are this morning. 

Statement of Belief:

We believe the Bible is inspired, infallible, and authoritative. It is vital for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness. God’s Word brings life, peace, and protection, and it profoundly touches the human soul. As a unique and powerful book, let us stand in reverence and respect for it.

Today’s Scripture:

John 20:11-18 NLT

Mary was standing outside the tomb crying, and as she wept, she stooped and looked in. [12] She saw two white-robed angels, one sitting at the head and the other at the foot of the place where the body of Jesus had been lying. [13] "Dear woman, why are you crying?" the angels asked her. "Because they have taken away my Lord," she replied, "and I don't know where they have put him." [14] She turned to leave and saw someone standing there. It was Jesus, but she didn't recognize him. [15] "Dear woman, why are you crying?" Jesus asked her. "Who are you looking for?" She thought he was the gardener. "Sir," she said, "if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and get him." [16] "Mary!" Jesus said. She turned to him and cried out, "Rabboni!" (which is Hebrew for "Teacher"). [17] "Don't cling to me," Jesus said, "for I haven't yet ascended to the Father. But go find my brothers and tell them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" [18] Mary Magdalene found the disciples and told them, "I have seen the Lord!" Then she gave them his message.

Pastor: “This is the Word of the Lord.”

Congregation: “Praise His name. Praise His holy name.”

The Apostle John Reveals…

First, Mary’s Pain: A Past of Darkness vs. 11-13

You know, there are a lot of layers to John’s retelling of the resurrection. If you are a new Bible reader and just opened up to this story, you might not realize the richness, you might not realize the depth, that is taking place in this story. 

Clearly reading about the resurrection of our Lord is enough to make this the greatest story ever told. Still, if you look even deeper, you see true intimacy that Jesus had with His followers. You can see how much He loved them and how His true followers loved Him. 

The Apostle John reveals first, Mary’s pain and her past of darkness. Go back and check out verses 11-13. 

Three times in these verses it is mentioned that Mary is having an emotional response to Jesus’ body being absent. Twice John tells us that she was crying and another time it is mentioned that she is weeping. 

In English, crying and weeping are often used interchangeably. However, when you take these words back to their original language they carry different meanings. Crying in Greek is (die-coo-row) δακρύω and it means to shed tears quietly. Weeping in Greek is (Klie-row) κλαίω and it means to wail or sob loudly. One is more controlled, quiet, not extreme while the other is an uncontrollable, audible expression of sorrow. 

This is the human condition on display right here at the grave. Sometimes we forget that these names, these characters in the Bible are real human beings. They were flesh and blood and experienced all the emotions that come along with being a normal person. What you are seeing here in verse 11-13 is grief on display. For those of you who have ever lost someone that you deeply love, you know what I am talking about. Grief hits you in waves. Ive been in rooms with people who have lost teenage children. One moment that family may gather together, laughing, telling stories, crying together. In a moment later, they may have to leave the room because they cannot control their mourning. 

Mary’s pain is on display here for all of us to see. However, her pain goes beyond Jesus dying. Again, modern readers are unaware of the cultural standards of ancient Jewish norms. Jesus’ friends rushed His body to the grave mere hours before the Sabbath arrived. Jewish cultural norms demanded that when someone died, they must be buried the same day. The rush was so great that Jesus’ family and friends did not have a chance to fully prepare His body for burial. That is why Mary Magdalene came to the tomb. She was hoping to finish Jesus’ burial preparations. 

Mary would have washed His body.

Mary would have anointed His body with spices and perfumes. 

She would have wrapped His body in linen cloths. 

They were able to do some of these but not all of them. Mary came to complete them. However now, Jesus was not there. Again, this was a final dishonor for Jesus. In Jewish culture, failing to prepare and bury a body properly was considered shameful and an indignity. If you go back to Jeremiah 22 or Psalm 79, improperly burying someone was associated with a divine curse or some sign of cosmic justice. Mary was broken hearted because Jesus was going to suffer this final horrible embarrassment. She must have felt that she had failed Jesus. That she had let Him down. 

All of this is true but there is one final thing that drove Mary to weeping and crying. She didn’t know that Jesus’ body was gone until she arrived but we know from Scripture that she was crying and weeping long before she arrived. Why?

Simply put, Jesus was the only man who had ever truly believed in her and showed her compassion. Jesus never used her, abused her, or abandoned her. Jesus was there for her in her absolute worst moments. 

Let me show you…

You see, Mary’s pain wasn’t just about the moment she found the empty tomb. It wasn’t just about not being able to finish preparing Jesus’ body. No—her pain ran deeper than that.

This wasn’t just grief over a friend. This was grief over her Redeemer.

John tells us three times that Mary is crying. Not just a single tear down the cheek, not just a moment of silent sadness—this is gut-wrenching, heart-shaking, uncontrollable grief. But why?

Because Mary knew what it was like to live in darkness.

Go back to Luke 8:2:

“And also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene), from whom seven demons had gone out.” (Luke 8:2, GW)

Seven demons. Not one. Not two. Seven.

That’s complete possession. That’s absolute enslavement to darkness. That’s a life consumed by sin, by oppression, by hopelessness.

Now, let me pause for a second and tell you something that Scripture doesn’t say outright, but we know it to be true:

Demonic possession doesn’t happen by accident.

You don’t just wake up one day possessed by seven demons. No—you have to open the door.

Maybe she dabbled in something dark. Maybe she was abused, used, cast aside. Maybe she gave up on God a long time ago and let the enemy take control.

But here’s the key: No matter how she got there, she was completely bound by the enemy.

Mary was a woman of darkness.

• She was trapped.

• She was lost.

• She was unreachable.

But then JESUS showed up.

And in one moment, with one word, He delivered her.

The chains broke.

The demons fled.

The darkness lifted.

And from that moment on, Mary followed Jesus everywhere.

Now do you see why she’s weeping?

•Jesus was the only man who had ever seen her for more than her past.

•Jesus was the only man who didn’t use her, abuse her, or abandon her.

•Jesus was the only one who spoke life into her when everyone else had written her off as dead.

And now, the One who had set her free was gone.

Can you feel her anguish?

Can you understand her pain?

Can you see why she was crying before she even got to the tomb?

This wasn’t just a rabbi.

This wasn’t just a friend.

This wasn’t just a teacher.

This was her Deliverer. Her Savior. Her Hope.

And now, as far as she knew, He was gone.

But let me tell you the good news…

The same Jesus who delivered Mary from seven demons…

The same Jesus who rescued her from her past…

The same Jesus who called her by name in her deepest pain…

IS THE SAME JESUS WHO CAN DELIVER YOU.

I don’t care how dark your past is.

I don’t care what chains you’re carrying.

I don’t care how far you think you’ve gone.

If Jesus can set Mary free, He can set you free!

And let me tell you something even greater—

Jesus wasn’t gone.

He wasn’t stolen.

He wasn’t taken.

He was ALIVE.

And Mary was about to see her Deliverer again.

The Apostle John Reveals…

First, Mary’s Pain: A Past of Darkness vs. 11-13

Next, Mary’s Provision: A Deliverance of Grace vs. 14-16

Now the Apostle John reveals another point. Next, we see Mary’s provision. Her deliverance of grace. Go back to verses 14-16.

John 20:14-16 NLT

She turned to leave and saw someone standing there. It was Jesus, but she didn't recognize him. [15] "Dear woman, why are you crying?" Jesus asked her. "Who are you looking for?" She thought he was the gardener. "Sir," she said, "if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and get him." [16] "Mary!" Jesus said. She turned to him and cried out, "Rabboni!" (which is Hebrew for "Teacher").

There has been a lot of questions posed about this passage of Scripture. Clearly something was happening here post resurrection. People were struggling to recognize Jesus after His resurrection. 

If you turn in your Bibles to Luke 24:13-32, you will see that Mary was not the only one who did not recognize Christ. Some of His followers were walking down the road to Emmaus. While they were walking Jesus joined them but they did not recognize Him. While they walked with Jesus, they talked about spiritual matters. They even talked about Scripture. Still they didn’t recognize Him. Listen to what Luke states, 

Luke 24:28-32 NLT

By this time they were nearing Emmaus and the end of their journey. Jesus acted as if he were going on, [29] but they begged him, "Stay the night with us, since it is getting late." So he went home with them. [30] As they sat down to eat, he took the bread and blessed it. Then he broke it and gave it to them. [31] Suddenly, their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And at that moment he disappeared! [32] They said to each other, "Didn't our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?"

Isn’t this wild? Why did Mary think that Jesus was the gardener? Why were these disciples unable to recognize Jesus?

There are a few theories. First, maybe they all had in their mind that Jesus was dead. They were simply not looking for Him. Another explanation is that they were all just blinded by their grief. They were so upset, so grief stricken that they were just not able to pay attention to the truth that the Lord had risen from the grave. Maybe it was fear. When Jesus presented Himself to the disciples in the upper room, they thought that it was a ghost, not Jesus in the flesh. Maybe it was doubt. Thomas couldn’t believe that it was Jesus because doubt clouded his devotion. There is another theory that somehow someway Jesus’ post resurrection body was altered, changed. We know that His post resurrection body retained some of the wounds from the cross. His hands retained the scars from the nails and this side still had the wound from the spear being thrust into His side. Yet, His body could do things that were not on display before His death. He could appear and disappear at will after His resurrection. He could walk through locked doors. His body could ascend as we see in Acts. So we know that He was similar but different. 

You might say that He was living in a glorified state. This will be the state that we will all live in when we die and are transported to heaven. We will be recognizable but different. Gone will be our diseases, our flaws, our illnesses. In place of those will be our glorified perfected selves. Sort of exciting right?

You know, at the end of the day, all of these people were so close to Jesus, some of them walking with Him, and they nearly missed Him. 

Let’s go back to Mary. It wasn’t until Jesus said her name that her mourning was instantly changed to a miracle. 

Mary was standing right in front of Jesus, yet she didn’t recognize Him. She thought He was the gardener! But then, one word changed everything:

“Mary.”

It wasn’t an explanation. It wasn’t a sermon. It wasn’t even a rebuke. It was just her name spoken by the voice of the Good Shepherd.

You see, this moment was the fulfillment of what Jesus had already taught in John 10:3 (NASB):

“The sheep listen to his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.”

That’s exactly what happened here! Mary was lost in her grief, her pain, and her confusion, but the moment Jesus called her by name, she knew who He was.

•He didn’t have to explain the resurrection—He just called her name.

•He didn’t have to tell her to believe—He just called her name.

•He didn’t have to remind her who He was—He just called her name.

Because the sheep know the voice of the Shepherd.

Some of you have been searching for Jesus, but maybe you’re looking in the wrong place.

•Mary was looking for the dead, but He was alive.

•The disciples on the road to Emmaus were looking for a conquering king, but He was a suffering Savior.

•Thomas was looking for proof, but Jesus gave him peace.

Maybe today, you’ve been missing Jesus, not because He isn’t near, but because your grief, your doubts, your fears, or your expectations have clouded your vision.

But listen—He is calling your name.

And when Jesus calls your name, everything changes.

Mary came to the tomb full of sorrow, but she left full of joy.

She came looking for a dead body, but she found a risen Savior.

She came to mourn, but she left with a mission.

Because Jesus didn’t just call her name and leave.

No—He gave her a job to do.

She didn’t just experience the resurrection—she was called to proclaim it.

That brings us to our final point:

The Apostle John Reveals…

First, Mary’s Pain: A Past of Darkness vs. 11-13

Next, Mary’s Provision: A Deliverance of Grace vs. 14-16

Lastly, Mary’s Proclamation: A Purpose To Declare vs. 17-18

Mary’s proclamation. Jesus gave her a purpose to declare. Go back to verses 17-18. This is so cool. 

John 20:17-18 NLT

"Don't cling to me," Jesus said, "for I haven't yet ascended to the Father. But go find my brothers and tell them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" [18] Mary Magdalene found the disciples and told them, "I have seen the Lord!" Then she gave them his message.

Jesus is saying a lot here. I want to cover a couple of things that really jumped out to me. 

First, isn’t it sort of strange that Jesus would tell Mary not to “cling to Him”. I mean, is this not a normal natural response from a grieving woman? Then she suddenly sees Him alive. Wouldn’t you do the same thing? Why would Jesus do this? Why would He say this? 

Was it because touching Him was forbidden? No! Just moments later, He invited Thomas to touch His wounds (John 20:27). So what was Jesus really saying? He was telling Mary, “Things are not going back to the way they were before.” You see, Mary wanted to hold on to the Jesus she had known before the cross, the Jesus who walked with them, who taught in the synagogue, who sat and ate with His disciples. But Jesus was moving forward—He had defeated death, and He was about to ascend to the Father to complete His work as our High Priest. The relationship was not ending, but it was changing. He wasn’t going to be with them in the same way anymore—He was going to send the Holy Spirit, and His presence would now live inside of them. He was telling Mary, “Don’t hold on to the old way of things—I have something even greater coming.”

And let me tell you something today—sometimes we try to cling to the past when Jesus is trying to move us forward. We want to hold on to what’s comfortable, to what’s familiar, to what we’ve always known. But Jesus says, “Trust Me—I have something better ahead.” Mary thought the best thing was to have Jesus stay with her physically, but the best thing was for Him to go to the Father so that His Spirit could dwell in every believer. And then He gave her a mission—“Go and tell my brothers.” Don’t just stand here in your joy—go and share it!

Now let’s talk about the second important thing that Jesus tells Mary!

“Go and tell my brothers.”

Jesus didn’t just stop at revealing Himself to Mary—He commissioned her. He looked at her and said, “Go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” (John 20:17) Jesus gave Mary Magdalene—a woman, a former outcast, a person who had once been bound by darkness—the first and greatest message in history: “Go and tell them that I am alive!”

Mary became the first evangelist, the first person to proclaim the Good News that Jesus had conquered death. And do you know what that tells me? God doesn’t call the qualified—He qualifies the called! He could have chosen Peter, He could have chosen John, He could have waited to make His grand reappearance in front of all the disciples at once. But no—He chose Mary, a woman whose past had been filled with demons but whose future was now filled with the power of the resurrection. If Jesus can use Mary Magdalene to declare His victory, then He can use you, too.

Go quickly. Tell them. He is risen! That’s the message. That’s the mission. That’s what we are called to do! Just like Mary, we have been given a task—to take the news of Jesus’ resurrection and share it with the world. This is not just Mary’s message; this is our mission.

The question is—are you willing to go and tell? Are you willing to take what you know about the risen Christ and share it with someone who needs hope? Are you willing to be a messenger of the greatest news in history? After all, Mary’s message is our mission. 

Mary’s Message Is Our Mission!

Closing Prayer:

Let’s pray.

Father, we thank You for the resurrection of Jesus! Because He lives, we have hope, we have purpose, and we have a mission. Just as You called Mary to go and tell, You are calling us to share the Good News that Jesus is alive. Give us boldness to speak, courage to stand, and a heart that burns to see others come to know You. Open doors for us to proclaim Your truth, and let our lives reflect the power of the risen Savior. May we not keep this message to ourselves but share it with urgency, knowing that the world desperately needs to hear it.

And Lord, I pray for those today who have never fully surrendered their lives to You. Just as You called Mary by name, You are calling them now. If someone here is ready to trust You, let them say, “Jesus, I believe You died for me. I believe You rose again. Forgive me of my sins and make me new. I give my life to You. Use me for Your glory.” Thank You, Lord, for salvation. Thank You for grace. Thank You for the empty tomb! In Jesus’ name, Amen.