"Grace that Amazes" - Wild Heart: Mark’s Portraits of a Radical Messiah

We’re continuing our series Wild Heart: Mark’s Portrait of a Radical Messiah this morning.

The story that you just heard was from the perspective of a woman named Mary Magdalene and she was a woman who had a reputation.

This is what the gospel of Luke says about her:
Luke 7:37-39 And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that [Jesus] sat at the table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, 38 and stood at His feet behind [Him] weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped [them] with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed [them] with the fragrant oil. 39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw [this], he spoke to himself, saying, "This man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman [this is] who is touching Him, for she is a sinner."

That word “sinner” was code for having loose morals, which explains why she could afford such expensive perfume. Added to this moral issue was this little thing about having been possessed by seven demons. Today she’d probably be a meth addict, who “works the evenings” to support her drug habit.

You’d have to admit that she’s not exactly the typical ‘church goin’ type and she obviously wouldn’t have been welcome in respectable ‘religious’ circles.

Now it’s resurrection morning. Turn in your Bibles to Mark’s gospel 16:9.

Let me read that first sentence again and then you fill in the blank with who you would have expected to see there….
If you read the gospel accounts, especially John’s gospel, it’s pretty clear Jesus is hanging around the garden and had to see the women come to the tomb, then Peter and John. He could have appeared to any of them first.

John was the ‘beloved’ disciple, that would have made sense. Peter was obviously the ‘leader’ of the disciples, who better to be the first to see Jesus? Both of these guys were in Jesus’ closest inner circle.

Of all the people who Jesus could have chosen to be the first to reveal Himself too He chose a woman, which was kind of a cultural no-no, but a woman with such a checkered past was very unexpected.

But here they are in the garden, unexpectedly face to face. The risen Savior and a woman with a past named Mary Magdalene.

You know if you think about it making unexpected appearances is a common thing with Jesus. The night He was born, coming to earth to live as a human, the first people to know about it were lowly shepherds. The only people these guys could get along with were sheep. But they’re the first to see Jesus.

Then Jesus is walking along the shore and calls to some, rugged, rough, poor fishermen to come and be His disciples. Then a hated tax collector, and a doubter who won’t believe anything until he saw it. And two angry revolutionaries who want to revolt against Rome and one of them would become the betrayer.

Then the apostle Paul writes this about himself:
1 Corinthians 15:8-9 Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

In some ways you could say that all of these people were like Magdalene. I want to show you a video clip of a modern day example.



He doesn’t exactly fit the image of a church-goer does he? They all had pasts they’d rather forget, things they had done that made them feel ashamed and unworthy and so do we.

We’re all Magdalene’s. We can try to put on a happy face, or cover up and look all holy. But we all have a past we’d rather forget. Deep down inside we feel unworthy and know that if anyone knew the truth about us, the things we’ve done, the thoughts we think. The hypocrisy we excuse. It’s all there and we can’t imagine that Jesus would want anything to do with us.

The apostle Paul wondered the same thing. Why would Jesus choose him to be an apostle? Then he wrote this: 1 Corinthians 15:10 But by the grace of God I am what I am…..

By God’s grace, His amazing grace, we are loved and welcomed into His family. We can’t do anything about our past, and God’s grace means we don’t have to. We can’t do anything to escape our sin and shame. God’s grace means we don’t have to.

God’s grace invites us to come just as we are and meet the One who shed His blood for our sins then arose from the grave to defeat death. The risen Savior who says come and find forgiveness and rest for our weary souls.

Here we are face to face with Him. He’s knows all about you and He still loves you enough to reveal Himself to you.
That’s true whether you’ve been following Him your whole life or if you’re living like Magdalene right now. Jesus wants you to experience God’s grace today.

How many will say that they could use God’s grace today?

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