There is blessing that follows brokenness. It’s a biblical principle. Think about it… A seed has to be broken. It has to die and go into the ground to find new life. Sometimes we go through brokenness in order to find the blessing.
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Transcription:
When my kids were little, they always wanted to have a pinata at their birthday parties and I can remember all the kids lining up for their turn with the baseball bat so they could take a crack at that cute little unicorn or dinosaur, whatever was hanging from the tree in our backyard, and then somebody would break it open. Usually my husband had to help a little bit, and the candy would fly everywhere and there was joy. There is blessing that follows brokenness. It’s a biblical principle. Welcome to the Bible for Busy People. I’m Erica, your host. Think about it. A seed has to be broken. It has to die and go into the ground. This is what Jesus told us to bring. Nourishment and life. I believe everything in creation points to who Jesus is and how he works in your life and mine. He left us clues like little Hansel and Gretel crumbs, that lead straight to him and his heart. Okay, we are talking glow stick people this week on the podcast, and last time we covered the Apostle Paul. We saw how he was broken and then blessed to be a blessing. And today you and I are going to study a character whose life before Jesus, could pretty much be summed up in one sentence. We’re going to read that in just a moment, but first let me tell you where we’re going. To the gospel of Luke chapter eight, beginning in verse one. Another glow stick story today because you know a glow stick will not glow until you break it in your hands. It’s such an incredible picture for us. Okay, Luke eight verse one.
Jesus began a tour of the nearby towns and villages, preaching and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom of God. He took his twelve disciples with him, 2 along with some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases.
Alright, here comes that one sentence I spoke about moments ago.
Among them were Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons.
Okay. Wow. That says everything, doesn’t it? About what her life was like before she encountered Jesus, the one who healed her. We continue on.
Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s business manager;
Yeah. King Herod… that Herod.
Susanna; and many others who were contributing from their own resources to support Jesus and his disciples.
So, you can imagine the kind of mud puddle that Mary Magdalene was in. The kind of pit Jesus reached down and pulled her out of. You can imagine the gratitude that she felt for him every day. The peace in her heart was all because Jesus put it there. Now, Mary Magdalene was one of the very few followers of Jesus who stayed with him during his suffering and his death on the cross. She was faithful till what she thought might’ve been the end. And I want to go to that place in the Bible to that old rugged cross where Jesus gave his life for you and for me. He paid the penalty for your sins and mine so that we could have peace now and eternal life in a perfect place with him. It was Jesus who opened the door.
When you and I accept the love of Jesus, when we accept his forgiveness of our sins for the mistakes we’ve made in our lives, it’s as if Jesus takes your hand in his nails guard hand, and he puts it in the hand of the Father, our Father God, and we are reconciled. That’s what Jesus was doing on the cross, in case you are new to the faith, new to this podcast, I just wanted you to know. Okay, we are going to go now to that cross and I want you to see who was there, mark 15 now, verse 40.
Some women were there, watching from a distance, including Mary Magdalene, Mary (the mother of James the younger and of Joseph), and Salome. 41 They had been followers of Jesus and had cared for him while he was in Galilee. Many other women who had come with him to Jerusalem were also there.
I want you to note, Mary Magdalene was so grateful to Jesus. Her life was broken before she met him. It was shattered in a million pieces. And because he’s so good and so loving, Jesus Christ put Mary back together again, made her whole, and he’s still doing that for human beings. Okay, I want to jump now to the gospel of John chapter 20, because Mary Magdalene, who was faithful to Jesus, was given a very great honor on that first Easter morning, John 20 beginning in verse one now.
Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. 2 She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, “They have taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”
So, imagine now this woman has watched her savior, the one who made everything better for her and healed her heart, die on a cross, and now somebody in her mind has taken his body, but we know that Jesus rose again. Jesus told us he would come and he did. He told us he would die for our sins, and he did. He told us he would rise again and he did. Skipping down to verse 11, now, for the sake of time.
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.
I wonder if that’s what happened when Mary met Jesus for the first time, perhaps having been demon possessed she was in a daze and he just looked at her and said, Mary, with so much love, and it melted away all of her fears, and it broke through the haze, and that’s when the healing began and that’s when Mary became whole. And here he is again speaking her name. What an honor. Mary Magdalene once broken, now whole. The first person Jesus appeared to. When you’re feeling broken, always look for blessings on the way for you are so loved.
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