Focus: More Than A Saviour!

Text: Jh.20:16

"Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, RABBONI; which is to say, MASTER."

Before Mary Magdalene met Jesus Christ, she had real issues, issues that had to do with demons. She was under their horrible influence and suffered a great deal as a result. Luke writes, "And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils" (Lk.8:2). One demon is enough trouble, not to talk about having seven of them dominating your life. 

Mark reports, "Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils" (Mk.16:9). You can see that Luke and Mark carried the story of her bad past, especially the story of her being possessed by seven demons.

Then a day came when she met Jesus Christ the Savior. Christ rescued her from all demonic manacles, and changed her into a brand new person. She regained her freedom and human dignity. Instead of being possessed of demons, she was possessed of God and filled with joy.

From the day of her deliverance she saw in Jesus Christ not just the Savior of her soul, but also the sovereign Lord of her life. She welcomed Him as her Savior and surrendered to Him as her Lord. She hailed Him as the sovereign Lord of her life. Jesus Christ had His way with her and held sway over her on daily basis.

At the gravesite of Jesus Christ she was asked, "Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away MY LORD, and I know not where they have laid him" (Jh.20:13). She acknowledged Christ as her personal Lord. She was intimately related to Him. Jesus Christ had the final say in her life. John tells us that after she encountered the resurrected Lord Jesus Christ, she was instructed to go tell the disciples about the good news of His resurrection, and she proclaimed to them that "she had seen the LORD, and that he had spoken these things unto her" (Jh.20:18). For Mary, Jesus the Savior is also Jesus the sovereign Lord. 

In another instance, Matthew tells us about Mary Magdalene and the other women: "And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him" (Mt.28:9). Mary bowed in worship to her Lord. 

If indeed Christ is Lord, and He is, then He deserves our worship. We must lead lives that glorify him.

Jesus Christ Himself says to His disciples, "Ye call me MASTER and LORD: and ye say well; FOR SO I AM. If I then, your LORD and MASTER, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet" (Jh.13:13,14). He demands that we obey Him and follow His example. He says, "And why call ye me, LORD, LORD, and do not the things which I say?" (Lk.6:46). 

It is not enough to have Jesus Christ as Savior; we must have Him as our Lord. Being our Lord means that we must hear His voice and do His will. Peter instructs us to "sanctify the Lord God in your hearts" (1Pet.3:15). Another possible translation of Peter's words would be, 'sanctify God as Lord in your hearts.' Jesus Christ is more than just our Savior; He is our Lord - our sovereign God. As Savior we collect from Him, and as Lord we connect to Him. Through Christ we connect to and collect from God. Jesus is more than Savior; He is Lord.

by Bishop Moses E. Peter