Yesterday we discussed how reading God’s word helps deepen our belief of him even if we don’t fully understand it. Today we are reading from John 20:11-18.
11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. 12 And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” 14 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.
Perusing Scripture
Mary had gone running to get the disciples, and they have now left. She’s left at the tomb. She’s crying there alone, so she stops to look into the tomb and sees two angels there. They were sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet.
They inquired: “Woman, why are you weeping?”
Her response “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” As soon as she said this, she turned around and saw a man standing there. It was Jesus but she didn’t recognize him.
Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?”
Mary didn’t recognize him, therefore made the assumption that he was the gardener. Remember that Jesus was placed in a tomb within a garden. It would be a natural assumption when meeting someone you didn’t know in a garden. So she asked him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.”
Then Jesus said her name. That’s all it took and Mary knew exactly who he was. Not a gardener it was her “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher).
In response, Jesus said, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”
Mary’s response was one of obedience. Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.
Questions
I wonder why the angels weren’t there when the disciples were? Why would they show up for Mary? She didn’t react in fear, so I wonder if she knew they were angels, or if it was just she was so focused on knowing where Jesus was that it didn’t matter to her.
I also query why Mary didn’t recognize Jesus until he spoke her name. When he said “woman” she had no reaction beyond asking him a question about where Jesus was.
Did Mary grab at Jesus when she recognized him? His statement implies that she did, but I wonder if it was more of an emotional clinging. Or if was merely he didn’t want her to hang on to him, he had work for her to do. She did call him Rabboni which means beloved teacher.
I noticed that Jesus didn’t say “go to the disciples and tell them” rather he said “Go to my brothers”… a good term of endearment isn’t it? 🙂
Thinking it Through
What hits me the most in this passage is how Mary immediately knew who Jesus was. There wasn’t a shred of hesitation in her. He said her name, she immediately knew who he was.
It’s like when I’m struggling with life, and I hear within me, Shush Child, settle. And I immediately know that Jesus is right there. Holding my heart and helping me to … well…. settle. Sometimes I need to just hear it and then I am able to do so. To not be ruled by my emotions, but to settle in my spirit before I am led by fleeting emotions. Peace, child, settle. That is always the Lord. No one else ever uses that.
Like Mary I immediately know.
But I think sometimes I get too busy to listen, or more likely too tired to really listen. I miss that “quiet child” spoken to me. If Mary had barged along, badgering the man she thought to be the gardener, or had turned to talk more to the angels, she could have missed the “Mary”. Instead she listened. In the listening, she knew her teacher.
In the listening, I know my saviour.
Do you listen?
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