John 20:11-18
Find a place and time free of distractions for the next 7-10 minutes. Sit comfortably and breathe deeply for a few seconds before you begin. If you haven’t read the Introduction to John’s Gospel, read it here.
As you read John 20:11-38 keep in mind that just prior to this, Mary summoned Peter and John to the empty tomb, and now she continues to stand outside the tomb after both Peter and John leave.
From all appearances, Mary is delirious with grief. When she finally brings herself to peer into the tomb again, she isn’t shocked by the presence of the two angelic beings. She just wants to be with Jesus. All she can think about is being near him in his physical body – the only way she has known him thus far.
Luke tells us in his Gospel that Mary Magdalene was freed from demonic bondage by Jesus (Luke 8:2). For Mary, Jesus is more than a teacher or leader; he is her life, and without him she is completely lost.
Stop to reflect on your own feelings about Jesus. Has knowing Jesus made any difference in your life? When you observe Mary Magdalene’s passionate love for Jesus, what thoughts or feelings arise in you? Share honestly with Jesus about this.
Read John 20:11-18 again with all of this in mind.
John tells us that when he saw the empty tomb, he believed the Scriptures had been fulfilled and that Jesus had risen. We aren’t told about Peter’s inner journey; we only know that he rushed into the tomb, looked around and then left. But Mary, the woman from whom Jesus cast seven demons, sees. She sees the angels and then she sees Jesus. In his resurrected form, and through her tears, she does not recognize him - until he calls her name.
Put yourself in the place of Mary right now. Picture yourself desperately pleading for someone to tell you where to find Jesus. Then listen as he calls your name.
The kingdom of God is an upside-down kingdom where the first are last and the last, first. The first person to whom Jesus’ revealed his identity as the Messiah was the five-times rejected Samaritan woman at the well. Now the first person to whom Jesus appears in his resurrected body is the woman once plagued by demonic oppression. There is no one who is beyond the mercy and grace of Jesus. Jesus is able to take the lowliest, most broken people and raise them to be the people God intended them to be.
What do you think, or how do you feel about this? Have you ever felt unworthy of Jesus’ grace and favor? What do you want to say to Jesus about this right now?
End your time of reflection today talking and listening to Jesus, and if you sense that you need to take an action of some kind be sure to make a plan for following through.
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