Easter 2011
Easter Story 2011: Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene
11 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. 13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. 15 He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”). 17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” 18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.
What Does This Mean? John’s Gospel gives us unique insight into the relational aspects of Jesus. In the resurrection stories, Jesus appears to his disciples (men and women) in different ways based on their different personalities. Thomas needed to touch Jesus. He stated vehemently, “Unless I put my hands in his side and touch his scars I will not believe.
Peter need to be reassured on the appearance on the beach, where they pulled in a record load of fish and then Peter recognized it was the Lord on the beach. Three times Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love me?” When Peter said, “Yes, of course I love you!” Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep.” John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, it says merely looked into the empty tomb and it says, “he saw and believed.”
But in this story we see Mary, also the first one to tomb, having a personal encounter with Jesus. At first she thought he was the gardener, but then Jesus looks into her eyes and says, “Mary”. At the moment she realized it was him, when he called her name. Four different people, four different ways they came to realize Jesus was the Messiah, and He was risen!
What Does This Mean For Us?
As Jesus met his disciples, he meets us today. Some of us need physical/logical evidence, some need the emotional/relational connection, some just see and believe. But in the end it is the Holy Spirit who takes the Word, the living Word, Jesus, and creates faith in us. Although God meets us in different ways on our faith journey, the goal is a relationship that comes by faith with the living and resurrected Jesus!
On this Easter take time to examine your relationship with Jesus. Give thanks that the resurrection assures us that our faith is real and we can have hope in the midst of any situation and that death is not the end of the story. As the resurrection confirmed the disciples’ faith and transformed their lives so much so that they went on to lead the Church, may it guide us as we continue on both being a disciple and making new disciples of the Risen Lord! Happy Easter!!
Heavenly Father, thank you for sending Your Son into the world to die for our sins and be raised from the dead, so that Your resurrection power might live in and through us! Amen.
11 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. 13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. 15 He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”). 17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” 18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.
What Does This Mean? John’s Gospel gives us unique insight into the relational aspects of Jesus. In the resurrection stories, Jesus appears to his disciples (men and women) in different ways based on their different personalities. Thomas needed to touch Jesus. He stated vehemently, “Unless I put my hands in his side and touch his scars I will not believe.
Peter need to be reassured on the appearance on the beach, where they pulled in a record load of fish and then Peter recognized it was the Lord on the beach. Three times Jesus asked Peter, “Do you love me?” When Peter said, “Yes, of course I love you!” Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep.” John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, it says merely looked into the empty tomb and it says, “he saw and believed.”
But in this story we see Mary, also the first one to tomb, having a personal encounter with Jesus. At first she thought he was the gardener, but then Jesus looks into her eyes and says, “Mary”. At the moment she realized it was him, when he called her name. Four different people, four different ways they came to realize Jesus was the Messiah, and He was risen!
What Does This Mean For Us?
As Jesus met his disciples, he meets us today. Some of us need physical/logical evidence, some need the emotional/relational connection, some just see and believe. But in the end it is the Holy Spirit who takes the Word, the living Word, Jesus, and creates faith in us. Although God meets us in different ways on our faith journey, the goal is a relationship that comes by faith with the living and resurrected Jesus!
On this Easter take time to examine your relationship with Jesus. Give thanks that the resurrection assures us that our faith is real and we can have hope in the midst of any situation and that death is not the end of the story. As the resurrection confirmed the disciples’ faith and transformed their lives so much so that they went on to lead the Church, may it guide us as we continue on both being a disciple and making new disciples of the Risen Lord! Happy Easter!!
Heavenly Father, thank you for sending Your Son into the world to die for our sins and be raised from the dead, so that Your resurrection power might live in and through us! Amen.
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