John 20:11-18

John 20:11-18

And Mary had stood outside near the tomb while weeping.  Therefore as she was weeping she stooped to look into the tomb and she observed two angels in white while they sat where the body of Jesus was laid – one by the head and one by the feet.  And those ones say to her, “Woman, why do you weep?”  She says to them that, “They carried my Lord away, and I do not know where they set Him.”  After saying these things she turned into the place behind her and she observed Jesus, having stood there, and she did not know that it was Jesus.  Jesus says to her, “Woman, why do you weep?  Whom are you seeking?”  While thinking that this one is the gardener, she says to Him, “Lord, if you removed Him, tell me where you placed Him and I will carry Him away.”  Jesus says to her, “Mary!”  After being caused to turn around, that one said to Him in Aramaic, “Rabbouni!” (That means “Teacher.”)  Jesus says to her, “Do not hold onto 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 and my God and your God.’”  Mary Magdalene goes out while announcing to the disciples that “I have seen the Lord” and that He said these things to her.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

I confessed yesterday that today would be largely spent looking at the John’s emphasis on women.  So let’s dive right into that.  Remember in yesterday’s text that we heard about Peter and the other disciple.  Remember what they did?  They went into the tomb.  They looked around.  They saw the grave clothes.  Ask yourself a simple question: what didn’t they see?  The answer is that they didn’t see the angels!  Peter and the other disciple are right there well before Mary and they didn’t see the angels!  This means that it isn’t by chance that Mary just happens to see them.  No.  God desires Mary to see the angels.  God desires Mary to have this first experience.  The point of the resurrection is that God’s value system is different than the value system of the world.  The world might respect Peter’s testimony more than Mary’s testimony.  But God is driving home the point that to follow Him implies being willing to take on His value system instead of imposing my value system upon Him.  God is making a clear point here.  First, women have every bit of a role in the church as men.  Second, we abide by God’s agenda; He doesn’t abide by ours.

How is this a challenging message?  Is it easy for you to embrace God’s value system instead of your own?  What does God value that you struggle to value?

Second Thought:

We have a neat glimpse of the personable nature of God in this passage.  When Jesus first approaches Mary, Jesus calls her “woman.”  Mary doesn’t recognize Him.  But after Mary confuses Jesus with the caretaker of the garden, Jesus calls her by name.  That’s all she needed.  Immediately she recognizes Jesus and her eyes are opened.  This is the power of God.  We recognize Him when He calls us by name.  I find this to be a powerful point.  People often ask, “If Jesus were to appear today and do all the crazy miracles and teach all the counter-cultural teachings, would you recognize Him or would you be like the Pharisees?”  That question often makes me doubt, because I’m not sure just how much Pharisee I have in me.  But then again, Mary didn’t recognize Jesus either, until Jesus called her by name.  Like Mary, my humanity might blind me at first as I struggle to keep up with what God is doing.  But I have no doubt that should I meet Jesus face to face and He would use my name, the power behind Him would open my eyes immediately.

Does God know your name?  How do you know?  How well do you respond to the call of Christ? 

Third Thought:

Once her eyes are opened, Jesus commissions Mary.  He sends her out.  Literally, the word “apostle” means “one who is sent with a purpose.”  Mary becomes the first apostle of the resurrection!  She is the first one – well, human, as the angels technically are the first ones – who gets to tell another person that Jesus is alive!  Imagine her excitement.  Imagine her fear.  After all, who will believe her?

Is there an honor for Mary at being the first one to proclaim the resurrection of Christ?  Is there an honor in any of us being able to proclaim it?  What excitement is involved for you in this calling?  What fear is involved for you?

Fourth Thought

This passage also displays Mary’s love.  But this love is two-sided as all love is.  Mary wants the body of Jesus.  She wants a proper burial for her Lord.  She wants to do the right thing for Jesus who died unnecessarily.  That’s love.  But her love also blinds her.  The whole time prior to Jesus using her name, she’s facing the wrong way.  She doesn’t recognize Jesus because she can’t take her eyes off of the tomb and the angels.  Her love for Jesus has pushed her into mourning and she can’t catch up to what God is doing in her midst.  Even still, it is a testimony to her love for Jesus, even if in her humanity it keeps her in the dark.

How much do you love Jesus?  Would you have been willing to be the first one to the tomb as soon as the Sabbath was over so that you could finish the work that had been started?

Fifth Thought

Yes, I know … fifth thought?  That just shows my love for this passage. 

Why does Jesus tell Mary not to touch Him in this passage when in just a few verses we’ll actually hear Jesus inviting Thomas to touch Him?  I think the answer is pretty simple once we go into the original Greek.  The verb that Jesus uses when talking to Mary means “to hold onto” or “to seize,” and this verb implies taking possession.  With Thomas, Jesus is talking about literal physical contact and uses a verb that means “to put” or “to place.”  I do not believe contact is the issue with Mary.  Rather, I think Jesus is teaching Mary that she doesn’t need to clutch Him out of fear.  He’s not going to leave her – or any of us – again.  We do not need to respond to Jesus out of fear of this world or fear of being left alone.

Do you ever try to hold on to Jesus too tightly?  What would be the problems for Mary if she never let go of Jesus in the tomb?  What is the point Jesus is trying to make with respect to balancing time spent in the presence of God and time spent in ministry according to God’s calling?

Passage for Tomorrow: John 20:19-23