Easter 16 Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene

[HKHaugan]

Easter 16 Jesus’ Appearance to Mary Magdalene

John 20:10-18. Apparently Peter and the other disciple left Mary without sharing their experience of the grave clothes with her. She remains at the tomb crying then goes in and sees two angels sitting where Jesus’ body had lain. They ask her why she’s crying. She recounts her belief to them that someone took Jesus’ body. But then an amazing thing happened that rearranged the lifetime conditioning of her conscious humanity. She turned from the angels to see another person behind her she didn’t recognize who asked her why she was crying and for whom she was looking. This undoubtedly was the gardener. Maybe he had taken the body. What other explanation could there be? So she asks him if he has taken the body. But it’s not the gardener, it’s Jesus and He says, ”Mary.” She cries out in astonished recognition, “Teacher!” Immediately He tells her not to hold on to Him because He has not yet returned to the Father and to go to His brothers and tell them that He is returning to His Father and their Father, to His God and their God. Mary goes to the disciples and tells them all she experienced at the tomb.

Seven things to note here.
First, Jesus is seen alive apart from the grave clothes and the tomb. Unlike Lazarus who was simply resuscitated, He was free from the clothes that bound Him. Jesus had to order the disciples to take Lazarus’ grave clothes off and clean Him. Jesus’ resurrected body was whole, perfect and resurrected (“with clothes white as snow” recorded in Matthew).
Second, Jesus comes to her in the midst of her grief. Jesus always meets us at the point of our grief, makes sense out of it, comforts and let’s us recognize He is Lord over grief. He affirms grieving and embraces ours.
Third, Jesus’ first appearance is to a woman. In Jesus’ time women were considered second-class, their personal ideas and experiences categorized as fanciful. Jesus turns that cultural concept around and places women on an equal spiritual footing with men.
Fourth, she spontaneously responds to Him reverently in the same way she had personally revered Him before,---Teacher. Again, in Jesus’ time that title was given to one who had earned respect as an authentic spiritual leader. Jesus, by His presence, emanated awesomeness unequaled anywhere in their world. “He spoke as One who had authority.”
Fifth, Jesus makes clear His unique relationship with the Father which also defines the relationship between every believer and God, ‘my God and your God, my Father and your Father.’ He has made us His younger brothers and sisters giving us a new identity, a restored relationship and a spiritual family.
Sixth, Mary is not to hold on to Him. He will return to the Father in order to allow the Holy Spirit to bring Him into her heart and the hearts of all those who believe in Him.
Seventh, Jesus fulfilled the hope He had promised. He was raised from the dead thus proving and fulfilling the promise of eternal life through faith in Him.
Next, more on the Resurrection, stay tuned.

[Martha H. McGinnis]

I have been thinking a lot about Jesus telling M ary first..She recognized him immediately. He did not have to tell who he was..She just knew Him..This tells us how spiritual mature she was... It is a lesson to me to stay in the Word and to talk to Jesus daily so that I will know when speaks throught Christians friends and teachings and some times just in little things such as parkings place in a full lot or a table in a full sub shop or big things such as our leader offering up a beautiful prayer thanking God for mothers in our home group or our tuesday morning Bible study,,,..God is so good every day..