Daily devotion – Mary’s Resurrection morning.
(Matt. 28:1–10; Mark 16:1–8; Luke 24:1–12 )
1 Now the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.”
This story about Mary is one that really resonates with me. We see her wrapped in a cloud of great grief, sorrow, and heartache. For her teacher, her Rabbi, the man who had set her free from the cruelty of demon possession was dead. She had seen Him cruelly crucified, she heard His last breathe and then she saw His head drop, listless and lifeless.
She had been involved in getting Christ’s body prepared for His burial, and arrives this day to complete the burial preparations.
But how was she going to get into the tomb? Mary had travelled ahead of the other women and arrives at the tomb alone. On her arrival however, she is stunned by what she sees. The great stone blocking the entrance to the tomb had been rolled away!
Mary’s thoughts immediately went to tomb robbers, Jesus body has been snatched away she thought. It is still dark at this time and she is alone.
She turned and ran to Peter and John to tell them what she had discovered.
Peter and John on hearing the news race to the tomb and discover that it is empty but for the embalming cloths that wrapped their Lord.
Peter and John had returned home by the time Mary arrives again back to the tomb location.
Mary is still believing that Jesus is dead.
Now with all that has happened, she finds a new reservoir of tears that she thought she had drained her body completely of, she breaks down once again and weeps with loud lamentations!
Mary looks into the open sepulchre, and she sees two men in white sitting one at either end of where Jesus body had lay. They are angels but Mary is unaware. She is only determined to find Jesus body.
One, who Mary thought was the local gardener speaks to Mary. He asks her why she is weeping so. Then this ‘gardener’ asked Whom she was seeking.
Jesus, the ‘gardener’ then calls this broken woman by her name, “Mary!”
There was only one voice, one person who spoke Mary’s name this way – her Lord.
Mary cries out “Rabboni” – meaning my Master, my Teacher.
Mary drops to her knees and wraps her arms around Jesus legs – she is overwhelmed with great joy!
This scene I have read over and over and it portrays all of our lives so beautifully. For we each have been crushed, broken beyond pain until a silent dullness takes over from our grief, our sorrow, our sin, loss, loneliness, shame and guilt.
For as Mary wrapped her arms around Jesus, so too is my heart’s desire to one day soon do exactly as Mary has done.
So great now is our love for our Saviour, that we will need a new heavenly body that will allow us to fully release our love and praise to our Lord when we each will see Him face to face – finally!
Heaven for many will be an escape, for some it will be at last a time to rest, but for many of us it will be an explosion of feelings of love and praise that we have held captive in this sinful body, finally released!
Yes, I cannot wait for Heaven – for there I will see my Master, my Rabboni, face to face and indeed I will fall to my knees and wrap my arms around His feet in sheer joy and ecstasy!
1Jo 3:2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
SOON!