July 20, 2015: John 20:1-18

John 20:1-18

Early in the morning of the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. ² She ran to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they’ve put him.” ³ Peter and the other disciple left to go to the tomb. ⁴ They were running together, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and was the first to arrive at the tomb. ⁵ Bending down to take a look, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he didn’t go in. ⁶ Following him, Simon Peter entered the tomb and saw the linen cloths lying there.⁷ He also saw the face cloth that had been on Jesus’ head. It wasn’t with the other clothes but was folded up in its own place. ⁸ Then the other disciple, the one who arrived at the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed.⁹ They didn’t yet understand the scripture that Jesus must rise from the dead. ¹⁰ Then the disciples returned to the place where they were staying.

¹¹ Mary stood outside near the tomb, crying. As she cried, she bent down to look into the tomb. ¹² She saw two angels dressed in white, seated where the body of Jesus had been, one at the head and one at the foot. ¹³ The angels asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”

She replied, “They have taken away my Lord, and I don’t know where they’ve put him.” ¹⁴ As soon as she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she didn’t know it was Jesus.

¹⁵ Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who are you looking for?”

Thinking he was the gardener, she replied, “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 and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabbouni” (which means Teacher).

¹⁷ Jesus said to her, “Don’t hold on to me, for I haven’t yet gone up to my Father. Go to my brothers and sisters and tell them, ‘I’m going up to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

¹⁸ Mary Magdalene left and announced to the disciples, “I’ve seen the Lord.” Then she told them what he said to her.

Reflection:

I feel for Mary Magdalene. Truly, I do. She is the first to see Jesus’ tomb and to report him “missing.” Knowing the end of the story, I think I’ve always assumed that Mary’s reaction was shock. Yet reading it again without an eye for the end of the story, I can sense her pain, bewilderment, and frustration. She must have thought, “Why would someone take his body? Where could they have gone with it? What in the world am I supposed to do now?” I can see the wheels turning in Mary’s head as she sits and cries trying to figure out her next step… “Do I call the authorities? Would they have laid him in another tomb? Where could Jesus be?” There might have been a sharpness to her reply to the gardener, “Where have you put him? Tell me and I will go and get him.” All it takes is one word… one word from Jesus for Mary to stop in the midst of her pain, frustration, and fear. One word has her recognizing the miracle before her. One word and she sees it all from a new perspective. Jesus speaks to Mary and she knows immediately the glory of what has occurred running to tell the other disciples.

Reflection Questions:

Morning: How do you think Mary felt when she noticed the empty tomb?

Noon: What one word do you need to hear today to stop and notice the miracles around you?

Evening: Pick a word today to focus on that can center you and bring you to a new perspective when you are frustrated or fearful or confused.