A Personal Witness of the Resurrected Christ
“And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid Him. And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.” John 20:13-14
It was the third day since Jesus had been crucified. Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early in the morning while it was still dark. The stone that had covered the entrance to the tomb had been rolled away. She must have been completely bewildered. All she knew to do was to run and tell Peter and John that Jesus’ body had been removed from the tomb, and she did not know where “they” had laid Him. Who were these supposed body snatchers that Mary assumed had removed Jesus’ body? Did she think that they were some of Jesus’ followers or were they some of those who hated Him? We are not told, but perhaps Mary thought it was some of those who called for Jesus’ crucifixion. Because the chief priests and Pharisees had not forgotten what Jesus said about rising again on the third day, they had gone to Pilate to request guards to be placed at the tomb so that Jesus’ disciples could not come and take away His body in an effort to prove that He had risen. Pilate allowed them to seal the tomb and put watchmen there to guard it (Matthew 27:62-66), thus it would not have been the disciples who removed Jesus’ body. They were too intimidated by the authorities. After all, they all fled when Jesus was arrested. Mary was aware of the hatred that the religious leaders had for Jesus, but why would they remove His body if they were fearful that His disciples would remove it? That only left one conclusion, but Mary and the disciples didn’t really expect Jesus to rise again to life (John 20:9).
Up until Jesus came to earth, women were considered “second-class” citizens. Jesus is the greatest liberator of women the world has ever known. There are still some parts of the world where women are treated as less important than men, but these areas are places where Jesus Christ is not worshipped as Lord. Those of us who believe that men and women are equal in the eyes of God, but with different roles to fulfill, realize that God made them to complement each other and fulfill His will. There is absolutely no difference in salvation. All have the same invitation to come to Christ. He forgives all who come to Him in repentance and belief regardless of age, sex, race, nationality, or socio-economic standing (Galatians 3:28): “…all one in Christ Jesus”.
After reporting what she had seen to the two disciples, Mary returned to the tomb. Peter and John had also hurried to the tomb after Mary’s report, but after realizing that Jesus’ body was not there, they returned home. As Mary stood there weeping, the two angels who were there asked her why she was crying. She told them the same thing that she had said to Peter and John. Right after she said this, she turned her head around and saw a Man standing behind her. It was Jesus but she did not know it was Him. It was likely still dark outside making it difficult to recognize Jesus, or He was withholding His identity from her as He did with the two men on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-16). Jesus also asked her why she was weeping. Who was she seeking? She thought that He was the gardener of the burial grounds and asked Him, “Sir, if Thou have borne (carried) Him hence, tell me where Thou hast laid Him, and I will take Him away”. Mary couldn’t stand the thought of Jesus’ body being anywhere but in the tomb where He had been laid after His death. She was concerned that He was not being properly interred. She might have feared that His body was being desecrated. Those who crucified Him seemed to have no problem in torturing Him on the cross.
Jesus then called Mary by her name. She instantly recognized the voice of her beloved Jesus, turned around completely to face Him, and replied, “Rabonni”, which means “Master”. I would imagine that she almost felt like she was dreaming, but it was as real as I sit here and write this blog. She ran to hold Jesus, which would be the naturally instinctive thing to do, but Jesus said to her, “Touch Me not; for I am not yet ascended to My Father…” Why did Jesus say this? Some believe that it was because of time. Jesus had work to do and so did Mary in telling everyone that Christ was risen. Another explanation that may be more accurate is that Mary assumed that Jesus, like Lazarus, had risen to live among them just as before, but that was not to be the case. Mary was going to have a different relationship to Jesus. He was still her Friend, but He was Lord. Paul wrote in II Corinthians 5:16, “though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we Him no more”. Paul was saying that folks were no longer to rely on seeing Christ in person, but rather to know Him spiritually as Lord and Savior. Jesus’ short time on earth was to prepare folks for eternity. Jesus is our Friend, but He is Lord most of all.
Jesus had a very important assignment for Mary. He told her to go to His brethren, and tell them that He was going to ascend unto His Father and their Father, His God, and their God. Mary wasted no time in finding the disciples and telling them exactly what Jesus told her to say. Mary was the first witness of the risen Christ. This is just speculation on my part, but, perhaps, since a woman, Eve, was the first to sin in the Garden of Eden, it was God’s prerogative to present the risen Christ, the remedy for sin, first to a woman, Mary Magdalene, also in a garden setting. It was Eve who was deceived, not Adam (I Timothy 2:14), and therefore, a seemingly appropriate measure for the woman to receive the good news of the risen Savior first. Satan brought Eve deception. God brought Mary and all who will believe in Christ redemption.