I find it amazing that women are to the fore of the Easter message. They were the ones who came to the tomb to anoint Jesus' body. As I listened to various online messages yesterday I was struck with the fact that the women asked the question 'Who shall roll the stone' and not 'how shall we roll away the stone?'
Today as I turned to John's gospel chapter 20 I was struck with what happened after the men had left the tomb. They went back home to think about what they had seen - John was the one who we are told believed immediately he had seen the evidence but what did the women do? We know that 1 woman stayed - Mary Magdalene. I wonder did Peter and John rebuke her and tell her to go home too? John clearly puts in a "but" at this point in the story.
Mary Magdalene had a personal encounter with Jesus prior to this - she was the one who had 7 demons cast out of her. That was an amazing testimony and I am sure if she was alive today we would have had her at many of our meetings just so we could marvel ourselves at the power of Jesus' transformation in her life. But Mary had yet to experience the risen Saviour.
Empty - that is the word that I have heard these past few days - the tomb is empty. Jesus is alive hallelujah! I am sure Mary also felt 'empty'. As a woman she must have been emotionally upset at what John and Peter saw and told her. Her only way of expressing how she felt was through tears. Tears are an eloquent unpretentious language of the soul. Jesus himself used them at the tomb of his friend Lazarus. Then he was not weeping for the loss of his friend because he knew that soon he would bring him back to life but rather he was weeping at the realisation of separation sin had caused to this world. He knew that although Lazarus would be raised at this point in his life one day he would die physically again - he would be separated from those he loved and knew in this world.
For Mary Magdalene these tears represented the loss of friendship with a man who had loved her and known her. He knew her past, her present and yes even her future. Scripture tells us that one day all our tears will be wiped away and we will know only joy unspeakable. No more death, no more separation. What an amazing thought.
Mary's weeping turned to seeing. She had moved from outside the tomb to inside. Perhaps she wanted to see for herself if it was exactly as the men said it was. Angels appeared where Jesus had been - one positioned where his head would have laid and the other at his feet. Angels remind us of the 2 cherubims back in the Ark of the Tabernacle during the wilderness wanderings of Israel in the Old Testament. John is telling us that Jesus is the true mercy seat. In him alone we have forgiveness of sins, deliverance from the wrath of God and peace with God for time and eternity. What a visible lesson this was to Mary that day.
The angels spoke to Mary and asked her a simple question - 'why are you weeping?' They wanted her to acknowledge her grief because in doing so she would gain an understanding of what was now before her. Mary was only concerned with one thing - she wanted the visible evidence of Jesus' body. She couldn't fully take in the fact that Jesus had left the grave and was now alive again. So many understand the message of the resurrection morning but it is only a head knowledge. They accept it but don't fully believe it to be true in their hearts. For Mary it was the same. She knew the truth but didn't quite believe it. She needed a turning around and that is what happened - she turned and saw Jesus standing there. A personal encounter with the risen Christ.
Jesus at this point spoke to Mary and asked her the same question the angels had asked - "why are you weeping" but he added "who are you looking for". Many people are looking today but not for Jesus. They are searching in vain and they don't see jesus standing before them. They need the realisation that Mary now came to - this was Jesus standing before her. She turned from the grave to Jesus, the giver of eternal life. From darkness to looking at the Light of the World. Her tears were instantly dried.
It was at this point that Jesus called her by her name. A sign of intimacy. It was personal and special. May responded with "Rabboni" and just in case you didn't catch the meaning of that name John tells us "Master". In other words - "my dear Lord". She had seen Jesus alive. For the first time in days darkness had been overwhelmed by light. Death had been killed dead by the resurrection of Christ.
Jesus spent time explaining to Mary what had happened. He commissioned her to go and tell. And that is exactly what she did. What an amazing experience she had but you know the message hasn't changed today. We need that realisation - to go and tell others of Christ. That is why we celebrate the risen Christ. It is much more than an empty tomb. Mary was richly privileged because she deeply loved. But there was a message not just for Mary - "go to my brethren". Those men who had claimed not to know him and deserted him 3 days previously were now included in this very personal message to a woman. We are commanded to testify to the risen Saviour with both our lives and our lips. A true Christian testimony is a spontaneous overflow of an encounter with the risen Christ.
How appropriate that on this day I am starting to read Rebecca McLaughlin's book entitled No Greater Love all about friendship that I should be drawn to this great friendship between Jesus and Mary Magdalene. This has all the hallmarks of what true friendship is. What love was shown to this woman by a man who had died and rose again. That love is still available to me today and you as you read and realise what Jesus has done - he died to save you from your sin. Are you still searching for the risen Christ? Are you only seeing emptiness today?
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"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."
John 15 verse 13
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