SHOWING UP

 

April 21, 2023

John 20:14-17

  

"At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

He asked her, 'Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?'

Thinking he was the gardener, she said, 'Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.'

Jesus said to her, 'Mary.'

She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, 'Rabboni!' (which means 'Teacher').

Jesus said, 'Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’' "

 

Something that we notice about Mary Magdalene is that 8 times out of the dozen or so times she is mentioned in the New Testament, she is surrounded with other women. "When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body." (Mark 16:1) She is always the first in the list. I may be making too much of this, but I wonder if Mary Magdalene was a leader in the early Jesus community. There is a tradition, in historic Christianity that Mary Magdalene, after the resurrection made her way to southeastern France and there continued to announce the Good News as an evangelist of Jesus.

Through her eyes, we learn more about who Jesus was. He found her in her darkest place and healed her miraculously. She was one of His friends and a faithful follower, supporting Jesus’ ministry with all she had to give. Then we read about Mary Magdalene following Jesus to what she thought was the bitter end. The beautiful part of her story is found in her not knowing that her Savior stood before her near that empty grave. There she was so overwhelmed by her grief that she didn’t realize Jesus was standing before her.

"At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

He asked her, 'Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?'

Thinking he was the gardener, she said, 'Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.'

Jesus said to her, 'Mary.'

She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, 'Rabboni!' (which means 'Teacher').

Jesus said, 'Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’' " John 20:14-17

Jesus says, Mary. She instantly turns at the sound of Jesus speaking her name. I want to tell you there will be nothing more powerful in your life or mine than when our ears are tuned to the sound of our shepherd's voice. John 10:27 says “my sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they will follow me.” What could be more important than tuning our ears to hear our shepherd's voice, who each day calls us out and gives us the capacity to follow him?

Mary Magdalene showed the way, and she showed gratitude, she showed up and followed her Lord. Mary was someone who we see was invested in the story, the story of redemption, story of salvation, continuing to be told.  May this always be the strength of our church, belief in this story, the story of Jesus, the story continuing to bring hope and transformation to our world.