But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet … then they said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping?’ John 20.11-12
It seemed Mary hadn’t quite had a good night’s sleep. Had she stayed up late to prepare the spices, ready and eager to anoint the body of Jesus? Jesus had healed and delivered Mary Magdalene from evil spirits and seven demons. (Luke 8.2). Her love for Jesus was evident in her decision to remain at the cross until He was buried and then arrive at the tomb as early as she could to anoint His body.
Mary must have been first surprised the gravestone was moved, but then afraid Jesus’ body was no longer in the tomb. She ran in fear, telling the disciples who didn’t believe what she said. Her eyes were teary, her heart was heavy, and she was worried sick; Jesus’ body was missing. While Peter and John returned home, Mary refused to leave. She wanted to see Jesus. As she looked into the tomb again, she saw two angels, but she lingered around the tomb until she saw Jesus. There was nothing wrong with the angels’ presence; they were not Mary’s focus.
Mary was not impressed with the ‘empty tomb’ or the ‘angels in white’; she wanted to see Jesus. As we linger in God’s presence, we will see Him and hear His voice. Mary’s desperate cries were genuine, and her pleas were consistent as she said the same words to the disciples, the angels and then, to Jesus: ‘They’ve taken away my Lord and I don’t know where they laid him.’ Did Mary’s heart skip a beat when she heard some footsteps in the garden? Was she almost walking away when she saw Jesus? When Jesus called her name, although overwhelmed by grief, she knew immediately it was him. I wonder who or what might get in the way of me seeing and hearing Jesus?
Why do you think God announced the news of the resurrection of Jesus first to a woman? In an era when women were seen but not heard, they were the first recipients and bearers of the joyful news that Jesus had risen from the dead. Mary had no evidence to share with others that she had seen Jesus except the words He spoke to her. Sometimes, when we’ve got no tangible evidence, it might be difficult to convince other people that we’ve heard from God?
The disciples had been to the tomb already and didn’t find Jesus; why would any new information from Mary be true? They must have wondered why Jesus appeared to Mary but not to them. Mary was joyful even though she was among those who were still sad and fearful. In a world plagued with fear, despair, and chaos, Jesus’ return brings comfort to our hearts, and some people have no clue about the source of our joy and hope. Our world needs more ‘Marys’ who will set aside their sadness and fear, taking the good news to others.
The first time Mary ran to the disciples, telling them about the empty tomb, she was afraid. The second time, she returned with a joyful heart. She wasn’t running back with secondhand information; she had seen Jesus herself. It’s hard to keep any good news a secret. The news of our salvation, deliverance, and healing can’t be kept a secret. Like Mary, there should be a spring in our steps and a joyful sound on our lips as we share the good news of the gospel.
In a world filled with several distractions, it’s so easy to settle for what we didn’t plan for or less than God’s best. We don’t know how long Mary had spent by the tomb and around the garden but she wasn’t going to leave until she found Jesus dead or alive. How often are we distracted and disturbed as we attempt to spend some quiet time with the Lord in worship, prayer and study of the word. If we will see Jesus, let’s not close our Bibles until we’ve heard him speak nor leave His presence until we’ve been changed.
The dazzling angels in white were a sight to behold and not to be expected in an empty tomb. Mary could have been mesmerised, abandoning her plans to find Jesus and instead worshipping these extraterrestrial beings but she moved on quickly. And God might allow us meet certain people, take us to places or to experience certain things on our individual journeys to find him, let’s not pay more attention to these than seeking Jesus. Let’s resist the urge to ‘settle’ or chase after what’s temporal or fading.
God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him (Hebrews 11.6). Even though Jesus later appeared to all the disciples and many more after his resurrection, Mary who had lingered, had the rare privilege of being the first to see Jesus. Something happens to your perspective and priorities after you see Jesus, nothing trumps a personal encounter with the living God. The Bible is silent about what happens after to Mary but I bet seeing and meeting Jesus again left an indelible mark on her soul and her commitment to follow Jesus.
And some people may not understand who we have become and why we can’t stop sharing the good news of the gospel, we have seen Jesus, it wasn’t a second hand or hand-me-down revelation we recieved, we’re grateful to all who held our hands until we found our feet at the cross. But at the cross, when we finally saw the light and the burden of our hearts was rolled away, it was there by faith, we recieved our sight and life has not been the same again. Lord open my eyes, I want to see Jesus.
Lord Jesus, thank you for the empty tomb. We look to the day when we will see you and be with you forever. Amen