Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb ... Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!”. Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. -John 20:11,15-17 NRSV
I so love this exchange between Mary and Jesus. The transition from tears to joy speaks so deeply to me about the transformative power of the resurrection. Isn't it so interesting how Mary did not pay too much attention to this guy? It was unimaginable that this "gardener" could be the one she followed for many years.
Then he spoke her name and everything changed. Gardner became Teacher! Death became Life. Sorrow became Joy! I can see her rushing to him with a holy embrace. Such is the impact of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Believing that Jesus is alive gives us a holy hope that we will live with him forever.
Dear Lord Jesus. Because you live we live too. Because of the resurrection our fear of death is gone.
... this devotion is part of an ongoing series on the Gospel of John.
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