Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene

Scripture: John 20:11-18(NIV)

Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 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.’” Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.

Devotional

Mary Magdalene must have followed Peter and John to the empty tomb, taking Bronze medal in this race to the grave. When they left, she stayed, weeping with grief that someone would steal the body of her friend Jesus. It is interesting that she did not recognize Jesus when she turned around and looked straight at Him. I wonder how many times we miss the power of God, or the presence of the Holy Spirit, or the face of Jesus right in front of our faces.

When Jesus revealed His identity to her, she embraced Him, but He said, “Do not hold onto me… I am ascending…” This seems counter-intuitive. Once He ascended, how would she hold onto Him? Perhaps the answer is the Holy Spirit – the Spirit of Christ – who is with us and lives in us. With Him, we are able to hold onto Christ, to abide with Him, to remain, to hold fast.

In this announcement, Jesus said that His Father and God is Mary’s Father and God. By extension, the same is true for all who receive Jesus. We can have a personal relationship with God the Father through His Son Jesus. We are now children of God.

John opened his Gospel with this declaration about Jesus: Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God (John 1:12). Indeed, Galatians 3:26 tells us, “So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith.

There is a beautiful song by Hillsong Worship that captures this truth well. A portion of it goes like this:

I am chosen, not forsaken
I am who You say I am
You are for me, not against me
I am who You say I am

Who the Son sets free
Oh is free indeed
I’m a child of

Yes I am
In my Father’s house
There’s a place for me
I’m a child of God
Yes I am
I’m a child of God
Yes I am

Take a moment and reflect on the deep truth that God the Father loves you as a precious child of His.

Who You Say I Am
Ben Fielding & Reuben Morgan
2017 Hillsong Music Publishing Australia (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)

Poem

Who Can Believe It?

Who can believe it?
Wondrous news!
Fear, death destroyed
Life in full view
Tears now are dry
Gulped sobs are ceased
Eyes open now
In disbelief
The gulf is gone
The bridge repaired
Who can believe
The good news shared?

Podcast: Week 48

Sermon: Week 48

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