Mary Magdalene. How she touches my heart. When she reaches the tomb and finds her Jesus gone, she is so distraught. I tear up whenever I read the account:
But Mary stood outside the tomb weeping. As she wept, she knelt to look into the tomb and saw two angels sitting there, dressed in white, one at the head, the other at the foot of where Jesus’ body had been laid. They said to her, “Woman, why do you weep?”
“They took my Master,” she said, “and I don’t know where they put him.” After she said this, she turned away and saw Jesus standing there. But she didn’t recognize him.
Jesus spoke to her, “Woman, why do you weep? Who are you looking for?”
She, thinking that he was the gardener, said, “Mister, if you took him, tell me where you put him so I can care for him.”
Jesus said, “Mary.”
Turning to face him, she said in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” meaning “Teacher!”
Jesus said, “Don’t cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I ascend to my Father and your Father, my God and your God.’”
Mary Magdalene went, telling the news to the disciples: “I saw the Master!” And she told them everything he said to her. (John 20:11-18, The Message)
Did you notice it was when He called her name that she recognized who He was?
Have you heard Him calling your name during this long, cold winter? Mostly He speaks quietly. He's not one to yell in order to gain attention.
Have we been too busy complaining about the cold and snow (which He has lovingly allowed) to hear Him?
Have we been drowning out His voice with activities and ventures?
Have we been stopping our ears with hatred, grudges, or bitterness?
Have we been trying to hide from Him behind some pet sin?
Yes, it's been a long, long winter. As I write, it's almost the end of March, and it's snowing outside my window.
It probably seemed like a long, cold weekend for those who loved Jesus: to watch Him die, take Him down from that cross, prepare His body for burial, and leave His shell in that dark tomb. It had to have been excruciating! Much worse than a long, long winter.
But then spring came! He was alive! I call it spring because spring is a season of hope and renewal and beautiful splendor. Our hearts can live in spring all year long if we choose that, because of Jesus!
And spring weather is coming to us, sisters. It's coming! God promises spring will always follow winter as long as the earth endures (Gen. 8:22). We can barely see signs of it, but they are there if we care to look.
Will we choose to open our "ears" to hear His voice calling our name? Will we dare to turn to Him when we hear it, like our sister Mary Magdalene did? Will we run to Him and cling to Him and then obey Him like she did? No matter what He asks of us?
Let's allow our hearts to fully celebrate the Easter season, because we already know what Mary didn't at first: He's alive! And that means everything to us, even when we don't realize it like dear Mary did . . .
. . . when He called her name.
