Mary Magdalene – Me From the Inside Out

Adapted from the study, She Volume 2, pp41-44

Read: Mark 16:1-15 and John 20:1-18

SHE WATCHED HIM DIE ON THE CROSS.
SHE SAW HIS BODY BURIED INSIDE THE TOMB.
SHE WAS THE FIRST TO SEE JESUS AFTER HE HAD RISEN.
SHE, VOLUME 2, P41

Mary Magdalene is the Mary from whom Jesus cast out seven devils (Mark 16:9), and according to Mark’s gospel (16:9), she was the first to see Jesus after He arose from the grave. Her master and teacher, whom she had seen brutally tortured and crucified, was no longer in the grave but standing behind her calling her name (John 20:16). She had seen HIm, but had mistaken Him for the gardener (Jn 20:15), until He said her name: Jesus saith unto her, “Mary,” and she immediately turned and called Him Master.

Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.
John 20:16

I love that the study guide for this journey points out that “He knew her name, just as He knows ours,” but I am just as moved and somewhat convicted by the evidence that even though she did not recognize Him when she saw Him, when He called to her, she recognized His voice. “Knowing the Lord’s voice indicates experiential knowledge through a relationship with Him.”¹ This is an important lesson Jesus had taught the disciples earlier in His ministry. May we never be so busy or preoccupied with life that we fail to see Jesus, and may we always know His voice when He calls our name.

“…she stooped down, and looked into the sepulcher..”

Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him”
John 20:1-2

“Mary neglected to remember what Jesus had said would happen.”

We know from Mark’s writings that Jesus had taught His disciples that men would take Him and kill Him, but that He would rise again on the third day (Mark 9:31). However, when she found the tomb was empty, she forgot what had been said and panicked she found the tomb was empty. In her panic, rather than running with the jubilant cry that Christ had arisen, Mary Magdalene ran to tell the others His body had been stolen, and we do not know where He is.

Friends, we would be wise to learn from Mary Magdalene and not allow fear or other distractions to cause us to forget what we have heard and seen from Him.

Mary Magdalene: The First Woman

Day 3, Week 6 of Beautifully Surrendered, A Love God Greatly Study

Today’s Reading: John 20:11-18 SOAP – John 20:18

Mary Magdalene came and informed the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them what Jesus had said to her.
John 20:18 NLT

Observation: The Story

Who is this Mary?

Mary Magdalene is the woman from whom Jesus drove out seven demons. After this she became of His followers, and like many others she supported Him from her resource.

Sketchy Details

While John sketches details rather than elaborates, his details though lacking do match up with those of the other Gospel writers, Matthew 28:1–10, Mark 16:1–8, and Luke 24:1–12. One difference worth noting is the other writers all mention other women being with Mary when she went to the tomb, though in all accounts Mary Magdalene is mentioned first. It has been suggested that John leaves the other women unmentioned because Mary was the one who went to find Peter and the “beloved disciple”.

John’s sketch includes the following details about Mary:

She was at the tomb before daybreak and was the first to see that the stone had been rolled away.

She ran to tell Peter and the ‘beloved disciple’.

She stayed when the others left

She saw, and talked with, two angels who were in the tomb

She saw, and talked with, Jesus (though she did not recognize Him by His appearance)

She recognized who He was when He called her by name

She was given a message from Jesus to deliver to His disciples

She announced that she “had seen the Lord”

She didn’t tell her story but what He told her to say

I’m a detailed writer, clearly John wasn’t. His rendering is lacking in details or embellishments but what we know for certain is that Mary was focused on Jesus, so she went to the tomb. Finding the tomb empty did not shake her focus but she zeroed in on finding Him, according to John she was even fearful that someone had taken the body. We also see her unwavering focus kick-in when the Lord’s use of her name revealed to her who He really was.

How Then Should We live?

We should live focused on and passionate about Jesus, alert to where He is in our life, seeking Him if He “seems” distant, listening for His voice, and telling others what we have seen and heard.

Prayer Response:

Father, I can only imagine how Mary must have felt to find the tomb empty – to think someone had taken Him – her Savior and teacher … She needed and wanted Him back. Thank you that the tomb is empty and that we know where He is!

YOUR TURN:

What’s your take away from the story about Mary Magdalene?

REFLECTION QUESTIONS:

Mary Magdalene proclaimed to the disciples what she had seen, our risen Lord.

Why is it important to tell others the incredible work we have witnessed Jesus do in our lives as well as the live of others?

WANT MORE?

Visit Love God Greatly for their Wednesday Blog