Devotional

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. — John 20:11-18 (NIV)

The Easter story is overwhelming. So much happens in Holy Week, from the ride into Jerusalem on a colt, to the Last Supper, to the Garden, to the cross, and ultimately to an empty tomb. And we thank God that Good Friday is not the last word, but necessary to realize the promise of Easter. 

Reading about this swirl of events in the last week, the smallest thing jumped out at me:  

“Mary.” “Rabboni!” 

It was in this personal relationship that Mary realized the full nature of what had happened. She had to hear Jesus call her by name to recognize Him, to understand that she still had a relationship with Him. 

We see that play out not just with the disciples (Thomas comes to mind) but in our own lives as well. It’s one thing to know about Jesus, whether that’s a faith we’ve heard in sermons, from our parents and grandparents. But it’s when we have a relationship of our own that we really understand. That’s when our lives change, when we can pray with honesty and sincerity, when we know Jesus well enough to tell others about Him. When we know Jesus well enough to call him “Teacher.” 

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, we thank You for loving us even to death on a cross for our salvation. We thank You for showing Yourself to us so that we can have real relationship with You and real life in You. Let us stay in conversation with You, seeking and then yielding to Your will. Amen.

Written by Jon McHenry. Jon leads our devotional team, is a council member, worship speaker and part of the men's ministry at Arcola Church. He is a devoted husband and father.