“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.””
John 20:13
Peter and John, the disciples of Jesus run ahead of Mary. They examine the empty tomb and leave without looking for any further evidence. Mary who couldn’t keep pace with them, arrives and glances into the tomb of Jesus. She witnesses two angels, one at the head and the other at the foot of where Jesus lay. In most encounters with angels great fear overwhelms the eyewitness. The spontaneous response of the angels is, “Do not be afraid.” Mary did not appear to be surprised by their presence. Did her previous bout with demon possession give her spiritual powers to see beyond the land of the living?
On the Day of Atonement, the high priest would enter the holy of holies where the Mercy Seat of God is located in the Tabernacle, to atone for the sins of all the people. What the high priest did once a year for the Jewish people, Jesus did once and for all for all people (1 Peter 1:3-12). The most exciting part of the Tabernacle are the two cherubs at either end of the “Mercy Seat” (Exodus 25:17-22). Between the two cherubs gazing down at the mercy seat is the divine presence of God. Could the two angels be symbolic of the mercy and grace of God through Christ for the atonement of our sins (Romans 3:23-26, 2Corinthians 5:19)? When the veil of his flesh was severed from his spirit, we have all been given access into the very presence of God (Hebrews 10:19-20). The sight of two angels did not make Mary draw any parallels with the Mercy seat of God.
Here Mary is so preoccupied with her loss of her teacher and Lord she does not remember that Christ had said he would rise from the dead, or see any of the visible clues indicating the magnificent resurrection of Jesus. The angels inquire, “Woman why are you weeping?’ The trauma of the death of Jesus and her hope to embalm his body as soon as possible made her only think of the down to earth life that perturbed her. One can picture the grief stricken Mary bewailing to the angels, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.” Had she relapsed into her old psychiatric disorder of yesteryears seeing demons and angels?
Then she sees a figure she assumes is the gardener who asks her the same question a second time, “Woman why are you weeping?” Nonetheless she didn’t recognize Jesus’s voice because he called her “woman” although he did hint by saying, “ Whom are you seeking?”. She responds by saying, “Sir, if you have taken him away, tell me where you laid him.” At that moment Jesus gently calls her, “Mary!” She jolts out of her stupor and responds with a joyous shriek, “Rabboni!”(which means teacher) and clings to the feet of Jesus. Jesus tells her to let go, as he no longer can be physically there for her like of old. He is now the Savior of the world, nevertheless will very soon send the Holy Spirit to be with her forever.
Jesus told his followers so many times he would rise again. Mary never understood. Be that as it may, why does Jesus have compassion on Mary and reveal himself to her first? Was it because she persists to seek Jesus when everyone else has left? Can anyone ask for a a closer encounter with Jesus than Mary? Mary sees the Risen Lord alive, touches his feet and rejoices. Jesus sends her to tell the good news to his brothers (disciples) that she has seen him and he is on his way back to his Father’s house. Isn’t she the first Apostle of the Gospel message?
Prayer: Heavenly Father we praise you who in your abundant grace and mercy has given us a new birth into a living hope, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. Lord Jesus our risen Savior of the world, we magnify you as our resurrection and life. Renew us and make us alive in you. May our hearts and minds come alive with your glorious inexpressible love and joy. Amen.
Soli deo Gloria
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I do not remember that the Lord Jesus ever called his disciples his brethren till that time. He called them ‘servants’; he called them ‘friends’; but now that he has risen from the dead, he says, ‘my brethren.’”
Exodus 25:22
And there I will meet with thee - That is, over the mercy-seat, between the cherubim. In this place God chose to give the most especial manifestations of himself; here the Divine glory was to be seen; and here Moses was to come in order to consult Jehovah, relative to the management of the people.
Ainsworth has remarked that the rabbins say, "The heart of man may be likened to God's sanctuary; for as, in the sanctuary, the shechinah or Divine glory dwelt, because there were the ark, the tables, and the cherubim; so, in the heart of man, it is meet that a place be made for the Divine Majesty to dwell in, and that it be the holy of holies." This is a doctrine most implicitly taught by the apostles; and the absolute necessity of having the heart made a habitation of God through the Spirit, is strongly and frequently insisted on through the whole of the New Testament.
“I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.”John 20:17
“He says not ‘Our Father’: in one sense therefore, He is mine, in another sense He is yours; by nature mine, by grace … my God, under whom I also am as a man; your God, between whom and you I am a mediator.”
“Nothing will ever separate us from God’s love! Death can't, and life can't. The angels can't, and demons can't. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can't keep God's love away! Nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that comes through Jesus Christ our Lord!” Romans 8:38-39 (NLT)
It's so nice and comforting to get one more assurance that God, our Father will never leave us nor forsake us! At the end of our sojourn here on earth, we go to our Father, expecting to hear the gratifying voice of God, saying 'Well done, my faithful steward! Enter into the riches of my glory!' But they were not said. Instead I get the question 'And Philip, what have you done to be my faithful steward?' 'Oh my Father!' I reply, 'I prayed and thanked you six times each day!' 'And?'asked God. 'I thanked you with my prayers for all that you have done for me and my family. I prayed for your protection and favor for me and my family' I replied 'I even sang a few songs of praise with my loud voice!' 'But, what did you do for me?' God asked 'Oh God, my Father! I was so busy catching up with my life, that no time was left for doing anything else! But God! I lived a sinfree life,and you forgave me Lord by thy precious blood! Thank you God!' 'But Philip! I am asking you, what have you done, apart from calling me Lord! Lord!? Did you do anything to alleviate the pain, hunger or suffering of the least of these your brethren? Did I ever leave you or forsake you? Was I not your refuge in times of trouble? Did I not set apart sufficient time for you, from worldly cares and sorrows, so you could at least visit my other less fortunate children?'
I had no answer!
G. K. Chesterton’s The Everlasting Man:
On the third day the friends of Christ coming at daybreak to the place found the grave empty and the stone rolled away. In varying ways they realized the new wonder; but even they hardly realized that the world had died in the night. What they were looking at was the first day of a new creation, with a new heaven and a new earth; and in a semblance of the gardener God walked again in the garden, in the cool not of the evening but the dawn.
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