Meeting the Risen Lord: Mary’s Story
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.
John 20:1, NIV
The First to See
Mary blinks away tears as they approach the garden. She cannot see anything besides the image of her beloved Jesus, bloodied and bruised and broken on the cross.
As they approach, she looks up, she stops short and gasps.
The other women follow her gaze. Their sounds of surprise confirm she is not seeing things.
The great stone is rolled from the entrance.
Giant heaves work through Mary’s chest. She remembers the horrible things done to Jesus. Could they not allow him to rest in death?
“They have disturbed him and taken his body so he will not have a proper burial.” Joanna clutches the jar of perfume in her hands.
“We must tell the others,” James’s mother says.
Mary hands the bag of spices to Joanna. “I will go.” She is the youngest. She can run to Peter and John’s lodgings faster than the others.
Where is Jesus’s Body?
As she runs, her tears flow. She remembers the life she knew in Magdala before Jesus. The torment of the demons. But Jesus caused light to flood in. With one touch, the demons fled. She was healed. Jesus gave her purpose. He invited her into the law. Into his kingdom. He encouraged her to share it. He gave her hope.
How can life without him be worth living?
Chest heaving, she bangs on the door of the home where Peter and John stay. “Come quickly. They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”
Peter’s face pales. He calls back to John. In moments, they race from the house. John, the younger of the pair, pulls ahead of Peter before they reach the end of the street.
She forces her legs forward, stumbling. When she finally reaches the garden, rosy fingers of sunlight reach into the sky. There is no sign of Peter or John or the other women. Have they sought answers elsewhere?
She peers inside the hewn rock to the stone bench to the right. She blinks. The graveclothes lie neatly on the bench, hardened with the aloes and spices. But there is nobody within them. How could the robbers remove the body so neatly from the cloths?
None of it makes sense. More warm tears wet her raw cheeks.
Reunited with the Savior
Without warning, two men in blinding white appear near the graveclothes, one at the head and the other at the feet.
“Woman, why are you crying?”
“They have taken my Lord away and I don’t know where they have put him.”
She turns from the darkness of the tomb and sees another man at its entrance. Bursting dawn sparkles behind him, and while the form of his shadow looks familiar, she cannot place where she has seen him.
“Woman,” he says. “Why are you crying? Who are you looking for?”
Is he the gardener, then? “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”
He Has Risen
“Mary.”
Mary. Like an entire message in one word, meant only for her.
The sound of her name opens a well of understanding deep in her spirit. She does know that voice.
It is him.
“Rabboni!” She falls to his feet, clasping his ankles, clinging fiercely to him. His skin is solid and warm beneath her fingers. His feet are still pierced, but they do not call to mind the ugliness of a few days ago, only an unusual beauty.
He is here. He is alive and breathing. Never again will she release him.
Many moments pass before he speaks gently. “Mary, you must stop clinging to me. 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.’”
With tears in her eyes and with the sun shining brilliantly above, she runs again. She can hardly wait to tell the others.
Their Lord is alive!
She bursts into the lodgings of Peter and John to find them sitting at their table, looks of puzzled distress upon their faces. But all is better now.
Their hope lives.
“I have seen the Lord!”
In His Word
Read John 20. Read with the new perspective that we have through the eyes of Mary. How has this story changed your view of Jesus’s resurrection? How has it informed your view?
In Your Life
In this story, Mary’s eyes are opened when Jesus calls her name. He then invites her into the work of proclaiming the Good News. How does this moment of resurrection speak of the renewal of creation? Pray that God gives you the strength to do the faithful work of chasing after Him and of sharing God’s love with those around you.
We Recommend
We recommend the book Draw Close to Jesus by Heidi Chiavaroli. One of our favorite things about this devotional is how she draws you into stories and expands on the lives of biblical characters who were transformed by Jesus.
Let’s Connect
Heidi Chiavaroli is a hope-inspired storyteller writing from the deep curiosity of her own heart. Her debut novel, Freedom’s Ring, was a Carol Award winner and a Christy Award finalist, a Romantic Times Top Pick, and a Booklist Top Ten Romance Debut. Her second Carol Award-winning novel, The Orchard House, is inspired by the lesser-known events in Louisa May Alcott’s life and led her to write The Orchard House Bed and Breakfast series, a contemporary twist on Little Women. Connect with her at HeidiChiavaroli.com or on Instagram @HeidiChiavaroli