I Have Seen the Lord

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

I HAVE SEEN THE LORD!

John 20:10-18

10 Then the disciples went back to their homes, 11 but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. 13 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." 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. 15 "Woman," he said, "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." 16 Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'"  18 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.

NIV

We are of the option that after Peter and John saw Jesus’s body was gone and not knowing what had happened, they went home. Although John said they saw and believed, we are not sure what they believed because he also said they did not understand from the scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead. Nevertheless, they went to their homes. We would have to think they thought it was all over, their last three years were no doubt the most exciting years of their lives, traveling all over the countryside, going to Jerusalem and now after seeing Jesus die on the cross and be buried, his body now gone, what was left, but to go back to their homes. However, Mary just could not leave, she was so filled with grief, and she lingered at the tomb and wept. She looked one more time into the tomb, maybe hoping beyond hope Jesus would be there, but what happened was a move of God, an act of compassion on this woman, Mary, who had stood by Jesus to the end. What she saw were two angels and they asked her why she was crying. We know what happened, but at the time all Mary knew was that someone had taken the body of Jesus and she did not know where they put him. This would indicate Mary still was of the state of mind that Jesus was indeed dead. Then there was another man, in the garden and Mary turned noticing him standing there. Again, we know it was the resurrected Jesus, but Mary did not at this time. Jesus asked her why she was crying as if he did not know. There is an amazing statement Mary tells Jesus. She asked him if he knew where someone carried him away. She did not tell, who she thought was a gardener, that she was looking for Jesus, maybe she assumed the gardener would have known this was the tomb where Jesus had been laid. But she also said that if he knew where they had taken him, she would go and get him, which would have to mean she would bring his body back and put it where it belonged, in this tomb. It was the first day of the week, so would it be alright to touch a dead body and not be ceremonially unclean? Maybe she did not care, all she was concerned with is finding Jesus. However, Jesus had other plans, he simply spoke her name, “Mary” and that is all it took, she knew immediately she had found Jesus and he was alive. The reason Jesus told her not to touch him or cling to him at this time is highly debated by scholars and none have come to an absolute conclusion so then we will not either. However, the most fitting reason might be that Jesus did not want Mary to be the only one to know he was alive, and that he did not intend for her to stay there with him paying him homage, prostrating herself at his feet. He wanted, as the narrative tells us, to go and tell his disciples he was alive. It was not about actually touching him, as he told Thomas to do just that, to put his fingers in his scars. It was about going and telling others. So Mary did just that telling them, “I have seen the Lord!” Is it not the same with us, that when we hear Jesus speak our name, we can say, I have seen the Lord?