Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene (John 20:11-18)

This sermon was preached on Sunday, 16/10/2011

The first human to whom the risen Jesus appeared was Mary Magdalene. She had originally come to the tomb with other ladies to anoint the body of Jesus. Matthew says that Mary was accompanied by another lady called Mary; Mark’s account says that she was accompanied by Salome and Mary the mother of James; Luke adds that Joanna and other women were also present as well as Mary the mother of James; she is not alone in John’s account because she says ‘we’ (20:2). Mary Magdalene is the only woman to appear in each of the Gospels’ accounts of the resurrection.

When they arrived at the tomb they saw that the stone had been rolled away. An angel told them that Christ was risen from the dead and that they should go and tell his disciples that they were to go to Galilee to meet him (Matt. 28:5-7; Luke 24:5-7). It seems that the women split up in order to go and tell the disciples, with Mary Magdalene going to tell Peter and John. They then run to the tomb upon hearing her words. After they have returned home, Mary stays at the empty tomb.

Who was Mary Magdalene?

A few details are given about her in the Gospels. Her home village was Magdala on the west shore of the Sea of Galilee.

She was delivered by Jesus from great troubles. When she met Jesus she was possessed by seven demons, although there is no hint that one of her problems was immorality. The Saviour miraculously delivered her from Satan’s terrible chains.

She was devoted to Jesus with great thankfulness. She was evidently a wealthy woman because after her conversion not only did she gave material help to Jesus and his disciples but she was free to follow them, along with women of the same status (Luke 8:1-3). Her devotion was stronger than that of Jesus’ male disciples as was made clear by her determination to remain at the cross until he died and then to follow his body to the tomb.

She was delighted with Jesus as a gracious teacher. As she followed Jesus and his disciples she would have listened to his words and fed her soul upon them. She would have rejoiced in the gracious promises that he gave and the tender compassion that he showed to those in need of mercy and comfort. Yet she did not fully appreciate all he had taught, otherwise she would have recalled his teaching about his own resurrection, and would have expected him to rise from the dead.

She was devastated because Jesus had been the victim of injustice. Her Master had been betrayed by a money-mad disciple, he had been falsely condemned in a bogus trial by an unrighteous judge, he had suffered a cruel death at the hands of indifferent and callous soldiers, and he was now in a borrowed grave given by a secret disciple. All her hopes about Jesus and his kingdom had been dashed.

She was determined to honour the body of Jesus. It does not seem to have entered the minds of the male disciples to do anything with the body of Jesus that had been placed in a borrowed tomb. Yet the women, marked with tender love for him, resolved to engage in a last act of love for him. They did not mind the potential danger of helping one who had been crucified as a criminal. Nor did they have a clue as to how to remove the large stone from the entrance to the tomb. Love does not have excuses for not honouring Jesus, and so they made their way to the garden of Joseph.

She was distressed because the body of Jesus was gone. James Gibson, an Irish minister, wrote: ‘She could only weep: the word denotes not the tear-shedding of a silent grief, but the loudly expressed woe of an inconsolable mourner. She wept and wailed, as though her heart would break, reminded as she was by the tomb of the distressful events of the past few days, her grief being aggravated by anxiety as to what had become of the Lord’s body.’ Jesus was her world, even when she could no longer have it.

Why did Jesus appear first to Mary? I think that those who suggest it was because of her deep love for him are correct. If there is one feature in the lives of his disciples that Jesus will not resist, it is their overflowing love. Mary’s love was uninformed, but it was pouring out of her heart.

The Question of the Angels

Weeping Mary is alone, or so she thinks. She looks into the tomb and discovers that two angels are there, one at the head and the other at the foot of where the body of Jesus had been. The custom at Jewish internments was for the two chief mourners to sit beside the body, one at its head and one at its feet. When other relatives came in, they would see disconsolate mourners. But when Mary looked inside the tomb she did not see any mourners. Instead she saw angels with a happy expression on their faces.

We know from the accounts in the other Gospels that the angels had already told the women that Jesus was risen from the tomb. So there may have been a sense of puzzlement in their question to Mary now that she had returned from the mission she had been given to tell the disciples still in great sorrow. They knew that there was no reason as to why she should be sad. Yet she was.

The Sadness of Mary

Before she came to the tomb that morning, she had been sad because her hopes had been dashed. But now she is still sad although she has both the evidence of the empty tomb and the angelic explanation. She had not fully listened to the words of the heavenly messengers. That is evident in her continued belief that Jesus was still dead. Sorrow can deafen our ears to the words of comfort. Neither had she fully absorbed the significance of the empty tomb, although it was enough to convince John (20:8). Sorrow can blind our eyes to what may be obvious to others. We should remember this when listening to other people’s experiences. In Mary’s case, according to David McIntyre, the situation was that she ‘was looking for him in the grave, in the one place in all the universe where he cannot now be seen.’

But there is another cause for her sorrow. The reason why she was crying because all these helps could not make up to her the sense she had of the absence of Christ. ‘The historical evidence for the resurrection of Jesus is quite convincing to the historian, but the lover of Jesus may crave for something more intimate’ (McIntyre). Jesus, although dead in her opinion, was still her Lord.

It was not enough for Mary that she had known Jesus in the past; she wanted more than a memory of what once had been her contact with Jesus. And she had not forgotten why she had come to the tomb, which was to care for the dead body of Jesus. Spiritual love at times be may be irrational, but it is better than clinical theology. Such love is always marked by a desire to serve, and Mary wanted to serve Jesus by taking care of his body (similar to the way a devoted servant will look after the affairs of his dead master).

Meeting with the risen Jesus

As she was speaking to the angels she turned round. John does not say why she did so, although Chrysostom, the early church father, suggested that as she was looking at the angels she saw their eyes looking behind her. When she turned, she saw a stranger.

Jesus asks the same question as the angels concerning her tears. But he is more aware of her real concern as is evident in his second question; he realises that she is looking for him. Still he does not reveal himself until he hears her say what she wants from him.

There is a picture here of many a seeking soul. They weep for their sins and long for mercy. They wonder why Jesus does not respond. Perhaps he is waiting for them to be more specific, to say to him, ‘Lord Jesus, you are all I want.’

These are the first words spoken on earth by the resurrected Christ. They are a vivid reminder that this world is one of many tears, in which people are seeking for answers to life. These words echo down to us in our sad situations and say to us, ‘What are your priorities?’

In any case, after Mary had articulated her desire to take care of the body of Jesus, he spoke to her personally. He addresses her in Aramaic and calls her by the name by which her intimate friends would have used. He calls her, ‘Miriam.’ Hendriksen comments: ‘The original Aramaic name by which her parents and friends must have addressed her many a time, the name which Jesus had always used in speaking to her, is employed also in this instance. Jesus addresses her by her native name, in her native tongue.’

This was a powerful word of revelation. According to Loane, ‘He knew that this homely appeal would be the most direct way to her heart, and the very accent of His voice would thrill with loving kindness as He called her by name: “Mary”.’ This was the voice of the Good Shepherd calling his own sheep by name. This will be the privilege of every believer one day, to hear Jesus speak their name as they enter heaven.

She responded to Jesus with words of great love. When she says, ‘Rabboni,’ she means ‘my dear Master’. I wonder was this the term she used when speaking to Jesus during those happy days of fellowship she had enjoyed in his presence. It contains words of deep affection. Apparently, no-one would use the title in speaking to another human; instead it was used in addressing God (Leon Morris). So Mary’s words were marked by devout adoration. She virtually says the same as did Thomas later on when he addressed Jesus as ‘my Lord and my God’.

In her heart, there was recognition. How often had she heard his sweet voice speaking personally to her! One word from Jesus removed the darkness from her soul and replaced it with eternal light. In her heart also there was rejoicing. The sweet voice that had comforted her and guided her was still speaking to her. One word from Jesus removed the sorrow of her soul and replaced it with great joy. Further, in her heart there was submission for she gladly confesses that he is her Master. There is great extent of meaning in her use of the personal pronoun.

Her response is a vivid illustration of true faith: recognition, rejoicing and submission. Recognition is the response of our minds, rejoicing the response of our hearts, and submission the response of our wills.

When we meet Jesus in heaven, there will not be any formalities. Neither he nor we will need anyone to introduce us. We may need someone to introduce us to individual believers and angels, but not to Jesus. In the Bible, we read of the writings of David and Paul and Peter and others. They reveal to us some of their traits and desires, but we don’t get to know them. In the Bible we get to know Jesus as our friend, lover and guide, our teacher, intercessor and king. There will be no formalities when we reach the doorstep of the Father’s house. I wonder what word we will use when we first meet him face to face. Here is a word that we can use, Rabboni.

Message for her to Deliver

In her joy, Mary had probably embraced her Saviour. After his resurrection, Jesus did not usually prevent individuals touching him. With regard to Mary, he was telling her not to cling to him. Perhaps she assumed that the old days were back again. Or maybe she thought that the eternal state was about to begin. She had to learn that there would be separation for a short time.

Jesus does not speak harshly to her. Rather he speaks as the elder Brother who desires that his brothers and sisters also know his concern for them. She was to be a servant with a message. And what a message! It concerned the ongoing exaltation of Jesus and the profound relationship that his followers would have with God as his children.

The next time she saw Peter and John and the other disciples, she had a different message for them. The previous one had been marked by uncertainty, now she spoke with great conviction. What a difference meeting the risen Christ had made.

Are there any lessons that we can suggest from this incident? Briefly, it tells us not to stop with the messengers (angels) but persevere to meet the Master; it tells us not to stop at the sign (the empty tomb) but to seek the Saviour.