Encounters with Christ: Mary Magdalene & The Disciples
Open Your Bible
John 20:11-23
By Nick Batzig
In his sermon, The Heavenly Discourse between Christ and Mary, 17th century theologian Richard Sibbes explained that it was love that moved Jesus forward throughout the entirety of His earthly ministry:
“The same love of Christ that drew Him from heaven to the womb of the virgin, from the womb of the virgin to the cross, and from the cross to the grave […] moved Him to reveal Himself after He was risen from the grave to them that […] wonderfully loved him.”
In the post-resurrection appearances, the Scriptures highlight new revelations of Jesus’ love for His disciples. Jesus could have chosen to reveal Himself only once to the entire band of disciples prior to the ascension. That would have been sufficient to make them witnesses of His resurrection glory. However, He chose to reveal Himself to them repeatedly to teach them new depths of His love for them and to draw out of them new expressions of their love for Him. The first of these appearances is among the most significant.
On that first Easter morning, Mary Magdalene sat outside of the empty tomb, weeping. Perhaps she stayed out of a sense of abandonment and desperation; perhaps out of a sense of expectant hope. Whatever her reasons, of this much we can be sure: Mary stayed out of love for Christ. It was love for the Savior who had first loved her and had redeemed her that kept her at the tomb weeping and seeking. Mary longed to be with Jesus; and love always produces longing.
Mary’s longing to be with the Savior was so strong that she even disregarded the angels that appeared to her (John 20:12-13). The normal response of such a revelation is fear and awe. Mary was different. Her heart was consumed with love for Christ to such a degree that her longing to find Him caused everything else to fade from sight.
When Jesus finally revealed Himself to Mary, He did so by tenderly calling her by name. Here was the Good Shepherd, calling one of His own by name (John 10:3). Jesus loved Mary, whose life had been wrecked by the bondage of sin. He assured her that He would never leave her nor forsake her—that He would love her to the very end.
The longing of the hearts of those who have been redeemed by the dying love of Jesus will never be frustrated. No matter how much despair, desperation, and disappointment may, at times, seem to take ownership of our hearts, the risen Jesus reveals Himself to us in new and powerful ways. He is intent on reminding us of how greatly He loves us, and on assuring us that our longings to be with Him are never in vain.
Written By Nick Batzig
44 thoughts on "Encounters with Christ: Mary Magdalene & The Disciples"
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Mark says:
God’s gifts are even more generous than we imagine.
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We need repeated visits from God to truly learn his messages for us. And, He loves us enough to do it!
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Give thanks to the Lord Jesus, God the Father and the Holy Spirit for their loving kindness and presence in me!
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His love for us is real, faithful and caring. He is mired by love and compassion for his people.
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Give thanks to the Lord Jesus, God the Father and the Holy Spirit for their loving kindness and presence in me! Lord help me to continue in the proper attitude.
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Matthew Reeves says:
Now through the resurrection we are always welcome into relationship with Him!
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Matt Rouse says:
God is a God is a is who speaks to his children gently. He doesn’t say things like, “You idiot! Why don’t you just understand!!” He simply gently calls my name. He isn’t waiting for me to find him, but is actively pursuing me and trying to connect with me. He is a God who breaks down barriers. He wasn’t stopped by the disciples locked room. He stepped in anyway! He’s not intimidated by my stubborn heart. He steps in and shows me that he is alive and he is good!
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We are desperate for love even when we don’t know it. Whenever we despair or fall into depression over a loss it is because we desperately need secure love and when we lose something that we loved it rocks our identity. The good thing about Jesus is that his is a live that we will never lose! We can be confident and rest in Him knowing that he will never leave or fail us!
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Jesus rose again for me and you to prove the externality of His love. Everything else is subject to death and decay except for the love of Jesus! He is the only thing that can save us from death an destruction!
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Matt Mitchell says:
Continue to seek after God even when everything is crumbling down around you. G.K. Chesterton said that whenever faith in God becomes difficult the tendency is to turn away but in heavens name to what!?! I don’t want to turn away because things are hard and I don’t want to only seek God during these times. God asks us to pursue him in all moments and to see he is our God and Captain.
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This is the embodiment of the Gospel. What good news do we have of not for the Grace, the resurrection, and the immanence of Jesus in our lives? The passage embodies that but by no means teaches us more about it.
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Will I still cry out to God in my lows as much as I am willing to thank him for my highs? Will I sit in my troubles and try to do it on my own like the disciples who were hiding in a house trying to protect themselves? Or will I rather be like Mary who went to the tomb regardless of the risk? It was as if Mary had far more to lose. She lost everything so who cares if her life would be taken. The disciples thought they would be next. The disciples did not feel the same loss as Mary. None of them had been saved from what Mary had been save from. I need to live my life as though losing My connection to Christ is the equivalence to losing everything. Sadly, that is not how I live. That will be my response.
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I don’t think this passage can show us as much about love as it does about how he reveals himself in the midst of our disappointment and loss. I think it is remarkable that during this time, the Jews did not believe in a dying Messiah let alone a resurrecting one. None the less, Mary still refers to this lost hope as the Lord! And in that moment, Jesus showed up and restored her hope! He allowed the social vestige of what they thought to be the Messiah to come crumbling down. She maintained her love for Christ even when all seemed lost. I think all of this speaks of the immense love of Christ but I can not begin to think that any passage beyond the crucifixion to increase my awareness or understanding of Gods love for us. This passage shows me far more of how he meets us in our times of need and that we still need to look to him when all seems lost!
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Payton Sanislow says:
Responding to this is by showing our love of Christ towards others and letting them know the Word and our strength through difficult times.
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This passage teaches me that God will never leave us or forsake when we are going through any hard times. His love for us is undying just like our love should be towards Him.
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God describes man by saying that we will feel desperation, despair and/or disappointment because of our thoughts and assumptions that we have been abandoned. We have been redeemed and we will not be frustrated because we have an everlasting love for God.
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Praying will prepare us for our response to others. It will also be a personal thing that keeps us strong when we feel that we aren’t being answered or protected by God when we are.
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The Gospel provides great examples that will help us have a better understanding and familiarity of the things that go on in our lives. It prepares us and let’s us know that God understands what we are going through.
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Landen Howell says:
I will pray for a clear line of sight.
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This teaches me that Jesus makes his love new for me everyday. Even when I am an idiot and mess up, he is there ready to pick up the pieces.
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