H. The Resurrection (20:1-29)
2. The appearance to Mary Magdalene (20:10-18)
The disciples came and witnessed the empty tomb. Since there was nothing more to see here, they went home. Possibly back to the upper room, but it’s not known. Clearly, they were in hiding at some unknown friend’s house.
probably stunned and days, Mary was left standing at the tomb. As she wept, probably in disbelief she took one more look into that tomb. She had come to anoint the body for one final time, In frustration and grief, if for no other reason, she was seeking closure over the tragic events of the recent weekend.
This time, instead of the empty tomb with only grave clothes she saw something else. Two men were there, In the space where two of the disciples were just standing to examine the scene, the two men were dressed in white, One sat at the head, and one sat at the foot of where the body had been. Through the blurry vision of her tears, she was able to identify that much.
They addressed her as woman. They asked her why she was crying. It was obvious to them the resurrection should be a happy turn of events. People are weird, they just didn’t get it. The question was enough to awaken her frustrations. She expressed her grief. She was seeking closure and a farewell gesture to her master. They took him. (Whoever they are.) She still looking for the corpse, not the risen Jesus.
After her conversation with the Angels, she turned around as if to look for the body. What she found instead was a man standing there. What kind of person just stands around in the cemetery? Of course, it’s must be the care taker. The last person she thought would be there was Jesus. The supernatural had not quite caught up with the natural processing in her brain.
Now it’s Jesus turned to refer to her as woman. And ask her the same questions as the Angels. Who are you looking for? Why are you crying? Her grief and frustration still have her mind confused. She is not yet able to cut through the mystery. She still seeking closure for one last goodbye to a corpse. If this man knows where to find Jesus, she will be glad to take his body and reclaim it.
Jesus gets to the point, and calls her by her name. The veil of the mystery is cut through. She can now see clearly through her grief and tears. She recognizes him as her master.
It sinks in at once that she shouldn’t expect to corpse, but a risen Savior.
As you can imagine, She suddenly hugged him tight.
KJV: don’t touch me. Other versions: don’t hold onto me. Was his intention that she should not delay him and his next steps? A more literal translation indicates that he told her do not cling to me. It’s okay to touch, but don’t try to keep Jesus from his father, or delay him in his mission. Jesus tells her to let the brothers know what he’s about to do. He has to return to the father, but first he will meet with his disciples.
At this point Jesus first uses the term brothers to refer to his disciples. It marks a distinct change in the relationship we hold in the inheritance of his kingdom. Jesus is not just our Lord and Savior, but our brother. His father is also our father.
Mary went, and told them. This time the news wasn’t about empty grave, but a risen Savior. The empty grave was startling news. The risen Lord is gospel.
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