Three women went to the tomb of the crucified and buried Jesus, expecting to anoint his body with spices. But they are surprised to see the stone rolled away. Next they hear from an angel in the tomb, “Do not be afraid. He is risen.” The four gospels have slightly different versions of the exact sequence of events now. The women returned to tell the disciples that the body was missing but they were not believed. Peter and John run to the tomb and confirm that the body is missing. They return to the disciples as Mary Magdalene lingers. She has seen with her eyes, heard with her ears, but she is still confused. John 20:10-18 shares that a man then speaks to Mary from behind her, asking who she is 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.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Mary.’” Mary turns and cries out for she recognizes Jesus.
15 Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? For whom are you looking?’ Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, ‘Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.’ 16 Jesus said to her, ‘Mary!’ She turned and said to him in Hebrew, ‘Rabbouni!’ (which means Teacher). John 20:15-16
It is in this personal encounter that the reality of “He is risen” begins to take meaning. The truth of the resurrection deeply impacts Mary’s life. We can watch movies. We can hear testimonies from others. But when we personally encounter Jesus calling our name, our lives change. People who have come later in history and who did not experience that hug may not have stories of hearing or seeing Jesus but often there are stories of the feeling of being engulfed in love and of feeling completely known. Many love to hold a cross that gives that sense of connection.
I know my doctor and my lawyer and my pastor. They know my name but they do not know me. None of them really know me. Christianity claims that we worship a risen Savior who knows our name, who calls us to our better self, and who walks with us on good days and bad. He does not sit up in the clouds watching but is with us. Mary’s story of her experience of the resurrected Jesus is the foundation for a life journey of faith that transformed her life.
In John 10 Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd. I know my sheep and the sheep know me.” “My sheep listen to my voice. I know them and they follow me.” Isaiah 49:16 ponders if a nursing mother can forget her child but concludes, “See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands,” In this world where we sometimes feel like a social security number, a phone number, a driver’s license number, or some other impersonal identification, a resurrected savior who calls us by name and knows us is significant and the beginning of an eternal relationship. We may mistake him for the gardener and not recognize that he is behind us, but he “has our back”, and is calling our name. May we learn to recognize his presence during this Easter season as we hear the testimonies of those who saw the risen Lord face to face. He knows our names; they’re written on the palms of his hands. Blessings as you ponder that truth today.
On the Way to Wonder 