The Love that Leads to Revelation

Then the disciples went back to their homes. But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” 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.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher) (John 20:10-16).

There was a very simple yet profound conversation between Mary Magdalene and Jesus early that resurrection morning. The encounter climaxed in a two-word exchange… “Mary” and “Rabboni”. This Mary was the first evangelist, first to share the gospel with the world. She is an excellent illustration of the journey from Christ follower into disciple. The Holy Spirit inspired John the Apostle to record this, the first encounter between the risen Jesus and Mary Magdalene in order to teach and encourage earnest disciples in every age. Loving Christ is the indispensable first step toward knowing Christ. Mary’s love for Christ compelled her to linger, look, and long for her Savior well after others left the empty tomb. Jesus met her there and revealed Himself to Mary because of her compelling love for Him. The Teacher exhorts us today to examine our hearts and to rekindle the love that leads to revelation.

Mary’s love for Jesus compelled her to faithfully minister to the Lord and kept her close to the cross where she witnessed Jesus’ death… “There were also many women there, looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him, among whom were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph and the mother of the sons of Zebedee” (Matthew 27:55-56).  Mary’s love drove her to accompany His body to the tomb… “And he rolled a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb” (Matthew 27:60-61). Mary’s love for Jesus made her the first to discover the empty tomb on resurrection day… “Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb” (John 20:1). The other disciples came, confirmed the empty tomb, and went away. But Mary stayed.

Mary did not receive supernatural power to do miracles like the male disciples… “Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you” (Luke 10:19). Mary was instead known as one of the faithful women who served the Lord and His disciples out of their humble resources and personal energies. Mary was among the women who washed clothes and prepared meals for Christ and His disciples. These women got little visible return for their investment into the ministry of Christ and His disciples. Mary’s unconditional love for Christ was a beautiful illustration of God’s love for us, love in action meeting the needs of others, unconditionally… “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). The habit of lovingly caring for the personal needs of Jesus brought Mary to the tomb before anyone else on resurrection morning. She was there to clean and tend to His body before its permanent burial. Responding to such a precious demonstration of the love He taught by word and deed, Jesus revealed Himself to Mary through an intimate declaration of her name and He further revealed His plan for her to be the Church’s first evangelist as He commissioned her to go tell the disciples the incredible good news that He had been raised… “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God’” (John 20:17).

As we grow up into Christ we see and know Him better because our growing love for Christ is…

The Love that Leads to Revelation.