Welcome to the last week of Faithlogue’s 2023 Fall Series: “The Women of the Resurrection.” Please subscribe to receive each week’s post in your email inbox.

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Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.

John 20:18

Welcome to week 5 of our series, The Women of the Resurrection. We are studying the four Gospel records of Mary Magdalene’s response to the news of Jesus’s resurrection. We aim to see what we can learn from the variations in Mary’s experiences across the narratives.

So far, in Matthew 28:1-20 we learned about the importance of spending time with Jesus before we attempt to “go and tell” others about the good news of His resurrection. From Mark 16:1-8, we contemplated the gift of joy as the emboldening factor that led the women to “go and tell” instead of fleeing in fear. Finally, Luke 24:1-21 reminded us that our call is to relate the good news for God’s glory and timing, not ours.

This week, we reach the last of the Gospel accounts of Jesus’s resurrection found in John 20:1-18. The Gospel of John differs in format and structure from Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The other three books are called the Synoptic Gospels, which means they provide a synopsis, or linear account, of Jesus’s life and ministry.

In contrast, John’s Gospel is more thematic than linear. He builds on the Synoptic accounts to add theological insight and depth. John’s book also adds a few intimate stories about Jesus’s interactions with individuals such as Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman at the well. Such inclusions lend credibility to the assumption that the book’s author is John of Zebedee, an eyewitness of Jesus’s ministry.

Because John was an eyewitness, his resurrection narrative includes a firsthand account of finding the empty tomb. In his account, John names only Mary Magdalene. Still, we can assume female companions attended with her because she uses the plural pronoun “we” in John 20:2.

As in the other Gospel accounts, Mary and her companions arrive early on the morning after the Sabbath to anoint Jesus’s body. As before, Mary finds the stone rolled away and Jesus missing from the tomb.

In John’s account, Mary runs to Peter and “the one Jesus loved” (presumably the author, John) to tell them that Jesus’s body has been taken. Peter and John race each other to the tomb and find that Jesus’s body is missing, but His burial linens are still present. John 20:8-9 tells us that John believed, although neither man understood.

After finding the empty tomb, both men return home. Mary remains at the tomb, distraught and crying. I wonder if she also felt panicked and frustrated at the loss of Jesus’s body because she re-enters the tomb. Inside, Mary encounters two men in white who ask, “Woman, why are you crying?” (Clearly, like Peter and John, Mary also did not yet understand.) Mary responds, “They have taken my Lord away, and I don’t know where they have put him” (John 20:13). Can you sense the sadness and panic in her voice?

As she turns to go, Mary sees and hears another man ask, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” In her distress, she assumes the man is the gardener, so Mary appeals to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” (John 20:15).

In response, the gardener speaks her name, “Mary.” She cries out, “Rabboni!” in recognition. Here is Jesus, the One she was seeking! She clings to Him, and Jesus says, “Do not hold onto me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.” Mary obeys and tells the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!”(John 20:16-18).

When Mary hears Jesus speak her name, I imagine every bit of fear and panic melts away. She recognizes her beloved Lord and Teacher, the One she was desperate to find.

This comfort of an embodied personal greeting that Jesus gives Mary seems very intentional. Mary cared deeply for Jesus, and she and other women displayed their devotion by attending to Jesus’s human needs during His ministry. As we read throughout the Gospel accounts, it was women who gave birth to Jesus, fed Him, washed His feet with their tears, and anointed His body for burial.

I wonder if this explains why Peter and John do not see or hear the angels in the tomb. It seems Jesus intended His revelation exclusively for Mary and the women. Notice that Jesus reveals Himself to them in the exact way they need to see Him. Mary searched for Jesus’s body, and He found her!

In the remaining Gospel chapters, Jesus repeats this pattern by revealing His risen form to the other disciples in a personal way. For example, Jesus addresses Thomas’ doubt by showing Him his wounds (John 21:27-28). He also reinstates and commissions Peter over a catch of fish (John 21:3-21). In all these cases, the disciples do not initially recognize Jesus, so He stays and teaches them and opens their minds to understanding (Luke 24:45).

By appearing to the disciples in such personal ways after His resurrection and before He ascended to Heaven, Jesus confirmed His promises not to leave them as orphans (John 14). Through His life, death, and resurrection, Jesus also extended His promises to all those who love Him, saying, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him” (John 14:23).

These promises comprise the good news we are called to relate to others. We know from Matthew and Mark that, like Mary, we must encounter Jesus first before we can joyfully “go and tell” others. Likewise, Luke reminds us that Jesus’s resurrection heralds God’s fulfillment of His promises for His glory and timing, not ours. This week, John deepens those lessons to remind us of our theological need for a Savior.

In John’s account, Jesus meets Mary exactly at the point of her desperation to find Him. When she recognizes Him, Mary discovers how Jesus fulfills God’s promise to the Israelites: “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13). Likewise, Jesus reminds Mary that His resurrection fulfills His mission of reconciling humanity to God when he says, “I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God” (John 20:17).

When Mary arrives at the tomb, she represents a world separated from its Savior: afraid, desperate, and alone. Then, when Jesus finds Mary, the tomb of her fear and distress becomes a testament to Jesus’s promises fulfilled. Filled with joy, Mary leaves the tomb and proclaims to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!” (John 20:18).

Fellow Christians, may we follow Mary’s example. We live in a world of people who are afraid, desperate, and alone and who desperately need to hear us say, “I have seen the Lord!” Go and tell.

Thank you for spending the last five weeks studying the resurrection accounts with me. I’ll post once more next week to wrap a bow on this series, and then we will begin our celebration of Advent. I pray your coming week will overflow with thanks and giving: thankfulness for God’s promises and ample opportunities to give others the good news of Jesus’s resurrection!

© 2023 Lori Myers Berry