John 20:11-18(ESV)
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).Jesus said to her, “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.’”Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples,“I have seen the Lord,” and that he had said these things to her.
How Should We Read This Text?
OK, so how should we read this text? Well, first, I think we need to think about Mary’s persistent presence and grief. She’s been standing outside the tomb, weeping, and really, John is making the point that she remains with Jesus. She’s so devoted to Him even when the other disciples have gone home to ponder these questions in their minds. Maybe Mary’s emotional state teaches us something about her loyalty and her love for Jesus, even when things seem to be defeated.
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The second thing I think we need to notice is that there are these two angels sitting where Jesus’s body had been laid—one at the head, one at the feet. I think we should see here that they are kind of like the angels over the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant in the Old Testament. John doesn’t make this explicitly clear, but many commentators believe we are to see at least an allusion to that covering of the mercy seat. This was the place where the high priest would sprinkle the blood of the lamb that was sacrificed for the forgiveness of sins. Here, Jesus, the Lamb sacrificed for the sins of people, had been lying, and the angels sit at each end.
We might wonder why Mary does not recognize Jesus and mistakes Him for a gardener. The truth is, we don’t really know. It could be that there’s something about His resurrected body that makes Him unrecognizable until He reveals Himself—much like the disciples on the road to Emmaus. In Mary’s case, He calls her by name, and that’s when she sees who He is.
Another puzzling detail is Jesus saying, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father.” We don’t have a fully clear explanation. Maybe He’s pointing forward to a new era in which He will ascend, send the Spirit, and be present with believers in a different way—no longer bodily in the same sense, but still fully present through the Spirit. It also highlights the transition from His earthly ministry to His exalted place at the Father’s right hand, where He intercedes for His people.
Finally, notice that Mary is the first witness of the resurrection. She’s instructed to go to the disciples with the good news, and she does, announcing, “I have seen the Lord.” It’s significant that her testimony—coming from someone whose word might have been marginalized in her culture—becomes the very first proclamation of the risen Christ. God shows us here that it doesn’t matter what age you are, what position you hold in society, or what past you have: we can all be called to proclaim that He is risen.
How Should the Text Read Us?
So how should this text then read us? I think it points us to our tendency to despair or to remain spiritually blind when we don’t see the immediate evidence of God’s work. Mary stood at the tomb in tears, perhaps assuming the story was over. She was unaware that Jesus was present, risen, and right there with her. We often do the same. We can fail to grasp Jesus’ victory and live in the hope He offers.
There are a couple of ways we can live this out. First, we need to recognize that we have a new relationship with Jesus, the resurrected Lord. His Spirit has come to the world, and though we can’t cling to Him physically, He is in heaven interceding for us. We don’t relate to Him in a physical way like Mary wanted to, but through His Spirit, His Word, and prayer.
Second, like Mary, we need to remember that there’s a commission for us. Mary, with her checkered past and lack of any special qualification, was told to tell the disciples about the risen Christ. We, too, are called to bear witness to Jesus, no matter who we are. Whether or not we feel capable, God can use us to stand for Him and to tell others that Jesus is alive.
And so, as we wrestle with this text, let us remember that we have a purpose and a calling. We can share the good news that Jesus is the risen Lord, whether we feel qualified or not. May you take this challenge into your work, your school, your university—wherever you go this week—and tell others the good news that the Lord has risen.
Prayer
Let me pray.
Lord, we thank you that you are indeed the risen Lord whom we serve. It may be that we don’t recognize your hand or your work in places in our lives, and we pray that you will forgive us for this oversight. But thank you that we can celebrate that you are the risen Lord, that you have, in fact, come back from the dead, and that we, as a result, have hope and a future. Help us to live out of that reality and not be scared to share the good news of Jesus with those around us. We pray this in Jesus’ mighty name. Amen.
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