People of Hope Part 5 - Mary Magdalene
Monday devotions@Work 13 April 2020
Having celebrated Passover this weekend in a lockdown situation made me think about the people whom Jesus shared His life on earth with in a whole different way. Mary Magdalene stood out for me. We don’t know much about her background, her family – or apparent lack of family for that matter. However, what we do know about her is profound.
We know that Jesus cast 7 demons out of her (Mark 16:9 and Luke 8:2). The circumstances that led up to her being in this state we do not know, but I cannot think that they were hopeful circumstances. There is nothing that leads us to be able to think that she had an extremely bright and hopeful future at that point in time. Yet somehow Jesus had compassion on her and saved her from the hopelessness of this existence. He healed her and she became a most loving, loyal and devout follower. He gave her hope in her darkest hour. She lived in this hope for a year or two or three, we do not know exactly how long, but I think it is safe to say that she must have rejoiced in her newfound freedom and in her relationship with Jesus and the other disciples.
Then came that fateful day that Jesus, against all expectation, was betrayed by Judas and arrested in the garden of Gethsemane. The same night He was sentenced to death by an illegal and unjust nightly court and crucified the next morning. Amongst a few of His other followers, Mary was standing at the cross the next day. Seeing her savior, healer, deliverer die a most cruel and gruesome death. She saw the soldiers declare Him dead when they came to break His bones. She saw them pierce Him with a sword. She saw the water and blood flowing from His side. She saw Him being buried in a garden tomb. She refused to leave or hide, seeing and living with Him through His darkest hour. From hope to utter hopelessness and despair in one day.
Three days later, early morning, we find her on her way to the garden tomb. She finds the stone rolled away and the tomb empty. She runs back to Peter and the other disciples weeping, initially thinking that His body was moved without them knowing where He was taken. Hope deferred. She cannot even pay her last earthly respects to the One whom she dearly loved. The other disciples leave and return to their respective homes. She hangs around in the garden, weeping and alone. Hopeless and directionless. What now? Whereto now? How does she keep on living after this? Have you ever been in this place of not knowing how to take the next step in life? Not knowing which direction to go?
In this state of hopelessness, she has an encounter with two angels that ask her: “…why are you weeping?” I mean really, I think I would go – “How can you ask me this? Is it not obvious?” She answers them respectfully – “…because they have taken away my Lord and I do not know where they have laid Him”. Then she sees Jesus standing there and she does not recognize Him! She thinks He must be the gardener. He must have looked so different, her grief and hopelessness and perhaps her inability to even contemplate the idea of Him being alive, must have been so prevalent that she, who knew Him so well, did not even recognize Him in that moment – until He said her name. There must have been something in the way He said her name that made her realize whom se was talking to. She answers Him, saying: “Rabboni”, which means “My Teacher”. That is a personalized answer. She could have said “The teacher” but the “my” indicates personal relationship. Can we even try to imagine what went through Mary Magdalene in this moment? Can we try to put ourselves in her shoes?
A most extraordinary discussion now follows:
Do not touch Me for I have not ascended to My Father yet.
Can we even begin to understand what it means that the Messiah of all mankind, chooses in this moment to appear to a human being, in this case a woman, BEFORE He ascended to His Father?
Having celebrated Passover this weekend in a lockdown situation made me think about the people whom Jesus shared His life on earth with in a whole different way. Mary Magdalene stood out for me. We don’t know much about her background, her family – or apparent lack of family for that matter. However, what we do know about her is profound.
We know that Jesus cast 7 demons out of her (Mark 16:9 and Luke 8:2). The circumstances that led up to her being in this state we do not know, but I cannot think that they were hopeful circumstances. There is nothing that leads us to be able to think that she had an extremely bright and hopeful future at that point in time. Yet somehow Jesus had compassion on her and saved her from the hopelessness of this existence. He healed her and she became a most loving, loyal and devout follower. He gave her hope in her darkest hour. She lived in this hope for a year or two or three, we do not know exactly how long, but I think it is safe to say that she must have rejoiced in her newfound freedom and in her relationship with Jesus and the other disciples.
Then came that fateful day that Jesus, against all expectation, was betrayed by Judas and arrested in the garden of Gethsemane. The same night He was sentenced to death by an illegal and unjust nightly court and crucified the next morning. Amongst a few of His other followers, Mary was standing at the cross the next day. Seeing her savior, healer, deliverer die a most cruel and gruesome death. She saw the soldiers declare Him dead when they came to break His bones. She saw them pierce Him with a sword. She saw the water and blood flowing from His side. She saw Him being buried in a garden tomb. She refused to leave or hide, seeing and living with Him through His darkest hour. From hope to utter hopelessness and despair in one day.
Three days later, early morning, we find her on her way to the garden tomb. She finds the stone rolled away and the tomb empty. She runs back to Peter and the other disciples weeping, initially thinking that His body was moved without them knowing where He was taken. Hope deferred. She cannot even pay her last earthly respects to the One whom she dearly loved. The other disciples leave and return to their respective homes. She hangs around in the garden, weeping and alone. Hopeless and directionless. What now? Whereto now? How does she keep on living after this? Have you ever been in this place of not knowing how to take the next step in life? Not knowing which direction to go?
In this state of hopelessness, she has an encounter with two angels that ask her: “…why are you weeping?” I mean really, I think I would go – “How can you ask me this? Is it not obvious?” She answers them respectfully – “…because they have taken away my Lord and I do not know where they have laid Him”. Then she sees Jesus standing there and she does not recognize Him! She thinks He must be the gardener. He must have looked so different, her grief and hopelessness and perhaps her inability to even contemplate the idea of Him being alive, must have been so prevalent that she, who knew Him so well, did not even recognize Him in that moment – until He said her name. There must have been something in the way He said her name that made her realize whom se was talking to. She answers Him, saying: “Rabboni”, which means “My Teacher”. That is a personalized answer. She could have said “The teacher” but the “my” indicates personal relationship. Can we even try to imagine what went through Mary Magdalene in this moment? Can we try to put ourselves in her shoes?
A most extraordinary discussion now follows:
Do not touch Me for I have not ascended to My Father yet.
Can we even begin to understand what it means that the Messiah of all mankind, chooses in this moment to appear to a human being, in this case a woman, BEFORE He ascended to His Father?
He sends her out with a message.
He tells her to go and tell the other disciples that the grave is empty not because they have moved His body, but because “He is risen”.
He tells her to go and tell the other disciples that the grave is empty not because they have moved His body, but because “He is risen”.
He tells her where He is going.
He essentially says to her, I have something I need to do first. He says I just need to go home first. I just first need to go see “My Father and your Father, My God and your God”. Mind-blowing. In Mark 16 we read that the angels at the grave already told her and the others that He will go before them to Galilee.
Mary Magdalene, whom Jesus delivered and healed from an utterly desperate place, who’s hope was restored, lost again in the despair of the cross and burial of Jesus, becomes the first human being to see the risen Christ – even before He ascended to His Father. She becomes the first messenger with an extraordinary message of life and hope and death defeated. Redeemed once again out of a place of despair, this time into eternal hope.
Such is it often with us in life. We cannot always see the result and because we can’t see the result, we tend to lose hope along the way. Jesus understands this. He does not leave us in a place of hopelessness without coming to us with His message of hope. He asks us to return to His Stronghold of Hope in Faith. It is when we remain in this stronghold of hope that He will give us peace and joy in seemingly hopeless circumstances. It is from this place of hope that He will deliver us from the waterless pit. It is because of His covenant with us that He does this – not because of anything we can do to deserve it. (Zech. 9)
In the world we currently live in, we seem to be in a place of hopelessness, fear and despair. We are all on lockdown and the economy of the world is crashing. I am definitely riding the emotional see-saw between hope and despair at times and I do suspect that I am not the only one. But one thing I know beyond a shadow of a doubt is that God knows what He is doing even when I don’t know what He is doing. Mary Magdalene did not know what He was doing when He willingly laid down His life at the cross. Only days later she understood. Such is the nature of faith. Faith is to hold on to the things we cannot see nor understand – yet. Faith is to trust a Sovereign God who is inherently good and infinitely wiser than us.
I think if we “hang around the garden” long enough like Mary did – He will meet us where we are. He knows where we are. He knows where to find us. What we need to do is to be on the lookout for Him. Be expectant to meet Him, otherwise we may not recognize Him when He does come. Listen for when He calls your Name in the quietness of the morning, in the darkness of the night, in the brightness of the day… listen… for He will come.
©2020 Copyright All rights reserved HG Venter
He essentially says to her, I have something I need to do first. He says I just need to go home first. I just first need to go see “My Father and your Father, My God and your God”. Mind-blowing. In Mark 16 we read that the angels at the grave already told her and the others that He will go before them to Galilee.
Mary Magdalene, whom Jesus delivered and healed from an utterly desperate place, who’s hope was restored, lost again in the despair of the cross and burial of Jesus, becomes the first human being to see the risen Christ – even before He ascended to His Father. She becomes the first messenger with an extraordinary message of life and hope and death defeated. Redeemed once again out of a place of despair, this time into eternal hope.
Such is it often with us in life. We cannot always see the result and because we can’t see the result, we tend to lose hope along the way. Jesus understands this. He does not leave us in a place of hopelessness without coming to us with His message of hope. He asks us to return to His Stronghold of Hope in Faith. It is when we remain in this stronghold of hope that He will give us peace and joy in seemingly hopeless circumstances. It is from this place of hope that He will deliver us from the waterless pit. It is because of His covenant with us that He does this – not because of anything we can do to deserve it. (Zech. 9)
In the world we currently live in, we seem to be in a place of hopelessness, fear and despair. We are all on lockdown and the economy of the world is crashing. I am definitely riding the emotional see-saw between hope and despair at times and I do suspect that I am not the only one. But one thing I know beyond a shadow of a doubt is that God knows what He is doing even when I don’t know what He is doing. Mary Magdalene did not know what He was doing when He willingly laid down His life at the cross. Only days later she understood. Such is the nature of faith. Faith is to hold on to the things we cannot see nor understand – yet. Faith is to trust a Sovereign God who is inherently good and infinitely wiser than us.
I think if we “hang around the garden” long enough like Mary did – He will meet us where we are. He knows where we are. He knows where to find us. What we need to do is to be on the lookout for Him. Be expectant to meet Him, otherwise we may not recognize Him when He does come. Listen for when He calls your Name in the quietness of the morning, in the darkness of the night, in the brightness of the day… listen… for He will come.
©2020 Copyright All rights reserved HG Venter
Listen to Natalie Grant as she sings The Story of Mary Magdalene.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.