One of my favorite parts of the Easter story is John 20:10–18. It’s the scene where Jesus reveals Himself to Mary Magdalene at the tomb, making her one of the first eyewitnesses of the resurrection. Growing up, it was easy for me to skim over this story and move onto the dramatic scene where He appears to His disciples. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve heard the story of Jesus inviting doubting Thomas to put his fingers in His hands and side.
But as I spent time reflecting on this passage a couple of years ago, I was struck by how uniquely intimate this encounter between Jesus and Mary is. It’s rare to find any stories where Jesus isn’t surrounded by at least twelve people (and more often than not that number is somewhere in the thousands), but here He intentionally shows Himself to one. One woman who loved Him enough to follow Him until His death (Matthew 27:55–56), who was deep in the throes of grief over the loss of her friend.
In this moment, Jesus made a point to pause and enter into Mary’s pain. He allowed her to feel her sorrow over the sting of death, just as He did when He wept with another Mary (John 11:33–35). I can’t help but wonder if He even felt some of this emotion Himself.
I wonder if His eyes shone with tears as He watched His friend’s heart break when she saw the empty tomb, even knowing that He was about to make it whole again.
I wonder if there was tenderness in His voice as He asked that simple question — “Woman, why are you crying?” — giving her space to voice the sorrow of her soul before it turned to unspeakable joy.
I wonder if a lump rose in His throat when He heard the grief in her words, desperate pleas spoken between anguished sobs. (“Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have put Him, and I will get Him.”)
I wonder what Mary felt when she heard her name spoken by her dearest friend — her teacher, her healer, her Lord — a voice she never thought she would hear again. How her soul must have leaped when she turned and met His eyes (were they dancing?) and ran to throw her arms around the man who first changed her life and then saved her soul.
If I’m being honest, part of the reason I love this story so much is because it also makes me wonder if this is a picture of what our first reunion with Jesus will look like after our own resurrection.
I wonder if our skin will prickle with goosebumps the first time we hear Him say our name.
I wonder if He’ll run to us like the father sprinting to meet His prodigal son, catching us up in His arms and holding us like He’ll never let go.
I wonder if His skin will feel warm against ours, if we’ll be able to press our ears against His chest and hear His heart beating for us.
I wonder if He’ll ask us why we’re crying.
I wonder if He’ll be crying, too.
ABOUT OUR BLOGGER
Kati Lynn Davis grew up in Chester County and returned to the area after a brief stay on the other side of Pennsylvania to earn her Bachelor’s Degree in English Writing from the University of Pittsburgh. She currently works as a Library Specialist and earns a living mostly by reading children’s books. She’s pretty sure she’s an Enneagram 4 but is constantly having an identity crisis over it, so thankfully she’s learning to root her sense of self in Jesus. A few of Kati's favorite subjects to write about are social media, mental health, and films, and she especially loves to explore these topics through the lens of faith.
Good Friday and Easter Sunday
We invite you to join us at either our Jennersville or Kennett campus for an interactive prayer walk on Good Friday, April 15 from noon – 7:00 p.m.
Our Easter Sunday Services on Sunday, April 17 at 8:00, 9:15, and 10:45 a.m. MORE »