John 20:1-18
Time for Every One

Now on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene went early, while it was still dark, to the tomb, and saw the stone taken away from the tomb. Therefore she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have laid him!"

Therefore Peter and the other disciple went out, and they went toward the tomb. They both ran together. The other disciple outran Peter, and came to the tomb first. Stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths lying, yet he didn't enter in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and entered into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying, and the cloth that had been on his head, not lying with the linen cloths, but rolled up in a place by itself. So then the other disciple who came first to the tomb also entered in, and he saw and believed. For as yet they didn't know the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. So the disciples went away again to their own homes.

But Mary was standing outside at the tomb weeping. So, as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb, and she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head, and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. They told her, "Woman, why are you weeping?"

She said to them, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I don't know where they have laid him." When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, and didn't know that it was Jesus.

Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?"

She, supposing him to be the gardener, 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, "Rabboni!" which is to say, "Teacher!"

Jesus said to her, "Don't hold me, for I haven't yet ascended to my Father; but go to my brothers, and tell them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'"

Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had said these things to her.

World English Bible

Jesus never seemed to be in a hurry. He had time to stop and ask when a chronically ill woman touched the hem of His robe. He had time to set children on his lap when the disciples were certain He had more important tasks to perform. And in this passage, at the most profound event in the history of humanity, He took time to talk personally with Mary Magdalene. He even interrupted His plans, delaying returning to the Father in heaven, because Mary needed to hear from Him.

What was so special about Mary that Jesus would stop to talk with her? John and Peter were also at the tomb, and the different responses between these three provide us with two different answers that both hold truth and insight for us.

The first answer comes from their response to the scene presented them. Peter entered the tomb, saw the unnatural way the cloths were left on the burial slab, and marveled at what must have happened. John saw the same thing and believed that Jesus must have left these cloths there. Mary, although she had seen the same scene, still hadn't come to realize that Jesus had vacated the burial cloths. She needed more help to see the truth, help that first angels offered to her, and finally that Jesus himself gave to her. God was going to be certain that Mary understood the victory of that first Easter, and if the evidence wasn't enough, if Peter and John couldn't explain it, and if the angels couldn't persuade her, then Jesus would show her that He was alive.

One of those nagging fears that we all carry in our Christian Walk is that we will miss the signs. Maybe God was calling us to missionary work and we didn't notice. Maybe God led us to the perfect mate, and we were having a bad day and not in the mood to meet someone new. Maybe God had blessings sitting for us that we were too preoccupied to accept. We certainly know we often are not in a receptive mood for God's movement in our lives, and frequently we only see in retrospect how God was trying to work. Remember that God's Will is not weak and fragile! Of course we should strive to listen more closely to God, but we should do so out of love and not out of fear that God will be unable to reach us. When God wants us to receive a message, God will be certain we don't overlook it, just as Jesus did whatever it took so that Mary would hear of the Resurrection.

The second answer was that Mary was still searching. One of the odd observations in the first part of this passage is that Peter saw, but John saw and believed. Maybe John wrote these words in that way because Peter didn't yet know what to make of the evidence of the Resurrection. Perhaps he couldn't see past his guilt at denying his Lord three times early Friday morning. If that is true, Peter left in silence, his guilt further aggravated but no closer to knowing the truth. John knew, Peter wasn't ready to know, but Mary wasn't ready to leave. She was still searching, still asking, still longing for someone to answer, and still open to understanding.

When we, like Mary, are seeking the truth, God will be certain that we find the answers we need. I find that God's answers are frequently to questions other than what I was asking, but each answer from God is a wonderful blessing! Mary was asking where someone had taken Jesus' body, but the answer she received was that Jesus was alive. So frequently for me, the answers I receive are "not yet, just wait". When I ask God for an answer of either "yes" or "no", I am usually told I have asked the wrong question. The more we try to control and channel God's answers, the more we will find that God does not cooperate with our leading; when we follow, God will lead. Mary's seeking was a beautiful example of this, expressing her hurt and her need in the best way she could, and allowing God to answer the question she didn't know to ask.

Know with all your heart that Jesus is eager to do for you what He did for Mary! Certainly the Gospels tell us that Mary was a wonderful follower, full of faith, and brave in her allegiance to Jesus, but Mary was saved by Grace just like we are. God will provide to each of us just the message we need, and God is patient and loving enough to make sure we have the chance to receive it. God will provide us with answers when we seek. God has all the time in the universe for each one of us.