Day 152

2 Samuel 18:1-19:10; John 20:1-31; Psalm 119:153-176; Proverbs 16:14-15

They Have Taken Away My Lord

Mary Magdalene is one of my favorite people mentioned in the Resurrection story. Here we have a woman who, unlike the male disciples of Jesus, was not afraid to venture out to Jesus’ tomb, which was guarded by Roman soldiers, to tend to her Lord and master. She was a woman who had the privilege and opportunity to minister to our Lord and Savior, and she did so not only during His last three years on earth but also in His death. Mary had so much love for Jesus that she bravely went where no disciple dared to go—she went to Jesus’ tomb with the intention of preparing her Savior, her teacher, her friend, with a proper Jewish burial.

How sad Mary must have felt to find no sign of her Jesus in the empty tomb. How desolate and empty the tomb must have felt for her when she came upon it on early that Sunday morning. If I was Mary, I would have been crying so much that my eyes would have burned all day. Maybe Mary was so distraught when Jesus did appear to her that she could not even recognize Him. When Jesus called her by name, her heavy heart must have lightened inside of her, and joy must have filled her entire body. Just to hear Him say her name must have made her smile and allowed her to forget all the sadness of the past three days.

Mary found such joy and happiness, more then she had ever known before in her whole life. Jesus allowed Mary, a woman, to be the very first person on the face of the earth to witness His resurrection.

My brothers and sisters in Christ, Jesus is calling each and every one of us to witness His resurrection. All we need to do is answer Him when He calls us by name, and He does call us every day of our lives. The question is, are we ready to answer our Lord and our master?

Rev. Susan M. McCaffrey, Deacon