Joh 20:11-18 | KingComments | STEP | Mary cannot take things as the two disciples take them. What does “going home” mean to her now? What is the world to her? Nothing but an empty tomb where her Lord has lain. Others may go home; she remains at the tomb. Her sorrow does not remain without fruit nor does it last long. John saw only the linen wrappings. Peter saw more than John. He entered the tomb and saw the linen wrappings and the sweat-cloth and the order in which the wrappings lay. Mary gets to see and also hear even more. First she sees and hears angels. Then she hears and sees the Lord and receives from Him a wonderful message. When Mary stoops and looks into the tomb, she sees two angels. They are wearing white garments, which speak of the purity of heaven. The purity of heaven matches the purity of this tomb. They are sitting at the head end and foot end of the place where the Lord’s body has lain. They mark the place where He has lain. Between them now is an empty place. This scene is also reminiscent of the two cherubim on the mercy seat ( ). The angels on the mercy seat look at the law and at the blood sprinkled on the mercy seat. From that place emanates threat, but also reconciliation through satisfaction for all who believe. The two angels who are in the tomb look at the consequences of the sprinkled blood. For them, the empty place between them is the place where God’s love has descended to liberate us from death. For this He bore the curse of the law, which was kept in the ark. It is a place that does not instill fear of death, that is connected to the law, but brings to admiration and adoration because death has been conquered. The angels address Mary, asking why she is weeping. She does not seem to be frightened of the angels, whereas wherever angels appear, they also inspire fear. Her heart is so full of the Lord that therefore fear has no place. Her answer to the question shows that she can think of nothing but her Lord, and she supposes the same in others. She does not mention a name, but speaks of “my Lord.” This indicates a personal relationship. To the disciples she has said “they have taken away the Lord” ( ), but to the angels she speaks of “my” Lord. Yet she still seeks a dead Lord. The Lord Jesus is not far from such a heart that is so attached to Him. Having said this to the angels, she turns back to continue her search. Then she sees the Lord Jesus standing, but without recognizing Him. She is still under the impression that He must be lying somewhere, so she does not expect Someone standing to be the Lord. He addresses her with the same question the angels asked. He asks her why she is weeping. He adds another question. He also asks her Who she is looking for. Because of her tear-stained eyes, she is unable to see clearly. She thinks she has to deal with the gardener. He will certainly know what happened to the body, perhaps he even carried it away to another place. Again she does not mention a name, but speaks of “Him” as if everyone knows of Whom she is speaking. That is the language of love. That language does not remain unanswered. His response is the mentioning of her name. The good Shepherd Who rose from the dead calls His sheep by her name ( ). One word, her name, makes all difficulties and doubts disappear. The utterance of her name is not the expression of her love for Him, but of His love for her. This one word makes her, who sowed in tears, now reap with joy. Her heart fills with joy. This joy is overflowing and will also fill other hearts with joy, the hearts of all who believe. She is the same to Him as ever. He loves her now with the same love He had when He drove seven demons out of her.

‏ John 20:11-18

The Lord and Mary Magdalene

Mary cannot take things as the two disciples take them. What does “going home” mean to her now? What is the world to her? Nothing but an empty tomb where her Lord has lain. Others may go home; she remains at the tomb. Her sorrow does not remain without fruit nor does it last long.

John saw only the linen wrappings. Peter saw more than John. He entered the tomb and saw the linen wrappings and the sweat-cloth and the order in which the wrappings lay. Mary gets to see and also hear even more. First she sees and hears angels. Then she hears and sees the Lord and receives from Him a wonderful message.

When Mary stoops and looks into the tomb, she sees two angels. They are wearing white garments, which speak of the purity of heaven. The purity of heaven matches the purity of this tomb. They are sitting at the head end and foot end of the place where the Lord’s body has lain. They mark the place where He has lain. Between them now is an empty place.

This scene is also reminiscent of the two cherubim on the mercy seat (Exo 25:18). The angels on the mercy seat look at the law and at the blood sprinkled on the mercy seat. From that place emanates threat, but also reconciliation through satisfaction for all who believe. The two angels who are in the tomb look at the consequences of the sprinkled blood. For them, the empty place between them is the place where God’s love has descended to liberate us from death. For this He bore the curse of the law, which was kept in the ark. It is a place that does not instill fear of death, that is connected to the law, but brings to admiration and adoration because death has been conquered.

The angels address Mary, asking why she is weeping. She does not seem to be frightened of the angels, whereas wherever angels appear, they also inspire fear. Her heart is so full of the Lord that therefore fear has no place.

Her answer to the question shows that she can think of nothing but her Lord, and she supposes the same in others. She does not mention a name, but speaks of “my Lord.” This indicates a personal relationship. To the disciples she has said “they have taken away the Lord” (Jn 20:2), but to the angels she speaks of “my” Lord. Yet she still seeks a dead Lord.

The Lord Jesus is not far from such a heart that is so attached to Him. Having said this to the angels, she turns back to continue her search. Then she sees the Lord Jesus standing, but without recognizing Him. She is still under the impression that He must be lying somewhere, so she does not expect Someone standing to be the Lord.

He addresses her with the same question the angels asked. He asks her why she is weeping. He adds another question. He also asks her Who she is looking for. Because of her tear-stained eyes, she is unable to see clearly. She thinks she has to deal with the gardener. He will certainly know what happened to the body, perhaps he even carried it away to another place.

Again she does not mention a name, but speaks of “Him” as if everyone knows of Whom she is speaking. That is the language of love. That language does not remain unanswered. His response is the mentioning of her name. The good Shepherd Who rose from the dead calls His sheep by her name (Jn 10:3). One word, her name, makes all difficulties and doubts disappear.

The utterance of her name is not the expression of her love for Him, but of His love for her. This one word makes her, who sowed in tears, now reap with joy. Her heart fills with joy. This joy is overflowing and will also fill other hearts with joy, the hearts of all who believe. She is the same to Him as ever. He loves her now with the same love He had when He drove seven demons out of her.

The Message to the Disciples

After His making Himself known to Mary and her joyful recognition of Him, the Lord prevents Mary from touching Him. The words “stop clinging to Me” are necessary to make it clear that the relationships are no longer as they were before His death and resurrection. He is not the Messiah in this Gospel, as He is presented in the Gospel according to Matthew. There we see, and it is fitting there, that the women are allowed to touch Him (Mt 28:9). Here His resurrection is connected with His going to His Father and it is inappropriate for Mary to touch Him here.

When He is with the Father, she will be able to “cling” to Him again and that is through the Holy Spirit He will send from the Father. On the day of Pentecost, when Mary will be filled with the Holy Spirit together with the other disciples, she will experience in her spirit a much more intimate connection with the risen Lord than she ever experienced in the days of His flesh.

She may not cling to Him, but He has a wonderful message for those whom He calls “My brethren”. Mary is allowed to deliver that message. He speaks to Mary of “My brethren,” expressing a relationship beyond “His own” (Jn 13:1) or “My friends” (Jn 15:14), as He called His disciples as well.

In speaking of them as “My brethren”, He places them in the same relation to God His Father in which He Himself stands. This relationship could only come about after He had passed through death and resurrection. If His Father is now our Father, He is not ashamed to call us His brethren (Heb 2:11-12). It means that believers are now a family.

Mary, because of her attachment to the Lord Jesus, is the appropriate person to go and tell the disciples the glorious message of an entirely new relationship. It concerns the highest truths of Christendom which are all connected with knowing the Father and God of the Son, as our Father and our God.

However, the ‘our’ refers exclusively to the believers and not to the believers together with the Son. The Lord Jesus nowhere speaks of ‘our’ Father and ‘our’ God in that sense. As the eternal Son, He has a unique relationship with His Father and His God that cannot be shared by us.

Mary does what He has told her to do. The first thing she tells the disciples is that she has seen the Lord. Her encounter with Him as the risen One is the starting point. Then she tells the disciples what He has told her. This order is important for us as well. We can only pass something on to others when we have had a personal encounter with the Lord Jesus about this, that is, He came to our attention by what He has told us and we having seen Him.