Mary in the Garden

“Jesus said to her, ‘Mary.’” — John 20:16

When Mary Magdalene first saw that the stone had been rolled away from the tomb, she ran to find Peter and John. “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb,” she cried, “and we don’t know where they have put Him!”

Peter and John ran to the tomb. John ran faster and got there first. He bent down and looked in, and saw the strips of linen lying there. Then Peter arrived and went straight in. He saw the linen strips lying there, and the cloth that had been around Jesus’ head, folded up by itself. Then John went in too. He saw, and he believed. Then they went back home.

But Mary stayed outside the tomb, crying.

As she cried, she bent over to look into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white, sitting where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and one at the foot.

“Woman, why are you crying?” they asked her.

“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put Him.”

Then she turned around, and saw Jesus standing there. But she didn’t know it was Jesus.

“Woman, why are you crying?” He asked. “Who are you looking for?”

She thought He was the gardener. “Sir,” she said, “if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have put Him, and I will go and get Him.”

Then Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

Just one word. Her name. And as soon as she heard Him say her name, she knew!

She turned towards Him and cried out, “Rabboni!” which means “Teacher”.

Mary must have grabbed hold of Him and not wanted to let go. “Don’t hold on to Me,” Jesus said gently, “for I have not yet gone back to the Father. Go instead to My brothers and tell them, ‘I am going back to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God.’”

So Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news. “I have seen the Lord!” she told them. And she told them everything He had said.

Mary was the very first person to see Jesus after He rose from the dead. Jesus had once set her free from great trouble (Luke 8:2), and she had followed Him ever since. She had stood near the cross. She had watched where He was buried. She had come in the dark to the tomb. And now she was the first to see Him alive, and the first to tell the good news.

Jesus is the Good Shepherd, who calls His sheep by name. He knew Mary’s name, and He knows yours too.

Read it in your Bible: John 20:1–18

Dear Jesus, thank you that you know my name. Thank you that you are alive, and that you came to Mary when she was crying. I want to tell people, like Mary did, “I have seen the Lord!” Amen.