“Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him.”
Jesus said to her, “Mary! “She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni,” which means Teacher. -Jn 20:15b-16
Friends!
God is good all the time.
William Barclay tells a story in his Bible commentary, THE DAILY STUDY BIBLE about a young painter who sent a picture of Jesus to the prolific French artist and sculptor, Gustave Doré to give his verdict on it. He said to the young man, flatly, “You don’t love him, or you would paint him better.” Anyone familiar with the relationship of Mary Magdalene knows how much she loved the Lord. She proved her absolute faith in Jesus by following Him and seeking Him even among the dead. Mary’s absolute faith in Jesus and what she gained from it provides us with some lessons:
Relationship: The extraordinary part that love plays in the story of Mary and Jesus a remarkable lesson for us. Mary’s unconditional love for Jesus gave her the eyes to see what she could not see earlier and illuminated her mind to understand what she could not understand before. Unconditional love enables one to look beyond aging, illness, disagreeable mannerisms, wrongdoing and see what is truly authentic and beautiful about others.
Sympathy: In all interactions, we cannot to interpret people’s words and actions well unless we are willing to sympathize with them. Sympathizing with people because we do not know what they are going through reduces the temptation to look at the behaviors people display and take them personally.
Trust: Mary showed absolute trust in Jesus. She looked for Him. When we have firm faith in the Lord and look for Him, we will find Him. Absolute faith is necessary if we are to understand that God is with us; He will take care of us. Have faith in Jesus and entrust everything to Him.
Prayer blessings: Lord, thank you for embracing us with the cords of your love. Amen.