John 20:11-23 (ESV)

¹¹ But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. ¹² And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. ¹³ They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” ¹⁴ Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. ¹⁵ Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” ¹⁶ Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). ¹⁷ Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ” ¹⁸ Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.

Mary Magdalene arrived at Jesus’ tomb early Sunday morning and found it empty. She ran back to alert Peter and John, who rushed to verify her report. They saw that all was as she said and returned to their homes, but Mary remained and wept outside of the place where Jesus’ corpse was placed. This time, she looked into the tomb and found two angels sitting where Jesus had been. They asked her why she was crying and she answered because the body of Jesus was gone and she had no idea where it was. She turned around and saw another man, who asked her again why she was crying. Now the other man who asked Mary why she was crying was actually Jesus, but she thought it was the gardener. Why didn’t she recognize him? Maybe she had cried so much that her eyes were puffy and she couldn’t see right. Or maybe she had no expectation whatsoever that Jesus would be there, conversing with her. She asked the one she supposed to be the gardener where he put the body of Jesus. Then Jesus said, “Mary.” The moment she heard him speak her name, she knew in whose presence she was. She cried, “Rabboni!” and literally clung to Jesus.

As soon as Mary heard Jesus speak her name, she knew who it was. Earlier in John’s Gospel, Jesus taught that his sheep knew and would know his voice. Mary knew the voice of her Lord, and she wasn’t going to let him go. Then Jesus said, “Don’t cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to my Father.” Why did he say that? Although scholars have spilled much ink working to understand exactly what Jesus meant, a simple solution may be the best one. At this point, Mary was horrified, thinking she was going to “lose” Jesus again, but he let her know he was staying for a while. In fact, he would stay forty days before he ascended to the Father. He finished his work of redemption, and he would be with her to the end of the age. Jesus asked Mary to tell the others the good news. When was the last time you told someone about Jesus? May the truth of Jesus’ resurrection cause others to reconsider their own lives, deaths, and eternities as you graciously testify to humanity’s need to repent and believe the gospel.