24^th April

““Dear woman, why are you crying?” Jesus asked her. “Who are you looking for?” She thought He was the gardener. “Sir,” she said, “if you have taken Him away, tell me where you have put Him, and I will go and get Him.” “Mary!” Jesus said. She turned to Him and cried out, “Raboni!” (which is Hebrew for “Teacher”). . . . Mary Magdalene found the disciples and told them, “I have seen the Lord!” Then she gave them His message.”

John 20:15-16, 18

Mary Magdalene was a wonderful woman. Healed of seven demons (Mark 16:9) and a regular supporter of Jesus ministry (Luke 8:2-3), she had the privilege of being the first person to see the resurrected King. When she went to the tomb, on the third day, after discovering that it had been opened and Jesus’ body was no longer there, she stood weeping in confusion and sorrow. The Man who had miraculously delivered her from demon possession, had just been crucified and now His body was not even in the tomb.

When Jesus appeared to Mary, at first she didn’t recognise Him. Yet when Jesus called her by name, just as He did when He called her to follow Him, she immediately recognised that it was her Master and Teacher. Mary knew the voice of kindness, love, mercy and victory. She knew that once she had been called by that voice, her life was never the same again. After seeing the resurrected Jesus, she immediately ran to find the other disciples and share the Good News of the resurrected King, her Raboni and Teacher.

We too can have the same response as Mary did. When we hear Jesus call our name, when we receive the restoring and regenerating work of Christ in our lives, when our lives become radically changed by the power of His love, our next action should be to go out and share about it, just as Mary did. She heard His voice and then ran to tell others about it. Have you heard Jesus call YOU? Then go and share the Good News that our King is not dead but alive.