“At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus” (John 20:14).
“Woman . . .” (John 20:15).
Woman. The first word spoken by the risen Christ, meant for all his daughters throughout eternity. Woman. An assurance that we matter to him, that we count for his kingdom. Woman. A term of respect. The very word he used when addressing his beloved mother from the cross. Woman.
“. . . why are you crying?” (John 20:15).
I can tell you why I’m crying. Because Jesus chose a woman. He could have revealed his risen self first to any one of the Eleven, but he chose Mary Magdalene, a former demoniac, a midlife caregiver, a faithful follower. A woman.
Jesus knew why Mary was crying, just as he understands what makes us weep. Even so, he asked the same question the angels had put to her. Not to embarrass her, but to encourage her. No need for tears, Mary. Not anymore.
“Who is it you are looking for?” (John 20:15). Jesus asked this second question on the heels of the first, helping her move past her tears so she could move past her fears. He is not dead, Mary. Look! See! In the darkness of her sorrow, Mary Magdalene needed someone to assure her that one day life would make sense again. That she would be dry eyed and in her right mind. That all was not lost. Who better to tell her than her beloved Savior?
“Jesus said to her, ‘Mary’” (John 20:16). He is risen! He is risen indeed! “And [she] cried out in Aramaic, ‘Rabboni!’” (John 20:16). We hear your joy, Mary, resounding across the centuries. “Master!” (WE). “Teacher!” (NLV). To have watched him die and then to see him alive. To witness his burial and then to experience his resurrection.
Jesus paused to speak to a woman. Not merely to speak to her but to send her. Weeks later Jesus would proclaim the Great Commission when he sent the Eleven into the world to preach the gospel. But first he sent Mary Magdalene to share the truth with them. Can a woman spread the good news? Oh yes she can! “Go instead to my brothers and tell them” (John 20:17).
Liz Curtis Higgs is an internationally-known speaker and the author of more than 30 books, including The Women of Easter. Learn more at LizCurtisHiggs.com. Devotions are adapted from The Women of Easter. Copyright © 2017 by Liz Curtis Higgs. Published by WaterBrook, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations within these devotions are from the New International Version, used by permission.
