Meanwhile, Mary Magdalene convinced Peter and the beloved disciple, John, to run with her back to the garden tomb and look for themselves. Peter and John saw the empty grave but no Jesus, the strips of linen but no Jesus. No angels, either. “Then the disciples went back to where they were staying” (John 20:10).
Mary Magdalene lingered behind, alone. She couldn’t leave. Not until she was certain what had happened to Jesus. Of Mary’s many admirable qualities—her strength, her courage, her willingness to lead—the one that mattered most was her faithfulness.
“Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying” (John 20:11). The word maudlin comes from Magdalene—the name of this dear woman who couldn’t stop weeping. Crushed in spirit, Mary Magdalene stared at the emptiness looming before her. The tomb, yes, but also her uncertain future. What if the Lord hadn’t risen after all? Would evil prevail? Would her demons return?
After seeing him suffer on the cross, now Mary had to face the awful possibility that, rather than a resurrection, his body had been taken.
“As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. They asked her, ‘Woman, why are you crying?’
‘They have taken my Lord away,’ she said, ‘and I don’t know where they have put him’” (John 20:11–13).
When we’re in pain, we often reveal the deepest truths. That’s what Mary did when she said, “They have taken away my Lord’s body!” (CEV). My Lord. So intimate, in the best sense. Jesus was not only her Savior. He was also her friend. Lord, help us think of you as Mary did—as our dearest companion, our truest friend.
That’s why Mary Magdalene remained at the tomb. Not out of duty, but out of love. The same love that kept Mary of Bethany at his feet. The same love that kept Mary of Nazareth at the cross. Mary Magdalene’s deep and abiding love for him was about to be rewarded.
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.
