Mary Magdalene
Now on the first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, while it was yet dark, unto the tomb, and seeth the stone taken away from the tomb. She runneth therefore, and cometh to Simon Peter, and the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we know not where they have laid him. Peter therefore went forth, and the other disciple, and they went toward the tomb. And they ran both together: and the other disciple outran Peter, and came first to the tomb; and stooping and looking in, he seeth the linen cloths lying; yet entered he not in. Simon Peter therefore also cometh, following him, and entered into the tomb; and he beholdeth the linen cloths lying, and the napkin, that was upon his head, not lying with the linen cloths, but rolled up in a place by itself. Then entered in therefore the other disciple also, who came first to the tomb, and he saw, and believed. For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead. So the disciples went away again unto their own home.

But Mary was standing without at the tomb weeping: so, as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb; and she beholdeth two angels in white sitting, one at the head, and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him. When she had thus said, she turned herself back, and beholdeth Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, If thou hast borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turneth herself, and saith unto him in Hebrew, Rabboni; which is to say, Teacher. Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended unto the Father: but go unto my brethren and say to them, I ascend unto my Father and your Father, and my God and your God. Mary Magdalene cometh and telleth the disciples, I have seen the Lord; and that he had said these things unto her. (John 20.1-18).
After He had been raised from the dead, the Lord Jesus appeared to many people. But to whom did He appear first? To Mary Magdalene. The Lord was anxious to appear to Peter, for the latter was in great weakness. He was more anxious, however, to appear to Mary Magdalene. He was eager to appear to the two disciples on their way to Emmaus because they had gone the wrong way. Yet he was more eager to appear to Mary Magdalene. He was keen to appear to John, for John was the one whom He loved; but He was keener still to appear to Mary Magdalene. He also was desirous to appear to Thomas due to the latter’s unbelief; He was even more desirous to appear to Mary Magdalene. The Lord did in fact appear to many other disciples; nonetheless, He appeared to Mary Magdalene first. Why did He set aside Peter, John, Thomas and all the other disciples and appear first to Mary Magdalene?

One

Please note that Mary Magdalene was the last to leave Calvary’s cross and was the first to arrive at the tomb. She was not the only one saved, nor was it from her alone that demons were cast out; yet early in the morning she came to the tomb to find the Lord. True, there were many things she did not understand (some have even thought she did not have a very good brain), but she had a very excellent spiritual portion—one that perhaps many of us lack—which was, that she had a desire for the Lord. This is what every Christian ought to desire after.

It is recorded in John 1.29 that when John the Baptist saw Jesus coming to him, he cried out, “Behold, the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world!” This is the word which John the Baptist declared when he saw the Lord on that first occasion. Then in verse 36 we read that he saw the Lord Jesus again and declared: “Behold, the Lamb of God!” Did he forget to finish his sentence with the other words previously uttered (“that taketh away the sin of the world”)?

No, for this explains the experience of a saved person. When a person first sees the Lord, he invariably thinks of the Lord and himself, of the Lord as the Lamb of God who takes away his sins. But at the second encounter with the Lord, he forgets all about himself and thinks only of the Lord. On the first occasion, he thanks the Lord for the grace given to him; on the second, he draws near to the Lord because of what He is. In baptism, we are joined to the Lord; but in breaking bread, we remember the Lord himself. At our first encounter, we become believers in the Lord; at our second encounter, we become His “sweethearts.” The first step is to believe in the work of the Lord; the second step is to draw near to the person of the Lord.

Many there are who only know the preciousness of the Lord’s work and do not know the preciousness of the Lord himself. They know the grace they receive, but they do not know the loveliness of the Lord. What makes Mary Magdalene different from other people is that she treasures the Savior himself, not just the salvation she receives.

Many people there are from whom demons are cast out, but one alone seeks after the Lord—even Mary Magdalene. Though other women also came to find the Lord, the first one who arrived at the tomb was Mary Magdalene. She came early on the first day of the week, while it was yet dark. She cared for nothing but finding the Lord. Well has one brother said this, that after the Lord Jesus died, the whole world in Mary’s eyes had become a vacuum! The whole world could not at all bewitch her heart, because one person alone had already captivated her. Her heart was fully possessed by the Lord.

Two

When Mary came to the tomb, what did she see? And what did she intend to do? She thought that since her beloved Lord was now dead it would be good if she could see His body once more. Yet unexpectedly, even the body was gone! So she ran to tell Peter and John, saying, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we know not where they have laid him.” Immediately the two took off and ran to the tomb. John ran faster than Peter, so he arrived at the tomb first. He looked into it and saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not enter in. Simon Peter arrived afterwards and entered into the tomb and saw the linen cloths lying, also the napkin that had been upon Jesus’ head now rolled up in a place by itself. Then John also went in. He saw and believed. Yet what did they do after they had seen the situation? These two “went away again unto their own home.” They still had a sweet home on earth to which they could go. Although they realized the absence of the Lord, they felt strongly they should return to their own house. Apart from the Lord, they still had a place to call their home.

How about Mary? “But Mary was standing without at the tomb weeping.” She had no place to go! She could not go! How profound is this word “but”! Mary pondered in her heart: “You may have a home to go to, but I cannot go because the Lord is gone. You may not miss the Lord’s presence, but I do. Who has taken Him away? How can I leave?” So that she stood by the tomb and wept. To her, the whole world was all emptiness. The Lord was gone; what else, then, could one do but weep. Oh, Mary’s heart is the heart of a widow! The disciples who had followed the Lord could go away. Those with deep knowledge of the Lord could go away. John who loved the Lord went away; the “courageous” Peter also went away. Only a simple woman out of whom the Lord had cast seven demons was captivated by the Lord. She had neither rest nor consolation. She could not go away. Without the Lord all was finished. She could only weep, because thereafter her heart was nothing but a great void.

Three

“So, as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb; and she beholdeth two angels in white sitting, one at the head, and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.” When Mary saw the angels, she was neither surprised nor frightened. Why? Because her heart was completely occupied with “they have taken away my Lord.” With this one thing in mind, she cared for nothing else. Such a heart was so singularly fixed on her Lord that even the appearance of the angels could not attract her attention. She was not concerned about the angels; her whole heart was focused on the Lord.

Some may feel how good it would be if they could travel along for a while with John who so loved the Lord, or how exciting it might be if they could hear just once the preaching of Peter who was so deeply disciplined by the Lord. But the heart of Mary does not care for such things. To her, the presence of Peter and John is not sufficient for her. For her heart is like the heart of a widow. People may imagine how joyous Mary must have become in having the angels speak to her; but the fact of the matter is she did not feel anything special at all. How very different from men these angels must have appeared; they must have been very attractive, and their garments were white and shining; nevertheless, Mary could only think of one thing: how her Lord had been taken away. Even the resplendent angels could not fill the void of her heart.

There was only one thing she could do, and that was to weep. Without the Lord, nothing could satisfy her, not Peter, not John, not even the angels!

Four

“Woman, why weepest thou?” asked the angels. “Because they have taken away my Lord,” she replied, “and I know not where they have laid him.” In her thinking, though the Lord had died, His body was still precious. She had not thought of the Lord’s resurrection. Four times as recorded in the Gospel according to Matthew, the Lord had told His disciples that after He died He would be raised from among the dead (16.21, 17.23, 20.19, 26.32). Yet Mary knew nothing of it. So that on that day all her hope had been shattered; and then she only desired after the Lord’s body. Yet in spite of her ignorance, the Lord revealed himself to her because of her singular desire for Him.

The Lord appeared to Mary so as to satisfy a heart that was hungering and thirsting after Him. Peter and John went home, and the Lord did not seek them out. But here was a heart wholly occupied with the Lord, and hence He sought her out. Let me say that it is not that detrimental if we are somewhat lacking in knowledge; but to have a heart that will stir up the Lord is most precious.

Five

“When she had thus said, she turned herself back, and beholdeth Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou hast borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.” She saw the Lord Jesus, but she thought He was the gardener. “Sir, if thou hast borne him hence.” Here she forgot to state that she was seeking the Lord—Jesus of Nazareth. She merely said “him.” To her, there was only “him” in the whole world. She thought everybody ought to know who the “him” was to her. She assumed that everyone should know who this “him” was! And such was the heart of Mary.

“Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth”—so begins chapter 1 verse 2 of the Song of Solomon. This was spoken by the Shulammite as an expression of her desire for Solomon. In a similar way, whom Mary desired in her heart was this “Him” and whom she spoke about was also this “Him.” How we also need to have this “Him” in our hearts. It is not so important to have spiritual knowledge; having “Him” is all that really matters. We do not need more knowledge; we need such a perfect heart before Him as Mary Magdalene had.

Six

“If thou hast borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.” What kind of person was Mary? She was but a woman. We do not know whether she was physically strong or weak, but we do know that her heart’s intention was to take the Lord away herself. At this moment, she had given no thought as to whether she had enough strength or whether the road were too long. She only thought of taking Him. Love knows no difficulty. One quite amazing thing in the world is that where there is love, there is no problem. She was not mindful of anything other than to take Him. And such was the heart of Mary Magdalene.

Confronted by such a state as this, the Lord could not but reveal himself to her. He could not let her weep on. He must satisfy this longing heart and appear to Mary before He could then seek out Peter, John, and the two disciples on the road to Emmaus.

Seven

How did the Lord appear to her? “Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turneth herself, and saith unto him in Hebrew, Rabboni; which is to say, Teacher.” Have we ever heard this voice that Mary heard? If we ever hear this voice—“Mary”—when we pray in our closet, we shall be satisfied. As soon as the Lord said “Mary,” she recognized Him right away. This is a revelation. It is enough if the Lord would say but one word. As the shepherd calls his sheep, the eyes of the sheep open immediately. When Mary heard the Lord’s voice, she knew instantly that this was not the gardener, but the Teacher. She therefore had no need to weep any more. Whenever the Lord reveals himself to a person, no further words need to be said. Do we, like Mary, recognize the voice of our Lord?

There was once a family which was composed of only two persons, a mother and her son. Every evening when the son came home on his bicycle, he whistled as he approached the house. His mother knew immediately that her son was coming home. One day a brother in the Lord was talking with her at her home. Just as he was leaving, the mother stopped him and asked him to wait for a while, for her son was coming home. Upon inquiring how she knew this, she replied that she had already heard her son’s whistle. To other people, the whistle meant nothing, but to the mother’s ears it had a special meaning. When the Lord said “Mary,” it might not mean anything to others, but Mary recognized this voice and knew it was the Lord.

Eight

“Jesus saith to her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended unto the Father: but go unto my brethren, and say to them, I ascend unto my Father and your Father, and my God and your God.” In Matthew 28 it is recorded that some women touched the Lord. He allowed them to do so because it was worship. But why did He forbid Mary to touch Him here? Because the Lord knew that Mary wanted to keep the Lord on earth by clinging to Him and would refuse to let Him go. Yet what had the Lord gotten while on earth? Nothing except a thorny crown, a cross, and a tomb. Now He was to ascend to heaven—to His Father and also our Father, to His God and also our God. Hence He told Mary not to touch Him, that is to say, not to detain Him on earth. For the Lord has not only been resurrected, He has also ascended to heaven to be the Head of a new race as well as the representative of men.

Never before had there been any man in heaven. In His ascension, the Lord Jesus became the first man in heaven, and after Him there will be those others who believe in Him. “Because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor. . . for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory” (Heb. 2.9,10). Because of the suffering of death, the Lord is now crowned with glory and honor, and He will lead many other sons into glory too. The Lord has gone ahead, and thereafter the disciples will follow. After His resurrection, He will begin to call the disciples brethren. In other words, the Lord is now the firstborn Son and we become the many sons. By His resurrection and ascension, His Father becomes our Father, and His God becomes our God.

Nine

What more could Mary say? Nothing, for she was truly satisfied. Hence, she went back, because now she could go back. Can we ever blame the Lord if we are lacking in such revelation as Mary experienced in seeing and hearing Him? Absolutely not, because it can only be due to our lack of hunger and thirst for the Lord that Mary had. Let us ask ourselves if we really long for the Lord? Do we desire the Son of God with all our heart? Are we ignorant of the fact that our position or fame cannot at all touch the Lord’s heart, but that He will be touched if we really yearn after Him? May God create such a desire in us so that we may desire after the Son of God and love Him with singleness of heart.