“Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).
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Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: ‘I have seen the Lord!’” John 20:16,18

Picking up where we left off, Mary Magdalene is up early on Sunday morning to prepare Jesus’ body for burial. But what does she find when she arrives at the garden tomb? The stone sealing the entrance has been moved aside and the Messiah is no where to be found.

I mean, what a week! She had stood with the other women at the foot of the cross watching the One who had delivered her from seven demons now seemingly unable to deliver Himself. She watched Him die a cruel and gruesome death as His spirit departed from them. And now His body was gone too. You could only imagine the rollercoaster of emotions she was experiencing.

John tells us that Mary “stood outside the tomb weeping.” Then, admist her tears, she notices she is not alone. Jesus, in the flesh, is standing in front of her. She is in such disbelief that she mistakes Him for a gardener. But He responds…

Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

What did it take to move Mary from desolation to celebration? Only one thing — Jesus spoke her name in a voice she knew, and it was enough. She could not wait to tell the others about what she had witnessed.

We don’t have Jesus’ physical presence to see and touch as she did. We have been asked to “walk by faith and not by sight.” But our discipleship can be just as real as hers. Mary Magdalene saw God’s promises firsthand and immediately went to spread the news. When was the last time you felt compelled to share about His goodness? Were you concerned about what others would think?

Having faith like Mary Magdalene means living it out daily and being the one to point others towards Him, regardless of how it will be perceived. Even when her nearsighted vision was blurred, she pursued her Teacher by simply following Him.