87 Mary Meets the Risen Jesus [John 20:1–18]
The Bible passage: [John 20:1–18]
The Story:
Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark. She saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb.
She ran to Simon Peter and John and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb. We don’t know where they have put Him!”
Peter and John went out, heading for the tomb. The two were running together, but John outran Peter and got to the tomb first. Stooping down and looking in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he didn’t go in. Then Peter arrived. He entered the tomb and saw the linen cloths lying there. The wrapping that had been on His head was not lying with the linen cloths but was folded up in a separate place by itself. John then entered the tomb, saw, and believed.
They still did not understand that He would rise from the dead. Then the disciples went home again.
Mary stood outside facing the tomb, crying. As she was crying, she stooped down to look into the tomb. She saw two angels in white sitting there where Jesus’ body had been lying, one at the head and one at the feet.
They said to her, “Why are you crying?”
She told them, “Because they’ve taken my Lord away, and I don’t know where they’ve put Him.”
After saying this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know it was Jesus.
Jesus asked her, “Why are you crying? Who are you looking for?”
Thinking that He was the gardener, she replied, “Sir, if you’ve removed Him, tell me where you’ve put Him, and I will take Him away.”
Jesus said, “Mary.”
Suddenly recognizing Him, she said to Him, “Teacher!”
Jesus told her, “Go to My brothers and tell them that I am alive.”
Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them what He had said to her.
The Lessons:
- This story seems to be almost the same as 86 The Resurrection, but there are some slight differences. Some people would say this is evidence of the inaccuracy of the Bible. I think the opposite is true. Separate witnesses to a story usually have differences in their testimonies. This is partly because they notice different things, and partly because our own experiences cause us to see events differently.
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