Mary Magdalene sees her Risen Lord

When she first saw Jesus standing near her she thought that he was the gardener making an early start.  Notice how Jesus, with that wonderful understanding of his, was careful to lessen the shock of suddenly seeing him.  First, he let her get used to his being there and then he allowed her to realise who he was without actually telling her.  “Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping?  For whom are you looking?’  Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, ‘Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away’.  Jesus said to her, ‘Mary!’  She turned and said to him in Hebrew, ‘Rabbouni!’ (which means Teacher)” (NRSV, John 20:15,16).

The Apostles

And that was the beginning of Mary Magdalene’s Easter joy, and at once she ran back into the city to share it with the rest of the disciples.  “She went out and told those who had been with him, while they were mourning and weeping.  But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it” (NRSV, Mark 16:10,11).  Her tears had gone and before the day was over theirs would have gone too, but now they were plunged in grief and gripped with fear of what Jesus’ enemies might do to them.  “When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you’.  After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side.  Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord” (NRSV, John 20:19,20).

So Jesus’ words came true which he had told them on the night before his Crucifixion, “So you have pain now; but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you” (NRSV, John 16:22).