The four accounts of the first moments after Y’shua Jesus’ Resurrection are somewhat at odds with each other. Yet, one thing remains constant: Mary Magdalene saw Him first. Who she was with, the actual details of their meeting vary; but even Mark, whose version is extremely truncated, agrees that the first encounter occurred with her. Consider Today’s Holy Nougat, for another version of the encounter.
John 20:11-12, 14-15 CEB
[11] Mary stood outside near the tomb, crying. As she cried, she bent down to look into the tomb.
[12] She saw two angels dressed in white, seated where the body of Jesus had been, one at the head and one at the foot.
[14] As soon as she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she didn’t know it was Jesus.
[15] Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who are you looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she replied, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him and I will get him.”
Mistaken Identity
She didn’t recognize Him.
Our first instinct is to wonder how it did she fail to recognize He Who was such a major part of her life. This wasn’t just any man. This was Y’shua Jesus, her Messiah. And she thought He was the gardener!
Was it that all ‘common’ Jewish men looked the same? Could John (or later editors) have gone down the stereotype road? It doesn’t fit with the pattern of John’s writing. He was generally succinct, not as brief as Mark, offering additional information as needed, to underscore a point. His inclusion of Mary’s confusion was significant.
Please note, this is a point on which all the writers also agree. Mary (and/or those women with her) didn’t immediately recognize Y’shua. In Luke, they didn’t so much see Him first, but prior to receiving the news, they were afraid.
Application
I’ve theorised previously about Mary’s response. Of course, there is the logical issue. Y’shua died. No matter what promise He had made in life, no one had ever raised themselves from death prior. (And none ever since!) It was somewhat inconceivable to presume that the one man near the empty tomb would be Y’shua.
True, the Hebrew Testament contains stories of tormenting spirits, and there’s even the calling of Samuel’s spirit from death,
But
… that was a spirit, not flesh. (See 1 Samuel 27 for the details).
Yes,
Moses and Elijah met Y’shua on the Mount of Transfiguration,
But
… they were as apparitions (see Mark 9, Luke 9, and Matthew 17), and disappeared shortly after their business with Jesus was completed.
Certainly
Elisha’s corpse resulted in someone else resurrection,
But
… he remained dead. (See 2 Kings 13 for that story).
Mary had no precedent from which to operate.
Moreover, she had just had an angelic encounter. She saw two angels, who appraised her about Y’shua’s status. If Christ had risen, and if angels were sent to tell her about it, then she most definitely would not have been expecting to see Jesus for herself right there in a virtual stranger’s family plot.
As a woman, she also may have expected that the male disciples would see and hear from Him firstly. If Y’shua were to visit anyone else, we might expect that he would appear to Mary, His mother.
Yet, when and where she least expected Him, in the place of her deepest grief, Y’shua was there.
Self-Check
Would we have recognized Him in our grief and shock?
Point to Ponder
Can we recognize Y’shua at work in the toughest moments of our lives today?
—
May all we seek be found in Christ
