My intention was to write this early this morning. I didn’t make it. It seems to me by evening time the holiday is over and most people are preparing for Monday morning. Nevertheless, I wanted to put my thoughts down to follow up my posts for Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.
I imagine most people know that we celebrate Easter to celebrate the Resurrection of Christ. It is one of, if not the most, important event in human history, and so many people don’t even know about it. Like Christmas, the importance of this holiday has been subdued by commercialism.
When I think of Easter and the Resurrection, I rarely think about the great gift that was given to humanity. Usually when I think of the Resurrection I think about what happened that morning between the resurrected Savior and Mary. Most know the story.
Mary and some of the women arise early to go to Christ’s sepulcher to properly care for His body. Because He was executed as the Sabbath was approaching, its assumed that His body didn’t receive all the attention it normally would have received had there been time. And so Mary and her friends came to the tomb to do a more thorough caring of the body.
Each Gospel gives a little different variations on the events. I’m focusing on John’s telling of what happened.
The women came to the sepulcher and found the stone that had sealed it removed, and the body of Christ was gone. They all went and told the disciples. Peter, John, and presumably the women, all went back to the tomb where Peter and John saw for themselves the empty tomb. Then everyone leaves, except Mary.
She’s understandably very upset. I can only imagine her state of mind. Weeping she looks in the tomb and the two angels ask her, “Woman, why weepest thou?” After her reply she turns back and see’s the Savior, but doesn’t recognize Him. So He says to her, “Woman why weepest thou?” I personally believe His next question was an attempt to get her to recognize Him. He prods her with, “Whom seekest thou?” She responds in about the same way as she did to the angels.
Here is where I try to imagine the scene in my mind and try to put it in context. Mary is overwrought with grief, pain, and confusion. She is so beside herself with emotion that she doesn’t seem to understand what or who she is seeing.
I’ve always believed there was a special relationship between Christ and Mary. So Christ seeing the state Mary is in, says her name, “Mary.” He called her by name. I imagine there was something in how He spoke it, some certain quality to His voice that opened her eyes. Then in my imagination she runs to Him and plunges into an emotion filled embrace.
The King James bible says that He told her, “Touch me not.” But there are other interpretations that have Him saying, “Hold me not.” This is supported by Matthew’s recollection of the events. Matthew has Christ appearing to all the women as they go to tell the disciples. When He does so, Matthew says, “And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him.” (Matt 28:9)
I usually get teary eyed when I think of Christ’s and Mary’s encounter at the tomb in the way I’ve described. To me it make sense. Another thing that I’ve thought about is that Mary didn’t recognize Christ by “seeing” Him, but by “hearing” Him. I also love how all Christ had to do was speak her name. Christ/God does that all through the scriptures, calling people by their name.
I don’t know where I get this from, but when I read John’s version of events, there seems to be a certain sensitivity to the whole scene. I don’t care much for this word “intimacy”, but there’s a certain intimacy between Christ and Mary. I can only imagine how He said her name that opened her eyes. He said it in a way only Jesus would have used. I believe that would be the case with anyone with whom He would call by name.
Christ ministers to us in an intimate, caring, and individual way. But He isn’t hesitant to use harsh events either when He needs to get our attention. This mortal life is so short and small in the eternal perspective, but it is all-consuming from my little mortal perspective. Life altering events that have seared my soul will be seen and understood differently when I enlarge my perspective.
Easter is about the Resurrection of Christ. I know He rose from the tomb on that Easter morning with “healing in His wings”. I know that Christ lives.
Easter is also about re-birth, the renewing of life. Its about resurrection; resurrecting my life.