He appeared first to Mary Magdalene. (Mark 16:9)
Why Mary Magdalene? Why not his mother? Why not
choose Peter or John or any of the apostles to be the first to see him
after his resurrection? Mary was a surprising, even illogical choice to
be his first witness. In Jesus’ time, a woman could not legally serve as
a witness, so Mary’s testimony probably would not be taken seriously.
Yet Jesus chose Mary, one of the least. But why? Maybe simply because she was there. And she was always
there. She was there throughout his ministry. She was there at his
arrest. She was even there when the apostles scattered in fear. She was
there in the praetorium when the soldiers mocked and scourged him. She
was there at the cross with his mother when they crucified him. She was
there on Calvary when they took him down and laid his body in the tomb.
Mary made it a point to stay close to Jesus because she loved him to the
end. So of course she would be the first one to go to the tomb early
Sunday morning. And of course, Jesus appeared to her!
Because she loved Jesus so much, Mary Magdalene took the risk that
the apostles were unable to take. Perhaps she stood up to the guards and
put her life in danger just to see Jesus’ body. She fought through her
fear and sadness, just as we do sometimes. She put aside any sense of
unworthiness she might have felt because she wasn’t his “real family.”
She persisted until she found Jesus.
So what can we learn from Mary Magdalene? That it’s always worth it to try to stay close to the Lord. God rewards everyone
who seeks him. He especially delights to reveal himself to the humble
and lowly. So when you push through fear or grief or doubt in order to
be near Jesus, you can be confident that he will bless you. In fact, he
is already there; he is waiting to reveal himself to us.
Today and every day, fight to stay close to the Lord. Be there with
him and persist in prayer, even when you don’t feel his presence. Talk
to him during the day; ask him to help you sense that he is near. He is
closer than you think.
“Jesus, I believe you are with me. Help me to stay close to you today.”
from wau.org
No comments:
Post a Comment