It was the Sunday morning that divided history into two parts. Jesus has been denied by Peter, betrayed by Judas, whipped, mocked, spat on, abandoned by all disciples who fled and hid in fear, crucified and then put in a grave.
The son of God, who had just taken away the sins of the world. He who bore sins through the nails ripping his skin, was now laid in a grave, bringing tears, doubts, and fears. The Word, the Light of the World, the Bread of Life, the Good Shepherd, the Door, the True Vine, the Resurrection and Life had not perished? Could not perish? Should not perish.
All those who believed were frightened, their hopes fading like the ephemeral beauty of summer evenings.
The disciples had forgotten what He had taught them. As Rick Riordan wrote in The Battle of the Labyrinth, Sometimes…sometimes monsters get forgotten and they lose their will to stay immortal.” Sometimes… sometimes, in our human existence, we lose what is most important for us, that is the capacity to believe and stand firm when the circumstances in life are saying otherwise.
But as Louis L’Amour wrote, there will come a time when you believe everything is finished. Yet that will be the beginning.
When everything seemed doomed, through tears of despair and hopelessness, Mary Magdalene felt an earthquake of significant consequences.
The resurrection of Jesus took place in a tumultuous Sunday morning. Angels, shining like lightning and dressed in snow-white clothes, descended. As the earth shook violently, the soldiers were terrified by the sight of the Angels and the now-open rolled stone. A small group of women were there to witness the dawn of a new era.
The air was filled with a sense of awe and wonder as the women beheld the miraculous scene before them. The sound of the earthquake reverberated through the ground, adding to the drama of the moment. The smell of dust and earth lingered in the air, mixing with the sweet scent of flowers blooming nearby. The women felt a mixture of fear, excitement, and hope as they realized they were witnessing a divine event (little they knew) that would change the course of history.
The silence was shattered by the whispers of angels and the gasps of those who beheld the empty tomb. It was a moment frozen in time, where faith and reality collided in a symphony of divine power.
“Fear not, for He has risen,” said the Angel. He instructed Mary Magdalene to go and tell the disciples about the resurrection. Mary Magdalene, who had been present at the crucifixion, set out to find where they had laid Jesus’ body. She then gathered spices to anoint Jesus’ body and headed to the tomb, unsure of how she would move the stone.
While the disciples were consumed by fear, disappointment, and doubt, retreating to their old lives and occupations, Mary Magdalene remained steadfast in her devotion. She stayed by the tomb with no expectations, only driven by her deep sense of devotion.
Is it true that those whose devotion goes beyond the ordinary rhythm of life also believe in a good God whose eyes see the hearts and reward the efforts of those who seek Him? Could extravagant devotion catch God’s attention in a unique way and could bold steps of obedience and trust set the stage for extraordinary miracles to occur? Moreover, can a loving God stop for the one that no one else would stop for?
It was Oscar Wilde who said “I delight in men over seventy. They always offer one the devotion of a lifetime.” It was God who came down reaching to our fallen humanity to demonstrate He delights in sinners more than in pretend to be holies, because he who is forgiven little, loves little.” Luke 7:47 NASBS
Mary Magdalene was, to many, a woman tormented by demons, a cast out in the very society she lived. A nobody, forgotten, judged, nonentity, ignored, rejected, and avoided by all who claimed God and goodness. But her many torments saw the light, and the love, and the compassion, and the grace, and the care.
“Her many torments saw infinite love and infiniter care was Emily Dickinson wrote in the collected poems of Emily Dickinson, by Emily Dickinson; Rachel Wetzsteon.” He didn’t overlook her in the way so many others had disregarded her. Her name was Mary, and at the sound of her name she knew, He had loved her beyond the walls of death till the rivers of Eternity.
I have risen, and I have chosen her, I call her by her name. I have risen, and I have chosen her, to witness to those who would not believe her. I have risen, and I have chosen her, because out of all of mine, she is the one who stayed. I have risen, and I have chosen her, transformed her, loved her, and sent her.
I have risen, and the world must know that I, a holy and powerful God, am with the forgotten, the poor, the rejected, the beggars, the ones with leprosy, with the prostitutes, with the traitors, with the prisoners, with the lonely, with the sinners. I have risen, and sin has lost its power.
Now, those who are weary find rest in Him, while all who are thirsty are given living waters. Those who are hungry are fed the very Bread of Life, and the rejected find purpose in the embrace of His arms. The beggars and poor have found an incorruptible inheritance as they have been made heirs.
The sick find comfort, healing, and peace, and even the prostitutes, who are normally destitute of honor in a hypocritical society, have now found peace, restitution, righteousness, protection, and real love. His name is Jesus, and He is Risen.
Furthermore, the traitors find forgiveness in repentance, and the prisoners find freedom in abundance. Just as a magnet attracts metal objects, the resurrected Jesus will draw in those who are in need, providing them with nourishment and fulfillment beyond measure.
Go Mary, and tell them. Go, woman, and tell them I am Risen, and there is hope, there is purpose, there is love. Go, and tell the world! He had risen, and He had chosen her, He called her by her name.
I have risen, and I have chosen her, I call her by her name. I have risen, and I have chosen her, to witness to those who would not believe her. I have risen, and I have chosen her, because out of all of mine, she is the one who stayed. I have risen, and I have chosen her, transformed her, loved her, and sent her.
I have risen, and the world must know that I, a holy and powerful God, am with the forgotten, the poor, the rejected, the beggars, the ones with leprosy, with the prostitutes, with the traitors, with the prisoners, with the lonely, with the sinners. I have risen, and sin has lost its power.
Now, those who are weary find rest in Him, while all who are thirsty are given living waters. Those who are hungry are fed the very Bread of Life, and the rejected find purpose in the embrace of His arms. The beggars and poor have found an incorruptible inheritance as they have been made heirs.
The sick find comfort, healing, and peace, and even the prostitutes, who are normally destitute of honor in a hypocritical society, have now found peace, restitution, righteousness, protection, and real love. His name is Jesus, and He is Risen.
Furthermore, the traitors find forgiveness in repentance, and the prisoners find freedom in abundance. Just as a magnet attracts metal objects, the resurrected Jesus will draw in those who are in need, providing them with nourishment and fulfillment beyond measure.
Go Mary, and tell them. Go, woman, and tell them I am Risen, and there is hope, there is purpose, there is love. Go, and tell the world!
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