Introduction

Misguided in their grief and what had been lost, the disciples could not see the impact of the resurrection. Amid all the prophecies that had come to be in the last few days, the disciple’s crushed hopes and grief caused them to be blind and deaf to the very words Jesus had spoken. At this point, there were eyewitness accounts that the resurrected Jesus had been seen, and angels testified regarding the same, but heartbroken, they clung to His death rather than hope in the resurrection. They were leaving in profound grief for all they had lost. They lost their Rabbi. They lost their dream of overthrowing the Roman government, and because of that, they could not see the bigger picture. Jesus is so patient with their unbelief, even though they refuse to believe the eyewitness He had sent them. Thankfully, even in their unbelief, confusion, and sorrow, Jesus reveals Himself as the risen Savior.

Heartbroken (Jn. 20:11-15)

• Mary Magdalene was set free from seven demons by Jesus. She had been in deep bondage, and Jesus had set her free.
• She never left Jesus and appears to be in deep mourning over His death, including separating herself from the other women.
• After reporting to Peter and John early that morning, Mary Magdalene apparently stopped by other locations and told others what had happened (Lk 24:10) and then returned to the tomb to grieve alone.
• Mary is heartbroken. She wants to mourn alone. She was struck with deep sorrow and confusion and cannot dare to believe in the resurrection.
• Adding to this is the belief that someone has taken His body. She is fixated on finding it. It’s almost like if she can see His body, she will somehow feel better.
• She must have arrived after Peter and John had left because her response to the angels, who were about to appear to her, shows that she had not yet heard the report from the women who had seen the angels and Jesus after she had returned to the city (Mt 28:5-10).
• She stood weeping outside the tomb. All she knew was that the tomb had been opened, and the body was gone.
• At some point, as she wept, she leaned to look and investigated the tomb. Two angels were sitting on the stone platform where Jesus’ body had been placed, one at the head and one at the feet.
• When John describes what Mary saw, he does not mention the linen wrappings, which he mentioned repeatedly when he explained what he and Peter saw when they looked inside (Jn 20:5-7).
• Instead, he simply says the angels were sitting on either end of “where the body of Jesus had been lying.”
• Mary has a dialogue with the angels. They ask her why she is weeping, and she tells them that they have taken Jesus’ body. Then, either because the angels looked or she heard a noise, she turned and saw Jesus standing there.
• Mary blurry eyed from crying, not looking directly into the eyes of the man standing there, and possibly because His glorified body looked different, she did not recognize Jesus.
• In that culture, a woman would have avoided eye contact with a strange man, so Mary would have quickly looked away.
• However, based on other passages where the resurrected Jesus is not immediately recognized (Mt 28:17; Mk 16:12; Lk 24:15-16), we may also be seeing in her response evidence that His resurrected body was changed from the mortal body in which His disciples had known Him.
• He had been resurrected, not resuscitated. His scars were still there (Jn 20:27; Lk 24:40), but this was not simply His old body that had come back to life. So, Jesus may have looked different in some ways.
• She thought He was the groundskeeper.

Clinging to Jesus (Jn. 20: 16-17)

• During that conversation, Mary would not have looked at Him but would have politely looked away. But then He suddenly spoke her name. He called, “Mariam!” and she turned, recognized Him, and said in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” which John translates for those who don’t know Hebrew as “Teacher!”
• Jesus only had to say one word, and every moment of distress melted away. She heard in the name and the tone of His voice, and she knew He had risen!
• Jesus revealed Himself, not by saying, “It’s me, Jesus!” Instead, He was revealed by telling her who she was to Him. Her eyes failed her, but the sound of her name on His lips was more than enough.
• In one word, He preached a message of redemption and resurrection. That moment must have been just as life changing as when He had freed her from her demons. It was at that moment that she knew she would forever be free.
• Mary clung to Jesus. She thought He was forever gone, and now He was there, and she didn’t want to let go.
• She knew life before Jesus. She then experienced life with Jesus, only to lose Him. She must have been fearful she would return to the old Mary. Could she continue to live free without Him there to encourage and give her purpose? So, she clung as tight as she could to the restored hope and belief.
• Then Jesus told Mary to stop clinging to Him. John doesn’t tell us how she initially reacted when she realized Jesus was alive, but apparently, she responded the same way the other women responded when they saw Him: They bowed down and grabbed His feet (Mt 28:9).
• Jesus told her she didn’t need to do that because “I have not yet gone up to the Father.” He meant it was not time for Him to physically rise into heaven, so she didn’t need to hold on to Him; He wasn’t leaving yet. He would remain with them for forty days (Ac 1:3).

Change of Status (Jn. 20:17-18)

• Jesus chose a woman to be the first witness of His resurrection. In that day the court of law did not recognize the testimony of a woman, but Jesus did.
• After this encounter with Jesus, Mary again returned to the city, and this time, she reported to the disciples that she had seen the Lord (vs.18). Yet they refused to believe her even though the other women had already reported seeing angels and the Lord Himself (Mt 28:7-10; Lk 24:9-11). When she arrived, she found them still mourning and weeping (Mk 16:10-14).
• Before she ended her visit with Jesus, He instructed her to tell His “brothers” (disciples), “I go up to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God” (literal).
• Jesus was already in His glorious, resurrected state; He was already the firstborn of a new race of humans (Ps 2:7; Ac 13:33; Ro 8:29; Col 1:15; Heb 1:5). He had already received all authority in heaven and on earth (Mt 28:18), and spiritually He was already seated in heaven at the Father’s right hand (Ps 110:1).
• Jesus’ resurrected body still bore the scars of the nails and the wound of the sword (John 20:26-28). After His resurrection, Jesus had a body of “flesh and bones” and even took food to eat (Luke 24:36-43). Yet, Jesus was sufficiently glorified to the point that His disciples did not always recognize Him right away.
• Jesus, on this side of the resurrection, no longer deals with the fatigue of sin and death; Jesus has left both sin and death in the grave. He is now functioning in His resurrected body, and he will no longer feel the pressures of sin.
• He has fulfilled his purpose to redeem humanity. He chose to bear the burden of all humanity’s sin on His shoulders and has now completed His mission.

Conclusion

Even in our unbelief, confusion, and sorrow, Jesus reveals Himself as the risen Savior. When Mary heard Jesus call her name, she knew with her whole heart that Jesus was alive. His resurrection was a reality. Hope was instantly restored, and she clung to Him because she never wanted to let go of Him again. Mary had to let go of Jesus physically, but she would never stop clinging to her Savior, who revealed the truth to her. To cling means to kindle or light a fire. When Jesus said her name, a fire was kindled in Mary. She would never be the same. The gospel message had been fully worked out in her heart. Her status had changed from student of Jesus to fully redeemed. Jesus fulfilled His purpose to redeem humanity. He chose to bear the burden of all humanity’s sin on His shoulders, and His mission was completed. Because of this revealed truth, we can let go of the sorrows of this world, cling to Jesus, and allow Him to change our status.

Discussion Questions

Have you ever felt discouraged to the point that hope felt unbearable, like Mary? What caused it and how did you get through it?
What does it mean to you to cling to Jesus?
How did the gospel message of Jesus change your life?