Saturday, November 21, 2015

John 20:11-18 comments: Mary Magdalene at the empty tomb


11 ¶  But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre, 12  And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. 13  And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him. 14  And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. 15  Jesus saith unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away. 16  Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. 17  Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God. 18  Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her.

Peter and John do not understand the Resurrection. Mary thinks someone stole Jesus’ body. It is given to Mary Magdalene to see two angels and then to turn and see Jesus, thinking Him to be the gardener. Jesus says her name and then she sees Him for who He is. Is that not the way salvation is and the way the translation of the church will be? We knew Christ for how He was when He spoke our name. Our coming to Christ had to be a very personal thing, not a group thing. There is no group salvation in Biblical Christianity. You were not saved because you were a Baptist, Catholic, Lutheran, or Pentecostal. You were saved because God spoke your name and you saw Him for who He is.

John 10:3  To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.

Genesis 22:1 ¶  And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am…11 ¶  And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I.

Exodus 3:4  And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I.

1Samuel 3:4  That the LORD called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I.

Song of Solomon 2:8 ¶  The voice of my beloved! behold, he cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills….10  My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.

Acts 9:4  And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?

1Thessalonians 4:16  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. [you certainly don’t think here, in consideration of other passages that the Lord is just shouting, “HEY!” do you?]

Revelation 2:17  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.

Jesus told her not to touch Him as He had not ascended to the Father. We can only guess the reasons for that and the physics of it. But, she ran and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord and what He had said to her.

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