Goodness (20) Mary Magdalene’s Goodness (3)
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May 28, 2023 |
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 “Jesus said to her, ‘Mary!’ She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, ‘Rabboni!’ (which means, Teacher). Jesus said to her, ‘Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, “I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.”’ Mary Magdalene came, announcing to the disciples, ‘I have seen the Lord,’ and that He had said these things to her” (John 20:16-18).
Since she met Jesus, Mary who lived in Magdala near the Sea of Galilee in Israel, found true happiness and real joy as well as she received healing of her disease. From then on, she followed, with all her life, Jesus who had given her true life.
Mary followed Jesus until the last moment. When His disciples hid themselves out of fear while Jesus was going up to Golgotha in the providence of God with the wooden cross on His back to redeem mankind from sins, she closely followed Him. Her love was unchangingly steadfast even after Jesus was dead on the cross and then buried.
Mary came to Jesus’ tomb bringing the spices to anoint His cold body at the break of dawn, that is, as soon as the Sabbath was over. In the end, she was blessed to become the first person who saw the resurrected Lord.
Then, with what kind of love and devotion did Mary serve and follow Jesus?
1. Mary clung to Jesus until the last moment of His crucifixion
Those who have spiritual love sacrifice themselves without any anticipation for reward in return. The situation of Mary’s love for Jesus was like this. She sought Jesus not just when He performed signs and wonders and transformed a number of people by His authority-filled messages, but also when He was treated like a sinner, received so many kinds of sufferings and underwent the crucifixion.
The religious leaders of Jesus’ time, such as the high priests, priests, scribes, and Pharisees, condemned Jesus as one who incited the people to rebellion; was possessed by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons; and had blasphemed God. Pilate also knew Jesus’ innocence but he was afraid that a riot would ensue. He ended up sentencing Him to death by crucifixion.
Jesus’ disciples thought that His crucifixion meant the end. None of them ever imagined that He would be resurrected. Nevertheless, Mary Magdalene stayed beside Him until the end. The disciples, who were strong men, concealed themselves due to fear. But several fragile women, including Mary, remained near Jesus as He was taking the cross and dying on it.
Luke 23:27 pictures the situation where Jesus was making steps with the cross. It says, “And following Him was a large crowd of the people, and of women who were mourning and lamenting Him.” John 19:25 says, “Therefore the soldiers did these things. But standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.”
Mary Magdalene and other women who truly loved Jesus never even considered possible harm that might have been inflicted upon them when they followed Him. Rather, they climbed up Golgotha following Jesus, who was walking with the cross on His back. It tells us that their love was true and sincere.
2. Bringing the spices, Mary came to Jesus’ tomb at early dawn after the Sabbath
Mary Magdalene and the women watched Jesus’ crucifixion. They were unable to leave the place until Jesus took the last breath. They even went to Jesus’ burial place when Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the Sanhedrin Council, took Jesus’ body from the cross to the tomb.
Because the following day was the Sabbath, Joseph moved Jesus’ body quickly. With Nicodemus who brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, he took the body of Jesus, bound it in linen wrappings, moved and laid Him in a new tomb nearby. He rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. Then, the women gathered their senses and left the place to prepare spices to anoint Him.
Since the next day was the Sabbath, Mary felt it was a very long day. As soon as it was over, she left home to go to Jesus’ tomb to anoint Him with perfume. It was dark at early dawn, but she rushed to His tomb.
However, when Mary arrived, the stone was already taken away from its entrance. Jesus’ body was not in the tomb when she entered. She could have endured the long day with hope to anoint His body with spices, but she could not find it.
Incapable of overcoming her grief that swept over her, Mary was standing outside the tomb weeping. At the moment, she saw two angels and they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She could not recognize them as angles and said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him” (John 20:11-13).
3. Mary Magdalene was the first person to see the resurrected Lord
When she had said this, she turned around and saw the resurrected Lord standing there. But she did not know that it was Him because He was in the resurrected body. He said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, “Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away” (John 20:14-15).
The Lord said to her, “Mary!” and then she could recognize Him and tried to draw closer to His arms. But He said to her, “Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I ascend to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.’”
Through the crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus completed His duty to become the Savior. Since He finished all His work, the first thing for Him to do was to see God the Father and be clothed with God-given glory. But the Lord appeared before Mary and told her to let His resurrection known to His disciples and urged her to live as a witness of the Lord until a certain time came. He promised her that she would see Him again not long after that. In this way, Mary Magdalene became the first person to see the resurrected Lord and announced to His disciples that she had seen Him.
Then, why did the resurrected Lord appear in front of Mary even before He ascended to God? This is because she loved the Lord with her life and served Him with perfect dedication, and she did not seek to spare her life unlike His disciples. That is why she could be the first person to see the resurrected Lord.
The purpose of God in the cultivation of mankind is to gain true children with whom He can share unchanging love forever. In order to gain such true children, the God of love made a huge ‘investment’ even sacrificing His only begotten Son on the cross.
Then, how much more delighted do you think God felt when He found Mary Magdalene, who was of goodness without any evil and who had achieved perfect love! It was such that He wanted to have her near Him all the time and enjoy the aroma of her goodness. That is why she has received the greatest love from God among all women since the Creation and she has the right to come near God’s throne.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, we must wash our robes to enter the City of New Jerusalem that houses God’s throne. In other words, we should reach the perfect level of goodness through the circumcision of our hearts. I pray in the name of the Lord that you will move God’s heart and become a precious one in Heaven.
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