- Overcomer Literature Trust
- Swindon
- Wiltshire
“I am the Resurrection and the Life” (John 11 v25)
MARY MAGDALENE.
By J C Metcalfe
Reading: Mark 16v2-13
With the victorious cry “Christ is risen” the Gospel has passed through many countries. The message of the Cross is at the same time the message of the resurrection, and it cannot be destroyed. This is the way one Bible chapter that deals with the resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ begins, and as we look to the Bible passage in Mark we find the same triumph and the same invincibility. "For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve" (1 Corinthians 15 v3-5). At this point the author wrote the actual experience of the resurrection witnesses. You see the knowledge and experience of His death and resurrection is not something that is general knowledge, nor is it understood in any natural way. It is a divine revelation to the needy heart.
The Jewish priests did not want to acknowledge this divine miracle of the One they had criticised as a deceiver. The soldiers sent to guard the tomb, after their terror caused by the earthquake at His rising again, were only concerned to keep out of trouble and accepted a bribe of cash to spread the lie that His disciples came by night and stole Him away while they slept. This was a terrible conspiracy committed by sinful people, but what about you and me? In our own lives we can learn of the power of His resurrection, and can best see the fact that Jesus lives in us by examining the case of Mary Magdalene who knew her need really well.
We read of her as someone who had demons and despair cast out of her life. She had been completely in the grip of evil, with all the accompanying fear and frustration. However, she had been brought face to face with Jesus Christ, after which she kept as close to her Saviour as possible. This is understandable, because the fear of falling back into her old slavery would have been in her mind, but near to Him she felt safe. Then He was led out to be killed, but Mary could still not leave Him, we read of her with the others who were present at the Cross. And finally He died and it appeared that her world was turned upside down. All seemed hopeless for her, yet a faint hope began to stir within her, He had said that He would rise again from the dead. This seemingly impossible thing was in fact her only hope. We read in John's Gospel that, "early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance" (John 20 v2). We are touched by her desperate plea to the One whom she thought was the gardener, "Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have put Him, and I will get Him" (v15). Her fears were answered by the voice of Christ saying to her "Mary". Two things then happened, Mary's burden was finally lifted forever and her heart was filled with worship and thanksgiving. The Saviour was really alive and now she could count on Him. As Peter wrote, she was one of those, "who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time" (1 Peter 1 v5).
This same peace and assurance is something which you and I can know. It is desperately needed by everyone around us. This glorious freedom sent Mary Magdalene straight off to those whose need was just as great as hers. Mary came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord. There is no uncertainty here, the living Lord was seen by one who loved and trusted Him. She could now use the words of the Apostle Paul, "I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day" (2 Timothy 1 v12). It is always the same, God reveals His Son to each individual, separately and alone, and they indeed turn to Him with all their heart. Isn't it amazing that we can turn to Him with the words of one of the great Easter hymns, "in joyful trust our hearts know well, neither life nor death nor powers of Hell can tear us from His keeping ever, Hallelujah". So may I give you the age old greeting, "Christ is risen", and may His blessing be with you always.