Encounter with a Risen Christ

In celebration of Easter Sunday, we come to the tender passage found in John's Gospel in chapter 20 and in verses 11 through 18. Let me read this passage of scripture now, friends, and may God's Spirit attend the reading of his holy word. But Mary stood without at the altar, weeping, and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into this altar, 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.

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. And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus. 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.

Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni, which is to say, Master. Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not, for I am not 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.

I will stop there, friends. Here, in this remarkable passage of Scripture, we find Mary Magdalene in a personal encounter with the risen Christ. The scene begins with her weeping over his death, but to fully appreciate her tears, one must go back to Luke chapter 7, to the account of Mary anointing Christ with the broken alabaster box of ointment, for it holds the key to her strong affection for Jesus, as she washed his feet with her tears.

Here, Jesus presents the parable to his host, the Pharisee, about a creditor and two debtors. The one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. Then Jesus poses the question, and when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both.

Tell me, therefore, which of them will love him most? And the sense here is that those who have been forgiven much will love much. This was Mary, who had been converted from a wicked life of sin, and now she stands at the empty tomb, weeping, heartbroken, and lovesick, for her beloved master. And then she has an encounter with him.

She throws her arms around Jesus with delight, and hugs him tenderly, holding on to him for dear life. One translation reads, Jesus said to her, Do not cling to me. I believe that word cling captures the essence of her love for her beloved.

She loved him so much, she did not want to let him go, for fear of losing him again. But he must go and ascend to his Father, for in the words of the Bible commentator Matthew Henry concerning this verse, for the greatest joy of his resurrection was that it was a step toward his ascension. This pretty much sums up this account of Mary's encounter with the risen Christ, friends.

And it will be the same for you, when you yourself encounter the risen Christ, by having your sins washed in his blood, and being born from above. You, who has been forgiven much, will also love much, as you pursue a red-hot love relationship with Jesus, in an intimate walk with him. Let us pray.