When Jesus Appears in Unexpected Ways: Lessons from Mary Magdalene

We are continuing our meditation on the resurrection of Jesus. After running to tell the disciples that Jesus's body was gone from the tomb, Mary Magdalene returned and found two angels beside the empty linen wrappings. The angels then asked Mary a question:

¹³They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” “They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” ¹⁴At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. ¹⁵He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.” ¹⁶Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”) (John 20:13-16).

Why didn’t Mary recognize Christ at first? Do you think there have been times when the Lord has come to you in a different form? Why would Jesus conceal His identity?

There are times when the Lord intentionally concealed His identity from people; for example, on the Emmaus Road in Luke 24. Unrecognized, Jesus conversed with two disciples for some time as they walked. When the two disciples turned off the highway toward Emmaus, He continued walking as if He were going further. It was only at their insistence that Jesus stayed with them. At supper, the Lord took the bread and broke it. "Their eyes were opened, and they recognized Him, and He disappeared from their sight" (Luke 24:28-32). We are no longer to walk by sight, but by faith (2 Corinthians 5:7).

When the Lord met the disciples while they were fishing on the Sea of Galilee, they did not recognize Him (John 21:4). When Jesus told them to cast their net on the other side of the boat, they obeyed and filled their net with fish! Only then did the disciples realize it was the Lord. Don't limit how the Lord Jesus can come to you by thinking He will only appear a certain way. Be open to the Lord coming in any way He chooses. Some suggest Mary didn't recognize Christ because her deep sobbing and tears clouded her vision. Others believe that the rising sun behind Jesus made it hard for her to see. When Mary spoke to Jesus, she asked for the body, mistakenly thinking He was the gardener. All she knew was that she wanted to be close to the Lover of her soul. When a lover of God feels low in spirit, only the presence of Christ will satisfy.

When Jesus spoke Mary's name with kindness and grace, she suddenly recognized who it was. God's sheep know His voice (John 10:4). This writer knows a few people who have heard the audible voice of God, but even if God doesn’t speak audibly to you, a mature believer knows in their inner being when God speaks to them. Mary knew Him by His voice. Now, her tears were tears of joy! How wonderful it will be for all of us who know Christ to look upon Him, the One we have longed to see in His glory and hear His audible voice. I imagine Mary putting her arms around Him and hugging Him tightly, her head on His chest. She would not let Him go again! I wonder how long that hug lasted. Jesus now gave her a mission.

¹⁷Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” ¹⁸Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her (John 20:17-18).

The English King James Version translates Jesus telling Mary, "Touch me not," but this creates confusion because, just a few hours later in the evening, Luke wrote that Jesus appeared among them, telling them to touch Him: “Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have” (Luke 24:39). The NASB and most recent Bibles translate Jesus as telling Mary, “Stop clinging to me” or “stop holding on to me.” Maybe Mary was so overwhelmed by seeing Jesus that she threw her arms around Him and wouldn’t let Him go. However, Jesus had a mission for her: to share the good news with others. God used the greatest of sinners to become the greatest of evangelists. The Lord honored and trusted her to be the first to deliver this incredible news to the disciples. Mary went from grief to overwhelming joy in just minutes. It will be the same for all believers when Jesus returns! Keith Thomas

The YouTube video of this talk with closed captions (subtitles) in 65 languages is found at the following link: https://youtu.be/OSV2bnALI6w

The written notes are at the following link: The Burial and Resurrection of Christ