Jesus Meets: Mary Magdalen

John 20:15-16 (NIV) —

‘…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.' Jesus said to her, 'Mary'... 'Rabboni!''

The other day I realised that of all the hundreds of sermons I’ve listened to, I can probably count on one hand (possibly two) the number I’ve heard about one of the female protagonists in the Bible. I wonder if we’ve all been missing out? Admittedly the women don’t feature in the scriptures as frequently as the guys, but I am firmly of the persuasion that this is more to do with the patriarchal nature of the society they lived in, and not a reflection of God’s desire to include and elevate them in his story. The women may have a much lower word count than the men, but the significance of their appearances cannot be overlooked or underestimated.

Over the next few days, we’re looking at five different people, who feature in the gospels, whose lives were radically impacted by meeting Jesus. All five of them just happen to be women. First... Mary Magdalene:

Mary appears several times in the gospels, but my favourite moment is when she meets the risen Jesus in the garden.

…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. Jesus said to her, 'Mary'.. 'Rabboni!'

There’s one simple yet essential observation I want to draw out of this encounter:

It’s when Jesus calls her by name that she immediately recognises his voice.

What we learn from Mary is that there are two key ingredients needed to recognise Jesus’ voice. Intimacy and intentionality. Mary has cultivated a deep relationship with Jesus. Just one mention of her name and she instantly knows it’s him. But she’s also gone out of her way to look for him. She chooses to seek him out.

Jesus is calling you by name; do you recognise his voice?

Prayer - Lord Jesus would you lead me into a deeper relationship with you. Would you help me today to be intentional about seeking you out so that I might hear your voice.