Reunited

In John 20:1-18 we see Jesus and Mary Magdalene reunited in a cemetery. Sometimes when all seems lost, when we’ve given up all hope and don’t even know we can hope, when it seems obviously too late–that’s when God can surprise us the most. Mary Magdalene had been among the early disciples of Jesus, and she had been one of the women who had helped bankroll the ministry of Jesus. She was also among the handful of disciples that had witnessed the crucifixion. Together with some of the other women, she had planned to finish the embalming of Jesus that Joseph of Aramathea had begun late Friday afternoon. Early Sunday morning, together with the women who had agreed to this task, she had been shocked to find that the tomb had been broken into and the body of Jesus apparently stolen. Heartbroken after having seen Jesus die a horrible death, now she couldn’t even care for his body. Crying, beside herself with grief, through her tears she sees a man in the garden around the tombs and confronts him, “Do you know what happened to his body? Did you take him somewhere? Take me to him, please, if you could…”

Then the man looked at her and spoke only her name: “Mary!”

And at that instant, she suddenly recognized him and fell into his arms, clinging to him so as to never let him go again.

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:20-23:

 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him

Thus, the picture we see in Jesus’ resurrection, the reunion between Jesus and Mary, is a snapshot of what our resurrection will be like. Come the resurrection, we’ll never again have to let anyone go.

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About R.P. Nettelhorst

I'm married with three daughters. I live in southern California and I'm the interim pastor at Quartz Hill Community Church. I have written several books. I spent a couple of summers while I was in college working on a kibbutz in Israel. In 2004, I was a volunteer with the Ansari X-Prize at the winning launches of SpaceShipOne. Member of Society of Biblical Literature, American Academy of Religion, and The Authors Guild
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