The Marys III

Our family went to see Prince Caspian last weekend. I'm a HUGE CS Lewis fan, and I love the Narnia books. Allegory is one of my favorite forms of lit to read. It really speaks to my heart, and the movie had the same effect as receiving beautiful Truth through music, art or literature.

In the first part of the movie, the children find themselves transported from a train station in England back into Narnia. The scene where they first realized that they had returned to Narnia gave my heart that sore feeling of longing. The children looked around and realized that they were really and truly HOME. They had become ill at ease in England once they had experienced a full life in Narnia. They ran down the beach, throwing off winter clothing as they went, and splashed and played in the beautiful ocean.

The scene made me realize that the longer I live in this world, the more ill-at-ease I become. My spirit has a home that it recognizes although I've never lived there. I cried as I thought of returning to Home where I'd be in the presence of Aslan (Jesus) and surrounded by a feeling of comfort and familiarity.

I think that may have been how Mary Magdelene felt in the presence of Jesus. Wherever He was became her home. After He cast 7 demons out of her, Mary followed Him wherever He went. She took care of Him and the disciples as they traveled. She followed Jesus on His journey to the cross. She waited outside His tomb on the very first hour that she could after Passover. She was at home with Him, and she couldn't find home without Him.

It was because He had set her free. With all the herecies floating around about the love between Mary and Jesus, my heart testifies with Mary's that her kind of love wasn't about infatuation or earthly passion. She was passionate about Jesus because He had saved her. He SET HER FREE! Then He taught her. When Mary met Jesus after His resurrection, she cried out, "Rabboni!", or teacher. In a day when women were viewed largely as unteachable, obviously Jesus had taken time to teach Mary.

And then He gave her the greatest gift I can imagine. He showed her His new life and resurrected body first! Can you imagine it? All the following, all the painful watching, all the grieving and all the waiting during those three days ended with His presence. He hadn't gone away at all, and now Mary could be Home forever!

My heart longs for the day when it reaches it's final home. I sound like I'm getting old, but beyond my family and friends, there's just less and less that holds me here on earth. In the meantime, though, just like Mary, I can be Home with the indwelling Jesus. Hallelujah! He is risen!